Is there such a thing as "Buddhism"?

Well in truth in many ways there is not.

In the same way as there is not a single religion called "Christianity" there is not a single entity that could be called Buddhism that every Buddhist could agree on. There are several different forms of Buddhism that have certain basic concepts in common. Some also have significant differences in beliefs and practices.

Secondly - Buddhism is a means to an end. All forms are a vehicle to take the practitioner to a better place - whether that be the ultimate goal of enlightenment or just a better way of life. In a parable the Buddha described the teaching/practice as a raft - saying that a person wishing to cross a river should build raft to be able to get to the other side, but that it would be foolish to then pick up the raft and carry it on our back in case we find another river! So in Buddhist terms like all conditioned/constructed things Buddhism has not permanent, unchanging reality.

But there are clearly people who claim to be Buddhists, and I am one of them. One amongst millions. We follow the teachings that have been passed down to us through many generations, and each individual pathway has developed differently through time. If a Teacher finds something that works she/he will pass it on to her/his followers. So that our present generation in the west has a wide variety of different sorts of Buddhism to choose from and can find something to suit our needs and personality. Some forms are simple others complicated. Some emphasise meditation, some devotion, and some encourage intellectual reasoning. Some rely on solo effort others provide a guru to guide us step by step. None of the different forms is intrinsically better than another, they all lead to the same ultimate goal.

Is Buddhism a Religion?

It is included in "Theology" - which is the "-ology" (study) of God. But strictly speaking Buddhism is atheistic - does not believe in the existence of an overall controlling God or Gods. Yes there are gods in the Buddhist Cosmology, but they are just as impermanent as any other being and subject to the same universal laws.

If "religions" require the belief in "God" - then Buddhism is not a religion. Others have called it a philosophy or "way of life". But it's probably more than that, because it does require the belief that there is something bigger and better than our regular selfish existence and placing our trust in the teaching of the Buddha and His followers. And what does "religion" mean anyway? It comes from the Latin word "religare" - "re" meaning again, and "ligare" meaning tie or bind - as in ligature. This implies the re-uniting of things that have been separated. (Though I may be mistaken, here! - a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing!) . If that is so - then perhaps Buddhism is a religion because it could be viewed as leading to the reunification of the individual with something bigger (something that Buddhism prefers not to name)!

This question has been asked and debated many times. I don't know the answer. But for the Buddhist does it matter?

Page written and maintained by Mike Horne, Hull, UK.