Breaking Buddhist Stereotypes
Probably one of the more implicit ideas surrounding Buddhism is that it is against any and all forms of violence. This is to go beyond saying that they are passive, which brings up many beliefs, but they are nonresistant and that they would rather die than protect themselves against their attacker. The middle way principle in Buddhism states that killing is never part of a Buddhist’s practice. It is also false that Buddhists are required to be vegetarians.
Fundamentally, Buddhism promotes that Buddhist should strive to do no harm, but it is unavoidable that we have to kill animals humanely to eat them to maintain a healthy population. There is a story in Buddhism about one of Sidartha's previous lives when he was the a captain of ship and on board there was a murderer who Sidartha realized had the intent to kill everyone. Instead of telling the crew this causing them to go into a state of panic and to kill the murderer he had killed the person himself saving the other people from becoming murderers themselves and stopping the negative karma the criminals would’ve brought themselves.
Another reason is important enough and it connects to our wrong perception of what a person who practices Buddhism should look like rather than just what a Buddhist believes. Buddhism is usually represented through people such as D. Teitaro Suzuki and Tenzin Gyatso the 14th Dalai Lama. They are both important monks who have sworn to live a simpler life than many of the other people of Buddhism. To say that you must be a monk to become enlightened isn't true, because everyone is considered a potential Buddha, a universal confirmation of the possibilities that we all have. There is a school that was later created in Buddhism called The Vajrayana which states that in order to become enlightened in one lifetime you must become a monk. But beyond that like all of the other schools of Buddhism you may only make progress towards enlightenment with sincere practice, not just ascetic discipline such as shaving your head and meditating for many hours.
Another very popular stereotype is that Buddhists worship Sidartha Guatama, but it is untrue. Buddhists never have worshipped Siddhartha Gautama as if he is the one who will bring you salvation. The closest you can come to this is in a type of Buddhism called Pure Land Buddhism where you recite a mantra and your karma will be cleaned. The statues of Buddha do not promote worship of idols anymore than a statue of Beethoven on your piano means that you think that he deserves piano devotionals. It serves to make someone remember all the good that a person did in their life and with that memory, one may seek to copy that person in their lives as well. That is what monks would explain to you in having a depiction of Sidartha in their temple. Christians do not worship the cross, they worship who had died on it and the symbol that the item represents to them. Likewise, Buddhists do not worship the creator of their religion but they hold him in high regard as an example of what they should be like.
(. N.p.. Web. 17 Dec 2012. <toholdnothing.blogspot.com/2011/12/breaking-buddhist-stereotypes.html>.)
Fundamentally, Buddhism promotes that Buddhist should strive to do no harm, but it is unavoidable that we have to kill animals humanely to eat them to maintain a healthy population. There is a story in Buddhism about one of Sidartha's previous lives when he was the a captain of ship and on board there was a murderer who Sidartha realized had the intent to kill everyone. Instead of telling the crew this causing them to go into a state of panic and to kill the murderer he had killed the person himself saving the other people from becoming murderers themselves and stopping the negative karma the criminals would’ve brought themselves.
Another reason is important enough and it connects to our wrong perception of what a person who practices Buddhism should look like rather than just what a Buddhist believes. Buddhism is usually represented through people such as D. Teitaro Suzuki and Tenzin Gyatso the 14th Dalai Lama. They are both important monks who have sworn to live a simpler life than many of the other people of Buddhism. To say that you must be a monk to become enlightened isn't true, because everyone is considered a potential Buddha, a universal confirmation of the possibilities that we all have. There is a school that was later created in Buddhism called The Vajrayana which states that in order to become enlightened in one lifetime you must become a monk. But beyond that like all of the other schools of Buddhism you may only make progress towards enlightenment with sincere practice, not just ascetic discipline such as shaving your head and meditating for many hours.
Another very popular stereotype is that Buddhists worship Sidartha Guatama, but it is untrue. Buddhists never have worshipped Siddhartha Gautama as if he is the one who will bring you salvation. The closest you can come to this is in a type of Buddhism called Pure Land Buddhism where you recite a mantra and your karma will be cleaned. The statues of Buddha do not promote worship of idols anymore than a statue of Beethoven on your piano means that you think that he deserves piano devotionals. It serves to make someone remember all the good that a person did in their life and with that memory, one may seek to copy that person in their lives as well. That is what monks would explain to you in having a depiction of Sidartha in their temple. Christians do not worship the cross, they worship who had died on it and the symbol that the item represents to them. Likewise, Buddhists do not worship the creator of their religion but they hold him in high regard as an example of what they should be like.
(. N.p.. Web. 17 Dec 2012. <toholdnothing.blogspot.com/2011/12/breaking-buddhist-stereotypes.html>.)