Buddhism unlike the other main religions does not operate based on a system of faith. Although there are higher beings (Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Gods, Spirits etc.) every person can also attain such higher states through one's own efforts. Some might say isn't that in of itself a belief, I would say no. The most common definition of religious faith is to trust in a God or religious doctrine based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof. However, I would say that the Buddha has never based Buddhist teachings on faith. I actually do not believe basing one's religious beliefs on faith is improper, and it is quite noble to trust in something greater than one's own existence. However, that it not what the Buddha taught.
In Buddhism, every person is the master of their own destiny, and their destiny is not limited by one's life, time, a Supreme Being, heaven or hell. For me the proof of this is all around us. Seeing the millions and billions of different beings that inhabit this world, and the various states and sufferings of each, and then seeing how our world is only one of millions and billions in this galaxy, which itself is one of countless galaxies in the universe, which itself is one of countless universes.
In this way, there is also no "joy" in being a Buddhist because you have to grapple with the fact that this life, your life, your memories of happiness, your feelings of love, your thoughts of the world, your "self" is insignificant not only to others, but also even to your own self in a way, as it is merely a brief stage of a near infinite stream of stages, you have and will see. Therefore, to be a Buddhist is to recognize one's vast insignificance. However, at the same time being a Buddhist also means recognizing one's vast potential- as the Buddha says, all of us are on a road to being a Buddha, whether we are aware of it or not.
So, the actions I take and the road I follow, I do so because I know they will lead me to the goal of Buddhahood in the future. Now, there will be times that I fail in that regard, such as eating meat, but that is not because I don't believe in Buddhism, it is because I am far from a perfect Buddhist. So with that being said, I have included in this section some life habits or actions that we can take to help us get to our goal a little bit sooner:
1) Not eating meat
Being a vegetarian is a great step towards building good karma, in addition to being healthier and better for the environment. If one was a monk, Buddhism requires them to be strictly vegetarian, however, there is no rule that lay Buddhists have to be vegetarian. Nevertheless, if one eats meat, one has to be aware that they are creating some bad karma for themselves. So, it is best to try to eat as little meat as possible.
2) No killing
This sounds really easy right, don't murder anyone. But the Buddha is not only talking about not killing people, it also includes animals. So one should not hunt of fish. But the Buddha also reminds us that even the smallest insect has a fear of dying and a longing to live, so we should also make our best efforts to refrain from killing, even insects. Now, there will be times when it happens out of a need for self preservation, in that case, you have to do it, but remember no volitional action occurs without karma as a product.
3) Right Livelihood
One of the Noble Eightfold Path is Right Livelihood. so a person needs to avoid professions like butchering animals, selling liquor, polluting the environment, etc. Now, your neighborhood butcher is probably a really nice person, as is the cashier at your local liquor store, and any number of factory workers that work for companies that are destroying the environment, so what happens to them? Sadly, they will have to bear the burden of the bad karma their profession has created. Some people might think this is unfair, why should someone be punished for making an honest living? But in Buddhism there is no fairness or unfairness, there is only karma. And such "unfair" things happen all the time in our world, that's why Buddha calls it the Saha World (world of suffering). So if you earnestly believe in Buddhism, and the concept of karma, it is important o refrain from such professions.
4) Giving
Something that most people find annoying about city living is to see panhandlers on the street and in the subways. But, under the Buddhist way of thinking, such instances are opportunities for us to help others. It is important to remember that in Buddha's time, he and his followers all had to request for alms, as they did not work in the everyday sense, so they depended on the charity of others. The Buddha even told stories of those who attained great merits by giving alms to paccekabuddhas (self-taught buddhas), and also those who suffered great suffering for rejecting or ridiculing paccekabudhhas. So the next time, you see someone in need of help, don't think "they are lazy" or "they are scamming" try to give what you are able, for the sake of giving and helping someone.
5) Praying
The chanting of mantras and prayers is a big part of Buddhist practice. Will praying get you what you want? Much like everything in life, it depends. Remember all volitional actions have a karmic effect. When we say the prayer but don't truly believe, is that the same thing as an honest and faithful prayer? What about if you honestly believe, but you only pray for 5 seconds, is that the same as praying honestly for an hour? I believe that honest prayers build up good karma that can manifest in ways that bring one and one's family good fortune, maybe in ways that was prayed for, or maybe in other ways. Sadly, there are those that believe too much and spend too much time praying and not enough time doing. Buddhism is about self reliance, the Buddha never taught his followers to rely on Gods or prayers. There are also those that prayed and did not get what they want and now "lost faith." Such belief is contrary to the initial teachings of Buddhism, which is that life is impermanent, and brings the living suffering. No matter the faith and good deeds, if one is alive one will undergo some suffering.
6) Meditation
Wisdom alone is not enough. Compassion alone is not enough. To truly practice Buddhism, in addition to wisdom and compassion, one must also train the mind through meditation. The reason we meditate is because our minds are actively working against our ability to attain wisdom and to practice compassion. How can we attain wisdom if our mind is always jumping around thinking about this and that. "What should I eat for lunch? What is my friend doing? How do I make more money etc..." How can we practice compassion if our mind questions our own actions. "Should I give this panhandler money? He might be faking. Should I help that old person? But I'm going to be late." When we meditate we train our minds, to control our emotions, to build our patience, to increase our capacity for understanding. Therefore, it is important to build into every day some time for meditation. You can start off with only 5 minutes and build your way up.
*Do you have any advice for a complete beginner?
The Buddha describes the chances of a sentient being having the ability an opportunity to learn the true teachings as infinitesimally small. Now, some my say, how can that be true when there are over 500 million Buddhists in the world today. But consider all the sentient beings there are 7 Billion people, and the trillions upon trillions of animals on our planet, not to mention all the residents of other realms and planets in the universe. 500 million is like a grain of sand on the beach. And in all honesty the 500 million number is likely much smaller in reality, as just because someone identifies as a Buddhist doesn't mean they actually believe in the teachings, or have the physical and mental abilities to grasp the teachings. So if you are someone who is blessed enough to have the money to afford a computer and internet service, to have the education to learn how to read, to have the time to read this page, the Buddha would say that you have already planted a lot of good roots. Since you have been granted such good blessings, you should be taking advantage of such, and not waste the opportunity. So my advice for a beginner is to continue studying, continue meditating, and continue thinking. It doesn't matter so much how you do it, but you just have to do it, and you will find the more you put in the more you will get out, just like karma!
In Buddhism, every person is the master of their own destiny, and their destiny is not limited by one's life, time, a Supreme Being, heaven or hell. For me the proof of this is all around us. Seeing the millions and billions of different beings that inhabit this world, and the various states and sufferings of each, and then seeing how our world is only one of millions and billions in this galaxy, which itself is one of countless galaxies in the universe, which itself is one of countless universes.
In this way, there is also no "joy" in being a Buddhist because you have to grapple with the fact that this life, your life, your memories of happiness, your feelings of love, your thoughts of the world, your "self" is insignificant not only to others, but also even to your own self in a way, as it is merely a brief stage of a near infinite stream of stages, you have and will see. Therefore, to be a Buddhist is to recognize one's vast insignificance. However, at the same time being a Buddhist also means recognizing one's vast potential- as the Buddha says, all of us are on a road to being a Buddha, whether we are aware of it or not.
So, the actions I take and the road I follow, I do so because I know they will lead me to the goal of Buddhahood in the future. Now, there will be times that I fail in that regard, such as eating meat, but that is not because I don't believe in Buddhism, it is because I am far from a perfect Buddhist. So with that being said, I have included in this section some life habits or actions that we can take to help us get to our goal a little bit sooner:
1) Not eating meat
Being a vegetarian is a great step towards building good karma, in addition to being healthier and better for the environment. If one was a monk, Buddhism requires them to be strictly vegetarian, however, there is no rule that lay Buddhists have to be vegetarian. Nevertheless, if one eats meat, one has to be aware that they are creating some bad karma for themselves. So, it is best to try to eat as little meat as possible.
2) No killing
This sounds really easy right, don't murder anyone. But the Buddha is not only talking about not killing people, it also includes animals. So one should not hunt of fish. But the Buddha also reminds us that even the smallest insect has a fear of dying and a longing to live, so we should also make our best efforts to refrain from killing, even insects. Now, there will be times when it happens out of a need for self preservation, in that case, you have to do it, but remember no volitional action occurs without karma as a product.
3) Right Livelihood
One of the Noble Eightfold Path is Right Livelihood. so a person needs to avoid professions like butchering animals, selling liquor, polluting the environment, etc. Now, your neighborhood butcher is probably a really nice person, as is the cashier at your local liquor store, and any number of factory workers that work for companies that are destroying the environment, so what happens to them? Sadly, they will have to bear the burden of the bad karma their profession has created. Some people might think this is unfair, why should someone be punished for making an honest living? But in Buddhism there is no fairness or unfairness, there is only karma. And such "unfair" things happen all the time in our world, that's why Buddha calls it the Saha World (world of suffering). So if you earnestly believe in Buddhism, and the concept of karma, it is important o refrain from such professions.
4) Giving
Something that most people find annoying about city living is to see panhandlers on the street and in the subways. But, under the Buddhist way of thinking, such instances are opportunities for us to help others. It is important to remember that in Buddha's time, he and his followers all had to request for alms, as they did not work in the everyday sense, so they depended on the charity of others. The Buddha even told stories of those who attained great merits by giving alms to paccekabuddhas (self-taught buddhas), and also those who suffered great suffering for rejecting or ridiculing paccekabudhhas. So the next time, you see someone in need of help, don't think "they are lazy" or "they are scamming" try to give what you are able, for the sake of giving and helping someone.
5) Praying
The chanting of mantras and prayers is a big part of Buddhist practice. Will praying get you what you want? Much like everything in life, it depends. Remember all volitional actions have a karmic effect. When we say the prayer but don't truly believe, is that the same thing as an honest and faithful prayer? What about if you honestly believe, but you only pray for 5 seconds, is that the same as praying honestly for an hour? I believe that honest prayers build up good karma that can manifest in ways that bring one and one's family good fortune, maybe in ways that was prayed for, or maybe in other ways. Sadly, there are those that believe too much and spend too much time praying and not enough time doing. Buddhism is about self reliance, the Buddha never taught his followers to rely on Gods or prayers. There are also those that prayed and did not get what they want and now "lost faith." Such belief is contrary to the initial teachings of Buddhism, which is that life is impermanent, and brings the living suffering. No matter the faith and good deeds, if one is alive one will undergo some suffering.
6) Meditation
Wisdom alone is not enough. Compassion alone is not enough. To truly practice Buddhism, in addition to wisdom and compassion, one must also train the mind through meditation. The reason we meditate is because our minds are actively working against our ability to attain wisdom and to practice compassion. How can we attain wisdom if our mind is always jumping around thinking about this and that. "What should I eat for lunch? What is my friend doing? How do I make more money etc..." How can we practice compassion if our mind questions our own actions. "Should I give this panhandler money? He might be faking. Should I help that old person? But I'm going to be late." When we meditate we train our minds, to control our emotions, to build our patience, to increase our capacity for understanding. Therefore, it is important to build into every day some time for meditation. You can start off with only 5 minutes and build your way up.
*Do you have any advice for a complete beginner?
The Buddha describes the chances of a sentient being having the ability an opportunity to learn the true teachings as infinitesimally small. Now, some my say, how can that be true when there are over 500 million Buddhists in the world today. But consider all the sentient beings there are 7 Billion people, and the trillions upon trillions of animals on our planet, not to mention all the residents of other realms and planets in the universe. 500 million is like a grain of sand on the beach. And in all honesty the 500 million number is likely much smaller in reality, as just because someone identifies as a Buddhist doesn't mean they actually believe in the teachings, or have the physical and mental abilities to grasp the teachings. So if you are someone who is blessed enough to have the money to afford a computer and internet service, to have the education to learn how to read, to have the time to read this page, the Buddha would say that you have already planted a lot of good roots. Since you have been granted such good blessings, you should be taking advantage of such, and not waste the opportunity. So my advice for a beginner is to continue studying, continue meditating, and continue thinking. It doesn't matter so much how you do it, but you just have to do it, and you will find the more you put in the more you will get out, just like karma!