Buddhism

With around 375 million followers, Buddhism is the 4th most widespread religion in the world, placing it behind Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. There are about 600,000 adherents in France. Buddhism has become very popular among celebrities in recent years—or at least, the idea we have of Buddhism. When we think of “Buddhism,” many of us picture Richard Gere, monks dressed in their orange robes, and of course, the famous Dalai Lama. Buddhism attracts many people because it promotes non-violence and tolerance. It offers a life of peace, tranquility, and enlightenment (awakening), all without the obligation of being accountable to a God.

It may seem strange, but the place God holds in Buddhism is the same as He holds for atheists. The Buddhist view of God is explained in the basic guide to Buddhism.

There is no all-powerful God for the majority of Buddhists.
However, it should be noted that Buddha himself was agnostic, which means he acknowledged the existence of an all-powerful God without being able to name Him.

Buddhism has a long history, and there are different forms of Buddhism:

1.One that is entirely dedicated to meditation.

2. One that places emphasis on religious rituals and the worship of deities.

Both forms share a deep respect for the person of Buddha, traditionally called “the Enlightened One.”

Background

Buddhism was founded around the 5th century BC by an Indian prince named Siddhartha Gautama. According to tradition, this young prince lived a wealthy and sheltered life until, during a journey, he encountered an old man who was sick and poor. From this, he concluded that nothing lasts. People cling to life, health, possessions, and family, even though none of these things endure.

Disturbed by these scenes of suffering, and at the age of 29, Gautama decided to leave his wife and child on a quest: to discover the truth and the purpose of life.

After wandering for six years, practicing yoga, asceticism, and enduring hunger, Gautama decided to sit beneath a tree and vowed not to move until he had attained enlightenment.

A few days later, at the age of 35, the prince believed he had reached a new level of understanding. It was at that moment that Siddhartha Gautama emerged as the Buddha, “the Awakened One.”

He would dedicate the remaining 45 years of his life to teaching the path to liberation from suffering—the Dharma—and to founding a community of monks, the Sangha.

2,500 years after Buddha’s enlightenment, Buddhism has spread to many countries. It is divided into various branches and embraces a wide variety of beliefs, practices, rituals, and customs

Buddhism later developed into three main philosophies:

1. Theravada (the doctrine of the elders): it represents about 38% of the Buddhist population.

Theravada is the doctrine that remains closest to the original philosophy of atheism.

2. Mahayana: representing about 56% of Buddhists. Over the years, Mahayana incorporated various Asian beliefs, eventually leading to the worship of Buddha as a god.

3. Vajrayana (also known as Lamaism or Tantrism): it represents the remaining 6% of Buddhists. Vajrayana has incorporated elements of shamanism and occult practices into its tradition.

Some groups have more superstitions than others. Many take part in the worship of statues, the veneration of deceased ancestors’ spirits, and ceremonial rites aimed at appeasing spirits. The beliefs, practices, rites, ceremonies, and customs of Buddhists can differ depending on the country, making them difficult to define. The following points are meant to give you a general idea of their perspective on important topics such as God, life after death, and salvation.

Scriptures

There is a large number of religious texts and sacred writings in Buddhism. The Sutras are considered to be the words of Buddha. The Tripitaka is one of the oldest compilations of Buddhist teachings.

Over the years, new commentaries have been added. Today, the Sutras consist of about fifty volumes, making them ten times larger than the Bible. Other texts include commentaries on the Sutras, additional quotations, historical accounts, and more.

Who is God?

One doctrine on which the different branches of modern Buddhism agree is that:

“This world is neither created nor governed by a God.”

The idea of a loving Creator who interacts with humanity is unknown to Buddhists. It is believed that Siddhartha Gautama rejected theistic beliefs because of the difficulty in reconciling the reality of suffering, judgment, and evil with the existence of a holy and good God.

Although the topics of God and life after death are not of great interest to most Buddhists, some say that Buddha (Gautama) did not completely dismiss the existence of a God or multiple gods. Thus, as Buddhism spread, local deities and religious practices gradually became blended into the religion.

Today, the vast majority of Tibetan Buddhists believe in “divine beings.” Gautama never taught that he was God, nor that he should be worshiped as a god. However, the Mahayana sect believes that Buddha became a bodhisattva, a kind of savior-god to whom they can appeal for help.

Mahayana Buddhists believe that many celestial Buddhas and bodhisattvas populate the universe as gods and goddesses who inspire their practice, whereas in the Theravada sect, such deities do not exist.

Who is Jesus?

Most Buddhists regard Jesus as an enlightened teacher, but not as the Son of God. The Dalai Lama believes that Jesus is “a completely and perfectly enlightened being.”

In an article from Christianity Today, the interviewer challenged the Dalai Lama by saying:
“If Jesus is a completely enlightened being, wouldn’t He then teach the truth about Himself?”
Consequently, if He teaches the truth, then He truly is the Son of God, there truly is a God, and He is the Savior of humanity.
If Jesus is truly “enlightened,” He must necessarily teach the truth.
If He does not teach the truth, then He is not really as “enlightened” as claimed.

The Dalai Lama stated that Jesus lived several lives and that His purpose was to teach a message of tolerance and compassion, as well as to guide us in becoming better people.

Heaven and Hell

Buddhism does not teach that there is an eternal life in a paradise or a hell after death. They may view having to live multiple lives of suffering on earth as a kind of hell, but they do not believe in a place where humans are sent to be eternally punished. Nor is there an eternal reward in a paradise. In fact, their life’s goal is to reach Nirvana, or “enlightenment”—a state of mind in which there is a complete extinguishing of worldly desires. Nirvana is the extinguishing of the fire of passions and ignorance, and the liberation from the cycle of reincarnation.

Sin and Salvation

In Buddhism, there is no concept of original sin. Salvation is achieved through one’s actions in order to avoid generating bad karma; bad karma comes from any actions that do not align with the Buddhist moral law (the Dharma).

Buddhists do not believe that we have individual souls. In fact, we are all composed of five elements: physical form, emotions, ideations (formation of ideas), mental developments, and consciousness. At birth, these elements come together to form a person.

Although there is no eternal soul, Buddhism does believe in karma and reincarnation (rebirth). However, their ideas on this differ from the Hindu view: in Hinduism, the same individual is reincarnated into another body through many lives, continually striving to eliminate their (bad) karma.

In Buddhism, however, when a person dies, they are reborn as a being different from who they were before. Despite this, just as Buddhists believe in karma, they maintain that a person’s life achievements are “communicated” or “transmitted” to their next physical form. Here’s how they explain it: “The consciousness of each person remains even after they disappear.” It will manifest in their future life. So, a person’s consciousness continues to live on, even though they do not possess an eternal soul. Like karma, Dharma (the moral law), its causes, and its effects are rigid and impersonal. Life for a Buddhist can quickly become very burdensome. The only solution for the Buddhist is to make a constant effort to improve oneself in order to completely remove bad karma. The ultimate goal of a Buddhist is to escape the cycle of reincarnation and enter the state of nirvana.

Thus, the goal of Buddhism is not life; its goal is to cease existing and desiring, in order to be freed from suffering.

The traditions of Buddhists:

The foundations of the Buddhist belief system are contained in the “Four Noble Truths,” the “Noble Eightfold Path,” and the “Five Precepts.”

The Four Noble Truths state that:

1. Life is filled with suffering (dukkha).

2. Suffering is caused by insatiable desires (samudaya).

3. Suffering will cease only when these desires are eliminated (nirodha).

4. Suffering can be eliminated by following the Noble Eightfold Path.

The Noble Eightfold Path claims to be the way that will put an end to suffering. It consists of:

1. Right View or Right Understanding: seeing reality as it truly is, not merely as it appears to be.

2. Right Thought (or Right Intention): transforming one’s way of thinking.

3. Right Speech: speaking in a way that does not harm, avoiding exaggeration, and being sincere.

4. Right Action: avoiding actions that would cause harm.

5. Right Livelihood: living in a way that does not cause harm to oneself or to others, whether directly or indirectly.

6. Right Effort: making the effort to improve oneself.

7. Right Mindfulness (sati): the mental ability to see things as they truly are.

8. Right Concentration (samadhi): being fully aware of present reality, which involves deep meditation.

The Noble Eightfold Path is considered a practical guide for mental and ethical development. Its goal is to free the individual from attachments and illusions—things that cause suffering.

Buddhists believe that following this guide will lead a person to understand the truth about all things.

They place emphasis on the practical aspect, because it is only through this practice that they can hope to reach a higher level of existence and, ultimately, attain nirvana.

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The eight aspects of the Noble Path are not a sequence of steps to follow, but rather attitudes and actions that can be developed simultaneously. The Five Precepts are the moral foundations of Buddhists. They are not given as strict commands, such as “You shall not kill,” but rather as guidelines to follow in order to live a better life—a life filled with joy, free from worry, and with the opportunity to meditate.

These Five Precepts include:

1. Not to harm living beings: neither humans, animals, nor insects. However, Buddhists may eat meat if the animals were not specifically killed for them.

2. Not to steal: meaning not to take anything that has not been given.

3. To abstain from all sexual misconduct: this includes adultery (being unfaithful to one’s partner), involvement in pornography or prostitution, impure thoughts, and so on.

4. To abstain from false speech: this includes lying, gossiping, and so on. One must always speak the truth.

5 : To abstain from taking mind-altering substances: such as alcohol, drugs, and the like.