Zen Buddhism

Modern day Hinduism has hundreds of books, but the original Hindu faith is called Sanatana Dharma. It is not a religion, it is a way of life. The books of Sanatana Dharma are known as the Vedas. The Vedas are complex. The summary of the Vedas is called Vedanta, Vedanta is referred to as the Upanishads. The Upanishads are lengthy and many. The main Upanishads are eleven, but even they are difficult to understand. All the spiritual books of the original Hindu faith can be summarized into what is known as the four statements or the four Mahavakyas. The four principal statements are: Tat Twam Asi, Ayam Atma Brahma, Prajnanam Brahma, Aham Brahmasmi . The essence of these four statements is - we are not the body, we are not the mind, we are the Divine Soul. The core of the original Hindu faith can be summarized in these four statements.

The point of Buddhist practices is to become a buddha, in other words, to realize one's inherent "buddha-nature." We (supposedly) misuse our minds, which is why our lives are infected with the three poisons of greed, hostility, and delusion. These poisons cause us to lead lives filled with suffering (dissatisfaction, trouble, sorrow).

Meditation changes the way we use our minds. Done properly, it replaces those poisons with clarity, insight, and present-moment awareness, and these lead to abiding peace and ease. Someone who lives this way lives a skillful life of nirvana.

So meditation is beneficial because it enables those who practice it properly to reduce the suffering in their lives. Meditation is essential because the Buddha emphasized that it is critical that each person train his or her own mind--as opposed, say, to merely adopting some set of beliefs--in order to enjoy direct experience of nirvana. He said that it is impossible to experience nirvana without meditation.

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Zen is the meditation school of Buddhism. The primary practice in Zen Buddhism is zazen, which is a distinctive kind of meditation. Different Zen Buddhist traditions have slightly different ways of practicing. Depending upon the particular group, there are--in addition to zazen--liturgical practices involving chanting, prostrations, spiritual talks, and one-on-one interviews between teachers and their students.

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There is no one color that represents Buddhism. The International Buddhist Flag has stripes that are:

Blue for loving kindness and universal compassion

Yellow for the Middle Path - avoiding extremes

Red for the blessing of practice

White for the purity of the teaching

Orange for the wisdom of Buddha's teaching

The sixth vertical band is made up of a combination of rectangular bands of the five other colors.

Some estimates indicate that there are 3.32 million registered Zen followers. This would be about 1% or less of the total Buddhist followers in the world. However, religious statistics are very dfficult to confirm.

The fourteenth Dalai Lama is the reincarnation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion and presently leader of one branch of Tibetan Buddhism. Specifically "The Way of Virtue" (Gelugpa). This Tantaric school of Buddhism is of the Kadampa tradition amd may generally be viewed as Mahayanic. His position is traditionally the head of state of Tibet although he has been both head of state and head of Tibetan Buddhism while the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama is being sought. He has been in exile since 1959 in India due to harsh tensions with China.

Buddhists do not believe in a single, omniscient God. The Buddhist understanding of the universe includes a recognition that there are a lot of aspects of this universe, this reality, that we don't understand. Through analytical meditation and other practices we can understand the deeper truths about this reality; truths that can't be understood with our every day minds. When we reach enlightenment we will understand it, and until then there is no reason to believe that there either is or isn't a God. Buddhists aren't atheists, but they also aren't theists.

To better improve this question, the followers of buddha ALL have to follow The Four Noble Truths and the Eight-fold Paths. Other wise they are not buddhists. You must take the four noble truths and the eight fold paths to be Buddhist, and if you decide to obey them or not is what makes you a good or bad Buddhist. so a Buddhist can do ANYTHING any one else can from good deeds to bad deeds. most of them do good, but to improve and answer this question at its perfection, a Buddhist is as normal as any other human is. and they can do exactly anything any other human can. but most of them do good deeds and help others

"Discipline themselves" makes it sound like punishment or at least unpleasant! Meditation for anyone - Buddhist, Christian or secular - is an opportunity to be introspective and rise above the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It is is an opportunity to know yourself. Perhaps if you see that a dip in cool pool, a soak in a tub, or sitting quietly in a room listening to music is disciplining yourself, then you might see meditation the same way.Many people think meditation involves sitting locked into a funny position and motionless for hours at a time. In reality it can be the time you sit waiting for a bus or while walking your dog on a quiet path. As far as "locked into a position", sitting meditation involves positioning yourself so that you are comfortably balanced without need of muscle tension to keep yourself erect.

Buddhist practices began with Siddhartha Gautama (ca. 480-400 B.C.E.). (Buddhism is a way of life, but it's not a religion, because, for example, it lacks a religious creed.)

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Buddhism has a number of celebrations of significant events in Buddha's life and of cultural importance, but it is not correct to call them "holy." More like remembering your grandmothers birthday, Veteran's day, or New Years day. This is due to the fact that there is no deity in Buddhism.

Only fully awakened beings who have left their bodies behind will no longer experience suffering. Even the Buddha said, I spit on old age. He did not say he suffered after his full awakening, but he had to deal, as we all do, with the demands, conditions and limitations of a body.

One known Buddhist religious leader is Ashin Wirathu. Also, two other Buddhist religious leaders include Monshu and the Dalai Lama.

Theravada and Mahayana

That is the sort of question that an actual Zen Buddhist would never answer in a direct manner, but I will answer it as an outside observer. The effort of Zen Buddhism appears to be to train the mind to overcome the habits and limitations of logical thought. That is the Zen path to enlightenment.

A simple and safe answer might be to say that (geographically) Buddhism began or originated in (what is now) northeastern India or southwestern Nepal. The claim is made by people in both countries and at least four local areas. To honor all is easy. There is some justification for each case. Truth is, this period in the history of this part of the world is marked by the myriad of small kingdoms and other types feudal domains. It would be very difficult to prove the precise place beyond a shadow of a doubt, as evidenced by competing claims made to this day.

More to the point, though, Buddhism originated in that place where this particular wisdom arose; in the heart of the human Gautama Buddha, born in 563 BC in the ruling Kshatriya family of the Lichhavi tribe. In this tradition, it continues to arise and originate each day in hearts all over the globe. Having begun somewhere, it now belongs to its adherents and prospective disciples everywhere; beyond restriction by caste, condition, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity; beyond ordinations, languages or cultures.

Where did you hear this term? I'm a Zen monk and I've never heard of it. Do you mean "Zen priest"?

Buddhism started out as a educational system and not a religion.

Now Buddhism has alot of different branches and many idols have been implanted into it

Buddha said not to pray to him because he was not able to hear prayers he was not a god.

In Buddhism today people think buddha is like a god and they pray to him and bow down to him

According to The Buddha, we all are "buddha-nature." We are not separate selves apart from the rest of the world. Buddha-nature is Emptiness. In effect, this means that all individuals, whether human or not, are empty of separate substrata. Although the forms of different individuals are different, their essence is the same. If so, it follows that Buddha-nature is One in every individual. Ultimately, therefore, there is a deep identity between oneself and all other beings. Since nature is all beings, to live in harmony with nature is, ultimately, to live in harmony with oneself.

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There are many benefits from Buddhism. The most important benefit of Buddhism is the release from the cycle of death and rebirth. Short term benefits are greater relaxation and appreciation for nature.