Religion IV - World Religion Apologetics C.J. Marcello 3/12/12 Apologetic Answer 1: 2.

Buddhism Buddhism was found two and a half thousand years ago by Buddha Shakyamuni. Over 300 million people are Buddhist, and it is a philosophy that is becoming more and more popular in western countries. Buddhist teachings work to find are spiritual teachings that work to find the root and cause of human pain and suffering, and they work to eliminate it. Buddha taught methods of overcoming our own negative actions and emotions, such as anger, jealousy, and ignorance. He also taught ways to develop love, compassion, and wisdom; with this, his people achieve lasting peace and happiness. In Buddhism, one will Meditate in order to achieve peaceful mental states. Meditation is the most powerful type of mental action one can engage in, according to Buddhists. On first finds their negative mental states, delusions, and then learns to achieve positive mental states, virtuous minds. If one can fully eliminate their negative mental states, and get away from their evil influences, they can achieve a state of enlightenment: Having attained enlightenment we shall have all the necessary qualities to lead all living beings to the same blissful state. This is the ultimate aim of Mahayana Buddhism. (meditationmadison.org). Buddhism is more of a mental state, or a philosophy; it does not follow the labels of Christian or Jewish. It is a philosophy that finds that it can work with other religions. Both Catholicism and Buddhism work to rid ourselves of our negative influences, and we look for the positive aspects of life. Both religions are based off of the teachings of another person: Jesus (therefore the trinity) and Buddha. Both of these religions work to find peace within ourselves and with the world. Buddhists do not believe in a god, unlike Catholics, who believe in the trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As a Buddhist, it is still okay to believe in a god, but within this philosophy, there is no god they worship. The Buddhists meditation is similar to our prayer, yet meditation is more of a realization about yourself, only with yourself, while a prayer is thanking God, asking for forgiveness, or having a petition. When one obtains enlightenment, it is a personal experience about achieving a full blissful state, while for Catholics, their version is Salvation, which one can only obtain with the graces of God.

http://meditationinmadison.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=91&Itemid=115 http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/5minbud.htm