Buddhism Basics

Aspects of Buddhism

Buddhism often comes with many practices, traditions, ceremonies, teachers, “spiritual experiences” and other aspects that may seem quite exotic.

Practices can include meditation and mindfulness, movements such as Yoga and Pilates, acupuncture, Reiki, Tantra and Tantric Sex.

Lifestyle can include as Eastern Medicine, Ayurveda, aromatherapy, vegan and vegetarianism, environmentalism, non-violence and social justice.

Important figures in Buddhism range from historical figures such as The Buddha and Paramahansa Yogananda, to modern living teachers such as The Dalai Lama, Adyashanti, Eckhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra.

Buddhist teaching, or Dharma include things such as the Eightfold Path, the Lotus Sutra, the Heart Sutra, the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads and the 10 Oxherding Pictures.

Branches of Buddhism include Theravada “The School of the Elders”, Mahayana “The Great Vehicle”, and Advaita Vedanta.

The ultimate goal of Buddhism is given many names, such as Enlightenment, Awakening or Liberation.

Whew! This is just some of what is included in Buddhism!

Is Buddhism a Religion?

A typical dictionary definition of religion might go something like this:

An organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or divine superhuman power, which is believed to be the creator and of the universe.

By this definition, Buddhism is not a religion.

Rather than believing what other people, books or institutions may tell you, Buddhism is more about discovering the fundamental essence of your Self. To succeed at this will involved questioning everything about the mind, especially your beliefs. Most religions have a sacred notion of “god” or a divine being. Buddhism is more about realizing the ultimate truth for yourself.

The Buddha

Born Siddhartha Gautama and later called Gautama Buddha or The Buddha is one of the key spiritual figures in history. He lived around the fifth century BCE (about 2,500 years ago) in the area that is today’s Nepal.  He was born a prince and was expected to become king. Legend has it his father tried to keep him from witnessing everything bad in the world – the sick, aged and suffering.

But upon seeing these things he abandoned his throne and went on an intense and profound spiritual journey, which led him to ask and seek the answers to life’s fundamental questions. This resulted in the most fundamental realizations one could have, known as “Awakening”. He then spend the rest of his life teaching others to have this same realization.

There is a huge amount of misunderstanding of what The Buddha realized and taught. This quote might help clarify:

When the Buddha started to wander around India shortly after his enlightenment, he encountered several men who recognized him to be a very extraordinary being. They asked him:

“Are you a god?” “No,” he replied.

“Are you a reincarnation of god?” “No,” he replied.

“Are you a wizard, then?” “No.”

“Well, are you a man?” “No.”

“So what are you?” They asked, being very perplexed.

Buddha simply replied: “I am awake.”

Buddha means “the awakened one.” How to awaken is what The Buddha taught, and is the ultimate goal of Buddhism.

We created this website so you may explore all facets of Buddhism, and we hope someday you find yourself on the path to realizing what The Buddha realized!

Buddhist Text & Temples

When The Buddha was teaching 2,500 years ago, nothing was written down. The Buddhist spiritual community (Sangha) tried to preserve his teachings by passing it down orally from generation to generation. Eventually the teaching were written down in a huge collection (canon) of conversations (suttas or sutras). The teachings of the Buddha are known as Dharma.

Over time Buddhists created monuments (stupas) which have become honored places for pilgrims to become inspired.

The practice of Buddhism can bring great peace, happiness, and fulfillment to its devoted practitioners.

The Goal of Buddhism

Buddhism does in fact have an actual goal. That is to realize what the Buddha himself realized. This is often called…

• Awakening
• Awakening to Reality Itself
• Awakening from the Dream
• The Ultimate Truth
• Enlightenment
• Bodhi
• Liberation
• Nirvana
• Buddhahood
• Self-Realization
• Oneness

…or similar names. There is a tremendous misunderstanding of what this is all about. Many find they have a casual interest in Buddhism, but then one day for reasons they don’t understand they are taken, they are captured, they are drawn into this final quest. It is our hope this website helps you find your way into this ultimate journey! This is the goal of Buddhism.

There are many ways people have represented this “spiritual journey” towards “Enlightenment”. One of the more obscure ways is the 10 Oxherding Pictures. We are particularly fond of this, so have included an entry you might want to check out.