Buddhism is a religion with rather surprisingly few demands on behavior. This philosophy is guided by what is often referred to as Noble Truths, which actually can be distilled into two tenets.
The first tenet is that to suffer is a natural part of life and that it serves to teach us, and the second tenet is that through righteous choices and living, suffering can be alleviated.
This sounds somewhat familiar to many who have studied religions the world over. These two tenets are actually able to found in most religions around the world, but there are two relatively unique things about Buddhism that are interesting to note. First, Buddha is not a god, but rather an exemplar.
The Concept of Absolute Truth
We don’t need to capitalize on the personal pronouns when we refer to him. He is looked on as a teacher and an illuminator of the path. So the concept of absolute truth coming from a deity is not a part of Buddhism. A second unique thing about Buddhism is that it actually advises a ‘middle of the road’ approach to living. It warns of all kinds of extreme behavior. So the idea of great self-sacrifice is actually not included in the basic principles of Buddha. Self-discipline, however, is.
All in all, Buddhism is a laid back religion that only barely qualifies as a religion, if at all.
It requires no faith, no humbling of oneself before a mighty power, no belief in absolute truth, and very little actual sacrifice on a follower’s part. So, what is interesting to this writer is that Buddhism hasn’t taken the world by storm. Consider, this world has grown increasingly hostile, in general, to the idea of absolute morals and codes. Yet attendance at church is on the rise. What an odd juxtaposition. Buddhism would seem to be the philosophy of choice for the millions of relativists and perspectivists that populate the Earth.
