Is Buddhism Right for You?

By Roy Melvyn

Buddhism is a system that defines how to live and this is its primary appeal. Buddhist practices such as meditation are associated with contentment and well-being. As a system for living, Buddhism appears to many to be a sensible and practical lifestyle choice. Whether a philosophy, a psychology or a religion,

Buddhism in any form, has proven to be a powerful force upon those who adhere to its teachings.

Look closely at Buddhism and you’ll find a rigorous and clear accounting of the universe and our place in it. It is an accounting that would satisfy even the most ardent materialist. The bottom line is that Buddhism matters because, in many respects, it’s actually gotten it right.
Our physicists, biologists, philosophers, and neuroscientists define science as based on the realization that human beings are part of a material world that’s driven by impersonal, physical laws. Buddhism would agree.

Buddhism applies the world’s impermanence to humans and their souls. As Joni Mitchell said "Everything comes and goes".

This is its most notable success and the results have carried this view of the world, whether as a religion, a philosophy or a psychology, from ancient antiquity into the modern era.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Roy Melvyn
• Release date: Nov 21, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465987075

Roy Melvyn

The author now calls South East Asia his home. To learn more, visit http://roymelvyn.com.

Book preview

Is Buddhism Right For You?

Is Buddhism Right For You?

by Roy Melvyn

Copyright 1999 Roy Melvyn

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this eBook. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This book may not be reproduced, copied or distributed for either commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please return to the Smashwords Store to discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.

Table of Contents

Chapter One: Introduction

Chapter Two: Siddhartha

Chapter Three: What is Buddhism, a Religion or a Philosophy?

Chapter Four: Buddhism and the Concept of God

Chapter Five: Buddhism as Philosophy

Chapter Six: Expanding on the Basics

Chapter Seven: Buddhism as Psychology

Chapter Eight: Schools of Buddhism

Buddha’s First Teachings

Chapter Nine: First Discourse

Chapter Ten: The Second Discourse

Chapter Eleven: The Third Discourse

Chapter Twelve: The Fourth Discourse

Chapter Thirteen: Afterward

Chapter One: Introduction

Whether to call Buddhism a religion, a philosophy or a psychology is often debated. Buddhism teaches nothing about God, has no official scripture, does not attempt to explain the meaning of life, and its founder is not considered divine or even divinely inspired. However, Buddhism does express opinions regarding salvation and the afterlife. Because these two elements are essential to a religion, Buddhism barely makes the cut as being defined as a religion.

Ironically, it is its simplicity that makes Buddhism sometimes difficult to understand.

At its root, Buddhism is a set of teachings:

Buddhism is humanistic; only the actions of individuals (and not divine intervention) can lead to enlightenment.

Buddhism has no teachings regarding God. Buddhism teaches a background consciousness exists from which everything originates and to which everything will return.

Buddhism accepts the belief in reincarnation.

Buddhism accepts the belief that actions can effect this life and lives to follow.

Buddhism accepts the cosmic order of all things.

Buddhism accepts the notion of liberation from samsara (the cycle of death and rebirth).

Buddhism teaches anatman, no self, meaning that your ego, or your sense of self identity (I), distinguishing you from the rest of the world, is an illusion.

The ultimate goal is to achieve Nirvana, or reunion with the cosmic background consciousness in much the same way that a drop of water returns to the ocean.

In this sense, Buddhism is a system that defines how to live and this is its primary appeal. Buddhist practices such as meditation are associated with contentment and well-being. As a system for living, Buddhism appears to many to be a sensible and practical lifestyle choice.

Whether a philosophy, a psychology or a religion, Buddhism in any form, has proven to be a powerful force upon those who adhere to its teachings. Many practitioners of Buddhism commit their entire lives to understanding the true nature of the Buddha.

In this modern day world, there are many who find themselves spiritually adrift. In that regard, a consideration of Buddhism, be it as religion, philosophy or psychology, is a worthwhile undertaking.

Chapter Two: Siddhartha

Approximately 2,500 years ago, Siddhartha, a Hindu prince of the Shakya clan in northern India, abandoned his royal heritage to seek the source of human suffering.

Siddhartha grew up in the greatest luxury that his time could provide, sheltered by an overly protective father who wanted his son to succeed to the throne. Not until his twenties did the prince venture beyond the palace grounds. His illusions about life were quickly shattered as he encountered illness, old age, and death among his subjects. Soon afterward, Siddhartha saw an old religious mendicant who was utterly present and at peace. How could that be? How could anyone be at peace in the midst of all that suffering?

No matter how we grow up, in wealth or poverty, in love or adversity, we form a view of life. Everything we do subsequently is based on the belief that that view of life is how things are. Perhaps you grew up in an environment in which you could easily trust everyone not to hurt you, but then you encounter a person who, for no reason you can imagine, is intent on doing you harm. Perhaps you grew up learning to trust no one and can’t imagine trusting another person with anything that is important to you. We first encounter the mystery of being when our view of life is called into question. All too often, we react by ignoring, closing down, manipulating, or controlling what arises in experience to avoid questioning that view of life and what we feel we are.

Siddhartha could not simply ignore what he had seen. Power, wealth, and position became meaningless to him in the face of illness, old age, and death. His conception of life and what he was were turned upside down and inside out. He saw another possibility, however, in the presence and peace of the religious mendicant.

The first encounter with the mystery of being momentarily shatters the structures of ordinary life. When everything falls away, a moment of opening takes place. In that moment, we are free – free from the fetters of beliefs and ideas about who and what we should be. In other words, in the midst of the destruction of our illusions about life, we experience being what we actually are – free, open awareness. Most of the time, we don’t notice that freedom and open awareness. We’re too busy putting our view of life back together. Even if we do notice it, we don’t stay there for long. But we have, like Siddhartha, encountered the religious mendicant and the possibility of presence.

Siddhartha soon left the court life he knew to examine the issue of suffering. Why is there suffering? Where does it come from?

His first step was to turn to the religious teachers of the day. He quickly learned everything they had to teach: their philosophies, meditation techniques, and codes of conduct. He practiced what he was taught, and he gained abilities equal to those of his teachers. Yet his questions remained unanswered.

The mystery of being often makes itself felt in our lives in the form of questions. We turn to institutions, traditions, and respected teachers, hoping to find answers to our questions. We study and practice, learning much that is helpful. When we really listen to our own questions, however, we know that we can never receive answers to them from an institution, tradition, or another person. The answer can come only through our own experience. At some point, we take what we have learned and apply it to our own questions. We have to make the practice our own.

Along with five companions, Siddhartha began a life of extreme asceticism in order to understand the source of human suffering. Tradition records that for six years he ingested only one sesame seed, one grain of rice, and one drop of water per day.

When they discover that their approach to life is based on an illusion, many people react by pursuing wealth and power. In pursuing asceticism, Siddhartha was taking an approach to life that was the opposite of the one that most people adopt. He had learned that wealth and power were meaningless. Perhaps the answers to his questions could be found in poverty and austerity.

Whether we pursue wealth or austerity, our lives are still based on the same conditioning; it’s just running in the other direction. Which direction the conditioning runs makes no difference. Like a train that has been going the wrong direction, we stop, turn around, and go the opposite way, but we are running on the same tracks. The same ideas and assumptions are still operating. To enter the mystery of being, we have to step off the tracks.

After six years of starving himself, Siddhartha could no longer keep his mind