Good Question, Good Answer By Bhikkhu Shravasti Dhammika

What Is Buddhism?
         The name Buddhism comes from the word 'budhi' which means 'to wake up' and thus Buddhism is the philosophy of awakening.  This philosophy has its origins in the experience of the man Siddhartha Gotama, known as the Buddha, who was himself awakened at the age of 35. Buddhism is now 2,500 years old and has about 300 million followers worldwide.  Until a hundred years ago Buddhism was mainly an Asian philosophy but increasingly it is gaining adherents in Europe, Australia and America.

So Buddhism is just a philosophy?
The word philosophy comes from two words 憄hilo

I see...I thought that the BUddhist thought that he is, then I guess that I'm wrong....so who is then the Buddhists' God? The one that they worship and pray....and maybe the one that Buddha himself worship?

Sephiroth

by simplelife

The one that they worship and pray....and maybe the one that Buddha himself worship?  

Buddha is silence when asked whether God exists or not. To him, it is not necessary for you to know whether God exists or not, all that is necessary is for you to live a proper life.

Knowing possibilities that God exists don't bring you faith.
Having faith not necessary means you have proof God exists or not. :no:

Originally posted by simplelife at 9-12-2005 07:35 AM
I see...I thought that the BUddhist thought that he is, then I guess that I'm wrong....so who is then the Buddhists' God? The one that they worship and pray....and maybe the one that Buddha himself ...

When Buddha attained  Enlightenment, he said only the Dhamma (Truth) is worthy of honour and praise.

Buddhists don't believe in creator or a almighty god.
we respect those devas but deves are not our refuge.
we take refuge in Buddha, Dhamma(Truth) and Sangha(Holy Order)
So, we honour the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha.

In Bhuridatta Jataka:

I count you Brahma one th'unjust among,
Who made a world in which to shelter wrong.

But I have heard people say that Buddhists worship idols.
  
Such statements only reflect the misunderstanding of the persons who make them. The dictionary defines an idol as "an image or statue worshipped as a god". As we have seen, Buddhist do not believe that the Buddha was a god, so how could they possibly believe that a piece of wood or metal is a god? All religions use symbols to express various concepts. In Taoism, the ying-yang is used to symbolise the harmony between opposites. In Sikhism, the sword is used to symbolise spiritual struggle. In Christianity, the fish is used to symbolise his sacrifice. And in Buddhism, the statue of the Buddha also reminds us of the human dimension in Buddhist teaching, the fact that Buddhism is man-centred, not god-centred, that we must look within not without to find perfection and understanding. So to say that Buddhist worship idols is not correct.

Why do people burn paper money and do all kinds of strange things in Buddhist temples?   
Many things seem strange to us when we don't understand them. Rather than dismiss such things as strange, we should strive to find their meaning. However, it is true that Buddhist practice sometimes has its origin in popular superstition and misunderstanding rather than the teaching of the Buddha. And such misunderstandings are not found in Buddhism alone, but arise in all religions from time to time. The Buddha taught with clarity and in detail and if some fail to understand fully, the Buddha cannot be blamed.
There is a saying:

If a man suffering from a disease does not seek treatment even when there is a physician at hand, it is not the fault of the physician. In the same way, if a man is oppressed and tormented by the disease of defilements but does not seek the help of the Buddha, that is not the Buddha's fault.

JN 28-9

Nor should Buddhism or any religion be judged by those who don't practise it properly. If you wish to know the true teachings of Buddhism, read the Buddha's words or speak to those who understand them properly.


If Buddhism is so good why are some Buddhist countries poor?   
If by poor you mean economically poor, then it is true that some Buddhist countries are poor. But if by poor you mean a poor quality of life, then perhaps some Buddhist countries are quite rich. America, for example, is an economically rich and powerful country but the crime rate is one of the highest in the world, millions of old people are neglected by their children and die of loneliness in old people's homes, domestic violence and child abuse are major problems. One in three marriages end in divorce, pornography is easily available. Rich in terms of money but perhaps poor in terms of the quality of life. Now if you look at some traditional Buddhist countries you find a very different situation. Parents are honoured and respected by their children, the crime rates are relatively low, divorce and suicide are rare and traditional values like gentleness, generosity, hospitality to strangers, tolerance and respect for others are still strong. Economically backward, but perhaps a higher quality of life than a country like America. But even if we judge Buddhist countries in terms of economics alone, one of the wealthiest and most economically dynamic countries in the world today is Japan where 93% of the population call themselves Buddhist.

alpha

Why do people burn paper money and do all kinds of strange things in Buddhist temples?   

Burning paper money is pratising by chinese folk's religion, nothing related with Buddhism. We must admit nowsaday very hard to distinguish between genuine Buddhism pratice with chinese folk religion pratise among chinese communities in the eyes of others. Those burning paper money temples are NOT GENUINE BUDDHISM temples, at genuine buddhist temples the less it can do is burning a minimum small stick of incense , not those 5 feet height gigantic dragon incense........

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