Buddhism is a religion. This is because it incorporates elements of faith, self-transformation and belief which are part of some philosophical approaches. Believe is more characterized as an integral part of religion. Believe and faith are paramount parts of all religions. The self-transforming aspect is also is a major characteristic of religion (Morell, 2013).
According to Morell (2013), the essence of people turning to religion is because they want to add some improvement to their lives, their moral and self-conduct and have greater comfort in life. Just like other religions, this is position of a moral order which cannot be seen to the transcendent potential and to the universe. This makes it more abstract and less literal than Judaic faiths. Buddhism is very much harmonized with the western ethical values.
Buddhism is not a Religion
Buddhism is not a religion because of its pragmatic, scientific and psychological nature. This argument is centered on the argument about God. Buddha himself did not talk much about the existence of a supernatural being. It is therefore clear that in Buddhism the concept of God does not exist. They also don’t believe that there is a soul that survives through death. The aspect of non-existence of the soul and God makes Buddhism stay outside the religion territory (Blakeney, 2013).
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"Buddhism Is A Religion".
Conclusion
In conclusion, we note that in Buddhism, there is recognition of a moral order to the universe that cannot be seen. This kind of recognition is identical to the one available with the Judaic faiths and western believes. The fact that in Buddhism God is not mentioned is addressed by the Nirvana and Karma concepts which act as God (Blakeney, 2013). Therefore, this brings us to a logical conclusion that Buddhism is a religion just like any other.
- Blakeney, (2013). Addicted to Redemption. Retrieved from. http://www.jewishjournal.com/
- Morell, (2013). Is Buddhism a Religion or a Philosophy of Life? Retrieved from. http://homeoint.org/
