Table of contents

Professional Denise Cush is Emeritus Professor of Religion and Education at Bath Spa University, having retired after 29 years there in 2015. Her roles during this time included leading and teaching Study […]

Even if you do not know much about Buddhism, you will have some existing preconceptions. It is interesting to stop and think what these are and from where they have come. Are […]

Students and teachers alike find it difficult remembering all the non-English words used in books and other resources on Buddhism. It is also hard to know how to pronounce them. Some of […]

One way of answering ‘what is Buddhism?’ would be to say that Buddhism is one of largest and most influential religious traditions in the world, sharing with Christianity and Islam the vision […]

The easiest answer to the question of who is a Buddhist is anyone who identifies as such. We might however query this statement if the beliefs, values and behaviour of the person […]

Most textbooks would say that Buddhism began about 2,500 years ago in India with the teaching of a man who became known as ‘the Buddha’ (‘the enlightened one’), in other words, the […]

The headings in this essay are derived from the six ‘Big Ideas’ (Wintersgill ed. 2017, Wintersgill et al, 2019) and the Commission on RE’s National Entitlement (CoRE 2018). This introductory section for […]

The Dalai Lama tends to start by talking about the importance of kindness. Another starting point would be the quest for happiness. Peggy Morgan also suggested starting with rainbows and impermanence with […]

As argued in the Introduction, there is no fixed monolithic entity called Buddhism. Rather, like other traditions, it is diverse, particularly so having had such a long history and wide geographical spread […]

Matters of central importance, human nature and destiny, reality, the natural world and ultimate questions (Big Idea 6; NE 1 and 6) This section looks at the Buddhist worldview(s) in a narrower […]

a) Human nature As Buddhism is not centred on God, it seems best to start with the human condition and potential. Human nature is viewed in both negative and positive ways, and […]

Compared with the crucial teaching on human nature and destiny and the need to get on with it, other big ontological and metaphysical questions are secondary in Buddhism and even get in […]

The word Buddha ‘enlightened one’ can have different meanings. In Theravada Buddhism it refers predominantly to the historical person who lived roughly 2,500 years ago, but also to the rare enlightened beings […]

Prescientific Indian cosmology was much more complex than prescientific ideas in the West. As well as many lives, there are many worlds. Theravada cosmology describes 31 levels to the universe in three […]

The historical Buddha refused to answer many traditional ontological questions, or enter into many of the philosophical debates current at the time as they were distractions from the urgent task of saving […]

The accounts of how and why the world and human life within it is as it is were developed in religious/philosophical traditions such as Buddhism long before the development of modern scientific […]

One of the earliest accounts of the (historical) Buddha’s life tells that the newly enlightened Buddha did not immediately set out to share his discovery with others because of the great difficulty […]

Stories have always been an effective way of explaining and expressing teachings, and can often do this in more subtle, memorable and existentially challenging ways than recounting facts. The historical Buddha, the […]

If it is hard to express truth in plain words, as well as stories, pictures can help. Buddhist art includes images (statues and paintings) of Buddha(s) and bodhisattvas, stupas and temples, symbols, […]

The attempt to be a good, kind, compassionate person is of central importance to the Buddhist way of life in all forms of Buddhism, and for both monastics and lay people. Morality […]

In Theravada tradition, Buddhist morality is summed up in the Five Precepts. It is important to note that these are not commands to obey, but disciplines undertaken, an individual choice: to refrain […]

The historical Buddha taught both those willing to completely renounce ordinary life and join his community of monks and nuns (the sangha) and also those from all walks of life who were […]

Guidance for those who choose to renounce the world and dedicate their lives fulltime to Buddhist practice are far more stringent, requiring more self-discipline and asceticism. In Theravada, novice monks, or those […]

There is no one ‘Buddhist’ view on any moral issue, anymore than one ‘Christian’ or ‘Pagan’ view. There is only space here to indicate some Buddhist perspectives on some controversial moral issues. […]

Monastics renounce sexual activity as it involves one of the strongest desires keeping beings in samsara, but also because it is associated with the distraction of family life, paid work and responsibilities. […]

The use of intoxicants is against the fifth precept, and given that the lack of a clear mind is one of the most fundamental problems with human flourishing according to Buddhism, it […]

Human rights All sentient beings are capable of reaching nirvana or Buddhahood so deserve respect and compassion, but human life is precious as the best placed for spiritual progress. Thus all human […]

On the one hand, Buddhist traditions can be seen as environmentally friendly. The precept against harming living beings, the simple life of monastics living with little consumption of resources, many of the […]

Buddhists who prioritise practical action to reduce suffering, whether in environmental, peace, social justice, relieving poverty, equality, and human rights have been given the label ‘Engaged’ or ‘Socially Engaged’ Buddhists, to counter […]

If looking for examples of living a good life according to Buddhist traditions, these could include the historical Buddha himself, some of his notable disciples, or King (or Emperor) Ashoka who conquered […]

A strong case can be made that making sense of life’s experiences is the central concern of the Buddhist tradition. The historical Buddha taught the Kalama people that they should not accept […]

Meditation, or cultivation of the mind, is very important in Buddhism, as a mind that is deluded and unable to see clearly or think straight is a major part of the human […]

Sometimes contrasted with the kinds of experience found in meditation is the more emotional experience found in devotional practices. In Theravada, the first tends to be more associated with monastics and the […]

Calendar events also serve to intensify Buddhist emotions and experience, and are opportunities to remember Buddhist teaching. The festival calendar varies in different Buddhist traditions and countries, and bound up with national […]

Some modern and contemporary Buddhists play down the importance of pilgrimage, and it is certainly not of central importance. However, visiting place associated with the historical Buddha or other important events or […]

In one sense, ceremonies marking birth, adulthood, or marriage are seen as purely worldly activities, not relevant to the spiritual pursuit, and so monastics are rarely involved. Having said that, there are […]

This section looks at Buddhism as a social phenomenon, rather than a set of ideas about life, an individual spiritual path, an ethical way of life, or a number of diverse literary […]

The majority of adherents of most religions are not so because they have from some (impossible) neutral starting point debated the key ideas intellectually and decided to agree, but because they were […]

Although Buddhists may stress the authority of individual experience, there are nevertheless other sources of authority in Buddhism as an institution (or institutions). The historical Buddha, and even more so his teaching, […]

During the life of the Buddha, local kings and leading citizens became important supporters and sponsored the new community.  In spreading Buddhism throughout India, and beyond, the Emperor Ashoka played an important […]

As noted earlier, there is great diversity within what is labelled ‘Buddhism’, especially as it spread to so many different countries and cultures. Cultural contexts led to the development of different ways […]

The historical Buddha lived in a time when many different religious and non-religious teachers and teachings were around, both the more official practices of the Brahmin priests and the many new ideas […]

This essay has only been able to outline some features and aspects of what might be labelled Buddhism. When seeking to learn more, it is important to use a variety of sources […]

Some of the many ‘insider’ sources https://www.sakyadhita.org/ https://www.nbo.org.uk https://www.accesstoinsight.org/ http://www.buddhanet.net/ https://www.lionsroar.com/ https://tricycle.org/ https://stupa.org.au/ https://windowsintobuddhism.com/ Wikipedia – among many other useful articles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_and_sexual_orientationOther http://www.arcworld.org

One volume introductions to Buddhism – beginnersHarris, E. (ed.) 2020. Buddhism in 5 Minutes. Sheffield: Equinox (forthcoming).(including Cush, D. ‘Is Buddhism a Religion?’)Cush, D. 1990. Buddhists in Britain Today. London: Hodder & […]