What Do Buddhists Believe?
Category: Buddhist Path | Recent Meditation Posts
In Buddhism, dharma is the Sanskrit term used to describe the teachings of the Buddha. The word dharma also describes reality itself and the way in which we relate to it. When we adopt a wise view, all that we see, hear and experience becomes the dharma, a sacred teaching.
Buddhist Belief in Reincarnation
The belief in reincarnation, that all things die and are born again, is central to a wise Buddhist view. We live in a cyclic existence, which Buddhists call samara. This present moment is the result of our past actions, including what we’ve said and done and how we think. By changing what we think, say and do, we can bring about a new experience of this present moment. This can feel like being reborn into a brand new life.
To begin to make sense of the concept of reincarnation we can look back and see that even in this life, we have seemingly led many lives. As our understanding of reality has evolved, so too has our experience. The belief in rebirth is what makes enlightenment possible. At any moment, we could be reborn as an enlightened being. Whether or not this occurs is entirely dependent on our karma and exertion on the path.
Buddhist Belief in Karma
Karma is a foundational Buddhist belief that forms the basis for the belief in reincarnation. Often misunderstood in the Western world, the law of karma is a law of cause and effect, but applied to mental processes not just the material world. Karma makes enlightenment possible. In simple terms, karma describes how negative actions lead to negative results, while positive actions lead to positive results. Partake in positive action, and the positive seed you’ve planted can ripen in your next life, in this life, or in the very next moment.
There is great depth to the mystery of karma. Understanding karma helps us understand what drives our rebirth into any one of the six realms of existence. Here in the human realm, we have a very special opportunity to intentionally change our karma. Ultimately, by adopting a wise view and living in alignment with it, we can free ourselves from karma and the cycle of samsara entirely.
What Buddhists Believe About Samsara & Nirvana
For Buddhists, samsara and nirvana are two sides of the same coin. Which one we feel we live in, at any given moment, is the result of our karma, which drives our worldview. Nirvana is not a separate place we can travel to, it is here with us now. Sometimes translated as ‘extinction,’ nirvana is the experience of the cessation of suffering. Buddhists believe nirvana exists based on past glimpses of insight, moments of awakened clarity without suffering.
With Buddhist practice, we can stabilize the mind – and the worldview – that makes us capable of realizing nirvana. No longer just experiencing accidental glimpses, we can live in nirvana full-time. This is the promise of the Buddha’s teaching of the four noble truths. Because suffering has a karmic cause, the end of suffering also has a cause.
The Buddhist Worldview
A wise worldview includes an understanding of karma, reincarnation, samsara and nirvana. It also includes the four seals of dharma, otherwise known as four truths about reality. These four are that (1) all things are impermanent, (2) that impermanence is suffering, (3) that things are empty of self-existence, and (4) that only nirvana is bliss. We arrive at these truths, or insights, by practicing mindfulness and awareness meditation. Buddhists believe in these truths because they have personally observed them. The profound, experiential insight of right view is referred to as wisdom.
