Buddhism


Many people often missunderstand about the God of buddhism. yes we have God but it is not considered as creator, controller of life. in buddhism there is heaven and heaven do contain God. God can be considered as commender or captain of a ship. in buddhism there are many forms of heaven and different God are in position in different sectors. inside the heaven their are also divisions. some are higher some lower. yes buddhist belive there are God of life and death, and so and so. but they don't control our life. only we control ourselves. whatever we do is the result of our previous act, sin or merit. they there to assist you or implement your result or oversea the heaven or other relms. Now the question is where is lord buddha?. LORD BUDDHA is at the top level of heaven. he is the supreme power. above all the God. he has attained the most respectable position where the other Gods can't reach.
In the Buddhist viewpoint, there are 6 different realms we can be reborn into. And beings in each of these states has different degrees of happiness and suffering. These realms are namely:
The Upper Realms The Lower Realms
Gods
Humans
Demi-Gods (Asuras)
Hungry Ghosts
Animals
Hell Beings
These Realms represents 6 different states of existence. Though some cannot be readily seen, they can be experienced. These 6 realms also represent 6 different states of mind a person might continually go through.

Gods

It is important to note that in Buddhism, gods are not beings that control or intervene in our daily lives. Rather, they are beings who experience a great deal of happiness as life goes on smoothly for a long time with absence of general suffering. However, this state is only temporal. We all, at one time or other, have had such an experience. When "everything" goes our way, as we wish, we are experiencing a state very similar to the gods.

Demi-Gods (Asuras)

These are beings who are constantly in an aggressive or competitive state of mind. They have great wealth, yet they are always reaching out, striving for more. In our modern world many of us are not unlike them. We live a generally high standard of life. Yet, we are constantly seeking and reaching out for more endlessly.

Human Beings

In this state we experience a mix of happiness and suffering. It is also in this state that we are able to attain Buddhahood. Thus a Buddhist would strive not to be born as a god but as a human, as it is as a human that we are most able to best practice the Dharma.

Animals

The most powerful force acting on animals is ignorance. They are guided mainly by instincts where the preoccupying thoughts are food, sex and material comfort. Many of us have had experiences when craving for food or sex is so strong that we do things that we might regret later. A person who is too preoccupied by these thoughts is thus somewhat bestial or animal in nature.

Hungry Ghosts

In the ghost realm, beings are in a state of neurotic desire, and not having them fulfilled. They are always filled with great hunger or thirst. We have often seen people in less fortunate nations in great hunger due to drought or war. Their living is not unlike beings in the ghost realm. Closer to home, many people experience neurotic craving for relationships and cause great pain to both parties.

Hell Beings

These beings, of all the realms, are the ones suffering from the most pain. These beings suffer from constant acute physical and mental pain. These descriptions fit the details of the ways in which many prisoners-of-war have been tortured.
In all the various schools of Buddhism, there are many similarities that we can find. These form nothing less than the essence of the Buddha's teachings.


Buddhism does not take its starting point from grand questions like "Who made this world?", or "What happens to us after death?" It is not concerned with proving the existence of a God or gods. Rather, it is more interested in down to earth facts, about everyone of us wanting to be truly happy. Thus, foremost in the Buddha's teachings are The 4 Noble Truths. It is in these Truths that we find the reasons and motivations for practising the Dharma.
The 1st Noble Truth: There are many dissatisfactions in our life.
The first impression people get from a statement like that is that is it is very pessimistic! It is important to note that the Buddha is not saying that there is only dissatisfaction in life. He is just describing what, precisely, is problematic.

The 2nd Noble Truth: There is a cause to these dissatisfactions.
The 2nd Noble Truth tells us about the causes of these dissatisfactions. Craving and Aversion (Greed and Hatred). It is the dissatisfaction with the present that we want to reach out for something else out of Ignorance. We are thus never truly at peace.

The 3rd Noble Truth: There is a way out of these dissatisfactions.
There is a way out of suffering- this is the reason why Buddhism exists! In Buddhism, we call this state, the complete end of suffering, Nirvana. It is the goal of all Buddhists. The next Noble Truth tell us how to reach this state,

The 4th Noble Truth: The Noble 8 Foldpath.
The 4th Noble Truth provides us with a path and teaches us what practical steps to take in order to attain Nirvana.

The Noble Eightfold Path can be divided
into 3 different sections, the 3-Fold Learning:

Good Conduct
Buddhist ethics is not a rigid moral code. Nor are they about making judgements and arousing guilt. Rather, Buddhists try to be aware of a particular failing and resolves to do better, striving diligently to live up to Good Conduct.

Right Speech is about not telling lies, avoiding harsh speech, slandering and back-biting. Generally it is about not using our speech faculties in harmful and unproductive ways.

Right Action deals with our behaviour. To live a life where our actions are conducive to the happiness of ourselves and those around us. A lay person may, as part of their commitment to the Buddha's Way,observe the Five Precepts.

Right Livelihood. A good Buddhist does not compromises his integrity by becoming involved in any activities that harm other people, animals or the environment.

Mental Development
Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration bring us fully into the heart of meditation. Meditation is a gradual process of training the Mind to focus on a single object and to remain fixed upon that object without wavering. Constant practice of meditation helps us to develop a calm and concentrated mind. It is important to note that one needs a qualified teacher to guide one when one begins meditation.

Right Effort is required if we are to advance steadily on the spiritual path. It is important to note that spending too much energy, like using too little energy, can also be counter-productive.

Wisdom
Right Understanding refers to the need to understand, both in theory and practice, the Buddha's teachings, testing them against our experiences. Only then can sound faith and confidence arise.

Right Thought is that which motivates our practice- the right reasons. Practice is not for acquiring greater power or wealth, but to advance on the Buddha's path towards Enlightenment and True Happiness for one and all.