How many of you believe in BUDDHA

How many members believe in Buddha?

How many members are practising Buddhists and what tradition do you belong to?

Do you believe it to be; a religion, a philosophy or both?

What are your views if any?

PLEASE no derogatory remarks or comments, constructive criticism, opinion only

I have been a practising Buddhist for the past five years and belong to the Kadampa, Mahayana tradition, NKT. Having been involved and participated in other religions, I have studied and put their beliefs into practice. I was brought up Catholic, turned to Spiritualism, attended Church of England services. But I have to admit that Buddhism is the only one you can truly put to the test and see instant results. It is based on fact and not blind faith. Many people are turning to Alcohol, drugs, spending large amounts of money in the hope of finding True Happiness, only to become more unhappy and disillusioned. True happiness comes from within and has to be sought with sincerity and cannot be bought. People need to find and recognise there true self and this can only be found with inner quiet and stillness. Considering over one fifth of the world’s population is Buddhist and increasing, gives me hope that the world is slowly on the way to becoming a better place.

With much love

Smartalk

my family practices Buddhism but im not a firm believer in religion as a whole.

I consider myself an atheist, but there are many concepts in Buddhism that make a lot of sense to me.

Many Buddhists are Atheists......the question of whether or not "god' exists is considered a fruitless question to many Buddhists........Do I believe in Buddha?...Interesting question....I am a practicing Buddhist in the Tibetan Dzogchen tradition.........I believe that "Guatama" was a real man in history and is what most people think of when they say buddha........Many buddhist traditions,especially tibetan, consider MANY people who have lived through the ages to be Buddhas, achieved enlightenment. Do i believe that Buddha is a God??? Absolutely not......

I've read up on it, and a lot of the morality teachings make a lot of sense. The history on it is intriguing, much of it historically documented. But I'm not a follower.

Buddhist with a small "b" here. I practice sitting meditation at home and go to a Zen Center occasionally to receive instruction and have interviews with the abbot. It is a Renzai Buddhism sect. I am not interested so much in the dogma of Buddhism but rather its practice as a tool for living well. I do not worship Buddha as a god in the Christian sense but the rituals of worship mostly revolve around being thankful and giving reverence to a wise teacher.

Because the idea of an creator god isn't part of buddhist doctrine but you can believe in god if you want and being a buddhist . According to buddhism the buddha isn't a god only a teacher of enlightment . However some buddhists worship him as some sort of god .

I believe that the whole concept is OK. Better than any other religion. But I still cant get myself to believe in a deity. My beliefs are all based on altruism.

According to buddhism The Buddha isn't an deity , is only a man and teacher .

I don't need to "believe" in Buddha.
Buddha is an actual historical figure... not a myth nor tale that relies upon "belief".

Buddha is NOT a god... just a guy.



And Buddhism is a religion.... it qualifies as a religion on two levels...
1- because it makes statements about the continuation of the personality beyond death.... something for which it offers no evidence and, therefore, has no proof is valid.

And
2- because it relies on a threat, or promise, of post mortem consequences as an inducement to modify the behavior of the living; another claim for which no evidence exists.

Buddhism's principal dishonesty lies in its claims that non-being is the ultimate goal... but the bottom line is that as long as you fall shy of perfect, which is pretty easy, you get another go-round on the wheel of life.

Thus these two foundational precepts...the transmigration of souls and karmic debt, are effectively nothing more than a comforting fiction assuring the believer that they can escape death.

This is the defining trait that places Buddhism squarely in the category of a religion.


Other than these two delusional 'beliefs'... Buddhism is perhaps one of the most effective religions in terms of presenting a solid moral framework that the practitioner can actually employ to achieve a calmer and more compassionate state of mind. Offering more than mere words... it presents its followers with proven techniques and methodologies that require personal attention and effort.
In Buddhism there is no forgiveness for transgressions thru any exculpatory admission or claim to regret.

The only thing that exculpates transgressions is right action.... therefore, Buddhism offers no easy out... it demands better actions over the long haul.




And the term "philosophy" is bandied about pretty freely.

No belief system that is illogical or based upon unsupported assumptions can qualify as philosophy.
The cornerstone of all philosophy is logical consistency and the resolution of paradox.


What many think of as "philosophies" are actually rationales... or "beliefs' predicated upon unwarranted assumptions and considered by the person holding them to be immune from critical analysis or argument.

NO philosophy is beyond challenge and analytical examination.
They must withstand scrutiny, or be dismissed.

Like, I don't know if I believe the turtles and mud... oh, sorry, that wasn't Buddhism.

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I like parts of Buddhism, but I can't swallow the whole pill.

In fact, there isn't one single religion on this planet that adequately covers all the bases.

Actually is a little more complicated than that because in buddhism the concept of eternal soul is rejected . So the question would be who or what get reborn if we not have soul ?

Actually......while Buddhism speaks of re-birth.....Most Buddhist teachers will tell you that you needn't "believe" in ANYTHING that you haven't experienced......One of my teachers, a very well educated highly placed, American Lama, used to tell us that he had NO IDEA if the concept of death and re-birth were true...and whether or not you held such a belief was of NO matter...