Introduction
1People usually debate on whether Buddhism is a religion or a philosophy. Although it is considered as one of the 5 major religions, some people believe it should be identified as a philosophy. Buddhism has many aspects of a religion and a philosophy and this is one of the reasons why people have trouble identifying it. I believe that Buddhism is a religion due to the fact that it fits a great number of definitions of a religion, however, I do believe that Buddhism has a number of aspects of a philosophy. 1
History of Buddhism
1The history of Buddhism spans from the 563 BCE to now. It started up in the eastern part of Ancient India, in and around the ancient kingdom of Magadha and it is primarily based on the teachings of the Buddha. This makes it one of the oldest religions practiced today.
2The Buddha was born in Nepal to a Hindu family, his dad was a king and his mother was a queen. His mother had a dream about the birth of the Buddha and she knows he will be either a great king or a great religious leader. However, his father wants him to become a great king. His father makes him stay home for as long as he can, fulfilling his every desire, this is so he does not want to see the outside world because everything he needs or wants is at home for him. But at the age of 29, he goes out a couple of times to see the real world. At his first time, he sees an old man, at the second time he sees a sick man, at the third time he sees a dead body and finally he sees a happy person begging for change. He is intrigued by this and wants to find out how people are happy even though there is so much misery in the world
Four Noble Truths
3Once the Buddha left his palace he wanted to figure out a lot of things. He tried many different methods of reaching enlightenment such as talking to gurus, fasting, wandering the hills but he eventually found it in meditation under a fig tree. He meditated there for 49 days and he had reached enlightenment. The first noble truth is Dukkha, this means that everything in life is craving and suffering. The second noble truth is Samudaya, this that suffering originates from you wanting things and that it is all in your mind. The third noble truth is Nirodha, this means stopping the first noble truth, if you can stop the Dukkha you can reach Nirvana which means you will stop being born after your life is over. The fourth noble truth is Magga, this means that there is a pathway to doing this, this pathway is called the eightfold path.
The Eightfold Path
4The Eightfold Path is basically finding the way to reach Nirvana. The first path is Right Understanding, this means understanding the Four Noble Truths. The second path is Right Thought, this means you need to be able to control your thoughts. The third path is Right Speech, this means you have to use language properly and not in a bad way otherwise it causes bad karma. The fourth noble truth is Right Action, this means you have to be non-violent and a good person. The fifth noble truth is Right Livelihood, this means that you should have a good way of making a living. The sixth noble truth is Right Effort, this means you need to control your mind by eliminating negative thoughts. The seventh noble truth is Right Mindfulness, this means that you need to be aware about the state you are in. The eighth path is Right Concentration, this means that you should be able to concentrate and control your mind.
Nirvana
5Nirvana is the term used to describe the goal of the Buddhist path. Nirvana is a part of Nirodha which is the third noble truth. Nirvana is a place of perfect peace and happiness, similar to heaven. It is the highest state that someone can attain, a state of enlightenment, meaning a person’s individual desires and suffering go away. You can attain enlightenment by following the eightfold path and stopping your wants this will in turn stop your suffering.
Present Day Buddhism
6Many people are starting to get interested in Buddhism in a philosophical way because it helps with the fast pace and high stress of a modern life. People are particularly interested in meditation, as it helps to overcome stress and anxiety. It also does this by providing a code of practice or a way of life. One of the reasons of why Buddhism is becoming popular is that has a lot of answers to many of the world’s problems. It also includes a deep understanding of the mind, this helps people to find themselves.
Meditation
7In Buddhism the person meditating is not trying to get into a hypnotic state or to contact a supernatural being.
Meditation involves the body and the mind. Buddhist’s way of meditation involves the body and mind as a single entity and they try to avoid what they call ‘duality’, which means that their bodies are not a single entity and there is a difference between the mind and the body.
The aim of meditation in Buddhism is to make the mind more focused peaceful and clear of bad thoughts. People often say that the aim of meditation is to still the mind.
The ultimate goal for a Buddhist is to reach a state of enlightenment or Nirvana. Meditation is a key technique to reaching it, but meditation isn’t just a question of philosophy or faith or belief system, now scientists are charting its quantifiable positive wider impact on both body and mind. Meditation also helps you to follow the eightfold path better as it makes you have all of the points of the eightfold path, this means you are on the way to reach Nirvana.
What is a Philosophy?
8Dictionary.com defines a philosophy as “the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct.”
However, a philosophy is understood to be a way of thinking about questions rather than searching for answers. There are three main branches for philosophy, metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the nature of reality, epistemology is the branch of philosophy that studies the nature and scope of knowledge and then there is value theory and the two parts to that is ethics which is the branch of philosophy that studies and evaluates human conduct and aesthetics which is the branch of philosophy that studies the nature of beauty.
What is a Religion?
9There are no clear requirements for a belief to become a religion. However, you can compare that belief with other religions and justify whether it is one.
Each of the 5 major religions has a ‘moral code’ which is a set of beliefs about how humans should act. For example, the Five Pillars of Islam, this includes five basic rules that all Muslims should follow. This gives the follower a goal to reach and a reason to follow the religion. Religions usually have a supernatural being, this is one of their major characteristic. They do not just have supernatural beings, but they have sacred objects which rituals acts are focused on. The religion’s ritual acts are also focused on special places and special times. Praying is one of the main religious rituals as it is used to communicate with the religion’s supernatural being. These characteristics are only taken from the 5 major religions and it is difficult to truly define religion.
10Aspects of a Religion
Beliefs
Beliefs are developed ideas that people believe to be true. If a religion did not have beliefs it would have no identity and you would have nothing to base your religion on.
Myths/Stories
Myths and stories are believed as somewhat true and is referred to regularly. They pass on knowledge and laws to all followers.
Sacred Texts
Sacred texts and other stories are a collection literature, where the main parts of the religion are recorded. Sacred texts can be in many forms. A large amount of respect is shown towards these texts.
Rituals
Rituals are a set of actions, that hold symbolic meaning, and are thought to be sacred. People would perform these rituals to express their beliefs.
Symbols
Symbols are used as a representation of a religious belief. Signs, objects, people, actions or places that hold a special meaning or power are used and are often held as sacred.
Social Structure
Social structures are established by religious traditions to which a society shaped on.
Ethical Principles and or written codes of behaviour
Ethical principles aid in decision making, to ensure they are religiously correct. They are common goals or ideals to which a follower wants to achieve.
Religious Experience and Spirituality
Religious experiences are those that can be had in a religious or non-religious context, it holds a religious or spiritual meaning.
Arguments for Buddhism being a Philosophy
11When people look at Buddhism it is not a god centred faith and since it was founded before Judaism, Christianity and Islam it was not created with those religions in mind. The Buddha is not worshipped as a god, but Buddhists show great reverence for him. Anyone can also become a Buddha as long as you attain enlightenment, this shows that Buddhism is very accessible and that anybody is capable of attaining enlightenment and can become a buddha by definition. The Buddha did not teach Buddhism, but he taught Dharma, which means his teachings were about the ultimate truth or the truth about reality. This suggests that the main aims of Buddhism are more about getting its followers to investigate their thoughts for themselves and to get them to question rather than making them believe something without them questioning anything. Buddhism’s system allows its followers to boil down their thoughts to its most fundamental truths, they then reason up from there and apply it to their everyday life. This suggests that its teachings and practices are more about the follower than itself, and it makes it seem more like a way of life or philosophy rather than a religion.
Arguments for Buddhism being a Religion
12Buddhism is thought to be a religion by many people, it is also considered as one of the main five religions in the world. One may believe that Buddhism is a religion as it encompasses most of the main 8 aspects of a religion. The Buddha also spoke of the afterlife, supernatural beings, and the 31 realms of existence this shows that Buddhism has the recurring features of a religion. In some Buddhist sects Buddhists do believe in gods, however, they do not represent the whole of Buddhism, but it shows that Buddhism is seen in a different way in some sects. The concept of reincarnation, without proof, means that it is a religious belief. The eightfold path is also a religious belief as it is about finding the way to Nirvana, which is a form of heaven. Although it has some aspects of a philosophy it cannot be classified as a philosophy as it has some of the features of a religion and some religious beliefs.
Conclusion
Buddhism undeniably has some aspects of a philosophy. Although it may seem like Buddhism is a philosophy, I believe that Buddhism is a religion, this is because it has the features and characteristics of a religion and some religious beliefs. If it has the features of a religion and religious beliefs like reincarnation it does not fit into the definition of a philosophy.