QUESTION: You certainly think highly of Buddhism. I suppose you believe it is the only true religion and that all the others are false.

ANSWER: No Buddhist who understands the Buddha’s teaching thinks that other religions are wrong. No one who has made a genuine effort to examine other religions with an open mind could think like that either. The first thing you notice when you study the different religions is just how much they have in common. All religions acknowledge that humankind’s present state is unsatisfactory. All believe that a change of attitude and behavior is needed if the human situation is to improve. All teach an ethics that includes love, kindness, patience, generosity and social responsibility and all accept the existence of some form of Absolute. They use different languages, different names and different symbols to describe and explain these things. It is only when people cling narrow-mindedly to their particular way of seeing things that intolerance, pride and self-righteousness arise.

Imagine an Englishman, a Frenchman, a Chinese and an Indonesian all looking at a cup. The Englishman says, ‘That is a cup.’ The Frenchman answers, ‘No it’s not. It’s a tasse.’ Then the Chinese comments, ‘You are both wrong. It’s a pei.’ Finally the Indonesian man laughs at the others and says ‘What fools you are. It’s a cawan.’ Then the Englishman get a dictionary and shows it to the others saying, ‘I can prove that it is a cup. My dictionary says so.’ ‘Then your dictionary is wrong,’ says the Frenchman, ‘because my dictionary clearly says it is a tasse.’ The Chinese scoffs; ‘My dictionary says it’s a pei and my dictionary is thousands of years older than yours so it must be right. And besides, more people speak Chinese than any other language, so it must be a pei.’ While they are squabbling and arguing with each other, another man comes up, drinks from the cup and then says to the others, ‘Whether you call it a cup, a tasse, a pei or a cawan, the purpose of the cup is to hold water so that it can be drunk. Stop arguing and drink, stop squabbling and refresh your thirst.’ This is the Buddhist attitude to other religions.

• This is based on A Good Question Good Answer, by the Ven. S. Dhammika

I think we must have heard that people say that Buddhists worship idols. such statements only reflect the misunderstanding of the persons who make them. The dictionary defines an idea as an image or statue worshiped as a god. As we all know that Buddhists do that believe that the Buddha was a god, so how we possibly believe that a piece of wood or metal is a god?

All religions use symbols to represent their various beliefs. In Taoism, the ying-yang diagram is used to symbolize the harmony between opposites. In Sikhism, the sword is used to symbolize spiritual struggle. In Christianity, the fish is used to symbolize Christ’s presence and a cross to represent his sacrifice. In Buddhism, the statue of the Buddha reminds us of the human dimension in his teachings, the fact that Buddhism is human-centered rather than god-centered, and that we must look within, not without to find perfection and understanding.

Therefore, to say that Buddhists worship idols is as silly as saying that Christians worship fish or geometrical shapes.

• This is based on A Good Question Good Answer, by the Ven. S. Dhammika

If everyone had to pay a large amount of money to learn Lord Buddha’s Pathway to happiness, t is very likely that very many persons would pay ever so gladly, in order to learn how to overcome ignorance and sorrow, and find the right road to Wisdom, Peace and Happiness. But there is no charge at all for teaching this plan for thoughtful living and as a result, many foolish individuals think it of little value just because it is free. Thus, it is that the Lord Buddha’s Dharma remains a “secret” insofar as most people are concerned. Such individuals are their own enemies, because they are “trusting to luck” for happiness and peace of mind and heart.

Quite often, we see booklets on Buddhism printed for free distribution. Very many of these booklets are never read, just because they are free. Yet these little pamphlets and booklets contain the Master Plan of Life and if the teachings outlined in them were carefully studied and followed, the readers would reap enormous benefits. In this age in which we live, we so often hear people say, “What am I going to get out of this?” Usually they refer to material benefits, such as money, position, health and so on. The answer to give to a person who wants to know what he can get from following Lord Buddha’s teachings is, “You will have better health in both your mind and body, as a result of sensible living. You will even be more successful in business because of better thinking. You will gain peace of mind and calmness of heart, what more could any sane person wish?”

Remember that this “greatest secret in the world” remains a “secret” only because so many people are too thoughtless to gain for themselves “the treasure that is greater than all other treasures.” They rob themselves. Those that read are making the greatest of all studies: How to live well and happily.

• This is based on Buddhist Sunday School Lessons, by the Venerable Sumangalo

The name Buddhism comes from the word budhi which means to wake up and thus Buddhism can be said to be the philosophy of awakening. This philosophy has its origins in the experience of the man Siddhattha Gotama, known as the Buddha who was himself awakened at the age of 35.

Buddhism is now 2,500 years old and has about 380 million followers worldwide. Until a hundred years ago Buddhism was mainly an Asian philosophy but increasingly it is gaining adherents in Europe, Australia and America.

The aim of Buddhism is to guide everyone to lead a noble life without harming anyone, to cultivate humane qualities in order to maintain human dignity, to radiate all-embracing kindness without any discrimination, and to train the mind to avoid evil and to purify the mind to gain peace and happiness.

Buddhism is a religion which teaches people to ‘live and let live.’  In the history of the world, there is no evidence to show that Buddhists have interfered or done any damage to any other religion in any part of the world for the purpose of introducing their religion.  Buddhists do not regard the existence of other religions as a hindrance to worldly progress and peace.  Instead of converting the followers of other religions into our religion, Buddhists can encourage others to practice their own religions, provided that they promote the well being of all living beings.

The Buddha’s message was an invitation to all to join the fold of universal brotherhood to work in strength and harmony for the welfare and happiness of mankind.  He had no chosen people, and did not regard himself as a chosen one either.

The way to find happiness is like a road or pathway. In fact, it is called “the Noble Eightfold Path.” Everyone knows a road or pathway is meant to be used for traveling on. A path that cannot be used is of no value to us. Lord Buddha’s Noble Path is for our use every day of our lives. It is called the “Eightfold Path” because we must always remember eight things as we walk on this road of life.

Everyone who is trying to follow Lord Buddha’s teaching ought to know these eight points by heart. They are not hard to memorize and if we begin young, we find that traveling on Lord Buddha’s Noble Path is ever so much easier than it will be if we wait until we are old. The Eight points are:

1. Right Understanding
2. Right Aims
3. Right Speech
4. Right Actions
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Meditation

Once a long time ago, there was a caravan route over a large desert. By day the sands were so hot that they were burning charcoal. There was no water to drink and there were sharp stones and thorns to hurt the feet of those who strayed off the right path. Wise travelers carried with them plenty of water and food and always employed a very experienced guide who knew the right path and could lead the caravans safely through all the many dangers of the desert.

But a certain foolish traveler decided to cross the dangerous desert without a guide. Soon he strayed off the right path. The sharp stones cut his feet, the thorns scratched his body and him and his camels soon drank up all their water. Just when they were almost dead from thirst, heat, and injury, they were rescued by wise travelers who had followed a good guide.

The desert is this world; the dangers are the troubles and sorrows that come to all of us. The good guide is the Lord Buddha, and the safe road across the desert is the Noble Eightfold Path.

• This is based on a book called Buddhist Sunday School Lessons by The Venerable Sumangalo.