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Buddhism - Philosophy or Religion?

" The founder of the educational system used the title Shakyamuni Buddha since he believed to have gained a comprehensive understanding of life and the universe. Since the Buddha did not recognize the role of a deity in his teaching, he comes out as a teacher, which confirms that Buddhism is a philosophy, not a religion ("Buddhism in a Nutshell ").
             Another element that makes Buddhism a philosophy is that it does not obligate one to have faith or be superstitious. Unlike most religious leaders, the Buddha taught against believing anything blindly. He wants people to test the authenticity of the teachings and prove them for themselves. He also wants people to have in-depth information on any subject before following, and not merely believing all teachings. If the Buddha were a spiritual person, he could have depended on some divine sources of power or information. His teachings come from his personal life experience. The Buddha's teachings portray him just as a good friend who is telling people to avoid certain pitfalls that almost caused him life. Instead of depending on hearsay and religious rhetoric, the Buddha uses an ideal scientific method to show human beings reality in its natural form ("Buddhism in a Nutshell ").
             The next indication that Buddhism is a philosophy is that all ˜rites and celebration' are centered on the people attending assemblies. Religion requires rites and celebration to focus on God. The ceremonies and celebrations in Buddhism are not worship tools. They serve as educational materials that help learners reflect on the teachings and encouragement of the Buddha. One such rites that the learners often depend on is the Thousand Buddha's Repentance Ceremony. The Chinese practice this ceremony during the New Year. The rite helps participants to develop respectful attitudes towards others. All the Buddha ceremonies focus on awakening people from the delusion and returning them to Wisdom and Understanding (Faure 93).


Essays Related to Buddhism - Philosophy or Religion?

1. Buddhism and Hinduism: Compare and contrast some of the

... and caste duties, but extend into the philosophical realm of peaceful and humble acceptance of one's position. Dharma defines correct living for a Hindu. Buddhism has a similar concept, Dhamma. Dhamma does not imply specific biological or social obligations, but maintains a comparable philosophical construct. The Buddhist definition of right conduct and personal obligation, Dhamma is the path that must be ... Noble Truths. Buddhist philosophy is; there is suffering and eliminating the causes of suffering can extinguish suffering. The way to extinguish the causes of suffering is to follo...

  • Word Count: 707
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Buddhism and Japanese Culture

... to change by the end of the stay. Be it one's notion about the society, business and economics, or traditional culture and religion. The same happened to me. I knew very little about Buddhism before coming to Japan. However having a great interest in the subject I decided to broaden my knowledge by ... Hinayana practitioners was to attain enlightenment for oneself. Once the goal was reached the practitioner would then enter nirvana. As opposed to this Mahayana's philosophy differed in that the practitioner can only attain the salvation by helping others attain the enlightenment as well ...

  • Word Count: 1977
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Eastern Philosophy

... ? Is there a God? These are main philosophical questions that the human race has been trying to answer. Religion is an explained philosophy and be it divine or a practice, it is a way of life. It is not surprising to see that religion of the Eastern World had a few people stand out as important intellectuals. Sankara, Ramanuja, and Madhva were great intellectuals that interpreted ... the Upanishads, the philosophy of Hinduism, and taught their own interpretations. Buddhism started with Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, and later, Nagarjuna, a follower of Buddhism, offered his philosophy. (...

  • Word Count: 1651
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Buddhism

... American culture that we may no longer be able to speak of it either as "Asian" or as "religion". The American version of Buddhism is a package of traditional forms of monastic practice wrapped in Western philosophy and psychology. American Buddhism includes the wealthy and the poor, single people and multigenerational families, immigrants with advanced technical degrees, ... and refugees who can barely communicate in English. American Buddhism, in short, resembles American religion in general: its most striking feature is its variety (Bielefeldt). Furthermore, American Buddhism is a ve...

  • Word Count: 985
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. Compare and Contrast - Hinduism and Buddhism

... ". Compassion and loving kindness for all is what one hopes to develop when using this saying this mantra, so prayer in Buddhism philosophy is self-directed. Another practice is meditation. A person will usually sit in front of a statue or image of The Buddha or some other holy person, not to worship them but to remind them of what they strive for. They can meditate ... faith with morality acting as the first and foremost guideline for its practitioners. This is what sets it apart from other westernized traditions. This also helps Hinduism to have a synced religion with philosophy. The l...

  • Word Count: 1282
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

6. World Religions - Buddhism and Christianity

... human nature, which is pure but soiled by human desires. Man can free himself from the world only by practicing Buddhism. Both religions believe in the afterlife of human beings, which according to the religions, is defined by either goodness or evil. Buddhists consider life as retribution from Karma and it is because of this reason that the human race undergoes suffering ... eternal one after death to those who live in accordance with the teaching. Buddhism holds that the attachment of man with the world produces suffering as a result of bad actions, while detachment of man from the wo...

  • Word Count: 1121
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography

7. Buddhist Philosophy and the Lotus Flower

... has become one of the most important image in the faith. One of the most important reason why was the lotus flower was chosen to be the symbol of the religion is because the feature of this flower is the same with the way the Buddha enlightened. The root of the lotus flower extends into the mud the stem grows up ... bad deeds will lead to unhappy state in the afterlife. The mind of each person is the source of all deeds, whether good or evil. The teaching of Karma has a strong linked to the teaching of rebirth in Buddhism, which is represented by the lotus flower like saying above. The ...

  • Word Count: 1907
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

8. CHINESE PHILOSOPHY

... force that is always present in the other. The point of all of this is that you need to have a little of both or you won't have either! Finally we come to Buddhism. Buddhist have a very different and unique philosophy. Buddhists basically believe and understand that good deeds have good results and bad actions can lead to bad results. This is what they ... a Buddha would be a hard life to live here in the U.S, so remember kids try these things at home. In china today nobody is one specific religion or believes in one specific philosophy. If anyone visits China, and asks what religion th...

  • Word Count: 815
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

9. The Spread of Buddhism to the Western World

Buddhism is a nontheistic religion that is based on the teachings of the Buddha, or "the awakened one." The philosophy aims to help sentient beings end their suffering by eliminating the greed and ignorance from their lives. Buddhism arose during the fifth century BCE in India and is currently practiced by approximately 500 million people throughout the world. Buddhism first spread to the western world in ... also growing in western societies because it appeals to societies' ambitions to better themselves. The religion stresses the idea that one should live in the moment; they should not worr...

  • Word Count: 542
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

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