I post this question as a follow-up to a post on another thread. What I would like is a short quick definition of what Buddhism is if that is possible. I have met a number of Buddhists where we basically passed "in the night" so to speak and I didn't get to find out much about the philosophy. I do know that it is not a religion as such but a philosophical belief system that studies the books and beliefs of many religions. Will someone please give me that definition and allow an old dog to maybe learn a few new things?

Xrayman

You need a simple history lesson first.

Please read this-it's not bad BUT try to ignore the spiritual stuff...
Life of the Buddha - ReligionFacts

I say this because various traditions argue over that bit...

once you get to section 6. The four encounters, this is where all buddhists agree!

Three Jewels/Three Refuges:
1. The Buddha
2. The sangha (monastic community)
3. The dharma (truth or teachings)
Three Delusions:
1. Ignorance
2. Desire
3. Anger or hatred
Three Trainings:
1. Moral discipline
2. Concentration
3. Wisdom
Three Marks of Existence:
1. Impermanence (anicca)
2. Unsatisfactoriness (dukkha)
3. No-self (anatta)
Four Noble Truths:
1. All of life is marked by suffering.
2. Suffering is caused by desire and attachment.
3. Suffering can be eliminated.
4. Suffering is eliminated by following the Noble Eightfold Path.
Four Immeasurables or Sublime States:
1. Equanimity (upekkha)
2. Loving-kindness (metta)
3. Compassion (karuna)
4. Sympathetic joy (mudita)
Four Reminders:
1. Human life is precious.
2. Death is inevitable.
3. The laws of karma cannot be avoided.
4. Suffering permeates all existence.
Four Bodhisattva Vows:
1. I vow to rescue the boundless living beings from suffering.
2. I vow to put an end to the infinite afflictions of living beings.
3. I vow to learn the measureless Dharma-doors.
4. I vow to realise the unsurpassed path of the Buddha.
Five Precepts:
1. Do not kill.
2. Do not steal.
3. Do not engage in sexual misconduct.
4. Do not lie.
5. Do not use intoxicants.
Five Powers:
1. Faith and confidence
2. Energy and effort
3. Mindfulness
4. Samadhi
5. Wisdom
Five Hindrances:
1. Sense craving
2. Anger or ill will
3. Sloth and torpor
4. Restlessness and worry
5. Doubt and the inner critic
Five Dhyani (Wisdom) Buddhas:
Vairochana
Akshobhya
Ratnasambhava>
Amoghasiddhi
Six Perfections:
1. Concentration
2. Effort
3. Ethical behavior
4. Generosity
5. Patience
6. Wisdom
Six Realms of Existence:
1. Hell-beings
2. Hungry ghosts
3. Animals
4. Humans
5. Anti-gods or demigods
6. Gods
Noble Eightfold Path:
1. Right beliefs
2. Right aspirations
3. Right speech
4. Right conduct
5. Right livelihood
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right meditational attainment
Ten Paramita:
1. Giving or generosity
2. Virtue, ethics, morality
3. Renunciation, letting go, not grasping
4. Wisdom and insight
5. Energy, vigour, vitality, diligence
6. Patience or forbearance
7. Truthfulness
8. Resolution, determination, intention
9. Kindness, love, friendliness
10. Equanimity
Twelve Links of
Dependent Arising:
1. Ignorance
2. Karmic formations
3. Consciousness
4. Name and form
5. Six senses
6. Contact
7. Feeling
8. Craving
9. Grasping
10. Becoming
11. Birth
12. Aging and Death

now a lot of this may not make much sense. I will clarify certain issues as they arise.

Xrayman

i suppose the critical info are these:
The buddha noticed four things during the 4 encounters. After enlightenment he said the four noble truths.

Four Noble Truths:
1. All of life is marked by suffering.
2. Suffering is caused by desire and attachment.
3. Suffering can be eliminated.
4. Suffering is eliminated by following the Noble Eightfold Path.

and

Noble Eightfold Path:
1. Right beliefs
2. Right aspirations
3. Right speech
4. Right conduct
5. Right livelihood
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right meditational attainment

these are the basic precepts of buddhism.

1. suffering is a term used to describe emotional hurt, physical hurt, death, sadness many things. it is caused by attachment.
2. attachment is a term used to mean eg. a crush on someone-you are "attached too much to them".-you will eventually get hurt if they move on for example.
3. suffering can be eliminated-see there is a positive!
4. you can escape this suffering by following the eightfold path-as above!

again this can get really involved..I'm trying to do my best here..

cheers

chaplain john

Followed your link and bookmarked it will read it soon thanks for the info. Now I had best get out of here and put myself to bed before I post a dumb answer like i did last night and make a fool of myself again.
Good night and God Bless,
Chaplain John

PS thanks to spell check I was just saved the embarrassment of mis-spelling my own name... It is time for bed!!!

nasar

Enlightenment in buddhism is a Superconscious stage . a person who reached this position through meditation, where continious experience of eternal happiness also he escaped from the birth&death drama, he is to be called as buddha, and buddha is a position, not the founders name mainly.

Xrayman

True nasar, however even that is a simplistic view of the concept of Buddhahood.

It is so much more involved than that.

The prayer to a buddist effigy (statue of buddha), for instance can be a prayer to the amazing, boundless wisdom that the Buddha exhibited, or could mean "I understand your wisdom and I wish to one day be as mindful and attentive to the truth as you are-buddha!".

that is just two differing aspects to a simple bow...

cheers

Xrayman

This is a link to probably the best buddhist site on the web.

this is their e-book library which allows you to download and use for free many e-books about buddhism.
BuddhaNet eBook Library: General Buddhism
I studied these books years ago when I started out.

the best one is "good question, good answer"
the next one, which takes some time to read is "What Buddhists Believe"-I have a hard copy of that.

Xrayman

A great buddhist concept is the idea of "emptiness" or the "truth". the Truth is not the same as in Christian faith circles-it is not scripture per se, it is the undeniable true nature of things.

if we see an injured rabbit at the side of the road do we just see a fur covered biological entity or do we see and feel empathy for the creature? we try to heal its hurt if we can, we may try to comfort the animal, it is in the human psyche to colour judgement as to the true nature of things.

The buddha realised this inherent truth in all things, he realised the whole truth of everything it is this realisation that Christians might perceive as similar to an "Epiphany" Buddhists call it Enlightenment.

I'm getting into some real hard-to-explain areas here now, just tell me when to shutup.

kiwimac

Buddhism: All life is suffering.
Following the Five Precepts can help to overcome Suffering and enable us to get off of the wheel of rebirth.

nicespringgirl

Turn you mind into an ally is so far the best buddihsm book I have read. It's a very good introduction as well along with meditation tips. U will find it useful-Amazon.com: Turning the Mind Into an Ally: Books: Sakyong Mipham,Pema Chodron