We often hear the term "Buddhism" which is especially prevalent in Asian regions. Because of the paucity of information, we think that most of us are a religion, or rather one of non-heavenly religions. Because of this obscure view of Buddhism, I decided to write a brief topic in the form of answers to some of the questions that always arise with regard to the subject of Buddhism.

Q / What is Buddhism?

A / It is said today that Buddhism is a religion .. False !!!

The term Buddhism is derived from the word Budhi, which means "waking up". In short, we can say that Buddhism is the philosophy of awakening, awakening man from the illusion of life, its decoration and its lusts. This philosophy is rooted in the spiritual experience of Siddharta Kutama, known as Buddha and born in northern India in the 6th century BC. This man was enlightened and had a special view of the meaning and concept of life at the age of thirty-five.

Buddhism today is about 2500 years old and has 300 million followers worldwide. It is no longer confined to Asia, but has followers all over the world, especially in Europe, Australia and America.

Q / If "Buddhism" is just a philosophy?

A / word philosophy belongs to the Greek origin and consists of two words, "philo" means love and "Sophia" and means wisdom. It is therefore a "love of wisdom" and this term is a perfect expression of Buddhism.

Buddhism teaches us that we must always try to develop our intellectual abilities so that we can fully understand anything. We also learned that we must increase our love and kindness with anyone in order to preserve our goodness with all people.

Q / Who is the Buddha?

A / In 563 BC, a boy was born in a royal family on the border of Nepal and northern India. And the great boy, who fluctuates in wealth and luxury, but soon understood that luxury and riches do not make a person happy. He went on a tour one day and his eyes saw the poverty, concern and ill-health of other people beside his palace. When he was twenty-nine, he left his wife and young son and chose the life of asceticism and simplicity in order to find himself. He took lessons from great teachers who taught him what he never knew about human suffering. After six years of learning and continuous meditation, he felt that his ignorance had disappeared away and that he had understood and became enlightened.

Since that day, he has been called "Buddha" or waking up. He lived for another 45 years and traveled to all parts of northern India and taught others what he had discovered all these years. His compassion and patience were legendary and had many followers.

At the age of 80, Buddha died but was happy to live in peace and humility.

Q / Is Buddha a god?


A / NO !! Buddha was not and will not be a god. He did not consider himself a god, nor even an apostle or a prophet. He was just a man who chose the life of asceticism for the purpose of knowing himself and understanding it and searching for the origin of human suffering and how to eliminate it. Knowing that I am a Buddha who has warned me not to worship him after his death, but if they want to get rid of all the worries and burdens of life and obstacles, they can adhere to his philosophy of life and salvation: "The attachment is the root of suffereing"

The desires of man are the cause of his suffering in this life, his desire and always aspire to physical matters and physical desires are the cause of his misery and concerns and sins, and when freed from this desire and overcome by asceticism and meditation has freed him from suffering and his own up to the stage of Nirvana, the highest grades in Buddhism, Where no suffering, and where salvation from frequent cycles of death and childbirth (reincarnation).

Q / So if the Buddha was not a God, how would his followers today worship him?


A / This is the question that puzzled me and I did not find an answer at first, but the answer is clear if we understand the meaning of the question clearly. There are many types and practices of "worship".

When a person worships a god and asks him to be heard and accepted and to fulfill his prayers, this is called "worship."

Buddhists do not do this kind of worship.

The other kind of worship is when we show someone our respect and appreciation and try to follow in his footsteps. For example, when the professor enters the department, we stand by expressing our respect for him and trying to learn from him. These gestures show respect and appreciation and express our admiration for someone or something.

This is the type of worship practiced by Buddhists. Seeing the Buddha statue sitting in a meditation position gently reminds us of the Buddha and his kindness and the effort he has made to achieve peace and love in ourselves. The low lights remind us of the light of knowledge and flowers that wither quickly and die, remind us of human instability.

This is the nature of Buddhists' "worship" and is the expression of devotion to Buddha's teachings.

Q / Why do Buddhists do many strange rituals in their temples?


A / All things appear very strange to us when we see them for the first time and judge them as bad without trying to ask "why?"

We must make a constant effort to understand the things we see strange and unfamiliar and try to find an explanation for them.

However, we can say that Buddhist practice in temples is sometimes somewhat superstitious and is a complete misunderstanding of Buddha's teachings. There are no such superstitions in Buddhism alone, but they arise in all religions or philosophies of life. The Buddha has been very clear and detailed, and if some do not fully understand his teachings, Buddha can not be blamed.

In this regard there is a famous saying:

"If there is a man who suffers from a disease but does not seek treatment even when there is a doctor at hand, this is not the doctor 's fault ... The same thing if there is a man subjected to injustice and suffering because of the illness of his spirit and deviation but does not seek to seek help from Buddha, Buddha's fault . "

It is not reasonable to judge any religion or philosophy of the actions of its followers who practice it in the wrong way. This is exactly what is happening today with followers of other religions who blame the wrong actions of some of their followers.

Q / If the "Buddhism" philosophy is very good, so why some Buddhist countries complain of poverty today?


A / If it is "poor" in this context, it means "economically poor". Yes, this is true. Some Buddhist countries suffer from poverty. But if "poor" means "morally poor", it is a mistake.

The United States, for example, is one of the richest countries in the world economically, but the crime rate is so high that it is one of the highest in the world. Millions of Americans are neglected by their children and die of sadness and depression. Domestic violence and ill-treatment of children The main problems in most American homes. One in three marriages ends with divorce. Pornography is readily available ... if it is to consider the United States financially rich but morally poor.

Now if we look at the Asian-Buddhist countries, we find a completely different way of living. Parents are respected and respected by their children. Crime rates are relatively low. Divorce is very rare. Traditional values ​​such as kindness, generosity, hospitality to strangers, tolerance and respect for others remain strong.

Even if we judge the Buddhist states in terms of economy alone, we can not forget that Japan, which is one of the richest countries in the world where a large proportion of the population are Buddhists.

Q / Why are there many types or models of Buddhism?


A / Everything is different and is divided into many types or patterns.

Example: There are many different types of sugar: brown sugar, white sugar and ice sugar, but all sugar has the same taste and taste. It is produced in different forms so that it can be used in different ways.

Buddhism is the same: there are theravada Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, Yugacara Buddhism, Vajrayana Buddhism ... but they are all Buddhist in the end and have the same taste, which is the taste of freedom.

Buddhism has evolved into different forms to be relevant to the different cultures in which they exist. It has been reinterpreted over the centuries to remain relevant to every new generation. From the outside, Buddhism may look very different, but at the center of each is the four noble truths and the course of the eight teachings.

Buddhism was divided into schools and sects. But the different Buddhist sects never went to war with each other to this day, going to each other's temples and worshiping together. This is certainly tolerance and understanding. This is what Buddhism urges.

Q / Is Buddhism scientific?


A / Before answering this question, it is better to interpret the word "science".

Science, according to the dictionary is: "Knowledge that can be transformed into a system depends on seeing and testing facts and demonstrating general natural laws."

There are Buddhist aspects that may not fit this definition but the eight central teachings of Buddhism, and the four noble realities, certainly fit.

Suffering, the first noble truth, is an experience that can be defined and measured by experience.

The second true noble states that suffering has a natural cause, which is desire, which can also be defined.

No attempt was made to explain suffering in terms of metaphysical or superstition. According to the third noble truth, suffering ends. This is self-evident. The fourth noble truth, which is the way to end suffering, again has nothing to do with metaphysics.

Buddhism departs from the concept of the Supreme Being, as science does, and explains the origins and work of the universe in terms of natural law. All of this certainly carries a scientific spirit. Again, Buddha's constant advice that we should not believe in more deeply, but rather ask, examine, use and rely on our own experience, has a specific scientific circle. He says:

"Do not go into the path of revelation or imitation, do not go into the path of rumors, do not go into the path of hearsay or just logic, do not go into the way of bias towards the idea or ability of someone else and do not apply the idea of" he is our teacher ".. But when you make sure it is a good thing And it is something that has absorbed your mind completely and does not have any harm to yourself or your surroundings and that it may make you happy .. Follow it.

Although Buddhism is not entirely scientific, we can say that it has a strong, and therefore more scientific, transcendence.

Conclusion

Some of us today study Buddhism and try to understand it to the fullest, avoiding listening to the stereotypes prevalent in our societies of false and false truths about "Buddhism." The study of Buddhism is not seen as a means of persuading conversion. So he would not have done that. Therefore, the teachings of Buddha and even yoga and meditation are actions that anyone of any religion can do.

What do you think dear reader?




Sources

What is Buddhism?

A secret peace: In Egypt Buddhists pray

Buddhism - From Wikipedia