Buddhism essay

Taking into account the fact that Buddhism is multifaceted and based on experience rather than on faith, it is not enough to limit the description of the great teaching’s contents only on the Buddha’s previously mentioned statements. Moreover, Buddhism’s main features become visible only in comparison with other worldviews; it will be Islam in our case. At the same time, only people who are free from too rigid ideas can come nearer to the Buddha’s teachings because the fullness of his wisdom can not be described as ”˜something exact, and not something another’.

In such a way, it is time to present a place of Buddhist worship and to interview a person of this faith for the purpose to understand Buddhism better. Basing on the fact that we live in highly technological computer era, the place of worship of my choice has a virtual character, and it is the site www.buddhiststudies.org.au. I chose this site because it is a good place to gain new knowledge about Buddhism, and a great possibility to find a person to obtain an interview there.

Being more specific, it is important to mention that the website of my choice is the site of Australasian Association of Buddhist Studies (AABC), and the site has a free membership for all people who are interested in Buddhist studies beginning with prominent academicians in all disciplines and ending with students who like and respect Buddhism. An interesting detail is hidden in the fact that this site promotes the academic study of Buddhism in the own Australasian region, thus, it allows to support the suggestion that Buddhism is really a world wide religion.

In addition, AABC has the own symbolic signs, and AABC’s logo has a deep historical and religious meaning because it is an abstraction of a votive stupa from the Kusana period (3rd c. CE) found in North Western India. According to the information presented at www.buddhiststudies.org.au, we see that the AABC is trying to achieve the own aims implementing the following steps:  “through the organization of events, such as seminars and conferences; by making available information and resources relevant to Buddhist studies; by fostering links between scholars and students within the region; by fostering links between different disciplines working in the field of Buddhist studies; by fostering links between local and international scholars”.

To continue, I registered the above described site, got acquainted with some its members, and interviewed one of them on the issue of his faith. This person said that his nick name is Light, and I will call him with this nick in the text. Summarizing received answers, I came to the conclusion that Buddhism is rather complicated kind of religions because some people considered it more philosophy than religion, while others are sure in more religious roots of this study. In such a way, Light explained me that every person could choose Buddhism as own religion and take conversion into this religion by the own wish. Of course, it is more easily to say than to do, taking into account the fact that a person should be ready to the conversion both in spiritual and psychological senses. Light also mentioned that he treats Buddhism as ”˜love of wisdom’, and he emphasized its main principles as the following: “to lead a moral life, to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions, and to develop the own wisdom and understanding day after day”.