The main ideas of Buddhism - Essay Example

The main ideas of BuddhismReligion has been defined by several authors and one common agreement is apparent in the different definitions. It is agreeable that it involves a superhuman being or beings. According to Schlessinger et al, (10), religion is a conviction to a superhuman being that has power over everything else and include God or gods. Buddhism is one of the several religions that are practiced across the globe.Buddhism is a dharma or non theistic religion that promotes the norms of the people.

It consists of a range of beliefs, traditions and practices. These components are rooted on the teachings accredited to Buddha which is also known as Siddhartha. The religion followers believe that Buddha means, “The awakened one” Statistically, the Religion is practiced by over 300 million people around the world with most of the followers coming from India. Buddhism has two common branches, namely; Theravada and Mahayana. The former has extensive followers from Sri Lanka while the latter has followers from East Asia.

Different religions emphasize on differing aspects, while others advocate for proclaiming faith on the religion, others stress the importance of putting into practice the norms of the religion. Resultantly, Cohen (182) supposes that Buddhists accept as true that practicing is obtained through comprehension of the “Four Noble Truths”. Cohen (182) brought to light the exact and ultimate goal of the Buddhism Religion, the practice. Contrary to other religions, Buddhism emphasize on practicing what they believe to be the right way of life rather than just having faith.

The principal goal of Buddhism is the achievement of Nirvana state by practicing the ‘Noble Eightfold Path’ which is also known as middle way as per the submission of McDaniel, (250). In a nutshell, the eight factors include; having the right understanding, professing the right intention, practicing the right speech and actions, righteous living, making correct efforts, at all times maintaining good mindfulness and right concentrations. McDaniel (250) continued in his publication to say that it is not an ideal practice to consider the eight factors of the path as a staged-phenomenon where an individual is called upon to pass one stage so as to proceed to the next stage.

Nonetheless, he proceeded to suppose that the Path consists of eight principle dimensions that guide human’s behavior and mental processes that are dependent on one another and should be taken together to define a complete way of life.In contrast to other religions, Buddhism is a communal Religion that shapes the way people live and interact with one another and the general surrounding. It considers the community as one of its three jewels; Buddha’s teachings and Buddha. Initially, Buddhism was a destroyer of community structures but it has evolved to be a builder of communities.

Buddhist monasteries are responsible for providing Buddhist communities with rituals, spiritual teachings, among other activities.In conclusion, Buddhism is a Religion that spreads across the globe with its origin stretching from India. It is basically a practicing religion as opposed to faith religions that takes the needs of the community at heart. Buddhists’ lives are dictated by the norms and beliefs of Buddhism.Works CitedCohen, Richard S. Beyond Enlightenment: Buddhism, Religion, Modernity.

London: Routledge, 2006. Print.McDaniel, Justin. The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk: Practicing Buddhism in Modern Thailand. New York: Columbia UP, 2011. Print.Schlessinger, Andrew, Ashleigh V. Denneth, John-Michael Zuerlein, and Steward C. Needles. What Is Religion?Wynnewood, PA: Schlessinger Media, 2006. N.p., n.d. Print.