What is Buddhism?

  
The founder of Buddhism is neither a deity nor a prophet, but a man who had awakened from ignorance to Total Enlightenment. His name, The Buddha, is in fact a title meaning "The Enlightened One". The Buddha's teaching, known to his followers as the Dharma, is taught on the basis of his own clear comprehension of reality, free from appeals to divine authority and demands for unquestioning faith. Open to reason and critical inquiry, the Dharma calls out for personal verification.

The teaching begins with the observation that human life is beset by a sense of dissatisfaction and suffering, and that the cause for this predicament is self centered craving and attachment. What then follows is the affirmation that this suffering can be totally overcome. Hence liberation from suffering is the goal of the teaching and a path of practice has been laid down as the way to this liberation.

Buddhism offers, as integral to its path, a profound philosophy, an intricate analysis of the mind, lofty ethics and well-tested methods of meditation. The fruits of the Buddhist Way show in serene understanding, in kindness and compassion towards others, and in equanimity amidst the vicissitudes of life. Free from dogma, emphasizing personal responsibility as the key to right conduct and direct experience as the key to truth, Buddhism has an important role to play in the modern world.                 - www.beyondthenet.net