8/8/2019 Buddhism is an Education, Not a Religion or a Philosophy

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BUDDHISM IS AN EDUCATION,NOT A RELIGION OR A PHILOSOPHY.

Buddhism is Not a Religion

According to the Websters Dictionary, thedefinition of religion is as follows, An organized systemof beliefs, rites, and celebrations centered on asupernatural being power; belief pursued withdevotion. Buddhism is not a religion because: First,the Buddha is not a supernatural being power. TheBuddha is simply a person who has reached CompleteUnderstanding of the reality of life and the universe.

Life refers to ourselves, and universe refers to our livingenvironment. The Buddha taught that all beingspossess the same ability to reach CompleteUnderstanding of themselves and their environment,and relieve themselves from all sufferings to attainutmost happiness. All beings can become Buddhas, andall beings and the Buddha are equal by nature. TheBuddha is not a God, but a teacher, who teach us theway to restore Wisdom and Understanding byconquering the greed, hatred, and ignorance whichblind us at the present moment. The word Buddha is aSanskrit word, when translated it means, Wisdom,Awareness/Understanding. We call the founder ofBuddhism Shakyamuni Buddha because He has attainedComplete Understanding and Wisdom of life and theuniverse. Buddhism is His education to us, it is Histeaching which shine the way to Buddhahood.

Buddhism is not a religion because: Second, thebelief in the Buddhas teachings is not blind belief, orblind faith. Shakyamuni Buddha taught us not to blindlybelieve what he tells us, he wants us to try theteachings and prove them for ourselves. The Buddhawants us to know, not merely believe. The Buddhasteachings flow from his own experience and

8/8/2019 Buddhism is an Education, Not a Religion or a Philosophy

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understanding of the truth, and shows us a path of ourown to taste the truth for ourselves. The Buddha uses aperfectly scientific way of showing us reality in its trueform.

Third, Buddhism is not a religion because all therites and celebrations are not centered on asupernatural being, but rather the people attending theassemblies. The ceremonies and celebrations inBuddhism all serve an educational purpose, a reminderof the Buddhas teachings and encouragement to allstudents who practice it. The point of the ceremonies isto help others awaken from delusion and return toWisdom and Understanding.

Finally, Buddhism is not a religion because thedevotion used in Buddhism is not one based onemotion, but one based on reason. Students of theBuddha are devoted to their practice of maintainingPurity of Mind because this practice brings truehappiness. We are devoted to helping both ourselvesand others attain Complete Understanding and Wisdom.Our devotion is to become Buddha.