Buddhism

[iFrank Ocean]

I would like to know more about Buddhism as a religion and what foundations it is built on. Some questions I would like to be answered are stated below:

How did Buddhism start?
Where did people come from? (Origins of Life/Creation/World from a Buddhist's point of view.)
What are we as humans? (Are we animals? Do we have souls?)
Is the world friendly/unfriendly/neutral? (From a Buddhist's point of view)
What is the problem with the World? (What is wrong with the world/within us that we have to fix? From a Buddhist's point of view)
What Should We do? (From the problem stated above, what can Buddhists do to fix it?)
What are Buddhists striving for/towards?
What is the Buddhist community like?
What are some Buddhist ethics that they abide by?
What are some Buddhist rituals/symbols that they use?
What do Buddhists believe will happen after death? (Is there life after death?)
What are the Buddhists' relationships to other religions (Any religions Buddhists oppose/relate with?)
Any other helpful information/facts.

Thank you! biggrin

[Lucky~9~Lives]

iFrank Ocean

I would like to know more about Buddhism as a religion and what foundations it is built on.

BuddhaNet's Buddhist Studies: A Basic Buddhism Guide

[Lysid]

iFrank Ocean

I would like to know more about Buddhism as a religion and what foundations it is built on. Some questions I would like to be answered are stated below:

How did Buddhism start?
Where did people come from? (Origins of Life/Creation/World from a Buddhist's point of view.)
What are we as humans? (Are we animals? Do we have souls?)
Is the world friendly/unfriendly/neutral? (From a Buddhist's point of view)
What is the problem with the World? (What is wrong with the world/within us that we have to fix? From a Buddhist's point of view)
What Should We do? (From the problem stated above, what can Buddhists do to fix it?)
What are Buddhists striving for/towards?
What is the Buddhist community like?
What are some Buddhist ethics that they abide by?
What are some Buddhist rituals/symbols that they use?
What do Buddhists believe will happen after death? (Is there life after death?)
What are the Buddhists' relationships to other religions (Any religions Buddhists oppose/relate with?)
Any other helpful information/facts.

Thank you! biggrin

It's a great Philosophy until you get to the idea of Reincarnation.

[AvenirLegacy]

Lysid

iFrank Ocean

I would like to know more about Buddhism as a religion and what foundations it is built on. Some questions I would like to be answered are stated below:

How did Buddhism start?
Where did people come from? (Origins of Life/Creation/World from a Buddhist's point of view.)
What are we as humans? (Are we animals? Do we have souls?)
Is the world friendly/unfriendly/neutral? (From a Buddhist's point of view)
What is the problem with the World? (What is wrong with the world/within us that we have to fix? From a Buddhist's point of view)
What Should We do? (From the problem stated above, what can Buddhists do to fix it?)
What are Buddhists striving for/towards?
What is the Buddhist community like?
What are some Buddhist ethics that they abide by?
What are some Buddhist rituals/symbols that they use?
What do Buddhists believe will happen after death? (Is there life after death?)
What are the Buddhists' relationships to other religions (Any religions Buddhists oppose/relate with?)
Any other helpful information/facts.

Thank you! biggrin

It's a great Philosophy until you get to the idea of Reincarnation.

Whats wrong with Reincarnation?

[Lysid]

AvenirLegacy

Lysid

iFrank Ocean

I would like to know more about Buddhism as a religion and what foundations it is built on. Some questions I would like to be answered are stated below:

How did Buddhism start?
Where did people come from? (Origins of Life/Creation/World from a Buddhist's point of view.)
What are we as humans? (Are we animals? Do we have souls?)
Is the world friendly/unfriendly/neutral? (From a Buddhist's point of view)
What is the problem with the World? (What is wrong with the world/within us that we have to fix? From a Buddhist's point of view)
What Should We do? (From the problem stated above, what can Buddhists do to fix it?)
What are Buddhists striving for/towards?
What is the Buddhist community like?
What are some Buddhist ethics that they abide by?
What are some Buddhist rituals/symbols that they use?
What do Buddhists believe will happen after death? (Is there life after death?)
What are the Buddhists' relationships to other religions (Any religions Buddhists oppose/relate with?)
Any other helpful information/facts.

Thank you! biggrin

It's a great Philosophy until you get to the idea of Reincarnation.

Whats wrong with Reincarnation?

It makes no sense.

[Arcoon Effox]

iFrank Ocean

I would like to know more about Buddhism as a religion and what foundations it is built on. Some questions I would like to be answered are stated below:

How did Buddhism start?
Where did people come from? (Origins of Life/Creation/World from a Buddhist's point of view.)
What are we as humans? (Are we animals? Do we have souls?)
Is the world friendly/unfriendly/neutral? (From a Buddhist's point of view)
What is the problem with the World? (What is wrong with the world/within us that we have to fix? From a Buddhist's point of view)
What Should We do? (From the problem stated above, what can Buddhists do to fix it?)
What are Buddhists striving for/towards?
What is the Buddhist community like?
What are some Buddhist ethics that they abide by?
What are some Buddhist rituals/symbols that they use?
What do Buddhists believe will happen after death? (Is there life after death?)
What are the Buddhists' relationships to other religions (Any religions Buddhists oppose/relate with?)
Any other helpful information/facts.

Thank you! biggrin

Link

[Xiam]

Well, a simple search would suffice, and I suppose somebody linked to a handy guide... but I'm bored, so...

iFrank Ocean

How did Buddhism start?

It started with an Indian named Siddartha Gautama, who lived somewhere around the 5th century BCE. Started as a sort of a self-help guide to happiness, though it goes a bit further than that.

iFrank Ocean

Where did people come from? (Origins of Life/Creation/World from a Buddhist's point of view.)

Uhhh... I don't think Buddhism really addresses it. But I think it's different depending on what form of Buddhism you look at. Many cultures that have adopted it have meshed it with their own cultural traditions. I'm no expert, but as far as I can see, the sort of "general purpose" Buddhism would simply see the question as irrelevant.

iFrank Ocean

What are we as humans? (Are we animals? Do we have souls?)

Um... I don't suppose I have an answer on this one. I could give you my opinion, but that wouldn't be a Buddhist opinion, seeing as how I'm not actually Buddhist. Or really anything... but I'd expect that they see humans as (and everything else) as manifestations of the Atman. Unless I misread soemthing along the way...

iFrank Ocean

Is the world friendly/unfriendly/neutral? (From a Buddhist's point of view)

From their point of view, it's neutral. It's only friendly or unfriendly according to how you look at it.

iFrank Ocean

What is the problem with the World? (What is wrong with the world/within us that we have to fix? From a Buddhist's point of view)

Ha! Now that I can answer, because it's pretty much the beginning of it. The problem with the world is attachment, which leads to suffering.

iFrank Ocean

What Should We do? (From the problem stated above, what can Buddhists do to fix it?)

Remove attachment, remove suffering.

iFrank Ocean

What are Buddhists striving for/towards?

Uhhh... enlightenment... nirvana... detachment. Release from the cycle of rebirth.

iFrank Ocean

What is the Buddhist community like?

Iono. I haven't actually met that many. They seem pretty easygoing from a distance, though, but again, it's heavily dependent upon the culture in which they live.

iFrank Ocean

What are some Buddhist ethics that they abide by?

Uhhh, I don't have any notes here... but check the Noble Eightfold Path.

iFrank Ocean

What are some Buddhist rituals/symbols that they use?

All I can recall off the top of my head is meditation, but that (and an inclusion of others) will - again - be different depending on the culture that has adopted it.

iFrank Ocean

What do Buddhists believe will happen after death? (Is there life after death?)

Life after death is this life. Reincarnation. Which is actually presented as a problem. Like I said, they seek release. Nirvana. A sort of at-one-ness with the universe, I guess, where they don't have to keep going around in circles, rebirth after rebirth. Personally I don't see a problem with it, but I'm kind of attached to the place. In spite of the awful bits.

iFrank Ocean

What are the Buddhists' relationships to other religions (Any religions Buddhists oppose/relate with?)

No different from any other, I suppose. Like I've said (probably too many times), it's spread and been adopted by many cultures, who simply mix their old beliefs with the new ones. But on the other hand, there have been quite a few instances of bloodshed between Buddhism and other religions. Nobody's perfect.

Lysid

AvenirLegacy

Lysid

It's a great Philosophy until you get to the idea of Reincarnation.

Whats wrong with Reincarnation?

It makes no sense.

How do you figure? It makes more sense to me than certain other versions of the afterlife...

My teacher in college explained it in this way - the soul is like water, and each body is like a vessel. And it's poured from one to the other, taking on the shape of the different vessels as they go. And Nirvana is... I guess the equivalent of returning to the ocean.

[Lucky~9~Lives]

iFrank Ocean

What is the problem with the World? (What is wrong with the world/within us that we have to fix? From a Buddhist's point of view)

From a Buddhist's point of view, nothing.

[Lysid]

Xiam

How do you figure? It makes more sense to me than certain other versions of the afterlife...

My teacher in college explained it in this way - the soul is like water, and each body is like a vessel. And it's poured from one to the other, taking on the shape of the different vessels as they go. And Nirvana is... I guess the equivalent of returning to the ocean.

I have yet to hear any explanation for the "soul" that makes sense.

[Xiam]

Lysid

Xiam

How do you figure? It makes more sense to me than certain other versions of the afterlife...

My teacher in college explained it in this way - the soul is like water, and each body is like a vessel. And it's poured from one to the other, taking on the shape of the different vessels as they go. And Nirvana is... I guess the equivalent of returning to the ocean.

I have yet to hear any explanation for the "soul" that makes sense.

Consciousness. Awareness. The sense of existence. Scientifically speaking, it would be the part of the brain that takes in all information, processes it, and reacts to it in a very subjective manner.

Ergo, the use of "psyche" to refer to elements of the mind.

[Lysid]

Xiam

Lysid

Xiam

How do you figure? It makes more sense to me than certain other versions of the afterlife...

My teacher in college explained it in this way - the soul is like water, and each body is like a vessel. And it's poured from one to the other, taking on the shape of the different vessels as they go. And Nirvana is... I guess the equivalent of returning to the ocean.

I have yet to hear any explanation for the "soul" that makes sense.

Consciousness. Awareness. The sense of existence. Scientifically speaking, it would be the part of the brain that takes in all information, processes it, and reacts to it in a very subjective manner.

Ergo, the use of "psyche" to refer to elements of the mind.

Believe whatever gives you a sense of purpose I suppose, though the concept still sounds like nonsense to me. The way I see it 'we' are little more than an accumulation of chemical reactions bound by causality and 'living organisms' are no more significant than inanimate objects.

[Xiam]

Lysid

Xiam

Lysid

Xiam

How do you figure? It makes more sense to me than certain other versions of the afterlife...

My teacher in college explained it in this way - the soul is like water, and each body is like a vessel. And it's poured from one to the other, taking on the shape of the different vessels as they go. And Nirvana is... I guess the equivalent of returning to the ocean.

I have yet to hear any explanation for the "soul" that makes sense.

Consciousness. Awareness. The sense of existence. Scientifically speaking, it would be the part of the brain that takes in all information, processes it, and reacts to it in a very subjective manner.

Ergo, the use of "psyche" to refer to elements of the mind.

Believe whatever gives you a sense of purpose I suppose, though the concept still sounds like nonsense to me. The way I see it 'we' are little more than an accumulation of chemical reactions bound by causality and 'living organisms' are no more significant than inanimate objects.

Awfully nihilistic of you. I'd honestly see the reverse - inanimate objects are no more insignificant than living organisms.

I mean, think about it. In our universe, conditions can be met fairly easily for matter to develop self-mobility and even awareness. While we have yet only found such an occurrence on one planet, the signs seem to be there that life is not simply some lucky shot in the dark, but a product of the foundations of the universe. That s**t's alive man. Soul or no soul.

[Lucky~9~Lives]

Xiam

While we have yet only found such an occurrence on one planet, the signs seem to be there that life is not simply some lucky shot in the dark, but a product of the foundations of the universe.

What signs are there that the foundations of the universe are not simply some lucky shot in the dark?

[Bogotanian]

Lucky~9~Lives

iFrank Ocean

What is the problem with the World? (What is wrong with the world/within us that we have to fix? From a Buddhist's point of view)

From a Buddhist's point of view, nothing.

From a Buddhist's point of view this would be a lower realm of existence. There seems to be an obsession with Karma, and depending on one's good or bad karma, they could achieve a more enlightened or higher state (such as a realm of devas) with the next try, or go down even lower to a worse state.