Buddhists believe in achieving enlightenment (Nirvana) to escape the cycle of suffering (samsara) through ethical living, guided by the Buddha's teachings (Dharma), focusing on Karma, rebirth, and the Four Noble Truths (life is suffering, caused by craving, can end, via the Eightfold Path). They practice compassion, non-violence, and mindfulness, following principles like the Middle Way, and find refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha (community). Buddhism generally doesn't center on a creator God but acknowledges different realms and deities in some traditions.
Three Universal Truths
Buddhists believe Jesus was real, produced miracles and underwent the crucifixion. The only difference is that, in Christianity, Christ is God incarnate, and in Buddhism Jesus was a Buddha.
Doctrinally, people pray to gods/ devas for material good fortune and they pray to buddhas/bodhisattvas for good merit and alleviation of suffering. Especially in South East Asia, lay people seek to accumulate good merit in order to have favorable circumstances and favorable rebirth.
Observant Buddhists typically avoid consuming alcohol (surāmerayamajja, referring to types of intoxicating fermented beverages), as it violates the 5th of the Five Precepts, the basic Buddhist code of ethics and can disrupt mindfulness and impede one's progress in the Noble Eightfold Path.
Ānantarya karma (Sanskrit) or Ānantarika kamma (Pāli) are the most serious offences in Buddhism that, at death, through the overwhelming karmic strength of any single one of them, bring immediate disaster. Both Buddhists and non-Buddhists must avoid them at all costs.
The thirteen major prohibitions are (1) ejaculating; (2) touching a woman's body; (3) indecent talk with a woman; (4) pretending to be a monk of virtue in order to seduce a woman; (5) matchmaking or acting as an intermediary of adultery; (6) constructing a large dwelling without receiving approval from the Order ...
For more than two millennia, one of the appeals of Buddhism has been that happiness and freedom from suffering can be achieved by anyone, regardless of race, class, or gender. But we must remember that all convert practitioners are embodied beings who come to dharma study from somewhere.
Buddhism, particularly in the early monastic Vinaya texts, recognizes four primary categories related to sex and gender: male (purisa), female (itthi), ubhatobyañjanaka (intersex/hermaphroditic, having signs of both), and paṇḍaka (a less clearly defined category often referring to individuals with deficiencies in sexual capacity or desire, sometimes translated as eunuchs or queer). These categories, especially ubhatobyañjanaka and paṇḍaka, don't map perfectly to modern LGBTQ+ terms but acknowledge biological variations and non-normative sexual beings, with paṇḍaka often facing restrictions in monastic ordination.
Buddhist concept of 'Five enemies'
(1) The elements of water, fire, rulers, thieves, and unloved ones, which represent the constant dangers and threats that can lead to robbery, looting, and cheating for those who are attached to sensual pleasures.
In summary, Buddhists do celebrate Christmas, but they do so in their unique way, focusing on the values of peace, love, and kindness that resonate with their beliefs. They enjoy Christmas decorations and the act of lighting and decorating trees.
The history of Buddhism goes back to what is now Lumbini, Nepal almost six centuries before Christianity, making it one of the oldest religions still being practiced. The origins of Christianity go back to Roman Judea in the early first century.
He advocates the cultivation of warm-heartedness and human values such as compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and self-discipline. He says that as human beings we are all the same. We all want happiness and do not want suffering.
There is no difference in Buddhist teaching between men and women. Both are subject to old age, sickness, death, desire and suffering. Women have the same potential as men to gain the wisdom, insight and compassion necessary for enlightenment. Both the Mahayana.
Beliefs about death and dying, and life after death
Buddhists believe that nothing that exists is permanent and everything will ultimately cease to be. There is a belief in rebirth but not of a soul passing from one body to another.
In the Buddhist teachings, the three poisons (of ignorance, attachment, and aversion) are the primary causes that keep sentient beings trapped in samsara.
LGBTQ+ EQUALITY
The Vinyana, a Buddhist text for monks, forbids Buddhist monks and nuns from having sexual relationships with men, women and those of other genders, such as pandanka (interpreted as those with indeterminate sexual characteristics or people who do not conform to sexual norms, such as prostitutes).
Today, monogamy is the only legally accepted form of marriage in all Buddhist countries.
A female Buddhist monk, more commonly known as a Buddhist nun, is called a bhikkhuni (biːkuˌni IPA Pronunciation Guide ). Bhikkhu and bhikkhuni live in monk communities called a sangha, which are traditionally comprised exclusively of either bhikkhu or bhikkhuni.
A Buddhist may accept all methods of family planning, but with different degrees of reluctance. The worst of all is abortion or'killing a human to be'. This is seen to be harming a living sentient being. Pills and condoms are much more acceptable, though many prefer condoms.
Fears that Tara is able to dispel, each external fear relating to an internal state; they are the fear of: lions (pride), wild elephants (ignorance), fire (anger), snakes (jealousy), floods (attachment), imprisonment (miserliness), thieves (wrong views) and cannibals (doubt).
The country that is approximately 95% Buddhist is Thailand, where Theravada Buddhism is the predominant religion, deeply integrated into daily life and culture, with other nearby nations like Cambodia also having very high Buddhist majorities.
The question “Can vegetarians eat eggs?” arises because eggs are an animal product, leading to debates about whether they involve killing. In Buddhism, fertilized eggs are considered the beginning of life, so consuming them goes against the principle of compassion.
Some Buddhists who follow a strict diet not eat the five pungent vegetables: onions, garlic, chives, green onions and leeks. The Buddha said that these adversely affect those who are in the early stages of cultivation.
Within the eightfold path is right livelihood, the teaching that one's work should be compatible with sound moral principles and should cause no harm. In a less complicated world 2,600 years ago, the Buddha listed five livelihoods he considered unethical: trading in weapons, human beings, meat, intoxicants, and poison.