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Founder: Siddhartha Gautama , who lived in the 6th century B.C. (Possibly 566 - 480 B.C.)
Religious Texts: The Lotus Sutra is the main religious text for Buddhists.
View of God: The Buddhist view of god varies, but It is primarily pantheistic. Buddhist's do not believe in a theistic deity. Rather, their god is an impersonal unity of being. You may hear of a Buddhist that believes in many gods. This may be so, but they don't believe that these gods are ultimate. Ultimately, the Buddhist god is impersonal being.
Teachings:
The teachings of various Buddhists differ significantly, but the "Four Noble Truths" and the "Eightfold Path" is something of a common thread to Buddhists.
The Four Noble Truths
- To live is to suffer.
- Suffering is caused by desire.
- To eliminate suffering you must eliminate desire.
- You can eliminate desire by following the "Eightfold Path".
The Eightfold Path
- Right View - an adequate knowledge of the Buddhist philosophy, which includes the "Four Noble Truths" and the principles of impermanence, no-self, and suffering
- Right Intention - being willing to achieve enlightenment and being free fromcraving, lust, ill will, or cruelty
- Right Speech - avoidance of falsehood and vain talk
- Right Action - refraining from taking life, from appropriating things not one's own, and from sexual misconduct
- Right Livelyhood - being a monk, or taking a profession that not bring harm to others
- Right Effort - directing one's energy properly, also the avoidance of evil thoughts and the cultivation of good thoughts
- Right Meditation - meditating properly, rigorous introspection and recognition of the impermanence of the material world
- Right Concentration - maintaining continuous focus in order to achieve some kind of intuitive or mystical experience
Different Branches of Buddhism:
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