Random Facts On Buddhism

Buddhism is not a religion, but a way of living. In other words, Buddhism is not about rites and rituals, but is simply a lifestyle that is followed by those who believe it is the best way to live.(for those of you who have read Rob Bell's Velvet Elvis, you see the similarity?)

Buddhists do not worship the Buddha as a god or pray to him, but instead look up to his example and follow him as a master teacher or elder, in the same way a Jewish disciple would follow his rabbi.

Karma basically means that what you do with your feelings in the present dictates the future.

The belief system in Buddhism is pretty much: In life there is suffering and all suffering is caused by self centered desire/craving, so in order to stop suffering, you need to stop desire/craving. Buddhists call their way of life, the best way to rid oneself of desire, "the Eightfold Path."

The way of Buddha, or Eightfold Path, seems surprisingly like the way of Jesus, except without the social activist edge. It looks like it focuses a lot more on not hurting people than actively helping people, which would be okay if everyone was doing it. I like the stress on peace at all costs, though.


Anyway, for a kid who always thought Buddhism was all about bowing down to a fat little man sitting on a cushion, this stuff seems to make a heckuva lot of sense. Anyway, Buddhists, I respect you now. It looks like a mighty good way to live.