Friday, March 24, 2017

Top 10 Misconceptions about Buddhism (video)

Simon/TT (TopTenz, Feb. 9, 2017); Ashley Wells (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly


TopTenzBuddhism is an extremely fast growing practice, and estimates put its adherents at somewhere around one billion (without counting an additional billion Buddhists in China the communist party does not count in its census). 

Earliest depictions of the Buddha: Gandhara art
Although Buddhism is so popular, many in the Western world, where it is barely practiced, have a poor understanding of it. Not only have many people gained a completely incorrect understanding of it, but some attempt to practice it without proper guidance and end up doing it completely wrong and thinking that this is "Zen," a kind of individualistic rebellion against all rules and teachers. Poppycock!

The virg yin Kwan Yin gets more attention.
Now while their hearts are in the right place, it might be wise to find a knowledgeable Buddhist teacher. They do exist even in the Western world, whether because they are Americans who went to Asia to study or are Asians who came to America to teach. And it is possible to learn quite a lot from them. One may also have noticed that nowhere in this introduction have I actually referred to Buddhism as a "religion" or even as a philosophy, and the reason for this is explained below.
 
Coming up:
 
10. Religion.
9. Pacifists.
8. Meditation.
7. The Dalai Lama.
6. The Buddha.
5. Paganism.
4. Suffering.
3. Diet.
2. Rebirth (not Reincarnation).
1. Siddhartha Gautama.

Sources/Further reading:
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