Why choose Buddhism?--1

Why choose Buddhism?--1

Bhikkhu Dhammavaro

Introduction

In this world, for the spiritual inclined person, there are many religions to choose from, why should one choose Buddhism then? This is a question that has puzzled many people; I would like to offer some logical arguments here for your consideration. I will try to present to you as honestly as possible the teaching of the Buddha so that you can have a correct understanding on Buddhism. I can assure you that even if you don’t change your belief, you would still benefit from what Buddhism has to offer, especially the Buddhist view about life. Buddhism is rational, patient, deep in wisdom, only reserved for the wise and fortunate one; so what shall we do then? We need to understand it ourselves before we embrace it.

Although generally regarded as a religion, Buddhism is psychologically a method of cultivating the mind. Its various monastic traditions and its emphasis on ethical training, on the surface it has many characteristics one would term it as religion, but Buddhism is not a theistic religion, since it teaches that the universe is governed by impersonal laws and not by an all powerful creator God; as belief in God is a form of eternalism. Buddhism does not emphasized so much the use of prayers, although a small amount is good, as prayer implies a dependency on an external or supernatural authority, as the Buddha was only a teacher, a guide and not a God. Buddha only points the way, and only through the perfection of morality, concentration, and wisdom that we can completely traverse it. In Buddhist practice devotion is but a way of expressing gratitude to our founding teacher, it is done daily as a means for our spiritual development. For us Buddhist we live our life following the three trainings, ie; abstaining from harming others, cultivating calmness and seeing with wisdom the identity-less nature of all phenomena around us.

How do we define a religion? If it is a belief in a supreme being to whom we prays for salvation, safety, favors or relief from suffering, in that sense Buddhism is not a religion. Samsara in which we are in is indeed suffering; it is a terrible wheel of birth and death putting us through endless cycles of woe. Just by thinking about this will send shudder down our spine. The root of this problem is our craving, and the only solution is the destruction of our craving through persistent training. Therefore Buddhism is not a religion but rather a way of mind training.

Buddhism is a way of life because it emphasizes the livelihood of harmlessness by developing our noble mind. The Buddha advised us not to blindly accept anything in the Buddhist doctrine; we should accept it after careful consideration. Buddha’s aim is to show us the way to complete liberation from suffering. Nibbana is to reach the Unconditioned or Uncreated, a state beyond the scope of our ordinary untrained mind. Nibbana is not death as many have mis-understood, rather Nibbana is a natural condition (dhatu) existing throughout. It is the quenching of feverish heat of our mental clinging.

In Buddhism its immediate aim is to strike at the roots of suffering in our everyday life. The Buddha taught his disciple to do it gradually according to the capacity of his students. Each practitioner should devote himself to the training as competently as he could, although the final goal is the same for everyone, but progress along the path depends on the effort of the individual. The Dhamma of the Buddha will lead us to Nibbana, and it will also nourish us along the way. That’s why the practitioner is considered a member of the Sangha.

To understand this better we need to look at the Triple Gem closely.