Thebuddhismenlightenment.info

A few months ago my mother sent me a monthly newsletter that the San Jose Buddhist church distributes among its members. My mother thought the major article in the newsletter would prove what she had been saying for nearly 30 years — that the differences between Buddhism and Christianity are insignificant compared to what they have in common, and therefore any further discussion between us about these differences would be a waste of time. Read more »

category: Uncategorized     tags: Buddhist and Christian Beliefs

Hello All, my name is Bill Savoie. We are a diverse UU congregation. We have humanists, spiritualists, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Atheists, agnostics, Buddhists, Native Americans, did I miss anyone? As a Buddhist, I always feel a bit out of place when we discuss our belief systems. Buddhists have beliefs just like anyone else, but we treat them very differently than any other religion. A Buddhist treats a belief as one would a raft, it is used to get one to the other side, but it is not an end in itself. A Buddhist belief is just a temporary tool that is used because the person is not yet in perfect harmony. It is a practical solution to being stuck and isolated. It is certainly not something one can be proud of.

So what is this raft, that Buddhists use to get to the other side? The traditional starting beliefs are the Four Noble Truths, which are;

1. Suffering exists
2. Suffering arises from attachment to desires
3. Suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases
4. Freedom from suffering is possible by practicing the Eightfold Path Read more »

category: Uncategorized     tags: Buddhist Beliefs Explained

All living beings have the same basic wish to be happy and avoid suffering, but very few people understand the real causes of happiness and suffering.

We generally believe that external conditions such as food, friends, cars, and money are the real causes of happiness, and as a result we devote nearly all our time and energy to acquiring these. Superficially it seems that these things can make us happy, but if we look more deeply we shall see that they also bring us a lot of suffering and problems.

Happiness and suffering are opposites, so if something is a real cause of happiness it cannot give rise to suffering. If food, money, and so forth really are causes of happiness, they can never be causes of suffering; yet we know from our own experience that they often do cause suffering. For example, one of our main interests is food, but the food we eat is also the principal cause of most of our ill health and sickness. Read more »

category: Uncategorized     tags: Buddhist Beliefs

Why I believe Buddhism and Buddhist belief are false.

1. What is Buddhism.
2. Who is Buddha.
3. What is karma and reincarnation.
4. Theory explains phenomena.
5. Reincarnation is a theory
6. Reincarnation contradicts the phenomenon of mediums invoking the spirit of the dead.
7. Spirit possession theory explains all these phenomena.
8. Demon  possession.
9. Deception.
10. Works  versus  grace.
11. Conclusion. Read more »

category: Uncategorized     tags: Why I believe Buddhism and Buddhist belief are false.

Buddhists do not believe in a personal god; their beliefs are to do with the nature of life and human existence.

The Three Signs of Being

Buddhists believe that these three signs are at the root of all human existence:

• Annica -(impermanence) everything is unstable, changing and, eventually ceases to exist.
• Anatta – (no soul) there is no permanent, unchanging soul in any one. In effect, existence is an illusion.
• Dukkha – (suffering) suffering is part of the human condition. Read more »

category: Uncategorized     tags: Buddhist Beliefs - Buddhists do not believe in a personal god