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Background: Based
on the teachings of one
man, Siddhartha Gautama.
Siddhartha was a Hindu,
as Hinduism was practiced
in India at that time, and
he built his teachings upon
the framework of Hinduism.
To under-stand Buddhism
it is helpful to understand
the basic thoughts of Hinduism.
Sacred Book: Literature
includes the "Three
Baskets" or three collections
of the Buddha's teaching
and the commentaries on
it. It also includes many
sutras and tantras that
have been recognized by
the followers of the Mahayana
and Tantric Buddhist traditions
as "the word of the
Buddha," along with
commentaries on these texts.
 The
Nature of God: There
is no absolute God in Buddhism,
although many have interpreted
Buddhism as a search for
God. The Buddha did not
deny the existence of God
outright, but said that
the question of His existence
"tends not to edification."
That is, those seeking enlightenment
need to concentrate on their
own spiritual paths themselves
rather than relying on an
outside support. Today there
are some who refer to Buddhism
as atheistic, and Buddhists
teach that all that exists
in the physical universe
has always existed, without
beginning and without end.
 Human
Condition: The Buddha
based his entire teaching
on the fact of human suffering.
Existence is painful. Limitation
gives rise to desire, and,
inevitably, desire causes
suffering, since what is
desired is transitory, changing,
and perishing. It is the
impermanence of the object
of craving that causes disappointment
and sorrow. Central to Buddhism
is the belief in "no
self." There is no
soul or human spirit. The
concept of the individual
ego is a popular delusion.
Eternity: The belief
in rebirth, or reincarnation,
as a potentially endless
series of worldly existences
in which every being is
caught up was already associated
with the doctrine of karma
in pre-Buddhist Hindu India.
 What
is Salvation? Nirvana
is the aim of religious
practice, to be rid of the
delusion of ego, thus freeing
oneself from the fetters
of this mundane world. One
who is successful in doing
so is said to have overcome
the round of rebirths and
to have achieved enlightenment.
This is the final goal -
not a paradise or a heavenly
world.
How is a person saved?
A liberating purification
is effected by following
the Noble Eightfold Path
constituted by right views,
right aspirations, right
speech, right conduct, right
livelihood, right effort,
right mindfulness, and right
meditational attainment.
Notes: Buddhism,
as practiced in China, is
not really Buddhism but
simply borrows the name.
What Chinese call Buddhism
is a blending of ancestor
worship and traditional
Chinese folk religion, with
a smattering of Buddhism.
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