01. The Buddha, being a perfected being of great Compassion and Wisdom, is not just a human being – He is a “Buddha”, a fully awakened and liberated being, who transcends all humans and gods. One of His titles is “Teacher of humans and gods.”
02. The Buddha is history’s longest serving religious founder, teaching compassionately and extensively for 45 years – to anyone whom He could benefit, from children to farmers, beggars to kings…
03. Buddhism is currently the West’s fastest growing religion, especially in materialism-saturated countries. This is due to the timeless relevance and universal appeal of its practical teachings on the power of our mind and how we can readily use it to lead more fulfilling lives, leading up to the attainment of True Happiness for one and all.
04. The Buddha’s teachings can be practised by anyone – even those of other faiths, as they are totally unbiased and truly universal.
05. The Buddha’s teachings emphasise on realising True Happiness through self-reliance here and now in this life; it does not postpone True Happiness to another life.
06. The Buddha is one of the few religious founders who taught that all could become perfect like Himself, by practising the teachings to liberation which He discovered.
07. The Buddha was the first in the world to systematically advocate the democratic process (in the Sangha community).
08. The Buddha strongly encouraged care and respect for the environment (plants and animals), seeing humans and nature as interdependent.
09. Buddhism emphasises on the importance of education. It founded the world’s first university. (Nalanda Buddhist University in ancient India)
10. The Buddha is the first religious founder who allowed freedom for women to participate fully in religious life (as nuns). He advocated sexual equality in all areas of life, worldly and spiritual.
11. The Buddha spoke actively against the caste system, advocating the importance of individual rights and human equality, despite differences in social standing, race and religion.
12. The Buddha spoke against all practices of animal sacrifices, advocating universal animal rights, emphasising on the importance of universal compassion for all creatures great and small.
13. Teaching that the true miracle is to transform a foolish person into a wise one, and despite being a master of supernormal abilities, the Buddha seldom used his miraculous powers to impress, as He did not wish others to follow Him out of blind awe. Instead, He chose to impart wisdom.
14. Buddhism is multi-faceted and all-encompassing in all areas of life. It can be seen as a supreme religion, philosophy, psychology, science…
15. The greatest scientist of the last century, Albert Einstein, commented that “If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs, it would be Buddhism.”
16. The greatest philosopher of the last century, Lord Bertrand Russell, said “Of the great religions of the world, I prefer Buddhism. Buddhism is a combination of both speculative and scientific philosophy.”
17. Dr. Carl Jung, one of the greatest psychologist ever and pioneer of modern psychology, said, “As a student of comparative religions, Buddhism is the most perfect one the world has seen.”
18. Despite having been a prince and having much friendship with kings, the Buddha never abused political power to spread His teachings.
19. The Buddha is the only religious founder who encouraged His followers to intelligently doubt His own teachings. This is the unequalled spirit of free enquiry – “Don’t just believe; come and see.”
20. Against blind faith without experience and reason, the Buddha emphasised on self-realised experience of the truth.
21. The Buddha never used fear to compel others to believe His teachings; using universal compassion and wisdom instead.
22. In a time with more than 60 thriving religions, the Buddha was open to countless religious debates, but stood unchallenged, often winning over the hearts and minds of challengers.
23. As a strong advocate of non-violence, no serious wars have been fought in the name of Buddhism. The Buddha is also the only religious founder who personally went to the battlefield to prevent war.
24. The Buddha strongly promoted inter-religious harmony and peaceful missionary work.
25. The Buddha’s detailed teachings on the nature of life and death form the largest scriptural collection in the world.
26. The Buddha is the only religious founder who taught how other religions evolved to be the way they are, giving us a complete overview of religion’s impact on humankind.
27. Due to the perfection and interconnection of the Buddha’s teachings, they will benefit yourself and the world tremendously even if you were to just learn and practise a small portion of it. Embark on the path to True Happiness today!
No comments:
Post a Comment