Thu, 27 May 2010
Four Differences
Tibetan Buddhists celebrate the Buddha's enlightenment on the full moon day of the fourth month and that happens to be today. Though I am non-sectarian and glad to see people practice whichever religion appeals to them, I thought I would write tonight about what makes Buddhism distinctively different from other religions.
The first difference is universal love and compassion. Buddhism teaches that every being should and will be led to nirvana sooner or later. And in Mahayana Buddhism one pledges to work until this is accomplished.
The second difference is the idea of emptiness. Ultimate truth in Buddhism is a non-affirming negative. That means that Buddhism tells you what ultimate reality is not, but says that you cannot say what it is.
The third difference is insight meditation. Other religions also cultivate meditation, but these meditations are are forms of mental concentration (shamatha). Only Buddhism makes a distinction between concentration and insight meditation and teaches how to cultivate insight.
The fourth difference is the noble (arya) sangha. I believe that there have been enlightened teachers in all religions, but in Buddhism you have a continuous chain of enlightened teachers, going all the way back to the Buddha.
