Is Buddhism a religion? What is "religion"?

The Future Buddha (Maitreya or "Friend") will come as a Central Asian (Middle Country) king.

What is Buddhism?

(ReligionForBreakfast, 10/13/21) Nirvana is not "enlightenment," as stated. That is bodhi or awakening. Nirvana is the unconditioned elements, which is glimpsed or touched by awakening. Then final-nirvana (parinirvana) is complete liberation, the end of all rebirth and suffering. Otherwise, RFB does a nice enough job of stating the basics, like the Four Ennobling Truths:

• Life sucks. [All conditioned existence is unsatisfactory.]
• Here's why.
• You can fix it.
• Here's how.

What is "religion"?

I like doses of cultural-religion with spirituality

(WQ) Religion (from the Latin religio) is a set of beliefs, a creed with practices, and a paradigm or cosmology. It means to hitch or yoke ourselves to a practice or sadhana.

Anything can be a religion, like Business. But we usually reserve the term for invisible things of spirit or sacred "subtle breath" (Latin spiritus, Sanskrit prana, Chinese chi, possibly the source of Judeo-Christian "Holy Spirit" and Greek Paraclete), the essential animating energy of life.

Is Buddhism this? Yes. Does it have to be? No. It can be just a philosophy, just a practice, just a way of life. Although one takes it that way, it won't change the fact that others take it as a religion, a "faith," a set of rules, rituals, practices, superstitions, beliefs, lore, cultural baggage, and all that has come to be so abused in the Abrahamic traditions (Buddhism is Dharmic), fomenting infighting and wars and crusades and proselytizing, and converting people by force.

Buddhism avoids most of these, most of the time by being a self-evident explanation of Truth -- or means of reaching Truth -- not reliant on blind faith that is verifiable by anyone who practices in line with Dharma. A popular explanation is that it all begins with preliminary "right view," which brings us to right action and realization.

There are many practices, meditation being the most direct means to personal perception of the Truth. It is by no means the easiest or only practice. There is much else to do, outlined in the Noble Eightfold Path and detailed in the 37 Requisites of Enlightenment.

• Middle Earth (subterranean), Middle Country (Ganges Basin), Crossroads (Central Asia), or center of this part of the galaxy/world-system, or Jambudvipa (island in space)

Sign up for Buddhist Studies Online courses here: buddhiststudiesonline.com... Join Patreon community: patreon.com/religionforbreakfast... One-time donations here: paypal.me/religionforbrea... Check out RFB's favorite religious studies books by following this affiliate link to an Amazon page: amazon.com/shop/religionf... Buy ReligionForBreakfast merch...