Comparing Buddhism And Buddhism

Religion is something that people are generally born into. There are many different religions to practice throughout the world, although some religions are more dominant in certain locations. For example, Christianity is dominant in the United States whereas Buddhism is dominant in much of the Eastern world. Buddhism is often interpreted as a religion where people praise a fat guy in hope for good luck. However, this assumption is wrong and offensive. There are many unique things that define a religion, especially Buddhism. Buddhism is a religion that started off in 624 BC in Lumbini, which is currently a place in Nepal. The founder of Buddhism is Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha Gautama was born the warrior son of a queen and king. When the

Instead, it is practiced through meditation and how one lives their life on a day-to-day basis. Meditation is the biggest part of Buddhism. Through meditation, one can solve their everyday issues and learn how their own mind works. The three main points of meditation are: knowing the mind; training the mind; and freeing the mind. A major part of meditation is to realize that everyday problems are small and just delusions or negative mental states. As one continues meditation, they can learn to develop more positive mental states. In the first step, knowing the mind, one meditates an hour or so daily to get to know their own mind, what makes them act the way they do, who they are, and why. In the second step, training the mind, one takes responsibility for their actions and trains the mind in kindness and compassion. In doing this, one becomes more aware of things that could be shaping their mind for them, like the media, friends, family, and other social factors. In the third step, freeing the mind, one learns how to stop clinging. According to Buddha, clinging inhibits the minds freedom and peace. Meditating, in Buddhism, is equivalent to taking care of ones’ body. By not clinging, one can free their mind and

In Buddhism, it is believed that once someone disintegrates, his or her mind does not cease to exist. Rather, their superficial conscious mind dissolves into a deeper level of consciousness; call the very subtle mind, which has no beginning and no end. What is experienced at this level is decided by karma. Karma is the belief that every action had a consequence, whether that consequence is good or bad. For example, the mind is like a small swimming pool, every little wave or splash affects the opposite end of the pool. When the subtle mind leaves the body, it goes into a state called Bardo. Bardo is a dream-like state of unconsciousness where one may experience visions based on the karma they have acquired, so the visions can either be terrifying or wonderful. Karma also leads into rebirth. If one were to acquire good karma, they are reborn in a fortunate state, either as a human or a god. However, if they acquire negative karma, they are reborn in a lower state, as an animal, a hungry ghost, or a hell being. This cycle of rebirth and death is called cyclic existence. In this cycle, there is always going to be suffering and clinging, but with Buddhism, one could get at perfect peace with