Becoming a Buddhist and Being a Member of Religion

Becoming a Buddhist and Being a Member of Religion

According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, there is more than one

meaning for the term religion. A first definition is that religion is

'the belief in a superhuman controlling power, especially in a

personal God or gods entitled to obedience and worship.'

Buddha himself is not seen as a God, nor is he himself worshipped as a

God. Buddhist thinking does not centre around a venerated person,

either a God or gods. Buddha is not a God and neither is he someone

sent by a God or gods to help people. He cannot act as a saviour for

people as say Jesus does for people in Christianity.

In Buddhism, anyone who has reached enlightenment can become a Buddha.

In fact, the first people Buddha himself taught reached the state of

enlightenment, and so became Bhuddas themselves. At Wat Po in Bangkok,

there are three hundred and ninety four golden images of Buddhas.

As Buddhism does not have a God, gods or a belief in a superhuman

controlling power, a person who became a Buddhist would not, according

to the first definition of religion, be a member of a religion.

A second definition of religion is that it is 'a particular system of

faith and worship.' Although Buddhists do not have a god to worship,

they do have a word, Puja for worship. Some Buddhists would say that

Puja is a way of involving the emotions in following the Buddhist

path. It is also a natural expression of gratitude for someone who

enjoys his or her type of religion. Other Buddhists say that their

worship involves offerings to the buddha-nature. This is the

enlightenment they believe exists in all living things.

There are no rules in Buddhism about how or how often one should

worship. Some Buddhists have a shrine at home and make some sort of

worship every day. Others may go to a Buddhist temple to worship. So,

although they do not have a god, the fact that Buddhists perform

worship could make them members of a religion.