Supporting His Holiness, The 14th Dalai Lama, and The Government Of Tibet In Exile - This is A Portal To The Understanding Of Buddhism!
Buddhism In A Nutshell
Welcome to The Spirit Wind, one man's journey into understanding and studying Buddhism.
Interestingly, it led me to not only study Buddhism, but a myriad of other world religions and some religions that very few people are even aware of.
Each stone uncovered new knowledge and somehow as I proceeded from expanding my knowledge of Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Judism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Shintoism, and the indigenous religion of the America Indians, I noticed one thing immediately, most of them ended in "ism".
But more importantly, each of the religions expressed the importance of compassion and the belief and acceptance of the same God, perhaps not the one expressed in the lovely Michaelangelo paintings in the Cistine Chapel, but none the less, some superior being or force overseeing the Universe/s.
But I discovered that Buddha, and Buddhas before him, and the future Buddha, Maitreya, was entirely different from the "God" of the Christian-Judeo-Islamic Religions.The Buddha, whether a he or she, never made a declaration of being the creator of the universe. The Buddha was not omnipotent (all powerful), and the state of Buddhahood can be reached by every living being, perhaps over several lifetimes. Rather, The Buddha was Omniscient (knowledge of everything), which provided him the ability to be of benefit to all living things.
Buddhism has been described as a very pragmatic religion or philosophy. It does not indulge in the metaphysical speculation about first causes, and there is no theology, worship of a diety, or deification of the Buddha. Buddhism simply takes a very straight forward look at our human condition, totally unrelated to "wishful thinking". Everything that Buddha discovered and taught was based upon his own observations of the way things are in everyday life, and can be verified by simply making our own observation of the "reality" of the world we live in.
What the Buddha saw was pain and frustration, and what he learned was the solution to pain and frustration. Then he went out and taught his solutions to the problems of the world, to all who would listen to him.
In a world that is now experiencing Globalization, it becomes obvious that all parts are connected to the whole, and all the parts are interdependent on each of the others. With that in mind, all the peoples of the world should learn about others' cultures, religions, and ethical standards, without being judgmental. That study might result in the realization that we're all living in a very unique place called, Earth.
One of the things which has intrigued me about Buddhism is its ability to bring both science and religion together, and if practiced with even a small amount of understanding, it promulgates individual understanding and responsibility.
Is Buddhism a Religion or a Philosophy? It is Neither! It is Both.
Buddhism is a contiuing education into the wisdom and understanding of life and the universe, given freely by the Buddha to all living and feeling beings in the Universe. It is an ongoing study of mindfulness and compassion. The individual can make their own decision whether or not they want to study and practice Buddhism. It's not a requirement.
But if someone chooses to learn more about or study Buddhism, they can do so and continue to practice any Organized Religion they choose, without penalty, as least from the Buddhism side.
In fact, His Holiness, The 14th Dalai Lama encourages people to remain in their chosen and comfortable religions.
At no time, either in my early quest for understanding of Buddhism, and now, years later, has any Buddhist stepped up to me and said, "We would like you to join the Buddhist Religion and worship with us".
My study of Buddhism, began in 1967, in Vietnam, where life could end quickly, without even a blink of an eye, and it opened the doors for my personal quest for truth, and assisted me in understanding that it is possible to worship without the necessity of declaring affiliation with an organized religion, or attending a church, temple, or mosque.
Labeling seems to have become a necessary thing in our present world, which is unfortunate, because we are all a part of the same living entity. When I first found that Buddhism mirrored many of the beliefs that I had, I was actually afraid of pursuing a study of other world religions and philosophies outside of Christianity.I would describe myself as a Christian Buddhist. Then later, I was a Buddhist Christian.
Then later, after more study and understanding, I became simply, A Buddhist. Did that change my belief in God?Absolutely not.In fact, I found that it simply made me more aware of the history and foundations of the world’s religions, and how they actually blend, very logically, together.
Before I proceed I’ll answer the “Big” questions, “Do I believe in God?”The answer – “Absolutely”! With that said and out of the way, I'll proceed. One day I read the following quote from His Holiness, The 14th Dalai Lama, and I immediately knew that he had not only expressed his succinct thoughts on religion, but mine also, and very likely what I personally feel Jesus also believed and taught.
The quote comes fromHis Holiness, The 14th Dalai Lama's book, Ethics For The New Millenium.
"This, then, is my true religion, my simple faith. In this sense, there is no need for temple or church, for mosque or synagogue, no need for complicated philosophy, doctrine, or dogma. Our open heart, our own mind, is the temple. The doctrine is compassion. Love for others and respect for their rights and dignity, no matter who or what they are: ultimately these are all we need. So long as we practice these in our daily lives, then no matter if we are learned or unlearned, whether we believe in Buddha or God, or follow some other religion or none at all, as long as we have compassion for others and conduct ourselves with restraint out of a sense of responsibility, there is no doubt we will be happy."
- His Holiness, The 14th Dalai Lama
His Holiness, The 14th Dalai Lama
How succinct, simple, and understandable these few words are, and these words provide the individual thinker with an uncluttered and non-judgmental mind, an easily understandable alternative to dogmatic religion, where the familiar labels are removed, leaving individual spirituality, peace, compassion, understanding, for all God’s creations.
There is no need for anyone who reads the words to be forced to ask any officially designated religious leader for their interpretation of the words. Compassion! So simple. Anyone who can read or hear his words, can easily understand what the individual man’s and woman’s purpose is during their time in this world.
A Buddhist Monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, in his book Jesus And Buddha As Brothers, is compelling in his belief in the importance of all religions, especially Christianity and Buddhism, working together to bring peace to the world. His simple analogy espressed by the question, “Would Jesus and Buddha, if they met today, work together for their common goal of peace and compassion for all living creatures, or would they insist on working separately?”. The obvious answer is, They Would And Should, Work Together.
There is a Tibetan Buddhist and Native American Hopi Indian Prophecy which clarifies the importance of continued growth and understanding of individual spiritualism and the effects of the exile, torture, and deaths of over 1,250,000 Tibetan Buddhists, which has lead to their forced dispersion throughout the world, lead by His Holiness, The 14th Dalai Lama,
"When the people of the red robes in the mountains of the East are spread across the world, Then Peace Will Come!"
And now, thanks to the diligence of His Holiness, The 14th Dalai Lama, the Red Robes are indeed dispersed throughout the world. He has done his job well and continues to earnestly present his message of peace and compassion throughout the world.
While His Holiness is the recognized leader of all Buddhist practices throughout the world, his tireless effort to protect the heritage, culture, and traditions of the Tibetan People and Mahayana Buddhism, which he practices, by peacefully encouraging China to cease their political hostility toward Tibetan Buddhism, and ultimately to once again provide Freedom to Tibet and the people of Tibet.
I both admire His Holiness and support his quest, which is the reason I have created this simple website. To provide the visitor, whether Buddhist or Of Any Other Religion, which promotes compassion, Or None At All, the knowledge and understanding of Buddhism that they may have been curious about before.
To that goal, I have included many links which will take you on a wonderful educational, and perhaps personal, exploration, journey into Truth.
