Important Characteristics of Buddhism

The following points are some of the unique characteristics of Buddhist teaching, not specifically teachings in themselves, but qualities that set them apart from other spiritual traditions. As characteristics they all permeate the essential teachings of the Buddha.


1. Addressing the actual problem.
2. Verification through personal experience.
3. The teachings are a means to an end.
4. Targets the root.
5. For all beings.
6. No god, no supreme being.
7. Personal responsibility - It’s up to us.



1. Addressing the actual problem

The primary focus of Buddhist practise is to solve the problem of our suffering, or in other words, the problem of finding lasting peace, contentment and happiness.

There are endless areas of knowledge and things to do and experience in the world, but the Buddha taught only what we need to do to achieve complete freedom from suffering. This is because, for example, we can so easily get caught up with elaborate and abstract ideas and concepts, but if they do not relate to the immediate problem at hand, i.e. how to actually overcome our suffering and find lasting happiness, then they are considered to be of no real spiritual value.

The Arrow Parable

A man lies dying with a poisoned arrow in his side, but rather than removing the arrow immediately before he dies, he wants to know who shot the arrow, whether the person was tall or short, where they are from, what kind of bow was used, the kind of string used for the bow etc.

The arrow represents our present state of suffering, and while we trouble ourselves with endless questions about this and that, our life slips away and we get no nearer to solving the problem of our suffering.

(Calumalunka Sutta, MN63)
The Arrow Parable


A Handful of Leaves

When being questioned about the intricate workings of the universe by some of his followers, the Buddha picks up a handful of leaves and compares the knowledge he gained with his enlightenment to the number of leaves in a great forest, but he explains that what he actually teaches is represented by only this handful of leaves. What he teaches is only what we need to do to reach the same state of enlightenment and complete freedom from suffering for ourselves.

(Simsapa Sutta, SN 56.31)
A Handful of Leaves

2. Verification through personal experience

The Buddha taught that we must test all teachings against our own experience and never simply accept them because the teacher is famous, even a Buddha, or because of tradition, because it is written in scripture or is an elegant theory or concept etc.  In fact, the observation of personal experience is fundamental to Buddhist practise.

Buddhist teachings are something to be practised, they are a tool (see 3), not something to believe in. Blind faith has no place in Buddhism.  The Buddhist path is therefore a very practical spiritual path.

“Just as the goldsmith tests the gold in the fire, so you should test my words.”
- Buddha Shakyamuni. (What is the Dharma, p.11)


“…we need not take on the Dharma in blind faith, or believe it because someone (even the Buddha himself) tells us to believe it, or because it is written in some holy book.” 
- Sangharakshita. (What is the Dharma, p.11)


Kalama sutta, AN 3.65

The people of Kalama are confused with so many spiritual teachings all saying different things. So the Buddha advises them not to accept any teaching based only on reports, legends, traditions, scripture, theories, conjecture or because the teacher is respected. But instead he advises them to accept a teaching only when they know for themselves that it leads to well being, happiness and wisdom.

Kalama Sutta

3. The teachings are a means to an end

The Buddha compared our present state of unhappiness and suffering to standing on the shore of a great expanse of water. On the other shoe is Nirvana, - complete peace, happiness and contentment.
But he was careful to point out that his teachings merely acted like a raft to help us to cross the water and reach the other shore of Nirvana. Once there, we would no longer need the raft and we should discard it for others to use.

In other words the teachings of the Buddha are simply tools to help us see the truth for ourselves. The tools are not the truth, they merely help us experience the truth.

“My Teaching is comparable to a raft for the purpose of crossing over.”
- The Buddha, Alagaddupama Sutta, MN 22


The Buddha said “…the dharma, my teaching, is a means to an end. This is one of the most striking and important of all the Buddha’s teachings; that Buddhism itself, the dharma itself is just a raft.”
- Sangharakshita. (What is the Dharma, p.13)


“The teachings of the Buddha are skilful means; they are not absolute truth.”
- Thich Nhat Hanh. (No Death, No Fear, p.52)


“All the [Buddha’s] teachings are merely similes and comparisons, means to help the mind see the truth.”
- Ajahn Chah. (A Taste of Freedom, p.25)


The Snake Simile

After warning of the dangers of taking hold of his teachings without thoroughly examining the meanings with wisdom, and comparing this to taking hold of a snake in the wrong way, the Buddha then goes to on explain that his teachings are like a raft to help us cross, but should then be abandoned

(Alagaddupama Sutta, MN 22)
Access to Insight

4. Targets the root

(Looks beyond symptoms and seeks out the causes).

Buddhism is a practise that aims to delve deeply into our human experience so that we can begin to see to the roots of our problems and suffering, and how they arise. Unlike our social mindset, which, like modern medical science merely tackles the symptoms of our suffering, Buddhist meditation practise aims to help us keep digging deeper and deeper into the symptoms until we eventually come to their roots. Only once we have deep insight into the root causes of our problems and suffering, to their very nature, can we truly begin to find stable, lasting and long term solutions to them.



5. For all beings

In Buddhism the term “all beings” or “all sentient beings” is commonly used,
and this refers to the fact that all forms of life are considered equal, in that they are all equally deserving of compassion, love, kindness and respect.

The practise of equanimity, compassion and kindness is therefore extended to all beings, from worms to elephants, from mice to human beings, and can even go on to include non sentient forms of life, the Earth, or beings that may exist in other realities or that remain unperceived by us.
It is common for Buddhist practitioners to use the phrase “May all beings be free from suffering” in voicing their feelings of compassion.

This characteristic is quite unique to Buddhism among the major religions of the world, and it may be of particular significance with the effects of climate change and the continued decline in biodiversity.



6. No god, no supreme being

The Buddha was a normal human being who through his own efforts made profound discoveries about life, and reached a state of complete peace and happiness.  The name Buddha simply means one who is awake and is used to describe any person who has reached a state of profound awakening.  Buddhism could therefore be called ‘Awake-ism’.  Siddhartha Gautama is the real name of the man who gave all the teachings that Buddhism is based on.

There is no god in Buddhism or any other supreme all knowing, all judging entity.  In fact, the very idea of a god is very much at odds with many basic Buddhist teachings such as cause and effect (see below).  The foundation of all Buddhist teaching is a natural process or law operating within our universe, not the words of a divine being, and it was this law that the Buddha discovered.

“The way the Buddha taught is freed form the necessity to believe in any supernatural authority. Indeed, when he was asked by what authority he spoke, he cited again and again the law of dependent co-arising; not any entity ruling our world, but the dynamics at work within our world.”
- Joanna Macy. (World as Lover World as Self, p.54)

Because there is no being watching over us, the way out of our problems and suffering is our responsibility. We cannot call for divine assistance and simply hope our prayers will be answered. It actually puts us in control.



7. Personal responsibility - It’s up to us

The fruits of Buddhist practise come only as a result of ones own efforts. No one can do it for you, there is no one to blame, and no one who judges you.

It is only through our own diligence and efforts that any progress can be made on the Buddhist spiritual path. The Buddha made effort and diligence one of the stages on the Noble Eightfold Path, a core part of Buddhist practise (see below).

Personal responsibility also forms the basis of Buddhist ethical practises and how the law of Cause and Effect influences our lives. 

For example, one practises Buddhist ethical precepts, or trainings, not through fear of punishment, but because one understands the effect that harming others has on the mind, the benefits of kindness and compassion, and how the stability and effectiveness of ones meditation practise can be influenced by these things.

It is our sole responsibility to remain aware of our actions, to try to remain skilful by avoiding actions that cause harm to others, and to be mindful of the law of cause and effect and the direct relationship our personal choices and responses have on our own experience of happiness and suffering, and the happiness and well-being of others.

Two Criteria for practise

Buddhadhsasa put forward two criteria by which we can assess our spiritual practise, whatever that may be:

1.  Does it work? Does it reduce suffering and lead to stable and lasting happiness, peace, contentment, well being and the eventual cessation of suffering?

2.  Is it reasonable, logical and verifiable against ones own personal experience, and free of the need to simply ‘believe’ in the words and promises of others.

 

Key Teachings

Dependent Origination
- as applied to:

Four Noble Truths
(plus the Noble Eightfold Path and the Threefold Path)

Three Poisons

Three Marks of Existence (or Dharma Seals)