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Is Buddhism A Religion? Buddhism vs. Christianity vs. Judaism
Is Buddhism a religion?
Albert Einstein once said this of Buddhism, "The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend a personal God and avoid dogmas and theology. Covering both natural and spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual and a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description. If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs, it would be Buddhism."
But is Buddhism a religion? Buddhism may qualify as a religion, depending on ones point of view. If you define religion as "a system of worship or devotion to a deity," than no, it would not be a religion; however, if you define religion as "a system of spiritual beliefs, rituals, and morals," then Buddhism would be a religion.
There is no messiah, no prophet, and no deity in Buddhism. The basic premise of Buddhism is about a prince who lived a hedonistic life, then became enlightened and decided to live an ascetic life.
Since there is no deity, messiah or prophet in Buddhism, you can be a Christian and a Buddhist, Muslim and Buddhist or Jew and Buddhist. And there would be no conflict.
Some facts about Buddhism:
--Buddhism is about 550 years older than Christianity and 1,100 older than Islam.
--It's often registered with governments as a religion for tax purposes because most religious institutions pay little or no taxes.
--Many who practice Buddhism consider it a philosophy or ideology, dealing with the spiritual aspects of life. Some psychologists consider Buddhism a form of psychology.
-- Enlightenment, meditation, karma, nirvana are often associated with Buddhism.
--Most Buddhists are vegetarians or vegans
--The Eight Fold Path and Four Noble Truths are the "commandments" of Buddhism.
The word "Buddha" is often mistaken as a deity in Buddhism. A Buddha simply means one who has become enlightened. Anyone can become a Buddha once they are enlightened by studying and applying The Eight Fold Path and Four Noble Truths.
Famous Buddhists include:
--Steve Jobs, co-founder and Chairman of Apple Computers.
--Phil Jackson, record holder of most championships as a coach in any sport. He's coach of the LA Lakers.
--Of course the Dalai Lama is a Buddhist.
--Celebrity Buddhists: Richard Gere, Tiger Woods, Kate Bostworth, Steven Seagal, Leonard Cohen, Tina Turner, Orlando Bloom, Keanu Reeves, Oliver Stone, Uma Thurman, George Lucas, Mark Wahlberg, Jennifer Lopez...The list is very long.
[video=youtube;0GsemT80KpU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GsemT80KpU[/video]
Is Buddhism a religion?
Albert Einstein once said this of Buddhism, "The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend a personal God and avoid dogmas and theology. Covering both natural and spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual and a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description. If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs, it would be Buddhism."
But is Buddhism a religion? Buddhism may qualify as a religion, depending on ones point of view. If you define religion as "a system of worship or devotion to a deity," than no, it would not be a religion; however, if you define religion as "a system of spiritual beliefs, rituals, and morals," then Buddhism would be a religion.
There is no messiah, no prophet, and no deity in Buddhism. The basic premise of Buddhism is about a prince who lived a hedonistic life, then became enlightened and decided to live an ascetic life.
Since there is no deity, messiah or prophet in Buddhism, you can be a Christian and a Buddhist, Muslim and Buddhist or Jew and Buddhist. And there would be no conflict.
Some facts about Buddhism:
--Buddhism is about 550 years older than Christianity and 1,100 older than Islam.
--It's often registered with governments as a religion for tax purposes because most religious institutions pay little or no taxes.
--Many who practice Buddhism consider it a philosophy or ideology, dealing with the spiritual aspects of life. Some psychologists consider Buddhism a form of psychology.
-- Enlightenment, meditation, karma, nirvana are often associated with Buddhism.
--Most Buddhists are vegetarians or vegans
--The Eight Fold Path and Four Noble Truths are the "commandments" of Buddhism.
The word "Buddha" is often mistaken as a deity in Buddhism. A Buddha simply means one who has become enlightened. Anyone can become a Buddha once they are enlightened by studying and applying The Eight Fold Path and Four Noble Truths.
Famous Buddhists include:
--Steve Jobs, co-founder and Chairman of Apple Computers.
--Phil Jackson, record holder of most championships as a coach in any sport. He's coach of the LA Lakers.
--Of course the Dalai Lama is a Buddhist.
--Celebrity Buddhists: Richard Gere, Tiger Woods, Kate Bostworth, Steven Seagal, Leonard Cohen, Tina Turner, Orlando Bloom, Keanu Reeves, Oliver Stone, Uma Thurman, George Lucas, Mark Wahlberg, Jennifer Lopez...The list is very long.
[video=youtube;0GsemT80KpU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GsemT80KpU[/video]
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