Buddhism, like all the other Eastern religions, originated from “Animism”, which is the belief that everything in the universe has an essence, a spirit or a soul. As a way of life, it is similar to the other religions in promoting morality, generosity, kindness, harmony, and respect for all living beings including mother nature.
Alike Hinduism, Buddhism believes in the following: 1. Reincarnation, wherein the soul is reborn into another body based on the level of spiritual attainment from the previous life. 2. Karma, which is either the positive or the negative effects of an individual’s actions. 3. That liberation is dependent on one’s own self, by the number of good deeds done during different lifetimes until all karmas have been paid out. 4. That suffering is caused by too much materialism, due to being attached to the desires of the physical world. 5. That enlightenment is achieved by understanding and overcoming the desires of the physical, the emotional and the mental bodies, thus, mastering the self. 6. The practice of yoga and meditation is done by silencing the mind or removing all kinds of thought forms. 7. The practice of love, compassion, and non-injury. 8. Tolerance for other religions.
Buddhism is comparable to Jainism in the following beliefs: 1. The existence of a god is not included in the original teachings except for the introduction of god-like entities or “Bodhisattvas” in the later sects, who are helping man in attaining liberation. 2. That one can be freed from the cycle of rebirth and death when one is admitted into Nirvana or is in a state of having no identity. 3. To attain liberation, one must follow the righteous path. 4. Other forms of yoga and meditation are used to focus on the inner self and to achieve a feeling of serenity. 5. The observance of non-violence and non-attachment is one of the core teachings.
Identical to Shintoism, Buddhism believes that: 1. Buddhism is not a religion; Shintoism, likewise, is also viewed as a cultural ritual. 2. Life is sacred, therefore, it is stated in the “Eightfold Path” that no living beings should be harmed. 3. Human beings are by nature good and can thus end their sufferings by gaining the wisdom needed to detach themselves from the material world. 4. There exist higher beings in the form of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who bless and help human beings; in Shintoism, they are spirits called “kami”. 5. Worship is done in Buddhist temples and shrines headed by Buddhist monks, or in the case of Shintoism by priests. 6. We should focus on the present moment and not on the past or the future; while Shintoism is also concerned with the present life.
Buddhism agrees with Daoism or Taoism in the following beliefs: 1. That there is no personal or conscious God. 2. The infinite wheel of rebirth; or the embodiment into different forms or continuous evolution in the case of Taoists. 3. Man should be in harmony with nature. 2. Meditation or being still is a means of knowing the self and to attain peace. 3. The elimination of desire for wealth and power in order to end suffering. 4. Taoists believe in praying to their ancestors, deities, and immortals for the atonement of their wrongdoings; while Buddhists have Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who aids them in achieving enlightenment. 5. Worship is done in monasteries, temples, and shrines. 6. Humans are capable of being enlightened, or immortal for the Taoists. 7. That there is no notion of “sin”. 8. There should be no bias against other religions.
Buddhism and Voodoo have the following in common: 1. The belief in a soul or spirit, which animates the human body. 2. That God does not interfere in human affairs. 3. That we are all one and interconnected to each other; Voodoos believe that all our actions affect other beings, thus what we do to others, we do to ourselves. 4. Buddhists pray to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for help and guidance, while Voodoos pray to their ancestors and spirits known as “Loa” or “Vodun”. 5. Both religions perform rituals for the dead.
During the time of Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama), people would just go to him to listen to his teachings, to ask for advice regarding their problems or to seek answers to questions that are confusing them. They seem to have all the time in the world. People then are not as busy as we are today. They do not need to go to schools, to go to work and earn a living. They do not have schedules to follow or deadlines to meet. They have more time to practice their religion and to do meditation. Since there were no problems of overpopulation or congestion during those days, finding a place of peace and quiet is not much of a problem as it is today.
Thus, in order to respond to the challenges of the modern world, a lot of effort has been made for the Buddhist religion to survive and to reach many people in the different corners of the world. After Buddha’s passing, his disciples, who memorized his teachings, preserved them in writing 400 years later. Currently, Buddhists and non-Buddhist alike can have unlimited access to Buddha’s wisdom, which can be found anywhere, from bookstores to the internet. So that even non-Buddhists can learn and adopt the “Middle Way. Learned teachers are presenting the knowledge using a variety of methods in order to capture the interest of different people. Temples have been put up almost anywhere in the world for easier access. That despite the noise, and the hustle and bustle of the big cities, devotees can have a place to pray and worship. Additionally, a Buddhist believes that the most important part of practicing the “Dharma” (the teaching of the Buddha) is to apply it in their everyday lives and become a good example for others to emulate. At present, many people from different religions are practicing meditation for various reasons, as a form of relaxation, for prayer, for healing, or to achieve enlightenment.
In India, women have been considered inferior to men and there were some traces of this tradition during the times of early Indian Buddhism. Even though Buddha himself allowed women into his monastic order, the different schools and customs within Buddhism have dissimilar opinions about women’s spiritual progress. There were some texts of Buddha saying that women can never be an “Enlightened One” or a “Buddha”, but he also mentioned that women have the capability to be enlightened. Moreover, during the 4th Century, Bodhisattva Bhumi (the manual used in the training of Bodhisattvas), stated that a woman who is about to become enlightened will be reborn in the male form.
Inversely, Vajrayana Buddhism has recognized many female yogini (female yogi) practitioners to have attained the “Buddhahood” or have been enlightened. The Lotus Sutra (one of the most important and popular texts containing the teachings of Gautama Buddha) says that men and women both equally have the potential of becoming enlightened.
The Buddhist Sangha is composed of male monks (bhikkhus) and female monks or nuns (bhikkhunis), and it is supported by lay Buddhists. Male and female monks are celibate. In Vajrayana Buddhism, women may become a yogini instead of a bhikkhuni nun and be able to practice while having a husband and children. They were also not required to shave their heads.
However, female nuns cannot be fully ordained and are therefore not allowed any positions of leadership in the Buddhist community. Yet, Buddhist women play important roles such as the performance of rituals, the writing, and publishing of Buddhist texts, heading fundraising activities for the construction of their temples, organizing of retreats, teaching, and much more. Thus, Buddhist women of today are still considered secondary to their male counterparts, though there is no denying the vital role that they play in the Buddhist community.
References
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Bundy, A. (2009, October). World Religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Shinto, Confucianism, and Daosim. Full of grace, seasoned with salt Retrieved from https://deaconessamanda.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/world-religions-eastern/
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Subramuniyaswami, S.S. (2009, June). 9 Basic Hindu Beliefs. Hinduism Today. Retrieved from http://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=3106
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Berzin, A., Chodron, T. (1988, August). The Appeal of Buddhism in the Modern World. Study Buddhism: The Berzin Archives. Retrieved from http://studybuddhism.com/web/en/archives/approaching_buddhism/introduction/appeal_buddhism_modern_world.html
Chodron, T. (2011, June). Buddhism in Modern Society. Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron. Retrieved from http://thubtenchodron.org/2011/06/dharma-opportunities/
(2016, August). Women in Buddhism. Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Buddhism
(2015, February). Berkley Forum: Can Women Become Leaders in the Buddhist Tradition?. Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs. Retrieved from https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/forum/can-women-become-leaders-in-the-buddhist-tradition
Summary
Buddhism, like most eastern religions, believes that:
We all have a soul, spirit or an essence.
We are all interconnected, thus, what we do to others, we do to ourselves.
We should all practice morality, generosity, kindness, peacefulness, and respect for all living beings including mother nature.
Reincarnation or the endless cycle of rebirth is a process of learning or evolution.
Karma is the positive and negative consequences of our actions.
We learn from negative Karma.
Suffering is caused by desires or materialism.
The practice or yoga and meditation can help to achieve stillness, inner peace and to know the inner self.
Liberation or enlightenment is attained by following the righteous path.
We should be open minded and respect all religions.
The best way to advertise a religion is by applying it in our everyday lives for others to see and emulate.
Both men and women can learn the truth and become enlightened.
