Buddhism Introduction
What is Karma?
Karma is the spiritual version of the law of cause and effect. Karma explains a number of things in the world that lead some people to question the existence of God. This includes things like inequality, babies born with birth defects and those who die before their time. You are responsible for your actions and the consequences of your actions can follow you into the next life. Karma is based on not only the actions, but the intent behind them and their effects on oneself and on others.
How do I Become a Buddhist?
There is no special ritual to participate in to become a Buddhist. The teachings of Buddha can be easily understood and practiced by anyone who wishes to do so. In fact, Buddha requested that his followers not follow blindly, but put his teachings to the test for themselves.
So, what did he teach?
The Buddha taught a number of different ideas, but the core ideas can be boiled down to Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path
The Noble Truths are as follows:
- 1. There is suffering
- 2. Suffering is a result of attachment to one's desires
- 3. When attachment ends, so does suffering
- 4. By following the Eightfold Path can end their attachment to desires and thereby end their suffering.
