While many people believe Buddhism is just another religion, there are some who swear by it to be a lot more than a simple set of beliefs and rituals meant to worship a god. Nobody can actually know why Buddhism seems to be more a life purpose rather than a religion, but those who are interested to discover it should consider taking some in-depth studies.
Over the past decade, Buddhism has gained quite a big number of adepts in western countries. This may seem unusual, but in fact, it is nothing else but the consequence of a hectic lifestyle that leaves very little room for personal reflections and meditation. People feel the need to know their inner self better, but most of the fail to find the time to sit, relax and meditate to all things that really matter. They don’t know what matters anymore. They are confused and puzzled by the difficulties of life, by all financial problems they have to overcome each and very month and by the lack of compassion people around them display.
All these people hope to find answers to their most difficult life questions. As these answers are very hard to find, they try to make use of whatever seems to be working well for others. Buddhism appears to be working just fine for its adepts in the oriental world, so there’s no wonder all the rest of us want to feel enlightened just like our Easters friends.
Unfortunately, modern materialistic societies and the doctrine of Buddhism don’t have too much in common. Very few of us are ready to give up their material possessions and try to gain a deeper understanding of the human mind. Since we need money to maintain our current lifestyle, we can’t afford to meditate and to enjoy life to the full. We are too busy to earn more, to climb the social ladder and to strengthen our position in our communities. We need this money because we want our children to have the highest quality education possible, and that’s not free. We need money to buy the comfort that enables us to be creative and to do more of the things we like. Unfortunately, this money madness takes over our life, preventing us from doing what we really love.
As a matter of fact, Buddhism has started after Buddha spent the first part of his life in wealth and luxury. Born into a royal family, he had to reach the age of 29 to realize that luxury and comfort don’t guarantee happiness. During six years, he studies various teachings and philosophies of different religions, and he came to the conclusion that there was a path to the enlightenment, but that didn’t consist of accumulating wealth. Since then, he spent the rest of his life trying to show others the way to happiness.
It appears Buddha was right. We are all able to reach a state of happiness by developing love and peace within ourselves. True Buddhism is tolerant of all other religions and beliefs. As a matter of fact, there are multiple branches of Buddhism, as it has been understood and implemented differently in various parts of the world. This makes this religion and this way of living unique and glorious. If you want to understand it better, you should try yo find yourself a Buddhist mentor and follow his teachings. Spending time in Buddhist communities can also help you find your personal path to enlightenment and happiness. If all people would do like you, this could be the end of all wars on our planet.
