What is Buddhism?

Buddhism is more than just a religion. It is a science to complete happiness through personal development. Most Buddhists seek to attain a state of enlightenment by following the path of the Buddha who completed the quest 2,500 years ago.

Buddhists do not see Buddha as a God or a Creator, but as a Teacher, whose Teachings are deemed as a guide to completely eradicate all sufferings, impermanence and death.

Who do Buddhists pray to?

Buddhists do not worship in the traditional sense, but they show respect to the Triple Gem by learning and practising the Dharma. The Triple Gem refers to the Buddha (our Teacher), the Dharma (the Teachings) and the Sangha (a community of practitioners).

Devotion can also be shown through prostrations to the Triple Gem, signifying utmost respect. As we continue learning the Dharma, prostrations hold a deeper meaning to practitioners.

Do Buddhists believe in rebirth?

There is one fundamental belief as a Buddhist — we don’t YOLO but YOLO∞. Yes, infinitely — rebirth. Just like before the microscope was invented, humans did not know about the existence of bacteria and viruses. But we cannot deny its existence.

Who is the Buddha?

“Buddha” is a title given to one who is fully awakened to reality (sounds just like the Matrix) and possesses perfect wisdom and compassion. So yes, it also means that anyone who goes through proper training will eventually attain Buddhahood - they are known as Bodhisattvas.

Therefore, there are many Buddhas of the past, present and future and in many different worlds (yes, you may entertain the idea of aliens). The Buddha that came to our world 2,500 years ago is known as Sakyamuni Buddha.

Is Buddhism still relevant to me?

Just as a lifetime is finite, worldly happiness is impermanent because it is dependent on external factors which could vanish at any time. As long as we continue to pursue this temporary form of happiness and forget the importance of eradicating the true cause of suffering, then yes, Buddhism will remain relevant in our lives.

This holds true even more so today as we grapple with challenges posed by globalisation and other modern trends, including our never-ending pursuit of materialism. Compassion, logic & reasoning and self-love have become even more important now — and these are some of the core practices in Buddhism.

Explore Buddhism 101 with Ven Jon here!