Why Buddhism?

Personally, I think this question has been asked by many and there are many answers. There is no right or wrong answer as it all comes down to the personal perspective of an individual.

For me, I would prefer not to label myself to be belonging to any sect or religious group. I just happen to find the Buddha's teaching (the Dhamma) very relatable to the realities of life and that's fascinating to me. There are many that label themselves as Buddhists but have only gotten involved in the ceremonious activities of prayers, chantings & all sorts of rites and rituals. There's nothing wrong with that as long as it makes these practicing individuals happy & living in harmony with all beings.

To me, however, the real treasure is in the Buddha's teachings. The Dhamma. It allows an individual to study, contemplate, investigate, experiment, and realize for oneself all the realities in the teachings. In fact, The Buddha has often encouraged his disciples to not blindly believe what he has taught but to investigate, challenge, doubt his teachings. I think in practice, the Dhamma helps me live a happier and no stress harmonious lifestyle.

The Buddha taught the Dhamma about 2600 years ago. Over the years, we should expect that some aspects of the teachings will be somewhat distorted. Although there are written Suttas, we should not just take the translations of the suttas to be final and true. In many cases, we should not take what is written in the suttas literarily. The important thing is to try to understand the underlying meaning of what was conversed or taught in the suttas. To do that, sometimes, you have to try to understand the culture of India back in those days which is, I know, difficult. That's probably the reason why there are so many different teachings and cultures today.

I would not even say that what I write in these ongoing blogs are true teachings of the Buddha but I would present it in what I would think makes the most sense. You have to judge for yourself. That's the beauty of the Dhamma.

I do hope you find the articles that I share interesting & enlightening. Perhaps you too could find true happiness and harmony in its teaching.

Happy reading!