Buddha attained supreme enlightenment through meditation and then spent His whole life converting sentient beings. The Four Foundations of Mindfulness Sutra teaches a method of meditation to gain no-self, and to enter Nirvana.
The differences between Buddhism and other religions
There are many doctrines of Buddhism, but the most important and basic one is The Law of Cause and Effect which answers to the question of the conscience of all people around the world. The Law of Cause and Effect is a natural principle of the universe and has not been invented by anyone. Buddha was a true saint, the greatest one of all time. With His supreme wisdom, Buddha Himself discovered and thoroughly understood the way of the Law of Cause and Effect. All Buddhist doctrines are based completely on this law. Anyone who comes to Buddhism to learn or to practice the Dharma must first understand the Law of Karma. If not, they may easily become superstitious and misunderstand. Hence, they cannot apply Buddha’s teachings to their lives.
It is said that “We reap what we have sowed” and “One good turn deserves another”- this is also the principle of Buddhism. Who lives a righteous life and treats others with kindness will get good results, i.e. he will be happy, wealthy and lucky. And when their retributions come, he who is selfish, narrow-minded and calculating will be miserable, and even become animals after their death. In Buddhism, the boundary between animals and people is unclear. It is very normal that animals become humans and vice versa. This is what Buddhism wants to warn humans of. Once we learn, understand and believe in the Law of Karma, each of us should control ourselves and live morally right. It’s difficult to be human, so we must value it.

The difference between Buddhism and other religions
The answers of so many people when asked about religions are “All religions are the same – they all teach people to do good deeds and avoid bad deeds”. In general, this answer seems neither right nor wrong.
In fact, the answer is not true and cannot believe like this any longer because the world has been damaged by so many natural disasters such as floods, droughts, storms, earthquakes… Strange epidemics appear more and more; habitats are being destroyed and our world is becoming severely polluted. War happens more often and people are becoming more and more intolerant. Evil things such as murder, robbery… happen so often that they cannot be controlled. Social ethics have become seriously degraded. Psychological diseases such as stress, behavioral problems and depression are increasing rapidly. New hospitals are being built every day and everywhere but there are never enough to meet the needs of the people who have diseases.
Can science explain these phenomena satisfactorily? No, science has not yet been able to do so. Or if it can, then just on the surface, but not the root cause and never is science able to explain all phenomena in the universe. So, this will be the responsibility of religions. A true religion will show the causes of all these problems and provides the solutions for them. The doctrines of that religion must be correct, logical and not against but supporting science.
We must pay attention to this point when discovering a particular religious belief.
The standing point of religions is beliefs and there are so many things in these beliefs that cannot be proved. However, fortunately today, though science has not yet been able to explain all things in the universe, it is advanced enough to verify many supernatural phenomena that religions mention. Of course, false belief will be ended and true belief will become loved and continue to grow.
There is an abundance of religions in the world. However, in general, there is clear difference between Buddhism and other religions. Let find out some key differences:
Religions that are not Buddhism say that:
-There is a God who created and governs all things. – The teachings are from the invisible Gods in the sky. Some are called prophets, messengers, cardinals… who impart those Gods’ teachings. Because the Gods are invisible, no one is specifically responsible for His teachings. Believers are required to have absolute faith in their Gods. They are told that the Gods in heaven are keeping track of and controlling human lives; who does good deeds will be rewarded, who does bad deeds will be punished, and those who cleverly pray to these Gods will be loved more than others. This causes believers to rely completely on their Gods, making them very passive.
-Worshipers are required to completely believe in what they are taught. They are not allowed to have doubts or reject the teachings.
Only Buddhism says that: -There are kings who rule the heavens and the human realm. However, everything in this universe is created by many conditions, not just by these kings. – Buddhist doctrines talk about objective truths and were preached by a historic Buddha, who was born in this world and achieved enlightenment. Buddha has the supreme wisdom and ability to know perfectly well everything in the universe. Buddha taught us through His precious teachings, formed by countless Tripitaka, followed by many holy Buddhist monks who teach us with our languages. They are Buddha and Patriarchs Who are responsible for Their teachings.
-Humans are required to have morals. Buddha said that the law of karma is perfectly fair and dominates our lives. No matter how talented the king of the heavens are, how they rule us must be adaptive to our karma. However much they want to help beings cannot be more than their blessings. Our happiness or suffering is decided by ourselves, not by others. This is according to the Law of Cause and Effect
– Anyone has the right to have questions about the teachings before deciding to follow them on a voluntary basis.
Thanks to the advances in science and technology, Buddha’s teachings from more than 2600 years ago, day by day, have been proven correct. Until now, surely anyone who wants to find his true peace has to find a true religion to practice.
However, the fact is that not all people can find true beliefs at the beginning. Maybe they find many false teachings before finding the truth. Also, some cannot find the truth until they find their end.
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