Is Budhism a religion or philosophy? ilive where budhha attained enlightnment and have found people asking this question frequently.

hmmmmmmmmmmmm,I'm not sure.
I thought this was about an oriental restuarant that had Budaha's in it.........

I've found that there are multiple approaches to buddhism. It can be either a religion, a philosophy, or both...depending on which approach you take to it.

The buddhism which I practice is entirely a philosophy. In this approach, the buddha was not a martyr nor a saint, but merely an enlightened being who is demonstrating an effective means towards gaining inner peace. The goal is not to worship any being, but rather to find a way in which to place yourself in harmony with the world and all of its creatures, beings, and energy.

now i want an eggroll! thanx!!

How do you define the difference between a religion and a philosophy?

Does a belief in a deity make a difference?

Does it make a difference whether the deity is a separate being, or if we are a direct manifestation of “God”.

How do you define “God”.

Whether Buddhism is a religion or a philosophy depends on who’s practicing it and how they personally view those terms I would think.

It’s a pantheistic world view. And pantheism can be theistic or atheistic. That all depends on how a persona defines those terms.

I would accept whatever a Buddhist told me. If some Buddhists told me it is their religion and other Buddhists told me it’s just their philosophy I would conclude that they are both correct, because those kinds of ideals are entirely subjective and personal.

Life is what you make it.

In light of the above explanation, I correct my answer to say that I "choose" to make my version of Buddhism a philosophy because I believe the religion is intertwined with a deity and thus separate from philosophy.

google it

The best I've ever had that put

Thank you. It's been surprisingly hard to incorporate into my daily life, but very rewarding. It's a confusing concept at first, but the pieces fall in place quickly.

Google the ture answer to everything

I'm a googletan or a googleuda I crack myself up somethimes

Hows the search?

It's less of a search, and more of a continuing process. Each day is one which must be sought to be used as a conductor of the energy and harmony of the earth. To channel this fluid energy is something that must be consciously dwelled on, but not specifically forced. They key of Buddhism is to be able to mold yourself into a being who sees the world through a view which inherently embraces a harmony and peace with the world and its energy and people. So, even if you manage to force yourself to see the world and interact with it in this way, it's still necessary to continue your journey towards doing that as a second nature.

Practising the philosophies of one man, the stem, the source of Buddhism, is as easy as breathing... I find that some are more comfortable with the fervour of worship that goes with the philosophies, for those I would suspect they call it religion.

For me it is simple and resonates clearly within me, to follow the basic principles of Buddhism... without having to garnish it in religious mysticism.

Each to their own, and their perspective.

I identify more of myself within the Tao, and within the basic buddhist principles...however I would not identify myself as religious.

"What is religion? As far as I am concerned, any deed done with good motivation is a religious act. On the other hand, a gathering of people in a temple or church who do not have good motivation are not performing a religious act when they pray together."

Lhamo Thondup - 1990 (aka: Tenzin Gyatso) the 14th Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism.

To me the name is unimportant. Happily for me, the religions/philosophies (primarily Taoism and Buddhism) I choose to practice/build my life around do not require that others understand and agree with and join in... I do not need to "convert" or "convince" others...

So I can call it anything I want- religion, philosophy, spiritual orientation.... even exercise (yoga) it matters not. "A rose by any other name..." etc.

Peace and joy.

I find that the farther I get into conversations concerning specific religions and/or practices, the farther I seem from feeling balanced...



Refreshing it is, to not know that which cannot be known.

As to whether it is a religion, or not depends on you. If you want dogma, it is a religion. If you're more into the karma side of it, it is a philosophy. Dogma is a set of organized rules. Which one you are looking for will decide which one you find. With Budda, the make or female versions, there is both the karma, and dogma. I have studied this a small amount. I hope that helps. It was nice to hear a question where it wasn't about Christianity for a change.
Mahalo

that was Zen, this is Tao....

I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, and I take refuge in the Sangha

Rub the buddah belly and ask your question....or wait is that suppose to be a magic 8 ball??

I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, and I take refuge in the Sangha