Buddhism: practice, religious views and beliefs

Introduction to Buddhism

Buddhism is one of the most inspiring world philosophies. On this lens you will find information on the Buddhist path, basic concepts and links to more information.

Buddha; Siddharta Gautama - the founder of Buddhism

Gautama Buddha - Inspirer of Buddhism

Buddhism is the one world religion that everyone seems to respect. Many more people would like to call themselves Buddhists than actually are Buddhists by traditional counts. Buddha found the source of sorrow, what sorrow is and the way out of sorro...

Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism

The main types of Buddhism today

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There are basically two main streams in Buddhism today. There is Mahayana Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism.

Mahayana Buddhism has the Bodhisattva Vow as its main focus. Think Zen Buddhism or Tibetan Buddhism.
More about Mahayana Buddhism

Theravada Buddhism has the teachings of the Buddha as kept alive by the Samga (Buddhist monks) and the texts in the Pali Canon as its basis.
More about Theravada Buddhism

More types of Buddhism

Buddhism from Tibet, China and Japan

Tibetan Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism has been called 'Vajrayana Buddhism', because it is part of the tantric Buddhist current, within Mayahana Buddhism. The word Vajra can be explained as 'thunderbolt' or 'Diamond like'. It stands for the clear constancy of the mind of...

Zen Buddhism

Zen Buddhism (also called Chan Buddhism in China) is one of the most famous types of Buddhism in the West. It has similarities with Taoism as well. On this lens you will find video's about Zen Buddhist practice in Japan as well as links to more info...

Buddhism pictures

Akong Rinpoche and L...

Roses for Seonai

Seonai at rest

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Buddha is a Bridge

Statue of Lord Buddh...

Lord Buddha Statue,...

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Introduction into Buddhism

Buddhism practices, philosophy, views and religious beliefs

Central Buddhist Thought: Key points of Buddhist beliefs
The Six (or Seven) Paramitas: Translation and explanation on te Six (and seven) Paramitas: perfections or virtues.
Three Jewels: Buddha, Dharma and Sangha in Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism: Basics in Buddhism: practice and religious views and beliefs.
The Five Precepts - Pancha Sila - Pansil: The five precepts are the basis of Buddhist morality. To take Pancha Sila, that is, to vow to live according to the following rules of conduct, is a set of vows a lay-person may take on.
Even Balancing of Five Faculties: The Buddha, in his teaching of the Truths, stresses the even balancing of five faculties. They are those of faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration and understanding.
Does the bridge of compassion require continual maintenance?: Questions and answers on compassion and fear: how compassion does not require maintenance...

What do Buddhists Believe?

A great introduction into the religious beliefs of Buddhists

What Do Buddhists Believe?: Meaning and Mindfulness in Buddhist Philosophy

by: Tony Morris

Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 07/05/2009)

If you need an introduction into Buddhism - this is a great place to start. Get to know the beliefs of most Buddhists, the varieties of Buddhism (Christians don't all believe the same things either) etc.

Buddhism: where is it practiced?

Buddhist practices

In the West we are used to people being of only one religion at a time. This is changing, but it is still easy for people to give a clear answer to the question: 'are you a Christian?'. The answer to the question: 'are you a Buddhist?' is traditionally harder.

In Japan for instance it is quite normal for people to only start practicing Buddhism when they are old, or sick. Before that time the label 'Shinto' seems to fit better. In Japan, and to a lesser extent in other Asian countries, there is no sense that you have to be Buddhist OR Christian.

This means that it is especially hard to make a map of the world religions and where they are practiced. The following map is more of a 'this is where Buddhist practices and beliefs have had a historical impart or are now still alive' map. There is no claim that a majority of the people in these countries pray daily, for instance.

Adherents.com notes that the following countries have the largest Buddhist populations.

China - 102,000,000
Japan - 89,650,000
Thailand - 55,480,000
Vietnam - 49,690,000
Myanmar - 41,610,000
Sri Lanka - 12,540,000
South Korea - 10,920,000
Taiwan - 9,150,000
Cambodia - 9,130,000
India - 7,000,000

Note that any number given to China is speculation.

Spread of Buddhism, 1921

Karma and Rebirth

The most important Buddhist religious beliefs

The word reincarnation doesn't fit Buddhism very well - as it suggests that there is a soul that reincarnates. But since karma goes on, something is reborn nonetheless...
That's why Buddhists often prefer the term 'rebirth'.

Karma and Reincarnation: are we reborn?

Karma and reincarnation are linked. Karma is the idea that what we do and have done influences our circumstances, talents and options. Reincarnation means that what we do and think will not just influence our present life, but also our future ex...

Best Books about karma and reincarnation

Learn about karma and reincarnation from the perspective of Buddhism, Theosophy and Hinduism. But also based on the science of past life memories of children and regression. I could not resist putting a video on VHS up as well. John Algeo explains t...

Buddhist themes

Religious views in important topics

The spiritual path in Buddhism: All Buddhism aims to be a path that leads to enlightenment (Nirvana). Stressed are issues like insight and calmness of the mind.
Meditation and the Relativity of Thought in Buddhism: Articles on Buddhist meditation, and the limitations of thought-processes.
Buddhist philosophy: sunyata: Articles on Sunyata. The terms Sunyata (or Shunyata), void and emptiness are synonyms in Buddhist philosophy. They are ways of expressing the sense that all we see, feel and observe is relative, in fact non-essential and not self-sustaining.
Karma and buddhism - Buddha's World: Spiritual essays on Karma and reincarnation or rebirth with religious explanations on these concepts.
History of Buddha and Buddhism - Buddha's World: Historical material on Buddhism. Includes a time-line and extensive information on Ashoka. With essays and mythology on the life of Buddha, and his previous lives (jataka-tales)
Timeline of Buddhism: a Chronology: Chronology of central parts of Buddhist history.

The sacred syllable - AUM

Practices of buddhism

This mantra is used in Tibetan Buddhism, Tantric Buddhism in general as well as Hinduism.

Aum, the sacred Indian mantra ; Om, Ohm - meditating unity

Who doesn't know the Indian mantra 'aum' - and use it when they want to make fun of new age spirituality? Aum is actually a sacred mantra for all Indian religions that I know of (Sikhism, Hinduism, Buddhism etc.). It is a symbol for the most sacred,...

Buddhism books

The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology

by: Jack Kornfield

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When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times

by: Pema Chodron

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The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living

by: Dalai Lama, Howard C. Cutler

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Amazon Price: $15.57 (as of 07/05/2009)

The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching

by: Thich Nhat Hanh

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Amazon Price: $10.94 (as of 07/05/2009)

Awakening the Buddha Within: Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World

by: Lama Surya Das

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Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 07/05/2009)

Buddhism talked about online

More Buddhist religious views and beliefs

The Zennist: Buddhism helps reduce my everyday anxiety: I have never been a fan of psychologizing Buddhism; turning it into an outpatient clinic for those especially affected by the Jekyll and Hyde evils of modernity which, on the one hand, proclaims itself to be humanistic while, on the...
Attachment, Detachment, Non-attachment: The stoic philosophers of ancient Greece and Rome wrestled with many of the same basic questions addressed in Buddhism. What is happiness, and how does one attain it? What is real? What is not real? The stoics arrived at different ...
Tricycle » Emasculated by “Buddhism”: Bible-scholar-turned-Buddhist Neil of The New Heretics blog is sick and tired of the self-help ethos that drips into dharma talks and sangha chatter. He finds it downright emasculating, and judging from a few of the sympathetic comments ...
The Mind according to Yogacara Buddhism « Japan: Life and Religion: Continuing my study of Yogacara Buddhist thought, I finished chapter 2 of Rev. Shun'ei's book on Yogacara Buddhism, also called Hoss? Buddhism in Japanese. This chapter while brief proved to be very helpful in explaining some terms I've ...

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The Discovering Buddhism

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Buddhist teachers

Gautama Buddha - Inspirer of Buddhism

Buddhism is the one world religion that everyone seems to respect. Many more people would like to call themselves Buddhists than actually are Buddhists by traditional counts. Buddha found the source of sorrow, what sorrow is and the way out of sorro...

The 14th Dalai Lama: Tibetan leader in exile

Nobel Peace Prize Winner, popularizer of Buddhism and head of the Tibetan Government in Exile. The Dalai Lama's life is a unique convergence of religion, politics and an admirable stand on peace in the face of aggression. This lens focuses on his l...

Thich Nhat Hanh: Peace and Zen Buddhism

Monk and Vietnamese peace activist turned Zen Meditation teacher. Thich Nhat Hanh is an Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk. He is a teacher, author, and peace activist, born in central Vietnam in 1926. He coined the term Engaged Buddhism in his book Vietna...

Buddhist ritual

Practices of buddhism

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In religious studies all kinds of things are ritual. Meditation for instance - is a ritual. Nothing wrong with ritual - it's just stuff people do repeatedly.

Buddhism is known in the west as a non-ritualistic religion, but that's really just the part of Buddhism that got transferred to the West. Buddhism as practiced in Asia does include a lot of ritual.

I'm not going to number all the Buddhist rituals out there, just the ones that really define a Buddhist.

Anyhow here are two of the main rituals Buddhists performed in all Buddhist countries:

To take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, the Sangha

This ritual is what defines a Buddhist. To take refuge is often a ritual done more than once in a lifetime and in Theravada Buddhist countries a lot of other rituals start by taking refuge.

Buddha stands for Gautama Buddha.
Dharma means the Buddhist teachings (in this context)
Sangha can stand for the fellowship of all Buddhists - but the word Sangha is also often used to refer to the Buddhist monks (and nons, if there are any).

More on taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha

Taking the Five Precepts

In Buddhist countries there is a practice that distinguishes 'lay Buddhists' from ordinary Buddhists. It is also practiced on Buddhist holidays by serious Buddhists. This practice is the Taking of the Five Precepts.

The five precepts are:

Do not take life

Do not take what is not given

Do not distort facts

Refrain from misuse of the senses

Refrain from self-intoxication through alcohol or drugs

Most of these are reasonably clear, I think.
The part about not refraining from the misuse of the senses refers to unlawful sexual activities. For married people this just means they should keep it within the marriage. For monks and nuns this means refraining from sexual activity altogether.

More on pansil - or the five buddhist precepts

Taking the Bodhisattva Vow

This one is a bonus. There is no reason to think the Bodhisattva Vow goes back all the way to Gautama Buddha.

Still, in Mahayana Buddhism taking the Bodhisattva Vow is about as normal as taking the five precepts is in Theravada Buddhism. people vow to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings.

More on the Bodhisattva path

Other rituals

There are also rituals associated with monks and nuns. Buddhist ritual for lay people and monastics will vary a lot per country.

Buddhist ideals

Practices of buddhism

The Bodhisattva Vow is the expression of compassion within the Buddhist religious context (mainly Mahayana).

Bodhisattva - living for others in Buddhism

The bodhisattva ideal is embodied in the bodhisattva vow: May I attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings. This practically means that one vows not just to attain enlightenment or Nirvana (ambitious enough of itself), but to postpone...

The Spiritual Retreat - a modern version of an ancient practice

Buddhism is in a process of transformation world wide. It used to be all about monks (and a few nuns). The monks were supported by lay Buddhists and the ideal life was that of the monk. In the 20th century many of the practices of monks have become part time practices for lay people as well.

Meditation is done in the home these days - but it's also taught in spiritual retreat centers.

Ashram is technically a Hindu word. The way they are run though is not unique to Hinduism. For instance Plum Village, the spiritual retreat centre of Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh has features that fit the label. Except it's Buddhist. Since ashrams can also be places for general spiritual practice, it's a fading line. See the link below for more on Ashrams and spiritual retreats.

What is an Ashram? Spiritual Retreat Centres!

What is an ashram? Why go on a spiritual retreat? This lens explains the way of life on an ashram and has links to ashrams and pictures of ashrams. An ashram is a place of spiritual retreat. Usually there are permanent residents as well as visitors...

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Buddhism: practice, religious views and beliefs

Introduction to Buddhism

Contents at a Glance

Contents at a Glance

Buddha; Siddharta Gautama - the founder of Buddhism

Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism

The main types of Buddhism today

More types of Buddhism

Buddhism from Tibet, China and Japan

Buddhism pictures

Introduction into Buddhism

Buddhism practices, philosophy, views and religious beliefs

What do Buddhists Believe?

A great introduction into the religious beliefs of Buddhists

Buddhism: where is it practiced?

Buddhist practices

Karma and Rebirth

The most important Buddhist religious beliefs

Buddhist themes

Religious views in important topics

The sacred syllable - AUM

Practices of buddhism

Buddhism books

Buddhism talked about online

More Buddhist religious views and beliefs

Buddhism video

The Discovering Buddhism

Buddhist teachers

Buddhist ritual

Practices of buddhism

Buddhist ideals

Practices of buddhism

The Spiritual Retreat - a modern version of an ancient practice

More Buddhism

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