What Makes a Buddhist a Buddhist? And what IS Buddhism, anyhow?!?!

I want to start by saying that this Page is providing some wonderful resources, and I would like to do all I can to support it. However when I posted the link, the description reads something like: ‘Buddhism is not a religion… it is a philosophy….’ I have to STOP right here and say that this is an age-old debate. However, I have spent years discussing it with people (Buddhist, Theologians, Philosophers and other lay-people, and I feel somewhat strongly about the matter, not that the semantics are so crucial, but certainly I am concerned with peoples’ personal conception of the Buddha-Dharma. It is NOT a “Philosophy” by common terms of philosophy. The definition I just pulled off the dictionary of philosophy is: “beliefs, credo, convictions, ideology, ideas, thinking, notions, theories, doctrine, tenets, principles, views, school of thought.”

Here in lies the rub. Buddhism, or more accurately; The Buddha-Dharma is a Way of Life. It is NOT a belief, NOT simply a way of thinking NOR a theory. It is an Instruction manual for Living, not something to think about. In fact, “Thinking”, in some vases is the Antithesis of the Dharma. “Thinking” certain ways, and “Believing” that these thoughts are Ultimate Truth is the root of delusion, greed & hatred, which are known as the 3 Kleshas; the underlying Cause of ALL the “Problems” in the Universe.

Personally, I do tend to call it a religion, but I understand that that the term Religion is associated by many people think as Organized Greed, or an attempt to instill a “Group Mentality,” that quashes Individuality, requiring the acceptance of DOGMAS, Commandments, a separation between the Individual, and a Direct Connection with the SOURCE, or even the Necessity of Blind Faith in a “personal, creator God.” In that sense, if that were the strict definition, than Buddhism is most definitely NOT a religion, either. SO I referenced the Dictionary’s definition. The first definition of religion is just that, “•worshiping some superhuman controlling creator.” By THAT definition, it is MOST certainly NOT a religion. However, the second two entrees: “•a particular system of faith and worship: the world’s great religions” and “•a pursuit or interest to which someone ascribes supreme importance” are far closer to what Buddhism, or the Buddha Dharma, as it is traditionally known (Buddhism is a phrase invented by westerners, around 100 years ago) actually means.

Ultimately this is aimply a matter of SEMATICS. My concern is NOT what term whomever chooses to use to describe their own Spiritual Evolution, but what DOES matter, in fact what really matters the most are one’s INTENTION, and HOW one goes about bringing that intention to Fruition. Thus, it ultimately doesn’t matter what LABEL one chooses, But what DOES MATTER; what is of Ultimate Significance are: INTENTIONS, and the ACTIONS one undergoes to Cultivate this Intention into Skillful Acts.

One CANNOT be a Buddhist in Theory, or Belief. What makes a Buddhist a Buddhist? One element is consistent amongst all the various schools and sects of Buddhism is the ACT of Going for Refuge to the Three Jewels: The Buddha, this the ideal to which we all aspire. The Dharma: is the Teachings, The Truth, The Path that we follow that leads us to become Buddhas. The Sangha is the Community. The Sangha is divided into 2 basic parts, the Maha-Sangha, or Greater Community, which is comprised of ALL PRACTITIONERS of the Dharma. The Community of Spiritual Friendships that are our cohorts, or equals, as well as our Mentors and our Students. The other part of the Sangha is the Ariya-Sangha; which is comprised of ALL those Past and Present (and future) Dharma Practitioners that have obtained a specific degree of Insight into the Nature of Reality, have “Entered the Stream“, and have thus passed the critical mass, the threshold from which the momentum forward is greater than that opposing, thus they are Sure to win full Enlightenment. This is the Community of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. (Although this “guarantee of Nirvana/Enlightenment may take as long as 7 more lifetimes.)

It is also VERY worth noting that it is NOT necessary for one to believe in Multiple Lives in order to be or Practice Buddhism. The fact of the matter is that we are ALL “reborn” with each new Breath…with every new day, with every cycle of our spinning minds. Furthermore, the concept of “re-becoming, which is what the Buddha actually taught, is actually quite different from Reincarnation…but that whole story is a discussion for another day. Suffice to simply state for now that “reincarnation” is more a concept of a “permanent soul” that just sheds it’s body and moves from life to life.  Whereas “Re-becoming” means that certain aspects, certain Karmic momentums and Habit Energies (Samskaras, in Sanskrit) do get passed from one lifer to the next.  But it is NOT like the Hindu concept where a permanent soul just changes body, like a person changes clothes, but is Changeless at it’s essence. This concept is in direct opposition to the Fundamental Discovery of the Buddha, who found that EVERYTHING is subject to the Law of Conditionality, that EVERYTHING CHANGES, including our spirit/soul there is No Fixed, Static Entity that is Permanent and Unchanging,)

We all “Go For Refuge,” by that I mean, we all turn to, look to, seek out, rely upon SOMETHING(s), or Someone, etc. What makes a Buddhist different from another is that a Buddhist’s IDEAL is that No matter WHAT one is faced with, POSITIVE, or NEGATIVE, or INDIFFERENT, a Buddhist’s IDEAL is to Go For Refuge, to turn to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha as THE SOLUTION for ALL, and Everything that one faces. THUS, one’s WHOLE LIFE, one’s whole paradigm is based upon this very ACT; this is the ANSWER to all one’s questions. This is how one arranges one’s LIFE.

So, to be a Buddhist, is not simply a matter of thinking: “Gee, I like those Dalai Lama quotes…I think I am a Buddhist.” No. One somehow hears or reads or sees the Dharma, the Truth. One has a flash of Clarity, of insight, while reading or engaged in something meaningful, and it triggers something inside, an INNER TRUTH METER, just suddenly spikes! a “moment of clarity”, and one sees the world a different way, and somehow, it triggers something that lies within us all, as something that is Essential, and Truthful, and it makes all the odd pieces fit together….This is the first limb of the Buddha’s Noble Eight-Fold Path; the Path which leads from Suffering (Dukkha) to the Ultimate Awakening, Liberation, Enlightenment (Nirvana) what we call Right, or Perfect Vision (samyag-dṛṣṭi in Sanskrit), and upon this seed being planted, one hears the Buddha Dharma, and knows on some DEEP, INTUITIVE level, that THIS IS IT!! This makes sense. THIS is what I have been Hungry for! The more you read (and hopefully you’re not just reading Facebook “quotes” (Many of which are known to be Not only altered or “Creatively Interpreted and Mistranslated” and MANY are simply FLAT OUT, MADE-UP, LIES) and Wikipedia articles, because that is NOT necessarily the Dharma! If one realizes, or obtains Right/Perfect Vision/View (samyag-dṛṣṭi) that the Buddha has it right…that this DOES really make intuitive sense, and thus one feels compelled, at least Tentatively, FOLLOW THIS VISION, pursue this path, and see if what the Buddha says will happen, does…and thus begins the journey of a Buddhist,  a journey that culminates in becoming a Buddha, Enlightened, “one whom is Akwake!

Yours in the Dharma,  with Metta & Mindfulness,

~Dharmamitra Jeff Stefani

**I wrote this for another Buddhist page on Facebook that I co-administrate: “Buddhism to the Modern World,” so the first sentence relates to that page,  but the rest is ALL relevant to All!:) The Buddhist Page I solely administrate is The Triratna Buddhist Community: Detroit-Royal Oak: http://www.facebook.com/TriratnaBuddhistCommunityMahaSangaDetroit?bookmark_t=page

as well my own webpage: http://dhamamitra.org