Buddhism Is Considered A Religion Or A Philosophy

Before we began our meditation, I informed the Buddhist teacher that I was there for a religious studies course assignment. He then gave me a quick review on Buddhism and Buddhist practices. He explained to me that Buddhist don’t find Buddhism to be a religion because they do

Religion is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe. In today’s society there are many religious lifestyles people stand by. Popular ones consist of Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism. When looking at Christianity and Buddhism it is easy to identify some major differences. For instance, both the religions were started and founded by different people and in dissimilar ways. A second one would be what they believe in; number of deities, and what they base their knowledge around. A final difference between the two would be how they practice their religion and worship their “God.”

originated in Nepal, from where it spread through much of Asia and later on to other countries.

Like every single religion since the beginning of time, there is a list of rules. Christianity has the 10 Commandments, Islam has the Five Pillars of Islam, and Buddhism has the Religious Reformations of Buddha. Unlike most religions, Buddhism strays from the focus on an all mighty deity or deities. Buddhism preaches five different logics that deviate from the norm when it comes to religious ideals: first, Strive after enlightenment with due diligence. This means you must put a lot of effort into the job of enlightenment if you wish to achieve it. Second, there will be no metaphysical theorizing. This is the one that seems to throw a wrench into the ideals of every religion before it, there is no God and if you even think that there is a God, you are disgracing the Buddhist way of life. Buddhism is a way of life, it is not a religion with a holy God. Third, there is no tradition, no ritual. The teachings themselves are supposed to lead you, but if you do not know yourself, there is no way that you can know Buddhism and

Throughout the world, different nations have different beliefs or religion. Some religions evolve from others, and others are combination of other religions. Religion is a way of life, a lifestyle; it should dictate how you live your life. For instance, in India, Buddhism evolved from Hinduism, a religion were people believe in 300, 000 gods. Even though, Hinduism and Buddhism have different similarities such as believes in god, soul, and rituals, which in some ways connected to each other, both religions believe of what happens after life.

Buddhism, in its common structure, is not a religion; rather it is a practice that

The only thing I really mention about the existence of Christ is that he is the “first cause of all causes” (Duncan). I am also known for having a view of God as “an extended thing that’s mixed through the rest of the world, not being in every individual place in the world, but able to affect all the things in the world” (Duncan). So I personally am unsure if I kind Buddhism is a religion or philosophy. With my views I feel like Buddhism is a bit of both. For instance who says enlightenment is actually real or Nirvana? This could be seen as religious along with their path to getting there. However, on the other hand, things about Christianity could also be said that’s almost identical. Who says Heaven is real or original

“Buddhism, it can’t be a religion.” one might say. Before getting to understand Buddhism I saw people just meditating calmly sitting in peace, all I thought in my head was, what a boring life they have. I wasn’t open-minded of why they were doing these things. This last year though, I have been told to try meditating to calm my nervous and mind down, since I was having so many problems with stress. After meditating a few times a week I saw results of my anxiety. After the third section of meditation, I looked forward to it, since I always felt at ease after wish a following of wonderful sleep. With experiencing what I did I grew an interest in wanting to understand what Buddhism was. I had known idea what they worshipped but from the point of view of wanting to learn I saw them more know was at peace with themselves. Before I started an interview to find out about Buddhism I looked up and read some things about it. First thing that shocked me over all was that there is no God or gods. I question for a second in my head if I was reading it correctly, but I was. It is a very psychological religion, very mind based.

Whether Buddhism is a religion, or not, became a common debate among people in the last few years. It’s actually a matter of the definition of religion or philosophy for the person in the first place because this will give a clear base to relate the information about Buddhism for. However, there are many other aspects that should be explored to have a comprehensible response. Buddhism definition and former times are the first elements in building up an answer. To proceed further, the teachings stated by Buddha the founder of Buddhism and the meaning behind them are very important to give clarity to the definition. Then, an important question must be answered, which is, whether it’s the same believes in modern times or not. This will help in

Buddhism is considered the world’s fourth largest religion, but is it really? Although a large bulk of society rules Buddhism as a religion, its basic structure and teachings proves that it does not fit in the religious category. Many people argue that it is a religion, mainly because of the unique belief in the afterlife and various realms of existence within Buddhism. However, there is no god in Buddhism, as anyone who follows the first Buddha’s teachings may become a Buddha themselves. It is the only “religion” that has no supreme spiritual being. It is instead a quest for enlightenment, for supreme wisdom and intelligence, and to reach Nirvana as a result. It is a quest of self discovery that bypasses the concept of faith. Buddhism cannot be a religion if it does not meet the criteria to be one.

Buddhism is thought to have began in the 5th to 6th century BCE in north east india and is the belief that humans, specifically the buddha, have or can obtain spiritual enlightenment. This enlightenment is often called Dharma which translates to knowing how things truly are. Buddhism is often seen as a philosophy or way of life. The buddhist philosophy is often summed up as, leading a moral life, to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions and to develop deep wisdom and understanding of the world around you. Buddhism has remained successful and relevant as a missionary religion because it has been able to adapt to drastically different cultural and political beliefs that are different from its country of origin.

Though Buddhism is commonly labeled as a religion, it fits the definition of a philosophy rather than a religion.

Buddhism stands as a philosophy and a religion founding itself on the theory of a possible eternal soul. Until awakening is achieved, this eternal soul is locked in the vicious cycle of rebirth (Samsara). According to the Four Noble Truths preached by the Buddha, life is a perpetual suffering caused by desire and attachment, and freedom from suffering is only possible by practicing the Eightfold Path. The World is suffering in a succession of temptations and negative experiences from birth to death. Therefore Buddhism advises on searching to go beyond suffering, and only aspire to rest, nothingness, and liberation, into a final state called Nirvana. Happiness or Nirvana can eventually be achieved in a hereafter, another life, if man abandons any desire or perspective of action within his present life, in order to go past suffering.

Buddhism is a philosophy, a moral code, and, for some a religious faith which originated in 530 BC in India. Buddhism evolved as a modification of Hinduism when Hinduism started to become very complicated due to too many sacrifices in the name of God. Today, an estimated 300 million people follow one of the many varieties of Buddhism.

Buddhism is a religion that is all about finding enlightenment and nirvana. People want to find nirvana, a state of mind in which one is released from fear and desire, so they no longer have to go through reincarnations (Monroe 110). Buddhism is a peaceful religion that doesn't believe in violence. They believe that all live are sacred and deserve to enjoy life whether it be a human or an animal. Buddhists live by a moral code of conduct with a proper control of emotions and thinking. There is a list of the Five Precepts for Right Living. The first one is do not kill, second do not steal, third do not lie, fourth do not consume alcohol, and fifth do not indulge in sexual excesses outside of marriage (Monroe 111). All buddhist search for enlightenment, however deny the existence of an afterlife. They do not believe there is a heaven nor a hell to punish their sins or reward their good deeds (Monroe 108). This means there is no salvation in an afterlife but