Buddhism was brought into existence by Prince Siddhartha (christened Gautama Buddha after enlightenment) in India around 2500 years ago. Some of the greatest people in history were Buddhists including His Holy Highness Dalai Lama, Emperor Ashoka and Priyadarshini, his daughter. Today, it is one of the prevalent religions in the Far-East including regions like Tibet, China, Nepal and includes a huge disciple-following in the West. Unlike other religions of humanity, practicing Buddhism is easy and straightforward. You are not required to officially convert into Buddhism. Almost anyone can turn Buddhist by acknowledging some essential Buddhism facts that are elaborated below.

Two sects – Theraveda Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism

The Theraveda sect concentrates on meditation and yoga to attain spiritual ‘nirvana’ and is atheist in nature, whereas the Mahayana sect revolves around prayers, rituals and deities like Zen, Pure Land, etc. to attain liberation of the soul. Theraveda Buddhism is practiced in South-East Asia and Mahayana Buddhism is followed by the Chinese and Japanese followers.

Buddhism – based on practicality and not irrational speculations
Gautama Buddha, it is widely believed, attained Enlightenment under the ‘Bodh Gaya’ banyan tree, after which he refused to believe anything that could not be put into practice. He urged his followers to not debate about the existence of God, about the oneness or God or superiority of religion and simply follow the four ‘Noble Truths’ specified to ease suffering.

Rejection of the ‘rebirth’ cycle
As is popularized by Hinduism, the concept of the soul or the ‘atman’ leaving form on death and simply moving onto another life, called rebirth, was discarded by Gautama Buddha. ‘No life form once having left the Earth comes back to life’ is his theory. He believed that the Universe is an inn and we are all travelers trying to escape sorrow and distress.

Objective of living
Buddhism preaches that the goal of human life is to overcome sorrow – however, it is quick to point out that no one really manages to escape sorrow in life. The major reasons for being tied down with melancholy is that humans are constantly on the pursuit of materialistic objects which might quench desire but seldom brings true happiness.

The Three Safe Havens for Buddhists
In order to escape sorrow and abandon the pursuit of worldly objects, every Buddhist follower ought to seek protection under the ‘Three asylums of Buddhism’ – the Buddha, the Sangha and the Dharma. The Buddha stands for Enlightenment, the Sangha stands for the fellow Buddhist community and the Dharma stands for Buddhist teachings.

The Three superstitions to be avoided
On all accounts, one must strive to avoid the three aberrations of Ignorance, Hatred and Anger as they corrupt your soul and make it impossible to attain salvation.

The Three claims of life
Buddhism preaches that a person has not yet attained nirvana (or is still materialistic) if he/she has the following three nuances, Anicca, Dukkha and Anatta. Anicca stands for change in the mood, Dukkha stands for pessimism and an insatiate spirit, Anatta stands for no self control.

The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism
Buddhism strongly urges its followers to accept the ‘Four Noble Truths’ as specified by the Gautama Buddha. The truths are as follows:
1. Life is full of suffering.
2. The more you fancy materials and the more you are attached to them, the more you suffer.
3. You can cease suffering.
4. In order to cease suffering, you must follow the ‘Noble Eightfold Path’.

The Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism
The Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism is elaborated in the following manner.
1. Proper Conviction
2. Proper Ambition
3. Proper Dialogue
4. Proper Demeanor
5. Proper Source of Income
6. Proper Struggle
7. Proper Mindfulness
8. Proper Meditation and Attaining Nirvana

Four Vows to be Undertaken by Monks
Every Buddhist Monk needs to abide by the Four Vows prescribed by Gautama Buddha. The Vows are given below:
1. I promise to release my fellow humans from suffering and sorrow.
2. I promise to put an end to the immeasurable sorrows and conflicts between my fellow humans.
3. I promise to abide by the Laws of Dharma stated by the Buddha.
4. I promise to follow the true and holy path prescribed by the Buddha.

The Five Rules of Buddhism
Buddhism requires you to follow the following ‘Five Rules’ if you are to get rid of all your sufferings and attain spiritual nirvana.
1. You must not kill your fellow living creatures on purpose.
2. You must not lie to your fellow humans.
3. You must never attempt to steal that which belongs to your fellow human.
4. You are not to indulge in sexual abuse with any of your fellow human.
5. You are not to consume intoxicants of any kind.

The Four Reminders of Buddhism
Buddhism seeks to remind you of the following four golden words always. Keeping the following commandments in mind, you can attain spiritual release in an easy way.
1. Human life is a precious gift.
2. Death is unavoidable.
3. There is equal suffering in everybody’s existence.
4. You cannot stay away from Karma.

The Ten Friends of every Human
Every human has the following Ten Friends or the ‘Paramitra’ to be kept with them always, as stated in Buddhism facts. They are:
1. A generous nature
2. Morality, ethics and a lawful spirit
3. Staying detached to all worldly objects
4. Intelligence and wit
5. Hard work, dedication and boundless energy
6. A patient soul
7. Staying honest and true
8. Determination to do good
9. A kind nature
10. Calmness and composure

The Five Enemies of every Human
Likewise every human has the following Five Enemies that they must stay away from, as asserted in the Buddhist texts. They are:
1. Sensual desires and craving
2. Anger and the human ego
3. Hatred and animosity
4. A worried spirit
5. Doubt and misgivings

The Five Powerful Tools Available to every Human
Buddhism maintains that no matter how much suffering life has to offer, every human has the following Five Powers available that can ease sorrow. They are:
1. Belief in Buddhism
2. Intelligence and wisdom
3. Samadhi or nirvana
4. Mindfulness and alertness
5. Vitality and a determined spirit

By following the Buddhism facts stated above, you too can become or transform into a Buddhist follower. After all, this religion is all about yoga, nirvana and spiritual awareness – dire traits that everyone in the world needs today.

Buddhism is one of the major religion of the world and it has been estimated that there are almost 350-500 million Buddhist followers in the world. Though the religion is most popular in Asia but it’s followers are found all over the globe. This religion is founded by Gautama Buddha (Siddhartha) and this religion encompasses large number of traditions, practices and faiths. The Buddhism beliefs are mostly based upon the teachings of Gautama Buddha. So, some of the basic Buddhism Beliefs are -

1) Gautama Buddha is no God at all – It was believed in this religion that Gautama Buddha was an ordinary man who was living in Nepal(now) some 2,500 years ago. He had different vision towards the life and because of this he had gone over common man views, concepts and beliefs. It is not a do or die condition for every Buddhist to follow the rules set by Buddha and they can find their own wisdom towards life.

2) Think before believe – Buddhists don’t need to believe what they read or listen from others, instead it is believed that every person should test each and everything with his own conscience and then only trust the things.

3) Celestial Bodies or Gods are the result of culture – In Buddhism beliefs it is also considered that Gods are due to one’s culture and they are conceptual only. But it doesn’t mean that the religion favors atheism. In fact it enlightens more on the true meaning towards spiritual practices.

4) The life’s ambition – In Buddhism beliefs it is firmly believed that to end the sufferings of humans as well as animals should be the sole motive of one’s life and this should be the only true ambition of life.

5) Your this life doings decide your afterlife – Reincarnation(rebirth) is believed in almost all the major religions and Buddhists believe that if you commit wrong and atrocious behavior then you have to suffer in your upcoming rebirths. But you can overcome from this if you can educate and meditate yourself in order to escape from the life’s cycle. This whole process is known as Nirvana.

6) Believe on Great Teachers – Buddhism beliefs lie heavily on the teachings of great teachers and it is always recommended to read important books and to listen good teachers.

7) Meditation leads to success – Without maintaining complete harmony and peace in the mind and body, no one can see beyond the life. So meditation is very essential thing in finding the path to Nirvana. It should be practiced on regular basis in life. It is also believed that it increases the inner power and conscience of humans.

Heal your wounds through the mind – Buddhism beliefs consider that most of the problems are only due to internal thinking of a man. So, if you want better health and mind then try to relax your mind. It will heal your wounds completely. Meditation and prayers help in achieving the same.

9) Believe in yourself – It depends upon you that how you build your life. One should believe in himself/herself and try not to lose the hope. It is only you who can make your life better and end the sufferings.

10) Bodies are valuable – Taking birth as a human is the most precious gift and you should not waste your life in doing outrageous things. Give some meaning to your life as the human life is very precious. Try to keep yourself healthy and strong. It is further believed that human bodies are the most divine thing on this earth. So, maintain this valuable thing from the core of your heart.

11) Trust your spiritual community – There is no need to go to any holy place or shrine to meditate and learn Buddhism beliefs. But it is always beneficial to remain in the touch of your spiritual community as it can provide you with more deeper understanding of the life. Your life can be more meaningful and delightful in the touch of your spiritual community.

12) Everything is interconnected – This is amongst one of the major and most reverenced Buddhism beliefs that everything in this world is interconnected. Nothing has individual existence. Every human, animal, thing and even physical laws are interconnected. Nothing can survive alone and emptiness(individual existence) is not permanent.

13) Always try to be good – It is your Karma or doing that finally effects your living. If you do good with others then you will get good things in return but if your deeds go wrong then it ultimately harms you. Five principles need to be followed for healthy and prosperous living. These five doctrines are –
a) Never tell a lie.
b) Never deceive anyone.
c) Never hurt or kill any one.
d) Do not hurt anyone sexually.
e) Try not to accommodate toxic thinking into your mind.

14) Be Benevolent Always – Benevolence is always beneficial for humans. Being kind and compassionate not only increases the power of our mind and body but it also gives more wiser look towards the life. You can achieve more wisdom and better meaning of human behavior.

15) Motivation and attachment is more important than the sex – In Buddhism beliefs, act of sex is less important and more important thing is with whom you perform it. Its your attachment and situation that lead you in that act.

16) Aim for Evenness – Always try to remain even in all the situations, showing human emotions like laughter, sadness, anger, etc. is not good. Calm nature let you achieve almost everything silently in the most appropriate way. So, always look for balance in your life.

17) Start at any stage of the life – According to Buddhism beliefs, you can achieve Nirvana at any stage of life and it is said that the process of understanding is very fast. But some Buddhist schools have different thinking and they believe that it can take several lives.

Besides these beliefs there are numerous other assumptions in the Buddhist religion and all are equally important. After all, it totally depends upon you that how you take your life. Prayers and meditations can only play a part in purifying your soul.

The oldest religion on this planet is Hinduism. It has no beginning and this religion moved ahead with recorded history. It has no individual founder. It is a spiritual religion which leads the devotee to experience the existence of God from heart and soul. It is a very vast religion and Hinduism beliefs are as old as Hinduism religion. However on the whole it has these nine beliefs.

1. Hindus first belief is in the theology of the “Vedas”. It is the most antique scripture in the world. “Veda” is a word which has come from Sanskrit language. The basic meaning of Veda is knowledge. According to Hinduism beliefs these primeval hymns are God’s speech and the foundation of Sanatana Dharma (a sub-religion in Hinduism), the everlasting belief which has neither starting nor endings.

2. The next is the faith on only one supreme power that is both inspiring and immanent. Hinduism believes that there is merely one premier supreme called “Brahman”. However it does not say to worship a particular deity. There are millions of gods and goddesses in Hinduism belief and everyone is on the behalf of the numerous aspects of Brahman. Therefore, this faith is characterized by the multiplicity of deities. The most primary Hindu deities are the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

3. Hindu people believe that this world undergoes endless cycles of creation, perpetuation and termination.

4. People following Hindu religion believe in karma (right action). Whatever good or bad things you do in your life you will get back according to that. It is with the help of your karma through which you create your own destiny.

5. Hinduism belief says that divine beings continue living in an invisible world and the temple worship as well as individual devotionals creates a communication between you and God.

6. Hinduism believes in the reincarnation system. It evolves through many births until all karmas have been resolute and moksha is the process of getting free of the cycle of rebirth.

7. The followers of Hinduism believe that you need a spiritually awakened teacher in your life. They are able to tell you the way to get free from the cycle of rebirth.

8. Hinduism belief advises that every life in this world is holy and each life should be loved. That’s the reason they believe in the practice of no injury to anyone. This is known as ahinsa.

9. The followers of Hinduism believe that no particular religion tells the only path to salvation over each and every one but all the authentic religious ways are related to God. Every religion tells us to give respect to others so everyone is equal.

So these are the basic Hinduism beliefs however it is varied and wide. The essential thoughts of this religion are based on the principles written by saints of ancient times.