Buddhism a passive onlooker?

In the light of rising social ill, the authority of religion as a binding force behind the establishment of a better society for us to live in and to unite in perfect harmony.In regards to issues such as cloning , sex before marriage, homosexuality, vegetarianism, politics and other social-related conditions, Buddhism has always given people the impression that we have little say in the matters of others and religious leaders are not trying their best to provide any solutions or recommendations to the public about what the people should respond and react when uneasiness creeps upon them.

Is this true? That our faith and beliefs have binds us to the realm of listless attitude and indifference behaviors? Or does it shows that the core philosophies of Buddhism has yet to be fully understood by the people around us? Or could it be that Buddhism has been misunderstood by many and there are no efforts in defending it? Or perhaps, there are too branch of Buddhism and Buddhist beliefs that even religious leaders themselves cannot achieve a consensus in matter that dwells on sensitive domains?

Still, as the younger generation of today and tomorrow, we feel that there's a way for us to change it:
a) We must be more assertive and attentive towards the issues arising around us and to evaluate it objectively without any forms of discrimination and biasness.

b) We must understand more about the teachings of the Buddha and to understand that debate is not the best way to solve a problem.but instead, we should try to convince others through rationality and politeness.

c) We should be more inquisitive in respect towards the matter of religion and freedom of religion.

d) We should try to accept the differences in faith and beliefs of others while trying to understand them and strive to cement good relationships with people different from us.

e) We must not try to mix religion in politics and a clear distinction must be set to prevent the abuse of religion as tools of demagogues.

d) We should try and share our opinions and experiences on Buddhism freely to develop a better social network with people everywhere.

These are the ideals of new Buddhist in this modern age. We should never be bold in questioning about the teachings of Buddhism.Even the Buddha himself encourage his entourage to ask questions regardless of triviality and he strives to answer them with the wisdom that he attained through self-practice and careful observation of the truth in life.

This should be the way of life for Buddhists:

To see.

To hear.

To learn.

To question.

To share.

My first class of the day!

After a rather short but enjoyable CNY, students, employees, sons and daughters have finally returned back to their respective posts and started to embrace the coming of a new week and a challenging day.

Since the first is intended for readers to share and to ask questions about Buddhism and the teaching of the Buddha that can be traced ages ago, I feel that it is my duty as a contributor to get the ball rolling and encourage more people to share and discuss their problem in practising and understanding the philosophies of Buddhism.

So, sit down ladies and gentleman.Here it goes a rather brief piece on the different branch of Buddhism that I know of:

Basically, Buddhism has spread to different parts of the world, be it Asia,Africa, America, Australia and the list just go on and on.The philosophy itself is originated from India with several similarities with the concepts of Hinduism.To explain more about Buddhism in rather easily understood manner.I've decide to make it like and FAQ format.Hope that you would appreciate it.

1)Is there the existence of a creator in Buddhism and how about the presence of gods and deities as professed in most "Asiatic" beliefs?

Buddhists do believe in gods, but not a sublime, omnipotent God.

According to Buddhism, there was never a single creator of the universe and mankind as pointed out in other religions such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism and etc. No doubt that you might question, since there's no creator in this world, how does human beings and other beings residing in this realm came into existence eons ago?

Well, there's the concept of karma and something that I always refer to as Fate(or in chinese yuan). From what I understand, there are 4 major elements that characterizes the universe from the largest of the planets to the smallest of the viruses studied in clean sterilized laboratories.These elements are: Fire, Earth, Wind and Water.The creation of the universe is a result of the interaction of the elements(that are refer to as shi da in Chinese) and fate guilds it towards the building of a realm that evolve from that point onwards.

According to the Six Realms of Samsaric Existence in Buddhism cosmological view,there are 6 different realms that are prevalent through time and space that are Devas(gods), Asuras(demi-gods that are influenced by wrath and lust), Human, Creatures(or as we normally call it as animals), Pretas(hungry ghosts), and Hell-beings.Different from these realms, those who have attained Enlightenments such as the Buddhas and Bodhisattva have transcended these six realms and are not subjected to any form of rebirths any more.Unlike beings that are Enlightened, the inhabitants of the six realms mentioned earlier are victims of an endless cycle of rebirths and reincarnation according to the law of Karma.Everyone's fate is sealed with the deeds resulted from the actions we took in the past lives that we had and the present that we are now enjoying.

Residents of the realms of gods (heavens) enjoy great powers and pleasures as a result of the good karmas. However, all things in this world are impermanent and would ceased to exist.The same rule applies to the pleasures are considered ephemeral and gods are not liberated from the wheel of samsara(of karma). There is no doubt of this statement when sutras mentioned the appearances of these gods or preferably called as deities attended the talks given by the Budhha and some even vowed to assist those who are willing to follow and learn the teachings of the Enlightened One.

As for whether to worship gods or not, it's your own freedom. Afterall, the main emphasis of Buddhism is on the dharma, the truth of the universe, and the path to liberation and enlightenment. As for the idolizing of the Buddha and worshiping rituals are a product of culture according to regions.

For me, the act of worshiping as we normally see on televisions or from our own encounter with offerings placed abundantly on the alter with people muttering incantations that are imbued with our desire for personal benefits is not a healthy of showing your respect and admiration for the Buddha. The Buddha never request its(I'm using it because there is no more distinction between male or female for an enlightened being)disciples to present offerings and tribute to him.Learn from his humility, engage in intellectual discussions with him, show the equal compassion towards all beings in the world, abstain from wrongful deeds that harm not only yourself but other and the list goes on.That's what the Buddha teaches us and not fussing over whether you should be presenting roasted pigs or imported fruits! It's how you really understand about Buddhism that matters.

However, do bear in mind that years of propagation and assimilation of the teaching has led to the emergence of different schools of thought with different emphasis on the ways to attained the same blissful state as the Budhha.Buddha taught us that craving is the origin of suffering and cessation of such craving opens up an avenue to inner peace and harmony. Like other religions, buddhists do pray for inner peace.All of the different streams of Buddhism differs not only in their concept and interpretation of the Buddha's words but also their methods of developing spiritual calmness.

The responsibility that we have as a Buddhist is to pick and select the methods of training that is suitable for you and develop your appreciation for the Dharma from that point onwards.

That's all for today.Please feel free to leave your comment regarding the question.
Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu (to be continued)