Buddhism Today

Buddhism Today

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." - Buddha

Questions and Answers

1. How does Buddhism view science?

Buddhists don't really speculate about how the universe started, they can live without knowing. Buddhists support science and the evolutionary theory. Most Buddhists don't believe in a God. Remember; Buddhism is often not considered a religion but a lifestyle.

2. Does Buddhism not have a creator? Who made the world then?

Buddhism does not focus on how the world is made, like said before, they support the evolutionary theory. Buddhism doesn't answer many questions about the creation of the universe, world, life, .. It is not necessary to know them, it is a concept of not-knowing. The Silence of the Buddha. The Buddha didn't claim to know everything, like other religions are often in completely denial of scientific evidence. All a person has to do is try to become free of suffering an attachment, stopping the cycle of birth to reach the nirvana. This meaning of life can not be found by a God, 'in the sky', it has to be chosen and reached by an individual and only the individual.
The Buddha designed an un-creation. The creator is not beneficent, if there was one. Why would a creator create a world of suffering?

3. How is Jesus viewed in Buddhism?

Buddhism respects Jesus Christ and his teachings. The biggest problem that Buddhism has with Christianity, is that Jesus is the savior of the world, there is only one of him and he died for other people's sins, in Buddhism everyone can become a Buddha, it is not an exception.

"No one saves us but ourselves,
No one can and no one may.
We ourselves must walk the path"
- Buddha

4. How does Buddhism view war?

Buddhism is peaceful, it forbids war. The first of the five precepts is 'kill or harm no living thing'. Like the Dalai Lama said: "Hatred will not cease by hatred, but by love alone. This is the ancient law."

5. Why are there so many varieties of Buddhism, and what is the right one?

Buddhists usually don't believe, like in Christianity sometimes, that their school is the right one. They accept diversity, and think that you can choose your way of practicing Buddhism with your own common sense, what you think fits best for you, is for you the right way. Everyone is different, so how can there be only one right way to follow? There is said that there are 84,000 ways you can follow to the Dharma, Buddha's teachings. No wonder that there are so many schools in Buddhism, and they are nearly all accepted.

6. How does Buddhism view abortion?

Buddhists are divided about abortion. The more traditional Buddhists will naturally not be in favor of abortion, because it would be against the first precept, 'don't kill or harm any living thing'. More modern Buddhist, are not necessarily against abortion. Remember that Buddhism usually doesn't judge people, you have your own personal belief, and abortion is your own personal decision. There is not always a right and wrong.

7. How does Buddhism view organ donation?

Again, organ donation is an individual decision. Buddhism does not believe that you need your complete body for a next life or a heaven. Organ donation could be seen as an end to the suffering of another person and an act of charity. However, a dead body should be retreated with respect. Some Buddhists belief that after the last breath, the soul stays in the body for a little while, and you are still consciousness, so removing organs right after the person's death would be objectionable.

8. How does Buddhism view suicide/ euthanasia?

Many people know the story of the Buddhist monks, who burned themselves as a protest against war and discrimination. However, Buddhism does not think suicide is acceptable. In Buddhism, the way life ends has an affect on how the soul will be reborn. The state of mind of the person is important, monks who committed suicide were already enlightenment. A person state's of mind is important by death, he or she should be enlightenment and completely selfless, have no anger, fear and hate.

9. Are all Buddhists vegetarian?

The first of the five precepts is 'do not kill or harm any living thing'. Many Buddhists belief that animals have a soul, and that there are aware of some feelings like suffering and happiness. That is the reason why many Buddhists choose to be vegetarian. However, you don't have to be vegetarian to be Buddhist. The Mahayana form of Buddhism is more strictly vegetarian than other schools. Generally Theravada Buddhists are not vegetarian, but a lot of monks and nuns are, some of them don't eat meat, but do eat fish. Chinese and Vietnamese monks and nuns are strictly vegetarian, some Buddhists follow that example, others don't.
The Buddha himself was not vegetarian and didn't teach his disciples to be vegetarian. It is your own personal choice to be vegetarian, or not.

10. How do Buddhists view death?

In the west, we don't talk much about death. If someone dies, people often put it away, as if not talking about it makes it go away. Buddhism is really different, they ask to consider death daily. Death is a part of our life, and we should face it that way. Think about it, doesn't death happen every day? Thing come up and pass away all the time. Summer turns into fall and winter, your meal is in front of you and than its eaten, you wake up and you go to bed, the workday starts and the workday ends, and so on. Death is just another transformation. Impermanence is the nature of the world.

11. What is nirvana exactly and can you compare it to heaven?

Nirvana is hard to describe in words. It is not a place in any way. You don't 'go' to nirvana like you go to the movies. It is also not an out of body experience or somewhere you float to after death. Nirvana can be reached only by letting go of everything, become free of suffering. It is like imagining never wanting anything, never wanting for anything. Someone who reaches the nirvana is free of desires, hatred and ignorance. Nirvana is not a paradise, or not an idea you have seen before, nor is it nothingness. It is the cessation of suffering and the realization of an "unborn, unoriginated, unmade, and unconditioned" state, said by the Buddha. It means that there is no beginning and no end, no creation and no conditions to existence. Good terms for nirvana are; farther shore, wholly radiant, bliss, cooling, calming, joyful, timeless.
Nirvana is nothing really like heaven. The difference is in this; in heaven you would have a soul and body, your person continues forever in absolute joy and satisfaction. All the desires in heaven are satisfied, with the biggest desire; the desire for God. However, in nirvana there is no desire. There is no body, no soul. You become free of all desires. [source: Buddhism, Jacky Sach]

Images of the spread of Buddhism