Sakyamuni Buddha Part 4

Hindu sages had vague ideas about kamma and rebirth. The Buddha expounded them in details, fully and accurately. The Buddhists don’t believe an almighty god, but the Hindus do. In Buddhism every human is equal but the Hindus teach the caste system. Buddhists don’t believe in ritual purification, but for the Hindus, ritual purification is crucial.

Buddhism is a science because it stands up to verification. There are three main types of Buddhism today: Theravada, Mahayana & Vajrayana.  Hinayana is a sectarian term the Mahayanists used to call the Theravadians whom the Mahayanists think are inferior. Hinayana signifies a smaller vehicle and therefore can carry less people to Nibbana.

What sets Buddhism apart from other religions is that in Buddhism, people have a choice because sufferings are not pre-determined. The Buddhists cannot find salvation by simply saying praises of the Buddha or by making offering to Him. Prayers, chanting, and begging to be saved do not work in Buddhism.  If we can obtain the things we want by prayers, chanting and making vows, why are there still sufferings in the world? The only way out is to remove greed, hatred and delusion. The Buddha never said that by becoming a Buddhist you are assured of a place in heaven.

Buddhism does not forbid us to believe some things and compel us to accept others. It is a rational philosophy, a comprehensive and realistic ethical code, a penetrative psychology, and effective methods of training and meditation. However, the minds and hearts must be matured enough to appreciate the Buddhist messages. By will-power, some people can separate their mind and the body. That is why there are yogis who are able to appear at two places at the same time. Isn’t this astral travel?

Buddhists don’t believe in union with any supreme being (divine being). They believe in the natural law of cause and effect. They don’t fear the unknown or a supernatural almighty god, nor do they prescribe a system of ritual, worship, and supplication of deities or gods. They also do not believe there is some higher unseen power having control of man’s destiny.  To the Buddhists the law of cause and effect is not operated by any external agency with the object of teaching human beings. They do not see a retributive and compensatory law at work in nature. The Christians attribute this to an almighty god, which is foreign to Buddhism. The universe and the almighty god are indifferent to the sufferings in the world. If there is indeed such an almighty god, then the presence of predators and the preys on this planet must be blamed on the so-called almighty god, who created them. The Buddhists know very well that even the gods cannot escape from the forces of evils they have committed.

It is indeed very childish to say that we cannot understand the plan of this almighty god because we are not enlightened beings. The enlightened beings are the Buddhas and the Arahants, and these beings never believe in an almighty god, who claims that those who believe him would be saved and those who don’t would go to hell forever.

Buddhism has never been dogmatic, cynical, dictatorial, or monopolistic. Buddhists tenets have never been ambiguous. They never attempt to hoodwink, mislead, inflate or deceive others, or to exert control over others, things or events. Using force or pressure to induce belief is repugnant to the Buddhists and they also don't use high positions to attract converts. Buddhism does not consist of dictatorial religious laws and religious punishment. The Buddhists never had Inquisition, Crusades, or mass killing of any indigenous people in any part of the world, because they were non-believers. People who are jealous of the truth taught by Buddhism say that the ability to remember former lives is the work of the devils. If devils are so capable, they would have finished up all of us on this planet long ago.

1)      Buddhism is about seeing, not believing. The Buddhists are not dogmatic, arrogant or intolerant. They are not cynical and will never call non-Buddhists the devil worshippers. They have no wish to exert control over others, things, or events etc. You don’t have to believe, you can see it. The Buddhists actually don’t believe anything. They investigate and see for themselves. There is nothing to cover up, and no need to reinterpret the facts introduced 2500 years ago. Buddhists don’t promise to be good, pretend to be virtuous, curry favour  in order to claim a reward at some later date, at a place called heaven which one must die before she or he can drop in there. Buddhism is like a buffet where sizzling foods are provided. All you need to do is to eat and satisfy your hunger. Who else can do that for you?

Buddhism doesn’t consist of dogmas one must blindly believe, creeds that one must accept on good faith, without reason, superstitious rites and ceremonies to be observed for formal religious conversion or entry to the fold, meaningless sacrifices and penances for one’s purification. An almighty creator that is a causeless cosmic force is also foreign to Buddhism. Buddhists know all the natural laws in the universe exist without a lawgiver. The Buddhas are omniscient and therefore there  is nothing for them to learn afresh, but they are definitely not almighty.

Under the pretext of helping to spread Buddhism, some people tell lies to put Buddhism under bad light, not knowing that the Buddha says: come and see. He never said: Come and believe. He did not use hell fires to frighten people, nor did he use other propagandas to hypnotize, blind, deceive or psychologically puzzle others.

We are like worms wriggling in a cess-pit and on the excrement. When a good guy moves us out of the cesspool with good intention, we would be most unhappy and would scramble back to look for the delicacies in the same pool. Just how long does it take us to understand our present environment so that we would make a firm determination to get out of this pool?

Buddhism is about seeing, not believing. The Buddhists are not dogmatic, arrogant or intolerant. They are not cynical and will never call non-Buddhists the devil worshippers. They have no wish to exert control over others, things, or events etc. You don’t have to believe, you can see it. The Buddhists actually don’t believe anything. They investigate and see for themselves. There is nothing to cover up, and no need to reinterpret the facts introduced 2500 years ago. Buddhists don’t promise to be good, pretend to be virtuous, curry favour  in order to claim a reward at some later date, at a place called heaven which one must die before she or he can drop in there. Buddhism is like a buffet where sizzling foods are provided. All you need to do is to eat and satisfy your hunger. Who else can do that for you?

Buddhism doesn’t consist of dogmas one must blindly believe, creeds that one must accept on good faith, without reason, superstitious rites and ceremonies to be observed for formal religious conversion or entry to the fold, meaningless sacrifices and penances for one’s purification. An almighty creator that is a causeless cosmic force is also foreign to Buddhism. Buddhists know all the natural laws in the universe exist without a lawgiver. The Buddhas are omniscient and therefore there is nothing for them to learn afresh, but they are definitely not almighty.

2)      Under the pretext of helping to spread Buddhism, some people tell lies to put Buddhism under bad light, not knowing that the Buddha says: come and see. He never said: Come and believe. He did not use hell fires to frighten people, nor did he use other propagandas to hypnotize, blind, deceive or psychologically puzzle others.

We are like worms wriggling in a cess-pit and on the excrement. When a good guy moves us out of the cesspool with good intention, we would be most unhappy and would scramble back to look for the delicacies in the same pool. Just how long does it take us to understand our present environment so that we would make a firm determination to get out of this pool?

Buddhism is about seeing, not believing. The Buddhists are not dogmatic, arrogant or intolerant. They are not cynical and will never call non-Buddhists the devil worshippers. They have no wish to exert control over others, things, or events etc. You don’t have to believe, you can see it. The Buddhists actually don’t believe anything. They investigate and see for themselves. There is nothing to cover up, and no need to reinterpret the facts introduced 2500 years ago. Buddhists don’t promise to be good, pretend to be virtuous, curry favour  in order to claim a reward at some later date, at a place called heaven which one must die before she or he can drop in there. Buddhism is like a buffet where sizzling foods are provided. All you need to do is to eat and satisfy your hunger. Who else can do that for you?

Buddhism doesn’t consist of dogmas one must blindly believe, creeds that one must accept on good faith, without reason, superstitious rites and ceremonies to be observed for formal religious conversion or entry to the fold, meaningless sacrifices and penances for one’s purification. An almighty creator that is a causeless cosmic force is also foreign to Buddhism. Buddhists know all the natural laws in the universe exist without a lawgiver. The Buddhas are omniscient and therefore there is nothing for them to learn afresh, but they are definitely not almighty.

Under the pretext of helping to spread Buddhism, some people tell lies to put Buddhism under bad light, not knowing that the Buddha says: come and see. He never said: Come and believe. He did not use hell fires to frighten people, nor did he use other propagandas to hypnotize, blind, deceive or psychologically puzzle others.

We are like worms wriggling in a cess-pit and on the excrement. When a good guy moves us out of the cesspool with good intention, we would be most unhappy and would scramble back to look for the delicacies in the same pool. Just how long does it take us to understand our present environment so that we would make a firm determination to get out of this pool?

3)      Buddhists don't pray to the Buddha hoping that He would forgive them for the sins committed during the week and hoping that He would offer them  rewards. Buddhists prostrate in front of the Buddha statue as a respect because the Buddha is a perfect human being. All over the world personnel from the fighting services and the police pay respect to their superior by standing straight and raising the right hand to the right side of the head to salute the senior. Is this a form of prayer?

When a Buddhist prostrates in front of a monk, he or she benefits by casting away pride and conceit, at least for a short while. They pay respects to the virtuous qualities of the noble Sangha, not to robes or shaven heads.

Buddhism is not about accepting certain tenets or believing a set of claims or principle. It is about knowing, not believing, hoping or wishing. Buddhists don’t believe in reports, traditions, hearsay, or the authority of religious leaders, or texts. They don’t rely on logic, inference, appearance or speculation. They examine and see for themselves. Buddhism begins with facts, and Buddhists know that their suffering and the means to stop it lay within themselves. They don’t blame the governments,  or Americans for all their problems.

Buddhism is about actual experience and investigating to release pain and vexation, once and for all. The deep-down ache of the heart doesn’t go away. It travels with us life after life. Bad times will come though we spend much time and energy trying to avoid them.

Buddhism teaches us to free ourselves from concepts and dogmas so that we can rejoice in true reality. Life is full of confusion. We are besieged with agitation and worry. We must learn how to relieve ourselves from delusions, attachments and conceits. We crave for pleasant sights, sounds, tastes, smells, contacts, and thought-impressions.

Despite the various insults and verbal attacks from non-Buddhists, especially from Asia, Buddhism remains as vital and penetrating as ever, because it doesn’t distinguish between nobles, peasants, learned, the illiterate, the moral and the base.

When we are awake, we will not speak or act in a way that can injure us or others. So when we meditate, the intention is to wake up, not to access any occult or supernatural powers. No person’s life, including that of the Buddha’s, is ever, or was ever free of difficulties. Buddhists know that fame, love, money and lack of stress cannot drive away all our troubles.  They know that ups and downs of life will always remain.