Misconceptions about Buddhism

Buddhism has a long tradition of rational thinking and encourages an exploration of truth based on inquiry and experience. Many Buddhist principles can match scientific findings. For example, the mindfulness movement in psychology comes from the teachings of Buddha.

Buddhism is not a monotheistic religion like Christianity, Hinduism or Islam. Instead, Buddhism focuses on the individual’s path to awakening and liberation through wisdom.

In Buddhism, karma is a conscious action, through thoughts, words and deeds. We all create karma every minute, and the karma we create affects us all the time. But all our actions – good or bad – come back to us, and are called the fruit of our actions. So life is made up of present actions, and the fruit of past actions. The future is not set in stone, the future is indefinite.

Humans exist and live, have meaning, value and will, and the idea of non-self (anatta) only points to the fact that there is no independent essential soul/ego/self that is permanent. Buddha taught that what we call “I” or “you” is a state consisting of physical and mental components (body, thoughts, consciousness, perception, emotions, etc) – and these components are impermanent. Everything in a human being exists – a process that is complex and always changing – but nothing is permanent. The goal is wisdom about our true nature as human beings, and the result is happiness and freedom.

Buddhism started with Siddharta Gotama in India 2,500 years ago, and came to Tibet around 1000 AD, i.e. about 1,500 years after the Buddha’s death. Buddha instructed that no one should be the top leader of Buddhism – different Buddhist groups should exist independently, but in cooperation.

The historical Buddha reached enlightenment himself, and the Buddha’s teachings are non-theistic. Buddha did not say that there are no gods, but that believing in them is an obstacle to awakening. Buddha is respected as a teacher, not prayed to as a god.

While some choose to practice vegetarianism out of respect for all life, it is not a universal rule in all Buddhist traditions. Those with an ordination – bhikkhus or bhikkhunies – should eat the food they are given, whether it is meat or not. Buddha was not a vegetarian either. But a training rule in Buddhism is not to kill, so many traditions encourage vegetarian food.

Buddhism has a lot of philosophy in it, as advanced as the schools of philosophy that developed in Europe. But Buddhism is still a religion, unless you define religion as belief in a creator god. The Buddha’s teachings are a spiritual training that removes problems and suffering, and focused both on this life as a human being, a future new existence and the ultimate goal – full awakening.

Mindfulness and meditation are two different things. The eightfold path includes ideas, intentions, ethics, effort, mindfulness and meditation – all of which are important for spiritual development.

This monk lived around the year 1000 AD – a happy, humorous and fat monk with an eccentric lifestyle – therefore often called “The Laughing Buddha”. His name was Qici, he was nicknamed Budai, and belonged to Chan Buddhism in China.

Although Buddhism came from the same land as Hinduism, it is a separate tradition with unique teachings and practices. Buddha broke with key Hindu concepts, including the idea of an eternal soul (atman) and the caste system.

There will always be problems because there is so much we can’t control, and since we want happiness and don’t want problems, we have to learn to overcome problems and suffering – and then we are left with freedom and happiness.

Buddhism recognizes the existence of negative forces, but focuses on overcoming them by developing positive qualities such as kindness, compassion and wisdom, rather than cultivating evil.

Many religions are about a God and going to heaven. The Buddha’s teachings are a training in which wisdom is developed that removes all suffering from the mind. When awakening is reached as a human being, almost all suffering in the mind ceases, and when the body of a fully awakened human being dies, all suffering ceases – which is called nirvana. But Buddha’s teachings can also be used to create a good rebirth.