Siddhattha Gotama's Five Religious Beliefs
Buddhism is one of the major religions of the world and is practiced by about three hundred million people. It is a religion about 2,500 years old, and is based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhattha Gotama. Different things are emphasized in the religion depending on the country it is in, but at its core it is always the same, and remains a religion which is tolerant of all other beliefs. Buddhism is a religion based on compassion, wisdom, and redemption.
At the heart of Buddhist ethics is the principle of non-harming, the respect for life and all living creatures for which Buddhism is renowned. A good moral example of Buddhism would be telling the truth no matter what, in fact refraining from untrue speech is part of the Five Moral Precepts …show more content…
Buddhists live by. This moral code includes refraining from taking life, from taking things not freely given, from sexual misconduct, and from intoxication. The ultimate goal of Buddhism is to put an end to suffering and rebirth.
Ignorance relates to not seeing the world as it actually is, and from ignorance springs greed, envy, hatred, and anger, while wisdom requires an open, objective, and unbigoted mind. Buddhism teaches that wisdom should be developed with compassion. To have one without the other would cause an imbalance that could result in a good hearted fool or someone with knowledge, but not emotion. Buddhists believe that life and death are part of a cycle in which this life and all previous lives all lead to reincarnation.
The circumstances of future rebirths are determined by the moral deeds a person performs in their life, these deeds are known as Karma. Karma is like an elevator that goes between the levels of rebirth, good Karma can help you rise to a higher level of rebirth and bad Karma can cause you to drop down a level. Karma that has been accumulated, but not yet experienced, is carried forward to the next life or even many lifetimes ahead. There are 31 levels to which a person can be reborn. What does this mean? Imagine a tally board divided in two categories, good and bad. Every person has a board and every action they take earns a mark on one side of the board. For example, a person provides shelter to someone in need. This deed earns them a tally mark on their board under the good category. At the time of their death a person’s board is added up on both sides, and whichever side has more tally marks is the type of karma that person earned. This karma rolls over into the next rebirth allowing a person to start at either a higher level or lower level depending on what they earned. In short, a person can always redeem themselves and earn their way into a higher level by earning good karma through good deeds and living a life full of compassion and
wisdom. Buddhism is based on the teaching of the Buddha, and teaches its followers that the way to true happiness it to do good deeds. The specifics may change depending on the region, but it always remains a religion of pacifism and morality at its heart. Buddhism is an old religion which emphasizes compassion, wisdom, and redemption.
At the heart of Buddhist ethics is the principle of non-harming, the respect for life and all living creatures for which Buddhism is renowned. A good moral example of Buddhism would be telling the truth no matter what, in fact refraining from untrue speech is part of the Five Moral Precepts …show more content…
Buddhists live by. This moral code includes refraining from taking life, from taking things not freely given, from sexual misconduct, and from intoxication. The ultimate goal of Buddhism is to put an end to suffering and rebirth.
Ignorance relates to not seeing the world as it actually is, and from ignorance springs greed, envy, hatred, and anger, while wisdom requires an open, objective, and unbigoted mind. Buddhism teaches that wisdom should be developed with compassion. To have one without the other would cause an imbalance that could result in a good hearted fool or someone with knowledge, but not emotion. Buddhists believe that life and death are part of a cycle in which this life and all previous lives all lead to reincarnation.
The circumstances of future rebirths are determined by the moral deeds a person performs in their life, these deeds are known as Karma. Karma is like an elevator that goes between the levels of rebirth, good Karma can help you rise to a higher level of rebirth and bad Karma can cause you to drop down a level. Karma that has been accumulated, but not yet experienced, is carried forward to the next life or even many lifetimes ahead. There are 31 levels to which a person can be reborn. What does this mean? Imagine a tally board divided in two categories, good and bad. Every person has a board and every action they take earns a mark on one side of the board. For example, a person provides shelter to someone in need. This deed earns them a tally mark on their board under the good category. At the time of their death a person’s board is added up on both sides, and whichever side has more tally marks is the type of karma that person earned. This karma rolls over into the next rebirth allowing a person to start at either a higher level or lower level depending on what they earned. In short, a person can always redeem themselves and earn their way into a higher level by earning good karma through good deeds and living a life full of compassion and
wisdom. Buddhism is based on the teaching of the Buddha, and teaches its followers that the way to true happiness it to do good deeds. The specifics may change depending on the region, but it always remains a religion of pacifism and morality at its heart. Buddhism is an old religion which emphasizes compassion, wisdom, and redemption.