Buddhism
What is Buddhism? Perhaps this question can be considered the ultimate koan in that Buddhism emphasizes transcendence of the constraining definitions that limit the mind and encourage dualistic thought. At the same time, however, Buddhism recognizes that we must live our lives in the practical reality of this world rather than the ultimate reality of interdependence in which things cannot be defined as discrete entities. And in order to do so, we need definitions.
Buddhism has alternately been called a religion, a philosophy, and an ideology. There is much misunderstanding concerning who or what the Buddha was. Buddha literally means "awakened one," one who has awakened to his or her own true inner nature and therefore the true nature of reality.
While Eastern traditions recognize that there have been many buddhas in the past and will be many buddhas in the future, there was a historical figure named Siddhartha Gautama who has become known as the Buddha of this age. The Buddha himself was an ordinary man with no claims to divine origin. Belief in a creator God has no part in Buddhism. Instead, Buddhism emphasizes experiencing the truth for oneself. Therefore, it ultimately does not matter whether or not a historical Buddha ever existed. The Buddha's life is simply an example that encapsulates the teachings of Buddhism in allegorical form.
The foundation of Buddhist practice is meditation. In meditation, one learns to simply be in the present moment rather than dwelling on the past or fantasizing about the future. Most of us are always engaged in some activity, and if we are not active then we are talking to ourselves. This constant mental activity is not only draining but also maintains the illusion of a self.
To study the way of the Buddha is to study oneself.
To study oneself is to forget oneself.
To forget oneself is to be enlightened by everything.
This info is from Tricycle Buddhist Review
The goal of Buddhism is to put meaning into your life, get meaning out of your life and to help you live a more meaningful life.
Buddha is a human condition, not just a person’s name.
One of the most basic teachings of the Buddha can be summarized in the following phrase: "Do not do anything that brings pain and suffering to another human being. Let the result of everything you do be good. Each day purify your mind."
"Everything that happens to you is a result of what is in your mind."
"Do not join a group because it says that its religion is old, its teachers are famous, or because a large group of people have already joined it. Only after proper research should one join a religion."
In Buddhism, clergy are called monks and they can be married or celibate.
Buddhists can be meat eaters or vegetarians.
Buddhism is against any social or economic caste system.
Buddhism teaches the equality of all cultures and people.
Buddhism teaches the importance of our heart and sincerity in dealing with other people.
Religious rituals are often used to divide people, making religious leaders think that they are better than their followers. Get rid of stupid rituals.
Buddhism neither believes nor disbelieves in a God or many Gods. What is important is how we live our lives.
No one should intentionally do harm or cause suffering to another human being. This also extends to animals and our environment.
There was never a beginning to life and there will never be an end to life. In other words, life has no beginning or end.
Just as one has to prepare for a good life, one has to prepare for a good death.
Death is not an end to life. Death is just another part of life.
The purpose of life is the self realization of each individual to the state of Buddhahood.
Buddha is not one person who lived a long time ago. Buddha is a condition of human life.
Commandments and rules will never produce a peaceful individual or world. Peace comes from within not from without.
The laws of cause and effect govern what we experience whether we understand them or not. Each person has the ability to cultivate a Buddha nature inside themselves.
Each person should develop their nine mental states. The one question that will be answered for every living being is "What will happen after death". So don't worry about it now, live your life in the best way.
Buddhist can be as arogant as anyone else. Just visit a few Buddhist groups and listen to them tell you how their form of Buddhism is the best, truest, or better than other forms of Buddhism.
Don’t allow yourself to become trapped within one school of Buddhism. You need many different perspectives to attain your enlightenment or Buddhahood.
Beware of Buddhist groups that are relaying racial hatrid or gender bias. Racial hatred exists when groups are dominated by individuals from one race. This state also exists when we Americans go around looking for Asians to teach us about Buddhism. This is not necessary in this day and age. Gender bias exists when males think that they must dominate in a Buddhist group and when women think that they must exclude males from a Buddhist group. Both attitudes are a result of egotism.
This info is from http://www.americanbuddhist.com/html/menu.html
Links
Buddhism, an introduction