Expert: Laurie McLauglin - 12/12/2009

Question
Is there Salvation in Buddhism?  This is for a discussion group.mglhw

Answer
Hello Muriel,

Thank you for letting me answer your question.

The answer is yes - though perhaps not the way Christians would call "Salvation". We do not believe that people go to Heaven to be the Their Maker. We believe people get Enlightened and our salvation is getting out of "samsara" which is he cycle of taking rebirth after rebirth in where we are born, suffer, die and are reborn again. Most Buddhists believe that all sentiant beings have Buddha Nature, which means we all have the potential to become Buddhas, which mean becoming Enlightened. We do not believe that only certain people can reach Salvation, but it is for every sentient being. We believe that God does not grant us Salvation but that it comes from within as we learn to perfect our actions to create undying compassion for all sentient beings and the wisdom to understand the true nature of the world.

Hope that answers your question at least a little bit. Don't hesitate to ask any further questions based on this answer or any other questions you might have.

Namaste - Laurie