Question 16 : I have sometimes heard the Buddha’s teachings called the Middle Way. What does this term mean?

SBS Sima hall at the break of dawn

Answer 16 :

The Buddha gave his Noble Eightfold Path an alternative name, majjhima patipada, which means ‘the Middle Way’.

This is a very important name because it suggests to us that it is not enough to just follow the Path, but that we have to follow it in a particular way.

People can become very rigid about religious rules and practices and end up becoming real fanatics. In Buddhism the rules have to be followed and the practice done in a balanced and reasonable way that avoids extremism and excess.

The ancient Romans used to say ‘Moderation in all things’ and Buddhists would agree with this completely.

Question 15 : Some people say, "All religions are really the same." Would you agree with them?

The Buddha Statue in the SBS Sima Hall

Answer 15 :

Religion is a phenomena far too complex and diverse to be encapsulated by a neat little statement like that. A Buddhist might say that this statement contains element of both falseness and truth.

Buddhism teaches that there is no god while Christianity, for example teaches that there is. I think that this is quite an important difference.

However, one of the most beautiful passages in the Bible says:

"If I speak the languages of men and angels but have no love, I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith so strong that it can move a mountain, but I have no love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and even surrender my body to the flames but I have no love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. Love is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs done. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always perseveres." I Cor. 13-7

This is exactly what Buddhism teaches - that the quality of our heart is more important than any super-normal powers we might have, our ability to foretell the future, the strength of our faith or any extravagant gestures we might make.

So when it comes to theological concepts and theories, Buddhism and Christianity certainly differ. But when it comes to heart-qualities, ethics and behaviour they are very similar.

Question 14 : Is Buddhism scientific?

A picture of the SBS Sima Hall on Kathina Day

Answer 14 :

Before we answer that question it would be best to define the word 'science'.

Science, according to the dictionary is - "knowledge which can be made into a system, which depends upon seeing and testing facts and stating general natural laws, a branch of such knowledge, anything that can be studied exactly."

There are aspects of Buddhism that would not fit into this definition but the central teachings of Buddhism, the Four Noble Truths, most certainly would.

Suffering, the First Noble Truth is an experience that can be defined, experienced and measured.
The Second Noble Truth states that suffering has a natural cause, craving which likewise can be defined, experienced and measured. No attempt is made to explain suffering in terms of metaphysical concept or myths.
Suffering is ended, according to the Third Noble Truth, not by relying upon a supreme being, by faith or by prayers but simply by removing its cause. This is axiomatic.
The Fourth Noble Truth, the way to end suffering, once again, has nothing to do with metaphysics but depends on behaving in specific ways. And once again, behaviour is open to testing.

Buddhism dispenses with the concept of a supreme being as does science, and explains the origins and workings of the universe in terms of natural laws. All of this certainly exhibits a scientific spirit.

Once again, the Buddha's constant advice that we should not blindly believe but rather question, examine, inquire and rely on our own experience, has a definite scientific ring to it. He says :

"Do not go by revelation or tradition, do not go by rumour, or the sacred scriptures, do not go by hearsay or mere logic, do not go by bias towards s notion or by another person's seeming ability and do not go by the idea 'He is our teacher'. But when you yourself know that a thing is good, that it is not blamable, that it is praised by the wise and when practised and observed that it leads to happiness, then follow that thing."


So we could say that although Buddhism is not entirely scientific, it certainly has a strong scientific overtone and is certainly more scientific than any other religion.

It is significant that Albert Einstein, the greatest scientist of the twentieth century said of Buddhism:

"The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend a personal God and avoid dogmas and theology. Covering both the natural and the spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual and a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description. If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs, it would be Buddhism"

Question 13 : You certainly think highly of Buddhism. I suppose you think your religion is right and all the others are wrong.

Evening Puja

Answer 13 :

No Buddhist who understands the Buddha's teachings thinks that other religions are wrong. No one who has made a genuine effort to examine other religions with an open mind could think like that either.

The first thing you notice when you study the different religions is just how much they have in common. All religions acknowledge that man's present state is unsatisfactory. All believe that a change of attitude and behaviour is needed if man's situation is to improve. All teach an ethics that includes love, kindness, patience, generosity and social responsibility and all accept the existence of some forms of Absolute.

They use different language, different names and different symbols to describe and explain these things and it is only when they narrow-mindedly cling to their one way of seeing things that religious intolerance, pride and self righteousness arise.

Imagine an Englishman, a Frenchman, a Chinese and an Indonesian all looking at a cup. The Englishman says, "That's a cup." The Frenchman answers, "No, it's not. It's a tasse." The Chinese comments, "You're both wrong. It's a pei." And the Indonesian laughs at the others and says "What fools you are. It's a cawan."

The Englishman gets a dictionary and shows it to the others saying " I can prove that this is a cup. My dictionary says so." "Then your dictionary is wrong," says the Frenchman "because my dictionary clearly says it is a tasse." The Chinese scoffs at them. "My dictionary is thousands of years older than yours, so my dictionary must be right. And besides, more people speak Chinese than any language, so it must be a pei,"

While they are squabbling and arguing with each other, a Buddhist comes and drinks from the cup. After he had drunk, he says to the others, "Whether you call it a cup, a tasse, a pei or a cawan, the purpose of the cup is to be used. Stop arguing and drink, stop squabbling and refresh your thirst."

This is the Buddhist attitude to other religions.

Question 12 : Why are there so many different types of Buddhism?

Nuns lining up during the Taiping Insight Meditation Society(TIMS) 20th Anniversary Celebration up at Sasanarakha Buddhist Sanctuary(SBS)

Answer 12 :

There are many different types of sugar; brown sugar, white sugar, granulated sugar, rock sugar, syrup and icing sugar but it is all sugar and it all taste sweet. It is produced in different forms so that it can be used in different ways.

Buddhism is the same. There is Theravada Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism, Yogacara Buddhism and Vajrayana Buddhism but it is all Buddhism and it all has the same taste- the state of freedom.

Buddhism has evolved into different forms so that it can be relevant to the different cultures in which it exists. It has been reinterpreted over the centuries so that it can remain relevant to each new generation.

Outwardly, the types of Buddhism may seem very different but at the centre of all of them is the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

All major religions, Buddhism included have split into schools and sects. But the different sects of Buddhism have never expressed hostility towards each other and to this day, they go to each other's temples and worship together. Such tolerance and understanding in certainly rare

Question 11 : Why is that you don't hear of charitable work being done by Buddhists?

Devotees offering alms to monks

Answer 11 :

Perhaps it is because Buddhists don't feel the need to boast about the good they do. Several years ago the Japanese Buddhist leader Nikkho Nirwano received the Templeton Prize for his work in promoting inter-religious harmony.

Likewise, a Thai Buddhist monk was recently awarded the prestigious Magsaysay Prize for his excellent work among drug addicts.

In 1987 another Thai monk, Ven. Kantayapiwat was awarded the Norwegian Children's Peace Prize for his many years of work helping homeless children in rural areas.

And what about the large social work being done among the poor in India by the Western Buddhist Order? They have built schools, child minding centres, dispensaries and small scale industries for self sufficiency.

Buddhists see help given to others as an expression of their religious practice just as other religions do but they believe that it should be done quietly and without self-promotion. Thus, you don't hear so much about their charitable work.

Question 10 : If Buddhism is so good why are some Buddhist countries poor?

Kuo Ming Teng with aspirations and prayer dedicated to the people and monks of Myanmar

Answer 10 :

If by poor you mean economically poor, then it is true that some Buddhist countries are poor. But, if by poor, you mean a poor quality of life, then perhaps some Buddhist countries are quite rich.

America, for example is an economically rich and powerful country but the crime rate is one of the highest in the world, millions of people are neglected by their children and die of loneliness in old people's homes, domestic violence and child abuse are major problems. One in three marriages end in divorce, pornography is easily available.
Rich in terms of money but perhaps poor in terms of quality of life.

Now, take Burma, a country that is economically backward. Parents are honoured and respected by their children, the crime rate is relatively low, divorce and suicide are almost unheard of, as are domestic violence and child abuse, pornography and sexual licence are non existent. Economically backward, but perhaps a higher quality of life than a country like America.

But even if we judge Buddhist countries in terms of economics alone, one of the wealthiest and most economically dynamic countries in the world today is Japan where 93% of the population call themselves Buddhists.