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Buddhism is not a religion. Many do class it as one
but strictly it is not a religion.
For it knows NO "all mighty, all seeing, all knowing,
ever present
and forgiving or unforgiving GOD.”
It is but a way of life.
Religion:- (according to the dictionary): belief in, acceptance of, or non-rational sense of, a superhuman unseen controlling power or powers, Supreme Being, Creator with the emotion and morality connected therewith: rites or worship: any system of such belief or worship.
Also See two documents given to me by a French Canadian Biku. Rev. Anantha Bodhi of Centre De Meditation Satipatthana at 8244 Rue. Lajeunesse, Montreal, who had spent some time in Sri Lanka. Lord Buddha & His Teaching
Buddhism is the teaching of Siddhartha Gautama, known as The Buddha, who lived approximately 557 B.C. to 477 B.C. The word "Buddha" means an Enlightened One or Fully Awakened One (also a Tathagata) who has won the realization of the True Permanent Absolute Reality, THE ULTIMATE TRUTH.
Siddhartha Gautama was born a prince in the kingdom of Kapulawasstu, the border area between India and Nepal. At the age of 29, desiring to know the path that leads to the ending of all impermanence and anguish, to ensure his permanent well being, he renounced everything of the world, becoming a homeless ascetic, vowing to find the way to True Ultimate Reality.
At the age of 35, by way of total focus of his entire being on this single goal, he accomplished his purpose and attained the realization of Perfect Wisdom. He found the answers that lead to the complete cessation of all impermanence and anguish, i.e. Permanent True Reality – Nirvana.
He then began to teach, instruct and guide others who similarly were seeking Wisdom and Enlightenment. It is the teaching of The Buddha that is the foundation of Buddhism.
In fundamental Buddhism, the emphasis is on seeing the Truth, On knowing
it, and On understanding it. The emphasis is NOT on BLIND faith. The teachings
of Buddhism are on “come and see” but never on “come
and believe.” Buddhism is rational and requires personal
effort, stating that by only one’s own efforts can Perfect Wisdom
be realized. Each individual is responsible for his or her own emancipation
from anguish and suffering.
** Christmas Humphries wrote, “that hour by hour we create our
tomorrow, our Heaven or hell”.
Buddhism allows each individual to study and observe Truth internally and requires no blind faith before acceptance. Buddhism advocates no dogmas, no creeds, no rites, no ceremonies, no sacrifices, and no penances, all of which must usually be accepted on blind faith. Buddhism is not a system of faith and worship but rather it is merely a Path to Supreme Enlightenment.
Buddhism is not a religion. For it knows NO "Omni Portent,
Omni Present God all mighty, all seeing, all knowing, ever present and
forgiving GOD.” It is but a way of life.
Buddhism is the PATH for those seeking a permanent end here and now
of all anguish. What exactly is Anguish? Anguish is birth, suffering, pain,
sorrow, sickness, disease, old age, decay, death, grief, despair, poverty,
evil, lamentations, woe, tribulations, disfortune, war, insanity, hunger,
unfulfilled wants, unfulfilled basic needs, association with the unwanted,
disassociation from the wanted, and is what is unstable and uncontrollable.
Buddhism is for those who have come to see that what has been CREATED
is IMPERMANENT; and that whatever is impermanent is inherently ILL. No
permanent bliss or happiness is to be found in what is impermanent, only
pain and peril.
The non-existence of a permanent soul or spirit that reincarnates from one life to another is fundamental to the Buddha’s teachings. A permanent soul cannot exist in an ever-changing interdependent process of mind and matter, which constitutes a living being. However, the momentum of accumulated kamma results in a new existence. The individual so born is neither the same nor different. Buddhism, therefore, describes this process as ‘rebecoming’ or ‘rebirth’ in preference to reincarnation, which implies a resurrection of the same entity.
The aim of living the path of the doctrine of Buddhism is to plunge into Nirvana. It has Nirvana as its goal. Nirvana is its ending. True Reality realized, The Uncreated, the Unborn, is the permanent bliss of Nirvana. The Eightfold Noble Path of Buddhism is the means to this end.
Nirvana
A Buddhist Sanskrit word describing the stopping of the process
sustaining conditioned states and self-realization of Nirvana the unconditioned
state. Nirvana is the completion of the path of Buddhism, where the real
is won via self-enlightenment and the incomparable self-awakening and all
delusion and anguish are permanently ended even before death in this state.