Breaking Myths 5: Religious Faith

Blind Unquestioning Faith to the Buddha Dhamma is

Not a feature of the Buddha’s Teachings.
The Buddha Dhamma is an Education that
Transforms one to a Noble way of Life,
while Buddh‘ism’ the Religion was created by
generations of people.

A religion is described as
"An organized system of beliefs, rites, and
celebrations centered on a supernatural
being/power; belief pursued with devotion".
Ultimately the ideal state for the student of the Buddha
Dhamma is that “there is Nothing to Believe in, for
he/she Knows!”

The Teachings of the Buddha, the Buddha Dhamma is

not a religious faith because f irstly, the Buddha is not a
'supernatural being', He is all natural.

The Buddha is a man who had Complete Understanding

of the workings of the Mind, the realities of life and
nature.

He is a man who perfected Himself, and we too can

educate ourselves guided by His teachings
The Buddha is not a god or deva for one to
“believe” in, but a teacher, who teaches us the
way to Wisdom and Understanding, thus letting
go of the greed, hatred, and ignorance which
blinds us.

If there is an indicator of progress, it is that

Cravings, Ego and Conceit will progressively
lessen as one walks the Path.
The Buddha at the very apex of the Evolution of
the Mind has NO need for Praise or Offerings
or Devotion.
He has No Desire, Ego or Conceit.
The Dhamma that He
taught for 45 years is
education;
psychology and science to
help us be better people,
it is His teaching which
illuminates the path to our
Awakening from the
delusions of Self, Ego,
Conceit, I, My and Mine.
Secondly, his teachings do not constitute a religious
faith because 'faith' in the Buddha's teachings is not
blind, Unquestioning faith is discouraged, and the way
of the Dhamma is far from superstition.

We can reject any superstition as Not the teaching

of the Buddha.

The Buddha is the only teacher I am aware of who

taught His students not to believe even what He
teaches,

He demands that we test out the teachings, Experience

it, and prove them for ourselves f irst.
The Buddha wants us to
know, not merely believe,
this is the Principle of
Ehipassiko,
the scientif ic basis of his
pedagogy.

“Conf idence” in the

Buddha’s Teachings is a
more appropriate
description as we can
verify his lessons
experiencially.
Thirdly, the Buddha’s Teachings is not a
“religion” because initially there were no rites and
rituals for laypeople.

Because of human needs, much man made 'rites

and rituals' evolved to be practiced in the name
of Buddhism.

However, even these are not centered on a

divine being, but rather on and for the people
attending the assemblies.
The 5 Precepts are ENTIRELY secular moral
precepts which we recite to remind ourselves.
Pujas serve to pay respect to a great Teacher
and have an educational purpose, reminding
ourselves of the Noble qualities of the Buddha,
Dhamma and Sangha, hence understanding
what we chant is crucial.
Being imperfect
Unenlightened beings,
we need these Rites and
Rituals for Psychological
support and Communal
Activities.

As one progresses on
the Path, its importance
progressively diminishes.
The student of the Buddha Dhamma has only
one aim, the end of greed, hatred and
ignorance, leading to True Happiness.

There is No Leap of Faith, and No Dogma in the

Buddha's pristine teachings.

He taught Reality which anyone can verify.

He challenged all to see for themselves and not

to take His words on faith.
His teachings are priceless gems which anyone can
confidently verify for him/herself.
The Dhamma is for all to see.

While there may be 84,000 Dhamma teachings as

described by Ven Ananda, let us remember that the
core of the Buddha’s teachings remains:
Let us study the Dhamma and NOT worship
the Dhamma.

Always remember that the Buddha taught us

that the Dhamma is The Raft for which we
use to progress,

not another Object of Pride and Division to

grow a Bigger Ego and More Conceit.
Thank You