What does Buddhism indicates to the modern world

Buddhism forwards a direct personal experience that involved intuition and a higher form of reason. It did not give any importance to the institution, cultures or opinion in the beginning. It emphasised the feeling of equal individuals.

There is no authority in Buddhism as in Catholicism, Judaism or Islam. Buddha encouraged each individual to do his or her seeking. Buddhism does not include ritual except meditative techniques.

It does not have theology or philosophical speculation involved. Buddha was concerned with the release of individuals from suffering and spiritual realisation.

Buddha rejected most of the traditions of Hinduism and produced a religion of intense self-effort. Any sort of spiritualism, super-naturalism, concept of spirits or souls was rejected.

Buddhism was scientific in approach as it emphasised the personal experience as the final test of truth rather than reasoning, inference or argument.

It was concerned with problem solving rather than with theological or philosophical speculation like, it brings forward the way to eliminate the evils rather than the problem of existence of evil in the universe.

It is psychological in approach, in that it begins with human beings rather than with the universe and works at dealing with their problems, their nature, and the dynamics of their development.

Buddhism rejects governments, caste systems, and any other ranking of human beings, each individual is important.

Buddha made the religion and its purpose very clear, “Here is the problem and here is the solution”. For this he recognised four truths called the Four Noble Truths. These are sorrow, desire, annihilation or desire and Eight Fold Path.

The Eight Fold Path was the guidance by Buddha to people to remove the sorrows. Nirvana is the non-existence and merges with the supreme power. Buddha denied Atman or soul but believed in Karma or action. He believed that man gets what he acts.

The Teachings of Buddha were mainly oral. He wrote no books. He was only a social reformer and an ethical teacher. “Philosophy purifies none: peace along does”. Human life is full of misery and pain.

The works on early Buddhism are threefold and described as Tripitaka – or the three Baskets of tradition.