As any other religion in the world, Buddhism has different sects with different beliefs and practices. We’ll start with the most popular branch of Buddhism known as Mahayana. “”Mahayana”” is the name given to a movement which in its various phases may be regarded as a philosophical school, a sect and a church, and though [...]
In 320 A.C., a native Indian dynasty, the Guptas, came to the throne and inaugurated a revival of Hinduism. To speak of the revival of Hinduism does not mean that in the previous period it had been dead or torpid. Indeed we know that there was a Hindu reaction against the Buddhism of Asoka about [...]
China and India are pagan, a word which I deprecate if it is understood to imply inferiority but which if used in a descriptive and respectful sense is very useful. Christianity and Islam are organized religions. They say (or rather their several sects say) that they each not only possess the truth but that all [...]
Buddhism tells of many hells, of which Avîci is the most terrible. They are of course all temporary and therefore purgatories rather than places of eternal punishment, and the beings who inhabit them have the power of struggling upwards and acquiring merit, but the task is difficult and one may be born repeatedly in hell. [...]
All Buddhists take the Buddhist precepts, whether they are monks or lay Buddhists. While the precepts are universally agreed upon as being fundamental to Buddhism, their interpretations vary.The five trainings are, essentially, to not kill, to not steal, to not commit sexual misconduct, to not practice false speech, and to not become intoxicated. Thich Nhat [...]