A Perfect Example
The historical Buddha is an embodiment of all the virtues
that He preached. He translated all His words into action. He was tireless in
His spreading of the Truth and was the perfect model example. At no time did He
ever show any human weakness or base passion. His qualities of Morality, Wisdom
and Compassion are the most perfect the world has ever known.
You Can Become Perfect
The Buddha represents the highest peak of spiritual
cultivation possible. He taught that all could attain true perfection. No other
founder of a religion has ever said that its followers too have the same chance
to gain the same experience of peace, happiness and salvation as Him. But the
Buddha taught that anyone could attain the same bliss of supreme Enlightenment
if one was to practice as He did.
Beyond Religion
If the definition of "religion" is the
unquestionable belief and worship in a supreme entity, with the obligation to
carry out rites and rituals, Buddhism is definitely not a religion. It is
beyond all conventional definitions of religion- for Buddhism encourages
intelligent doubting and believes in the potential supremacy of the individual.
Rites and rituals are seen as ceremonies that help inspire us- they do not give
us Wisdom and True Happiness.
Universality
As the Buddha’s concern is the True Happiness of all
beings, His teachings can be practiced in society or seclusion, by all of every
race and belief. It is totally unbiased and truly universal.
Purification of the Mind
Buddhism is the only religion that encourages not just the
ceasing of all evil and the doing of all good- but also teaches the
purification of one’s Mind, which is the root of all good and evil, and the
cause of both suffering and True Happiness.
Self-Reliance
When the Buddha was meditating to gain Enlightenment, no
gods came to reveal any hidden secrets of spiritual power. No one gave Him any
religious laws to teach. He said, "I never had any teacher or divinity to
teach me or tell me how to gain Enlightenment. I achieved supreme Wisdom by my
own effort, energy, knowledge and purity." Likewise, we can attain this
highest goal through perseverance in improving ourselves.
Freedom of Thought
From the intellectual and philosophical content of
Buddhism rose the freedom of thought and inquiry unparalleled by any other
established world religion or philosophy. Though the Buddha urges us to
consider His teachings, there is no obligation or compulsion whatsoever to
believe or accept any Buddhist doctrine.
Education of the Truth
The Buddha is the greatest teacher of the Truth (reality
of all things). Buddhism is the perfect education about us and the Universe we
live in. It is the teaching beyond worldly knowledge- of the highest Wisdom
that leads to the realisation of True Happiness. It is interesting to note that
the first university established in the world is the great Nalanda Buddhist
University in India, which flourished from the second to the ninth century. It
was opened to students of Buddhism all over the world and was the school of
many outstanding Buddhist scholars and sages.
Standing Unchallenged
The Buddha was an unequalled teacher. He freely and
actively invited both His followers and those of other beliefs to challenge His
teachings from every possible angle till there was no room for any kind of
doubt. True to His injunctions, His followers have debated about His doctrine
and even founded different schools of Buddhism according to their understanding
without violence or bloodshed. The Buddha knew that if one really believed that
one knows the Truth, one should not be afraid to have it challenged, as the
Truth will always win. His replies to numerous questions enriched the Buddhist
doctrine into a vast religious field. We are today able to answer any questions
about Buddhism, simply by referring to the Buddha’s explanations.
No Blind Faith
The Buddha did not promise heavenly bliss or reward to
those who called themselves His followers. Nor did He promise salvation to
those who had faith in Him. To Him, religion is not a bargain but a noble way
of life to gain Enlightenment and salvation for oneself and others. He did not
want followers who believed Him blindly; He wants us to think and understand
for ourselves.
The Buddha urges all to come forth to discover more about
Buddhism and not simply believe in it. He advised choosing a proper religion by
considering and investigating it in various ways, without accepting anything
through emotion or blind faith. This is why Buddhism is called the religion of
analysis. In it is the scientific logical analysis of mind and matter which
modern thinkers appreciate.
From Experience and Reason to Faith
Buddhism is the only religion, which was explained to
Mankind through the experience, realisation, Wisdom and Enlightenment of the
founder (the Buddha) without introducing it as a message by a god. It starts
from the root of known experience and not blind faith. Human problems must be
understood by one through human experience and solved by developing great
humane qualities. One should find the solution through the purification and
development of the human Mind, and not through outsiders. That is why the
Buddha never introduced Himself as a supernatural saviour. He did not
acknowledge that there is such a saviour. According to Him, we are our own
saviours.
The Whole Truth
The Buddha encourages us to face the facts of life
courageously without acting hypocritically and to accept the Truth whatever and
whenever it may be. All that He taught were timeless practical truths leading
us towards True Happiness.
Scientific
Buddhism never found the need to give new interpretations
to its teachings. Newly verified scientific discoveries never contradict the
teachings of the Buddha as the method and teachings of Buddhism are scientific.
Buddhism’s principles can be maintained under any circumstances without changing
its basic ideas. The understanding capacity of the value of these religious
ideas may diminish and disappear from Man’s Mind. And Man may experience the
difficulty of practicing these principles in a corrupted society. However, the
value of the Buddha’s teaching will be appreciated by every cultured and
understanding person at any time. As complimented by Albert Einstein (Physicist
and Mathematician), winner of the Nobel Prize, who is popularly regarded as the
most outstanding scientist of the twentieth century,
"The religion of the future will be a cosmic
religion. It should transcend a personal God and avoid dogmas and theology.
Covering both the natural and the spiritual, it should be based on a religious
sense arising from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual and a
meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description... If there is any religion
that would cope with modern scientific needs, it would be Buddhism."
Supreme Philosophy
As complimented by Bertrand Russell (Mathematician,
Philosopher, Author and Social Critic), winner of the Nobel Prize, who is
popularly regarded as the most outstanding philosopher of the twentieth century,
"Of the great religions of history, I prefer Buddhism…
Buddhism is a combination of both speculative and
scientific philosophy. It advocates the Scientific Method and pursues that to a
finality that may be called Rationalistic. In it are to be found answers to
such questions of interest as ‘What is mind and matter? Of them, which is of
greater importance? Is the Universe moving towards a goal? What is Man’s
position? Is there living that is noble?’ It takes up where science cannot lead
because of the limitations of the latter’s instruments. Its conquests are those
of the Mind."
Supreme Psychology
In the course of their work many psychologists have found,
as the pioneering work of Dr. C.G. Jung (founder of the Jungian school of
psychology- a pioneer of modern psychology) has shown, we are closer to the Buddha.
To read a little Buddhism is to realise that the Buddhists knew, more than two
thousand five hundred years ago, far more about our modern problems of
psychology than they have yet been given credit for. They studied these
problems long ago, and found the answers too. As complimented by Jung,
"As a student of comparative religions, I believe
that Buddhism is the most perfect one the world has seen. The philosophy of the
theory of evolution and the law of Karma are far superior to any other creed…
It was neither the history of religion nor the study of
philosophy that first drew me to the world of Buddhist thought but my
professional interest as a doctor. My task was to treat psychic suffering and
it was this that impelled me to become acquainted with the views and methods of
that great teacher of humanity (the Buddha), whose principal theme was the
chain of suffering, old age, sickness and death."
No Fear
The Buddha is a major historical figure who promoted the
rise of rational faith against the superstitions of religion. He emancipated
man from the thralldom of the priests, and was the first to show the way to
freedom from hypocrisy and religious dictatorship. Buddhism is a religion that
uses reason and no element of fear to coerce anyone in any way to believe in it.
Universal Compassion
As the Buddha’s Compassion is universal, He sees all
creatures great and small, from insects to beasts, as equal ultimately, each
with the same rights for happiness as Humankind.
Non-Violence
There is no such thing as a just war in Buddhism. The
Buddha taught that "the victor breeds hatred and the defeated lives in
misery. He who renounces both victory and defeat is happy and peaceful."
Not only did the Buddha teach non-violence and peace, He was probably the first
and only religious teacher who went to the battlefield to prevent the outbreak
of a war.
Human Equality
The Buddha was among the first to speak against the caste
system on individual rights and the equality of all human beings despite
differences in social standing, race and religion. He also encouraged the
spirit of social co-operation and active participation in society at all
levels. According to the Buddha, the only classification of human beings is
based on the quality of their moral conduct. He Buddha said:
"Go into all lands and preach this teaching. Tell
them that the poor and the lowly, the rich and the high are all one and that
all castes unite in this religion as do the rivers in the sea"
Sexual Equality
The Buddha, seeing the two sexes as ultimately equal in
rights, was the first religious teacher who gave women full freedom to
participate in the religious life. His move to allow women to enter the Sangha
(Buddhist order of monks and nuns) was extremely radical in His times.
Democracy
The Buddha was the first to advocate the spirit of
consultation and the democratic process. In the Sangha (Order of monks and
nuns) community, each member has individual rights to decide on matters of
general concern. When a serious question arose, the issues are put forth before
and discussed in a manner similar to today’s democratic parliamentary system
Socio-Economical Balance
The Buddha condemned the caste system, recognised the
equality of all people and spoke on the need to improve socio-economical
conditions and recognised the importance of a more equitable distribution of
wealth among the rich and the poor through social co-operation and active
participation in society.
Greenness
Buddhism strongly encouraged care and respect for the
ecological environment as He clearly saw the close interdependence between man
and nature.
No Sacrificial Rites
The Buddha disapproved of animal sacrifice as He saw it
cruel and unfair for anyone to destroy any living being for one’s selfish
"benefit".
No Flowery Display of Miracles
To the Buddha, miracles are but manifestations of
phenomena not understood by the common man. They are not seen as demonstrations
of Enlightenment or Wisdom as supernatural powers can be mastered by anybody.
The supernatural is seen as natural phenomena not understood by the
unenlightened. Miracles are seen as by-products of spiritual development- of
minor importance and relevance to the real task of spiritual development
itself. Though the Buddha has full mastery of psychic powers, He uses them only
out of Compassion and skillful means to enlighten others. He never used His
powers to win followers through blind faith and dependency in miracles. He
taught that the highest miracle is the conversion of an ignorant person to a
wise one.
No Political Abuse
The Buddha was from a warrior caste and was brought into
association with kings, princes and ministers. But He never resorted to the
influence of political power to introduce His Teaching. Nor did He allow His
Teaching to be misused for gaining political power. However, He urged all kings
to be morally strong, teaching that a country should not be ruled by Greed but
with Compassion and consideration for the people.
No Non-Forgiveness
There is no concept of "unforgivable sin" in
Buddhism. The Buddha said that all deeds are either skillful or unskillful due
to the presence or absence of Wisdom respectively. There is always hope as long
as one recognises one’s mistakes and changes for the better.
No Stubborn Exclusivity
The Buddha taught that if any religion has the Four Noble
Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, it may be regarded as a proper religion.
This is because a truly helpful religion must lead to the total eradication of
suffering (as in the Four Noble Truths), showing clearly a rational path
towards True Happiness (as in the Noble Eightfold Path in Buddhism).
Harmonious Missionary Work
An outstanding example of the qualities and approach of a
Buddhist missionary is Emperor Asoka, who sent Buddhist missionaries to many
parts of the Asian and Western world to introduce the Buddha’s message of
peace. One of his scripts engraved in stone on the Asoka Pillars, which still
stands today in India says,
"One should not honour only one’s religion and
condemn the religion of others, but one should honour others’ religion for this
or that reason. In so doing, one helps one’s own religion to grow and renders
service to the religions of others too. In acting otherwise, one digs the grave
of one’s own religion and also does harm to other religions."
Holy wars, crusades, inquisitions and religious
discrimination do not mar the annals of Buddhist history. Buddhist missionaries
have no need or desire to convert those who already have a proper religion to
practice. Buddhists are happy to see the progress of other religions so long as
they help people to lead a religious way of life according to their faith and
enjoy peace, harmony and true understanding. However, the Buddha also urged us to
share the Truth with those who might be interested in it:
"Go forth, O Bhikkhus (monks), for the good of the
many, for the happiness of the many, out of Compassion for the world, for the
good, benefit and the happiness of gods and men... Let not two go by one way.
Preach, O Bhikkhus, the Dharma, excellent in the beginning, excellent in the
middle, excellent in the end, both in spirit and in the letter. Proclaim the
Holy Life altogether perfect and pure."
The Worthiest Goal
Attainment of Buddhahood, or the achievement of True
Happiness for oneself and others is the most difficult yet most worthwhile
thing to do. Because practicing Buddhism means following the Noble Eightfold
Path (or the Middle Way), Buddhists never have to go into any form of extremism.
Complete Overview of Humankind and Religion
The Buddha explained rationally and in detail on how all
other religious beliefs evolved though history with the changes in the thinking
of Humankind. He also gave us a comprehensive overview of the effects of
religion on Humankind.
Complete Path Towards True Happiness
The Buddha’s teachings form a complete colossal
inter-linking syllabus, which covers every timeless aspect of life. The ancient
collection of Buddhist Scriptures was said to pile up to "the height of
seven elephants". The Buddha expounded for 45 years on all that was
necessary to eradicate suffering and attain True Happiness. He asked His
assembly of thousands of disciples thrice, on whether they had any remaining
doubts before His passing away. There were none.
Happiness in This Life
Buddhism is not a wholly otherworldly religion. Though
practicing Buddhism in this life has positive effects that extend beyond this
life, much of the direct practical fruits of our practice can also be seen in
this very life.
Everything is Open
According to the Buddha, the Truth is an open thing for
all to discover for themselves. When we study the life and teachings of the
Buddha, we can see that everything is open to everybody. While there are
certain advanced teachings that require specific guidance of experienced
teachers, there are no secrets in Buddhism.
Goodwill and Understanding
The Buddha’s message of goodwill and understanding to all
beings is a universal message. The world today needs this noble message more
than ever before in the history of Humankind.
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