| Buddhism is a teaching which has spread
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| | in Asia must be excluded because there is
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| worldwide absorbing the culture of each
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| | no God here, and occasionally not even
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| country it arrived in, which has resulted
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| | Gods. From the perspective that religion
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| in many expressions of Buddhism. Each
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| | entails belief in a God, Buddhism is
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| strand, no matter how varied in nature
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| | excluded from having the title of
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| and practice, holds a common emphasis on
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| | religion. Many outsiders to the Buddhist
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| the impermanence of human life. The
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| | tradition may claim that the Buddha held
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| worldwide spread of Buddhism means that
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| | some divinity and is elevated to a Godly
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| it is now practiced by over three hundred
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| | position, but the Buddha himself refused
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| million people worldwide, and thus, is
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| | to be regarded as divine. For the Buddha,
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| generally considered to be a world
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| | humanity is here to improve ourselves and
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| religion. However, its authenticity as a
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| | achieve liberation rather than worrying
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| religion has often come under scrutiny by
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| | about ultimate questions. Buddhists would
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| intellectuals in the Western world. To
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| | argue that knowledge of a God or the
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| explore whether Buddhism can in fact be
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| | afterlife does not matter as neither help
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| counted as a religion we must acknowledge
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| | in the quest for nirvana. If Buddhism is
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| that the main problems arise when looking
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| | not counted as a religion then what is
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| for a definition of what a religion is.
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| | it? Buddhism can be thought of as a way
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| Either, definitions have proved too
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| | of life, a philosophy, a psychology, a
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| narrow excluding many belief systems
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| | way of thinking through which we can take
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| which people believe are religious, or
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| | responsibility for our present life and
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| they become too broad which means that
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| | lives.
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| any structure can be counted. When
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| | Like all major religions Buddhism
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| applying varying definitions of religion
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| | contains a morality, rituals and
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| to Buddhism we come up with some very
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| | behaviours, certain ethical values and an
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| contradictory answers; some which say
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| | origin of existence, yet because
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| that Buddhism is simply a philosophy or
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| | Buddhists do not believe in an all
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| teaching, whilst others will prove that
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| | knowing creator God some claim that
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| it is in fact, a religion in practice.
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| | Buddhism fails to be a religion. The
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| To determine whether Buddhism is a
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| | large variety of definitions of religion
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| religion or not, we must also note that
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| | shows that we can never give a solid, one
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| we, as Westerners will have different
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| | answer description of what it is that
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| views and concepts of religion to those
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| | religion is and does.
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| practicing in the East. We must ask the
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| | We must remember that previously Buddhism
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| question, is it even possible for
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| | has many names such as the Buddha's
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| Westerners to understand the religious
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| | teaching or message, or the Buddha's way
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| life of Asia? What we view as Asian
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| | or the path of attainment. Although the
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| religion and religious activity is for
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| | religious status of Buddhism has come
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| most of the people practicing it a
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| | under constant attack, we could argue
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| natural part of daily life; our ideas and
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| | that the questioning is in fact, not
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| concepts vary so greatly that perhaps
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| | necessary. If we were able to ask the
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| someone observing Buddhism from a Western
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| | Buddha if Buddhism was in fact a religion
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| perspective may never truly grasp the
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| | or not he would probably answer with the
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| religiosity of the group.
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| | response that it does not matter. To the
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| For one attempting to provide a
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| | Buddhist, their beliefs are essentially a
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| definition of religion these practices
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| | philosophy by which individuals can
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| would need to be described in a manner
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| | attain release from the world of karma
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| which did not exclude one religion from
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| | and rebirth. Knowing whether or not
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| the definition. There needs to be one
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| | Buddhism is a religion or not cannot lead
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| thing that is attributed to all
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| | to salvation, only through practice and
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| religions, a common factor. For many, the
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| | understanding can one be led to a
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| common factor is God. However, if we
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| | happiness which is not transient.
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| conclude that God is the focus of all
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