Wednesday, March 15, 2006

16 Reasons Buddhism is Better

I think people of all religions should consider the below reasons that I think Buddhism is better.
  1. It generally doesn't take itself too seriously. Buddhists are a light-hearted, peace-loving group.
  2. Buddha encouraged people to "Make a proper investigation first." Buddha did not proselytize aggressively, but suggested that people should take it or leave it according to their own personal assessment without relying on hearsay or mere tradition.
  3. It doesn't have a fixed, unquestionable ideology.
  4. Buddhism is strictly a philosophy for rational, inquiring minds.
  5. In Buddhism, there is no God, nor any gods or goddesses, seraphim, cherubim, archangels, demons, mythological beasts, familiars, pan-dimensional cyborgs, or talkative shrubbery.
  6. Rather than submitting to a Supreme Being in whom you must believe (lest ye face lightning bolts, fire and brimstone, an eternity spent with Courtney Love), you instead accept the teachings because they're supposed to make you happy.
  7. It says that you should follow its teaching because you want to, not because there are consequences if you don't.
  8. Not having a central thesis or any current core figure of authority (such as the Pope), Buddhism has become richly diversified.
  9. The Buddha was a man, and not a god.
  10. The whole reason for becoming Buddhist is to achieve happiness and become "enlightened." Not to achieve a dubious afterlife.
  11. There are no free passes for sinful behavior. You are responsible ultimately to yourself.
  12. The Five Precepts aren't commandments given to you by an angry God who threatens you if you disobey; rather, they are guidelines meant to improve your karma and help you along the Eightfold Path to enlightenment.
  13. A lay Buddhist (non-monk) isn't necessarily required to go through any special ritual.
  14. There's no sacred law telling you that you ought to attend service at the temple every Wednesday and donate 10% of your income.
  15. The only way to reach enlightenment is to accept the Noble Truths. It requires working hard at improving oneself, not just accepting a savior.
  16. As a Buddhist, it is acceptable to participate in other religions.

5 Comments:

At 6:11 AM, Blogger The Orlowski Family said...

Thank you for those insights. Ashleigh and I were discussing Buddhism the other day. I will have her read this when she comes home tonight

 
At 10:47 AM, Blogger Mike said...

Thanks for posting this. I just blogged it.

I dislike religious dogma & I like Buddhism because it’s not dogmatic and doesn’t tell you that you have to believe a certain way or you’re going to hell. I have a problem with the whole idea that there’s a god that requires you to believe a certain way and that beliefs are more important than actions. If you do the right things (treat others with respect, be honest, don’t hurt others), it shouldn’t matter what you believe.

 
At 5:50 AM, Blogger samjh said...

Hello Mike
I got a question. What do Buddhist actually believe about afterlife? I mean what happens after they die?

 
At 6:59 AM, Blogger MikeB said...

The Buddhist view of the afterlife for ordinary people is that they go through a process in which ultimately they are reincarnated into another body. The desire for reincarnation is a source of suffering and a deviation from the path to enlightenment.

The ultimate goal of Buddhism is to achieve Nirvana, or total enlightenment. This moment creates a singularity in which the reincarnation cycle is broken and no longer necessary. So for the enlightened Buddhist, there is no afterlife. Our spirit persists in our teachings, works, and good will that we generated during our time on Earth.

 
At 5:47 PM, Blogger samjh said...

I had a look at the 4 noble truth and they say that all life is suffering. Does that mean that Buddhists cannot be happy and joyful?

 

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