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Buddhists/I am doing a paper on Buddhism for school

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Expert: - 11/8/2007


Question
I was wondering if you could answer some questions for me?
1.   What are the important holidays and traditions of this religion?
2.   How has religion shaped your life?  
3.   What are the challenges, if any, to practicing this particular religion?
4. Do enjoy this religion and why?
5. What was the most difficult thing you went through with your religion of Buddhism?  

Answer
Hi Daniela,

Your questions had been asked by others, quite a number of times already.

1. The most important holiday is Wesak Day which falls on the full moon day of May.  It marks the day which the Buddha was born, attained enlightenment, and passing away.  There are however some other important days depending on which Buddhist tradition.  Buddhism is about truth and inner peace. Traditional practices in the name of Buddhism are more related to the different cultural practices of the different nationalities which are incorporated into the practice of Buddhism.  For more info please refer to www.buddhanet.net.

"Traditions" are cultural practices perculiar to a certain society.  They are not Buddhism.  That's why we have Tibetan, Japanese, Korean, Chinese and other types of Buddhism.  However there are two main "traditional sects", namely Theravada and Mahayana.  

2. It helps me to understand the true nature of life and the universe.  It helps me to respect others' beliefs and to be more tolerant with those who do not agree with me.  It helps me to want to reduce negative traits such as greed and hatred.

3. The challenge is to change oneself to be less greedy, less hateful, and to be mindful to improve one's spiritual life towards living in peace with oneself and with others.

4. Buddhism is not about "enjoying".  However, the benefits are plenty...inner peace, contentment, patience, compassion, non-violence, tolerance and understanding the real nature of this existence and the universe.

5. Nothing difficult.  Buddhism is about becoming a more noble person, meaning to be more considerate, more patient, more peaceful.

Smile from justinchoo :-)

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Justin Choo

Expertise

When in doubt seek it out. All your questions will be answered, and you may not have to agree with the answers. Such is the beauty of Buddhism. You are free to decide. I follow the Theravada tradition, and have been studying Buddhism for more than 40 years. Please view my profile for more details. I have answered more than 1500 questions since joining this category. You may like to give me the honor to answer your question.

Experience

I was brought up in the 50's as a Buddhist. For the past 40 years I have read numerous books on Buddhism and listened to numerous talks on Buddhism by well-respected and learned monks and lay teachers. I conduct Buddhist classes for parents of Sunday School children in a Theravada Buddhist Temple. My teacher was the late Chief Reverend, The Ven. K Sri Dhammananda of The Brickfields Buddhist Mahavihara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. You can view the relevent website in memory of my revered late teacher @ http://www.ksridhammananda.com

Organizations
I am a life member of the Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia.

Publications
YOU ARE INVITED TO VISIT MY BLOG @ http://lifeislikethat999.blogspot.com/ Published a book called "The Rainbow And The Treasure". It is a compilation of extracts from various sources to introduce Buddhism to beginners. (Currently out of print)

Education/Credentials
Bachelor of Commerce And Administration, Victoria University Of Wellington, NZ.(1974)

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