What do Buddhists Believe?

What Is Buddhism?

Buddhism is a vast religion with an estimated 365 million followers. It is the fourth largest religion in the world. Many Christians really have had no acquaintance with Buddhism or any practicing Buddhists. They may be somewhat familiar with the idea of monks, chanting, the dalai lama, and statues of the meditating Buddha, but really most non-Buddhists don’t know much about this philosophy/religion. Below is a brief overview of Buddhism only meant as a smidgen of an introduction, and hopefully you will be engaged and intrigued enough to investigate a little more on your own.

History
Buddhism began historically in North India in the 6th or 5th century BCE, when a man named Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment, that is, he came to an understanding of the ultimate truth by which people are understood to be freed from the cycle of rebirth and suffering. He became known as the Buddha, meaning “enlightened one,” who taught others the way to escape from constant rebirth and therefore from suffering. Buddhists practice meditation and spiritual exercises, and follow the teachings of the Buddha as their own path to enlightenment. Each person is charged to work out their own salvation.

Forms of Buddhism Around the World

Buddhism died out in India for a time, perhaps due to the Muslim invasions in the 11th century, spreading to Sri Lanka and then to Southeast Asia in a form close to the Pali texts, thought to be the original traditions. This form is known as Theravada, but another form developed over time claiming to reveal the further teachings of the Buddha. This was known as Mahayana, the great vehicle. Buddhism eventually spread to China, Korea, Japan(Zen), Tibet, and of course the rest of the world.

What Buddhists Believe
The Buddha taught that there is suffering in the world, and he taught a pathway to end that suffering. Why is there suffering? Because humans always crave something they do not have, which results in a whole array of negative behaviors and disorders, which in turn only create more suffering. This craving causes suffering. Some Buddhists believe in a god or gods and others do not. The Buddhist understanding about life is that human beings are left to overcome obstacles on our own through compassion, love, service and right livelihood. The four essentials or 4 Noble Truths are as follows:

Suffering exists
Suffering arises from attachment to desires
Suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases
Freedom from suffering is possible by practicing the Eightfold Path


The Eightfold Path is like a blueprint for life that will enable human beings to be released from the cycle of rebirth and continued suffering. These are practices that release attachments:

Right understanding
Right Thinking
Right Speech
Right Conduct
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right Mindedness
Right Concentration (meditation)

Sometimes Westerners understand these paths as similar to the Ten Commandments, since they give direction for properly living, though with a different ultimate goal. Buddhists do not believe in “being good to go to heaven.” They believe in being compassionate, both to help themselves and to help others in their own enlightenment. Attaining nirvana is simply understood as being released from suffering, attaining an eternal bliss with no more required birth experiences.

Buddhism is so complex that I can’t possibly detail it here. I can only suggest that you continue to do your own reading on the subject, the internet makes it quite easy.

I can also recommend the classic text, Siddhartha, written by Herman Hesse, a fictionalized life of the Buddha. It is a short paperback that will acquaint you with some of the topics covered here in an engaging novel.

This article compiled from the texts of John Bowker, World Religions, and the website, www.religioustolerance.org. I encourage you to visit that website as well. Back to Islam Back to Vedanta