Questions About Living
From waking to sleeping, we all want happiness and we want to remove our suffering. We do all sorts of worldly activities to achieve happiness and avoid suffering. Buddhism is similar. The big difference between our worldly activities and Buddhism are in their view and methods.
Buddhist View
The main View of Buddhism is that one’s self-grasping or self-importance is the root of all of one’s unhappiness and sufferings.
To do this, the Buddhist purifies one’s negative Karma and gathers good Karma, especially merit and wisdom.
“Take all the Bodhisattvas of the ten stages in all the ten directions and the three times.
Treat each of their merit as a drop of water in the ocean.
One Buddha’s merit is much more than that ocean of merit combined.”Sangata Sutra
Buddhist Methods
“Do not engage in any harmful actions; Perform only those that are good; Tame your own mind – This is the teaching of the Buddha.”
The Buddha is omniscient. After becoming Enlightened, he used his omniscience to find the main causes of suffering. He also found the methods to remove suffering. Thus, he gave many teachings and methods to different kinds of people, from all walks of life.
These teachings were recorded in the thousands of Sutras, Shastras and Tantras, that have been passed on up to now. All these teachings can be summarized in the above quote from the Buddha.
How does a person become a Buddhist?
First, a person attends a Refuge Ceremony. Taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha* is to take protection from Samsara**.
By taking refuge in this ceremony, one recites some statements and receives the Refuge Vow from a preceptor, such as a high monk or a Khenpo. The Refuge Vow is a vow to take refuge in the Buddha’s teachings, until full Enlightenment, or until full liberation from Samsara.
Then, after Taking Refuge in the refuge ceremony, one must learn and practice the Buddha’s teachings. One learns with a teacher and follows the teacher’s instructions.
Studying, practicing and training in the Dharma are the way to be a Buddhist.
*The Buddha is someone who has abandoned all forms of emotional afflictions and conceptual obscurations, and adopted all merit and wisdom. The Dharma is the entire collection of the Buddha’s teachings. The Sangha are the experienced practitioners like the Bodhisattvas and Arhats who have experiences in the path of the Dharma.
** Samsara is the Sanskrit word for repeated cycle of birth and death, the world of impure phenomena crated by negative emotional afflictions.
To learn about the Principles of Buddhism, visit this page.