Buddhism

Buddhism


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"You have not said one thing that can be verified so why would anyone with an inquiring, critically thinking mind believe your mysticism?"
Buddhism is verifiable.
Buddhism says that all human beings are evil and consequently the world after death is hell.
That is verifiable.

Every person believes oneself to be good and virtuous, but that is a mistake, a delusion, a false belief.
In order to see your true self, Buddhism urges people to believe in the Principle of Cause and Effect and do good deeds.
If you really are a good and virtuous person, you should be able to do good and virtuous deeds.

The more you try to be good, the more you realize you are evil.
The more you try to be altruistic, the more you realize you are selfish.
The more you try to be grateful, the more you realize you are ungrateful.
The more you try to be nice and kind and gentle, the more you realize you are rude and angry and resentful.

The more you try to be sincere, the more you have to lie.
Your mouth says "what a cute little kid", your mind thinks "what an ugly brat!".
Your mouth says "thank you", your mind thinks "you just did your obligation".
Your mouth says "I feel sorry for you", your mind thinks "you are just getting what you deserve".

In Buddhism this is called
心口各異 (shin ku kaku i)
言念無実 (gon nen mujitsu)
心(shin) is mind.
口(ku) is mouth
異(i) is different.
言(gon) is to say.
念(nen) is to think
無実 (mujitsu) is no truth.
The mind and mouth act differently, and there is no truth in either words or thoughts.

By earnestly trying to be good and virtuous you realize you are evil.
Finally you realize the world after death is hell.
You will be able to see clearly the world after death.
If you are a good person, the world after death is heaven.
If you are an evil person, the word after death is hell.

The world after death is a world you yourself are creating with your own actions in the present.
By looking at the present you can see the future.
The future is the result of the present.
If you look at your own soul, you will be able to see the world after death.
If you sow seeds of tomato, you will reap tomatos.
If you sow seeds of potato, you will reap potatos.
If you know what you are sowing, you will know what you will reap.

The moment you see clearly the world after death, you are saved by 阿弥陀部(amidabutsu) and achieve Absolute Happiness.

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What is happiness?

Every living being in the universe is looking for happiness. Nobody wants to suffer.  So we can say that the purpose of life is happiness.
Buddhism says there are 2 kinds of happiness: relative happines and absolute hapiness.
Relative happiness is what most people usually think as happiness: money, fortune, social status, power, good health, youth, good looks, family, friends, etc.
But relative happiness is not a true happiness because it is always accompanied with fear, with insecurity.
The fear of not knowing what is going to happen in the future.
In Buddhism this is called 諸行無常 (shogyō mujō).
諸行 (shogyō) means "all things in this world".
無常 (mujō) means "inconstancy".
Everything in this world is continously changing. Nothing remains the same, nothing is permanent, constant or ever-lasting.
Sooner or later relative happiness is destroyed, disappears, fades away, turns into suffering.
Heathy people become sick, beautiful people become ugly, young people become old.
Money, fortune and properties can be stolen, burned and destroyed.
Family and friends can die suddenly in terrrible accidents.
It is impossible to be truly satisfied with this kind of happiness.
Relative happiness is always tainted with the fear of losing it.
The constant fear of not knowing what is going to happen in the future.

True Happiness needs to be something absolutely permanent and ever-lasting, something that cannot be taken away, not even by death itself. True Happiness needs to give us complete security and absolute satisfaction, without any trace of fear.

Buddhism calls it Absolute Happiness, and it can be obtained through the salvation by Buddha Amida.
Kentetsu Takamori in his book こんなことが知りたい 2 says:

　では絶対の幸福とは何か、結論を急ぎましょう。
この場合、絶対というのは、無上、最高不二という意味と、どんな事態が起きても壊れない安心、満足、喜びということです。
　最悪の死に直面しても変わらぬ安心、満足の境地をいうのです。死に直面しても変わらないものならば、その他の障害によって動乱することは毛頭ありませんから、何時でも何処でも満足一杯、喜び一杯、安心し切って明るい生活ができるようになり、人生の醍醐味を心ゆくまで味わうことができるようになるのです。
"Absolute Happiness means supreme, highest, incomparable happiness in the universe.
It is security, satisfaction, joy that can never be destroyed, no matter what happens.
It cannot be destroyed even the at the face of death, the worst situation ever.
Since not even death can destroy the Absolute Hapiness, all other sufferings become insignificant. You can have a bright life, with full satisfaction, full pleasure, completely safe, anywhere, anytime, enjoy life to its fullest."

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What happens after death?

In the sutra 大無量寿経 (daimuryōju kyō) it is written:
一切衆生 必堕無間 (issai shujō hitsuda muken)
All human beings will inevitably fall to hell.

一切衆生(issai shujo) means all human beings.
必 (hitsu) means "inevitably".
無間(muken) is short for 無間地獄 (muken jigoku), which is translated as "hell".
無間(muken) also means "incessantly", "non-stop", "continously".
無間地獄 (muken jigoku) is the worst of all hells, where suffering continues without interruption.

This is also called 後生の一大事 (goshō no ichidaiji).
後生(goshō) means after death.
一大事 (ichidaiji) means a serious affair, a grave matter.

親鸞聖人 (Shinran Shōnin) says:
念仏誹謗の有情は、阿鼻地獄に堕在して、八万劫中大苦悩、ひまなく受くとぞ、説きたまう
nenbutsu hibō no ujō wa, abi jigoku ni dazai shite, hachiman kō chū dai kunō, hima naku uku tozo, toki tamau.

念仏誹謗の有情(nenbutsu hibō no ujō) are people not saved by 阿弥陀仏(amidabutsu).
阿鼻地獄 (abi jigoku) is another name for 無間地獄(muken jigoku).
八万劫(hachiman kō) means 80,000 kalpas.
大苦悩 (dai kunō) means great suffering.

People not saved by buddha Amida, after death will fall to hell and suffer immensely for 80,000 kalpas. One kalpa is 5,670,000,000 years.

In Buddhism, people who keep repeating the cycle of birth and death are called 生死 (shōji).
生 means birth. 死 means death. We have to keep repeating the reincarnation cycle in the 6 worlds of suffering.
The 6 worlds of suffering are:
人間界 (ningenkai) the world of human beings
修羅界 (shūrakai) the world of war
地獄界 (jigokukai) the world of hell
天上界 (tenjōkai) the world of celestial beings
餓鬼界 (gakikai) the world of hunger
畜生界 (chikushōkai) the world of animals
The cycle of reincarnation is called 流転輪廻(ruten rinne) or 六道輪廻(rokudō rinnne).
Buddhas are people who are free from the cycle of reincarnation, they live forever because they don't die anymore.

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Why should we not commit suicide?
Why should we not commit murder?
Why should doctors treat patients?
Why should we care for the old and disabled?

Because the afterlife is hell.

All those questions have exactly the same answer.
People who commit suicide are throwing themselves to hell.
Killing another human being is the same as sending this person to hell.
Doctors literally save patients by not letting them fall to hell.
We have to care for the old and disabled even when they cannot work and contribute to society, so they don't die and don't fall to hell.

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The cause of suffering is death. Or more exactly the 後生の一大事.
Of all kinds of suffering there is nothing worse than dying. People may say they are afraid of nuclear wars, earthquakes, hurricanes, diseases, tsunamis, but what they are really afraid of is dying.
Everything we do in our daily lives is try to prevent death. We are afraid of losing our jobs because of the prospect of not having money to buy food.
People take drugs, drink or watch TV to forget about the future, because the only sure thing about the future is death.
Buddhism teaches us how to defeat death.

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Who is buddha Siddhartha?

Buddha Siddhartha was born in India, as prince Siddhartha Gautama, approximately 2,600 years ago, son of king 浄飯 (Jōbon) and queen Maya.
At the age of 19 he married princess Yashodara.
The following year his son 羅睺羅 (Ragora) was born.
From birth he had everything most people are looking for.
He was a prince, soon to be king.
He was rich, powerful, young, intelligent, handsome, physically strong, with wife and a son, respected by his country, loved by his family.
He had a harem of 500 women.
He had 4 palaces, one for each season of the year.
And yet, in spite of all the luxury and comfort, he was not happy.
His father then asked why he was not happy.
Prince Siddhartha then replied:
"I have 3 wishes. I want my body to never get sick, never get old, never die."
His father was stunned and said it was impossible.
Not even princes, not even kings can avoid the suffering of disease, the suffering of ageing, the suffering of death.

人生は苦なり (jinsei wa ku nari)
Life is suffering. Life is a series of painful, suffering events.
All humans beings in the world are suffering.

Nobody was born to suffer. We all were born to be happy.
What is the true happiness? Where is the true happiness?
True Happiness needs to be something stronger than disease, stronger than old age, stronger than death.
In order to find True Happiness, prince Siddhartha abandons everything, abandons the title of prince, abandons his family, his money, leaves everything behind to search for True Happiness, until he finds it at the age of 35.

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Are humans evil?

In the sutra 大無量寿経(daimuryōjukyō) it is written:
心常念悪 (shin jō nen naku ) the mind constantly thinks evil
口常言悪 (ku jō gon naku ) the mouth constantly says evil
身常行悪 (shin jō gyō aku ) the body constantly does evil
曽無一善 (zō mu ichi zen ) humans have never done a single good deed

That is the description of every human being on the planet.
Is this an exaggeration? Is this an overstatement?
Don't we sometimes do good deeds like being nice and kind and gentle and offering help to the sick, the poor, the elderly? Are all those actions evil?
No, they are not evil. They are all  good, noble and necessary actions that we all should do.

But from the point of view of Buddhism, they are not true, pure good actions.
It is impossible for human beings to be absolutely altruistic.
Human beings are always expecting something in return.
Humans beings are always trying to satisfy their own selfish desires and interests.
When the retribution doesn't meet their expectations, they get angry, and in their minds they kill the person they were trying to help.

We are always expecting something in return.
We are always expecting some kind of payment.
It is impossible for us to do a truly altruistic act.
A truly altruistic act needs be absolutely free, without expecting anything in return.
The purpose of a truly altuistic act must be solely the happiness of the other person.
A truly altruistic act must not aim one's own selfish interests.
It is impossible for human being to do a truly altruistic act.
Human beings are always trying to satisfy their own selfish desires.
Even when they do apparently altruistic acts, like donations or volunteer work.
They are still expecting the other person to thank them.
And when they don't receive what they expect, when the retribution doesn't meet their expectations, they get angry and kill the other person in their minds. They kill the very person they were trying to help. Because they were not really trying to help the other person. They were just trying to satisfy their own selfish desires.

Human desires are insatiable, impossible to satisfy, endless, infinite, never-ending.
The more you have, the more you want. You always want more and more. It is never enough. It is addictive, it gets worse and worse.
Until finally, human beings will do anything to satisfy their desires, Even lie, steal and kill.

Every day, every day, all over the world in the newspapers, we see husbands killing wives, wives killing husbands, parents killing their own children, children killing their parents, brother killing sisters, sisters killing brothers.

People lie, steal and kill to satisfy their own selfish desires.
They will kill foreigners to protect their country.
They will kill strangers to protect their families.
They will kill their own families to protect their lives.

And yet, nobody lives forever.
No matter what you do, you will die anyway, sooner or later.
You will die if you don't have money. But you will also die even if you had all the money in the world.
You will die if you don't kill your enemy. But you will also die even if you killed all people in the world.
Sooner or later everybody dies.
Killing your enemy will not save you.
Killing your enemy makes no difference.
You will die, no matter if you kill or not.

If you are going to die anyway, why not use your life to save other people?
Why not use your life to help other people?
Why not use your life to make other people happy?
If you are going to die anyway, why not be altruistic, instead of selfish?
If you are going to die anyway, why waste time building nuclear bombs?
What are you trying to protect? Your life? Your life cannot be protected, you are going to die anyway.

Buddhism urges people to do good deeds, so they can see their true self.
The more you try to be good, the more you realize you are evil.
The more you try to be altruistic, the more you realize you are selfish.
The more you try to be grateful, the more you realize you are ungrateful.
The more you try to be nice and kind and gentle, the more you realize you are rude and angry and resentful.

Until finally you realize the world after death is hell.
You will be able to see clearly the world after death.
If you are a good person the world after death is heaven.
If you are an evil person the word after death is hell.

At the moment you lose all hopes of being saved, you are saved by 阿弥陀仏(Amidabutsu) and achieve the Absolute Happiness.

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"In order to save all living beings, Amidabutsu sent all buddhas to teach Buddhism all over the universe." How was this accomplished given the vastness of the Universe?

By reincarnation. Only the soul of a buddha travels to Earth. Once on Earth he is born as a normal human child just like prince Siddhartha in India 2,600 years ago. During his lifetime he reacquires his buddhahood. From this point until his death he teaches Buddhism. After his death his soul returns to the 極楽浄土(gokuraku jōdo), the world of buddha Amida.

The concept of reincarnation appears frequently in Buddhism.
親鸞聖人(Shinran Shōnin) considers 聖徳太子(Shōtoku Taishi or prince Shōtoku) the reincarnation of 観音菩薩 (Kannon Bosatsu).
庄松(Shōma) was considered the reincarnation of 法然上人(Hōnen Shonin).

Shinran Shōnin soon before his death wrote a poem saying he was going to the world of buddha Amida, but he wouldn't stay there. He would soon return to Earth to keep teaching Buddhism, until all humanity were saved.

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Is Buddhism a democracy?

No. Buddhism is not a democracy, never was, never will be.
That is because even when listening to the same lecture or reading  the same book, each person has a different interpretation.
It means that the large majority will be wrong, and only a small minority will be able to understand Buddhism correctly.
That is  why we need to listen to same lecture several times, read the same book several times.
Our interpretation is almost certainly wrong.
The more you study the more you understand. Until finally you are saved by 阿弥陀仏 (Amidabutsu) and can understand Buddhism completely and correctly.

親鸞聖人 (Shinran Shōnin) in his  book 正信偈 (Shōshinge)  wrote:
善導独明仏正意 (zendō doku myō butsu shōi)
善導大師(Zendō Daishi) alone explained Buddhism correctly.

Zendō Daishi is one of the masters of Pure Land Buddhism. He lived in China in the 7th century.
At the time Buddhism was very popular in China and India, and there was a large number of buddhist followers, monks and scholars.
But Shinran Shōnin says that only Zendō Daishi was able to teach Buddhism correctly. Everybody else on the planet was wrong.

知識(chishiki) is a person that teaches Buddhism.
悪知識(akuchishiki) is a person that teaches Buddhism incorrectly.
善知識(zenjishiki) is a person that teaches Buddhism correctly.

It is extremely difficult to find a zenjishiki. Shinran Shōnin mentions only 7 zenjishikis from the time  of buddha Siddhartha until his time in the 12th century.

That is why the vast majority of buddhist sects today are most certainly wrong for the most part.

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I find it hard to believe that you actually said all human beings are evil. I thought Buddha's foundational teaching was the divinity within all Human beings?

The more you realize you are a bad person, the more 懺悔 (sange) you feel.
懺悔 (sange) can be translated as contrition, repentance, compunction, remorse, regret, guilt. It is the acknowledgement of having done something evil and feeling sorry for that.
The more you realize you are evil, the more you can say "I am sorry", the more humble you become.

The more you realize you are evil, the more you can say "thank you".
You feel gratitude when you receive more happiness than you deserve.
When you receive more than you deserve you are in debt, and have to repay.
That is why you say "I owe you", "I am obliged for your kindness", "thank you".
Because you are under the obligation to repay a debt of gratitude.
The more you realize you are evil, the more gratitude you feel.
When you realize you are absolute evil, you feel absolute gratitude.
If you are absolute evil, you deserve nothing, and should be in the most profound hell, suffering the most terrible pain.
And yet you are not in hell, you are on Earth, alive and well.
When you realize you are absolute evil, everything around you becomes a blessing, a source for absolute joy and happiness and gratitude.
When you are saved by 阿弥陀仏 (Amidabutsu) you feel infinite gratitude, infinite contrition and infinite joy.

People who believe themselves to be good feel neither gratitude nor contrition.
When they receive benefits, they feel they deserve more, and instead of being grateful, they complain and demand more.
When they receive suffering, they feel no contrition, because they think they have done nothing wrong, so instead of saying "I am sorry" they will blame other people for their problems.
They end up becoming self-conceited, vain, snobbish, disdainful, arrogant, self-important, haughty, contemptuous, insolent, shameless, angry, unhappy.

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Can you prove the Principle of Cause and Effect?

Do you require proof of the Principle of Cause and Effect? This principle is written in the sutra 因果経 (ingakyō) which is the easiest of all sutras.
Most people, even non-buddhists, already believe in cause and effect.
They believe their actions have consequences.
They believe that if they work hard they will be successful.
They believe that if they study hard they will pass the exams.
They believe that if they exercise hard their bodies will get stronger.
That is why people ask: what should I do (cause) to reach this goal (effect)?
The idea of cause and effect is already ingrained in our everyday lives.
Buddhism expands this idea and says that nothing happens by chance or luck. Every single action has consequences. There is a cause for everything that happens in the universe. Everything that happens in one's life was caused by one's own actions in the past. It was not caused by other people, it was not caused by chance, it was not caused by god or buddha or aliens or government.

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Where does Buddhism get its knowledge?

Buddhism comes from Amidabutsu (阿弥陀仏 or buddha Amida).
Amidabutsu is the supreme buddha in the universe.
On Earth there was only one buddha, buddha Siddhartha born in India 2,600 years ago.
But in this vast universe there are more buddhas than grains of sand in the Ganges river. They are called　恒河沙諸仏 (gōgasha shobutsu)。
恒河 (gōga) means Ganges river.
沙 (sha) is sand.
諸仏 (shobutsu) means "several buddhas".
In order to save all living beings, Amidabutsu sent all buddhas to teach Buddhism all over the universe.
Amidabutsu and all other buddhas will keep teaching Buddhism until all living beings in the universe are saved.
The first buddha to appear on Earth was buddha Siddhartha.
The next buddha to come to Earth will be 弥勒仏 (Mirokubutsu).
Buddha Siddhartha gave lectures on Buddhism since his enlightenment at the age of 35 until his death at the age of 80.
After his death, buddha's disciples wrote the sutras. Each sutra is a literal transcription of one of buddha's lectures. There are more than 7,000 sutras. The sutras are called 一切経 (issaikyō).
The sutras were originally written in ancient Sanskrit.
Some hundreds of years later, all the sutras were copied and brought to China and completely translated to ancient Chinese.
聖徳太子 (Shōtoku Taishi or prince Shōtoku) brought all the sutras from China to Japan at the end of the 6th century.

Besides the sutras there are also books written by zenjishikis.
Zenjishiki (善知識) is person that teaches Buddhism correctly.
According to 親鸞聖人 (Shinran Shōnin) there were only 7 zenjishikis after buddha Siddhartha:
龍樹菩薩 (Ryūju Bosatsu)
天親菩薩(Tenjin Bosatsu)
曇鸞大師 (Donran Daishi)
道綽禅師 (Dōshaku Zenji)
善導大師 (Zendō Daishi)
源信僧都 (Genshin Sōzu)
法然上人 (Hōnen Shōnin)

According to 高森顕徹 (Takamori Kentetsu), the founder of Jōdo Shinshu Shinrankai, the following are also considered zenjishiki:
親鸞聖人 (Shinran Shōnin)
覚如上人 (Kakunyo Shōnin)
蓮如上人 (Rennyo Shōnin)

Pure Land Buddhism is based on the sutras and the books written by the zenjishikis.

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Do buddhists worship Buddha or just follow his principles?

Buddhists worship Amidabutsu (阿弥陀仏 or buddha Amida) in the sense they admire and respect him.
But buddhists don't pray or ask for miracles. Buddhism says that miracles don't exist.
And buddhists also follow the principles taught by Buddhism.

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How will you attain Enlightenment and nirvana?

蓮如上人 (Rennyo Shōnin) said:
仏法は聴聞に極まる　(buppō wa chōmon ni kiwamaru)
The essence of Buddhism is chōmon (聴聞).

Chōmon (聴聞) means to listen to Buddhism from the zenjichiki (善知識).
Zenjichiki is a person who teaches Buddhism correctly.

The only way to be saved by buddha Amida is to listen to lectures of Buddhism.
That is why buddha Siddhartha gave lectures on Buddhism for 45 years, since he became buddha at the age of 35 until his death at the age of 80.
There are more than 7,000 buddhist sutras. Each sutra is a transcription of one of buddha Siddhartha's lectures.
The disciples of buddha were all required to give lectures on Buddhism to as many people as possible, in as many places as possible, as often as possible. Often they would give lectures on the streets.
Buddhist temples were originally built for buddhist lectures.

法然上人 (Hōnen Shōnin) was saved by buddha Amida at the age of 43 after reading all the 7,000 buddhist sutras for 5 times.
親鸞聖人 (Shinran Shōnin) was saved by buddha Amida at the age of 29 after listening to the lectures of Hōnen Shōnin.
蓮如上人 (Rennyo Shōnin) was saved by buddha Amida after reading the books written by Shinran Shōnin.
東條英機 (Tōjō Hideki), the general of the Imperial Japanese Army was saved by buddha Amida in 1948 one day before his execution after listening to one single lecture of Buddhism.

The link to buddha Amida is called 宿善(shukuzen) or 仏縁 (butsuen).
The more you listen to Buddhism, the stronger your shukuzen becomes.

All masters of Buddhism (zenjichiki) dedicated their entire lives to give lectures on Buddhism so people could listen to it and be saved by buddha Amida.

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Could you give us a brief overview of the basic notions of Buddhism?

Buddhism talks about the promise of Buddha Amida.
Buddha Amida is the supreme buddha that has promised to save all mankind to the Absolute Happiness.
Every human being in the world is suffering.
Life is a series of painful events.
There is the suffering of disease, the suffering of aging, the suffering of death.
Fortune, money, power, family, friends, health, youth are all inconstant, ephemerous, impermanent. Nothing lasts forever, everything soon turns to pain and suffering.
And death is the worst of all sufferings.
Death is painful because the world after death is hell.
The future is a continuation of the present. If the present is suffering, the future is also suffering.
In order to defeat death we have to follow the Principle of Cause and Effect, and get to know who we really are.
If you are a good person, the future is heaven.
If you are an evil person, the future is hell.

The Principle of Cause and Effect says that:
- if we do good deeds, we will receive good results,
- if we do bad deeds, we will receive bad results,
- the one who does the deeds is the same one who receives the results.

The more you try to be nice and kind and gentle to other people, the more you realize you are selfish, evil, full of anger and hatred.
The moment you realize your true self, you are saved by Buddha Amida and achieves Absolute Happiness.

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There are several kinds of Buddhism all over the world.
That is because every person has a different interpretation of the buddhist scriptures.
The Buddhism explained here is based on the teachings of Kentetsu Takamori, Shinran Shōnin, Rennyo Shōnin, Hōnen Shōnen and it is usually called Pure Land Buddhism or Jōdo Shinshū.

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I thought souls had no beginnings so how was he "born"?

A soul is not born. Birth and death refers to the physical body, not the soul.

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Why do we have no memory of our past lives, if my soul and yours are eternal and we simply "switch" physical form, if you will, as we die?

Actually we have. In Buddhism the soul is called 阿頼耶識 (arayashiki) and it stores all your actions since an infinite past. Every single thought you had, every single word you said, every single action you did is stored inside your 阿頼耶識.

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Who is Buddha?
Buddha is a person that achieved Absolute Happiness.
All living beings in  the Universe are looking for happiness.
The ones who have achieved it are called buddhas.

Is he God?
No. A buddha is not a god. According to Buddhism, god doesn't exist. God is usually defined as an omnipotent, omniscient creator. Buddhism says such a being doesn't exist.
Nobody created the universe. The universe has always existed since an infinite past and will continue to exist to an infinite future. There is no creator, there is no creation.

Who created Buddhism?
Buddhism was first taught on planet Earth by buddha Siddhartha born in India 2600 years ago.

Because you would have to assume that they teach the same things across all the planets, who was the first person or thing to come up with these teachings?
Buddhism as we know it was first started by buddha Amida. Buddha Amida is the supreme buddha. The only way to become a buddha is by the force of buddha Amida.

Because we cannot remember our past lives, whats the purpose of death? Why do we have no control over death?
In Buddhism, people who keep repeating the cycle of birth and death are called 生死 (shōji). 生 means birth. 死 means death.
The cycle of reincarnation is called 流転輪廻 (ruten rinne) or 六道輪廻 (rokudō rinne).
But people who are saved by buddha Amida are freed from the cycle of reincarnation.
People saved by buddha Amida become buddhas and don't experience the suffering of death ever again.

And does that mean that the supreme buddha is an ordinary man?
No. A buddha is a person that has achieved Absolute Happiness. But all buddhas were once ordinary people before becoming buddhas.
All living beings in the universe are looking for happiness. The ones who have achieved it are called buddhas.

If Buddha Amida is the person who is the creator of the other Buddhas, then is he different from them?
Buddha Amida is not a creator. No buddha was created. Buddha Amida is the supreme buddha because all other buddhas were saved by his power. Buddha Amida is the master of all buddhas. All other buddhas are buddha Amida's disciples.

Where does their soul go when they are freed from reincarnation?
The soul goes to 極楽浄土 (Gokuraku Jōdo), the world of buddha Amida. But a buddha is free to go wherever he wants. He may decide to return to the planet Earth.

-----------
So who is Buddha exactly?

Buddha is a person that achieved Absolute Happiness.
All living beings in  the Universe are looking for happiness.
The ones who have achieved it are called buddhas.

Buddha is a person who achieved the highest level of wisdom.
There are in total 52 levels of wisdom.
The 52nd level of wisdom is called 仏覚 (bukkaku) or level of buddha.
The 51st level of wisdom is called 妙覚 (myōkaku) or 等覚 (tōkaku).

-----------
How does Buddhism explain infants born in Africa that die of hunger?

Jack the Ripper was never arrested, judged or punished.
Hitler was never arrested, judged, or punished.
But Buddhism says they will suffer the consequences of their actions.
If not in this life, it will be in a future life, after death.
Maybe the infant is the reincarnation of Hitler, or Jack the Ripper.

Buddhism says each one of us has an immortal soul that has always existed since an infinite past and will continue to exist to an infinite future. What you do in this life determines what will happen to you after death. What you did in previous lives determines what happens to you in this life.

At the moment of birth we are all different. Some are born rich, other poor, some are beautiful, others are ugly, some are healthy, others are sick, some are born in Japan, others in Europe, some are born in cities, some are born in the middle of a jungle. How to explain such a diversity? Why are we all different at the moment of birth?
Buddhism denies the existence of "chance" or "luck".
Everything that happens in our lives is the result of our own infinite past actions.

--------------
Where does gratitude come from?

Gratitude and contrition come from the realization of oneself being evil.
The more you realize you are evil, the more you can say "I am sorry" and "thank you".

In Buddhism contrition is called 懺悔 (sange).
懺悔 (sange) can be translated as contrition, repentance, compunction, remorse, regret, guilt. It is the acknowledgement of having done something evil and feeling sorry for that.

Gratitude is the realization of receiving undeserved benefits. It is the acknowledgement of not having done anything good to deserve the benefits.
The more you realize you are evil, the more grateful you are for receiving benefits you don't deserve.

When you are saved by buddha Amida, you realize you are the most evil person in the universe. And because of that, your soul is filled with infinite gratitude and contrition.

蓮如上人 (Rennyo Shōnin,  1415 - 1499) said:
悪人を悪人と知らぬ者こそ本当の悪人だ。
"The real evil person is the one who doesn't know he is evil."

An evil person believes oneself to be good.
A good person realizes oneself to be evil.

Kentetsu Takamori tells us the following story in his book 光に向かって:
Once upon a time there was a family that lived in constant fight and their neighbors that lived in perfect harmony.
Tired of so much fight, the father went to the neighbors to ask how they could live in such a harmony.

"That is because the people in my family are all evil. The people in your family are all good,  that is why you keep fighting among yourselves"

"WHAT??" The father was sure he was being mocked, and was about to protest, when they heard a noise in the house. Someone had broken a plate.

"Mom! I am so sorry! I didn't see the plate! I am so clumsy!"

"No,no! It was my fault! I forgot to put it away. I am the sloppy one!"

Mom and daughter kept apologizing to each other, each assuming the blame, each stressing how bad they were.
The father then realized the secret of harmony was in acknowledging oneself to be evil.
That is where gratitude and contrition come from.

----------------
Where does loneliness come from?

Loneliness comes from not finding a person that can understand and accept us the way we are.
It is because our innermost thoughts are so terrible, that we do not dare to speak them to anyone.
If we were to speak our innermost thoughts, people would run away in sheer horror.

In the sutra 大無量寿経 (daimuryōju kyō) it is written:
独生 独死 独去 独来 (dokushō dokushi dokko dokurai)
"You are born alone, you die alone, you go alone, you come alone".

Human beings spend their lives in complete loneliness.

What do human beings think?
Humans beings think of 煩悩 (bonnō) all the time.
煩悩 (bonnō) is made of 108 parts.
Of all these 108, the worst 3 are called 三毒の煩悩 (sandoku no bonnō):
貪欲 (tonyoku) desire
瞋恚 (shinni) anger
愚痴 (guchi) hatred, jealousy, envy

There are 5 kinds of desire:
食欲 (shokuyoku) desire to eat
色欲 (shikiyoku)  sexual desire
名誉欲 (meiyoyoku) desire to be praised
睡眠欲 (suiminyoku) desire to sleep
財欲 (zaiyoku) desire for money or power

Every day, every day, human beings can only think of satisfying these 5 selfish desires.
But these desires are insatiable.
If you don't have, you want.
If you have, you want more.
The more you have, the more you want.
When you can't satisfy your desires, you feel anger.
When you can't express your anger, you feel hatred.

The human soul is filled with insatiable desire, anger, hatred, dissatisfaction, fear, insecurity, anxiety.
All this leads to unspeakable evil thoughts.
Thoughts that human beings don't dare to say to anyone.

So they hide their thoughts, and pretend to be good and nice.
They have to lie and pretend to be nice and good and gentle, so they can get along with friends, family, co-workers.
But the pressure of lying all the time creates anxiety and stress.

So they look for someone that can understand them.
Children talk to their parents, just to find out the parents can't understand them.
Teenagers talk to friends, and discover their friends can't understand them.
Then they talk to the husband, to the wife, just to find out they are married to a complete stranger, incapable of understanding them.
Children can't understand, friends can't understand, nobody can understand.

People just pretend to understand, just to get along with other people.

So human beings need to keep secrets, keep their innermost thoughts hidden from everybody else.
But those thoughts are poisonous, they will destroy the human soul, pull the human soul to hell.

In order to reach salvation, human beings need to find someone they can speak their hearts completely and absolutely, someone that can understand and accept and forgive the most absolute evil.

In this vast universe, only buddha Amida can accept us.
如来は一切を見聞知 (nyorai wa issai wo ken-mon-chi)
Buddha Amida sees, hears, knows everything.
He can see every action we do.
He can hear every word we say.
He can listen every thought we think.

衆生苦悩我苦悩 衆生安楽我安楽
shujō kunō ga kunō, shujō anraku ga anraku
"Your suffering is my suffering, your happiness is my happiness".

Buddha Amida cries when we cries, laughs when we laughs.

若不生者不取正覚
nyaku fushōja fushu shōkaku
"If I can't save you, I will throw away my own life"

Buddha Amida gives his own life as guarantee to his promise.
Buddha Amida promises to save all humanity to the Absolute Happiness.

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Where does hatred come from?

In Buddhism hatred is called 愚痴(guchi).
愚痴 (guchi) is also translated as "ignorance" because it means to ignore the Principle of Cause and Effect.
The Principle of Cause and Effect is written in the sutra 因果経(inga kyō).

善因善果 (zen in zen ka) Good cause, good effect.
悪因悪果 (aku in akka) Bad cause, bad effect.
自因自果 (ji in ji ka) One's cause, one's effect.

If you sow lettuce, you will reap lettuce.
You reap tomatos because you sowed tomatos.
You reap potatos because you sowed potatos.
It is impossible to sow corn and reap lettuce.
It is impossible for one person to sow and another person to reap.
You reap exactly what you sow.

People who don't know the Principle of Cause and Effect blame other people when something bad happens.
They blame the parents, the children, the husband, the wife, the neighbors, the government, the black people, the white people, the jews, the arabs, the immigrants, the boss, the colleagues, the employees...

They blame everybody except themselves.

They put the blame on other people. They hate. And they try to make other people suffer. Which brings more suffering.

This vicious circle of suffering is called 惑業苦 (waku gō ku).
惑 (waku) means wrong thinking.
業 (gō) means karma. In this case it means wrong actions.
苦 (ku) means suffering.

People wrongly think that other people are to blame for their suffering. Then they try to punish those other people. But this backfires bringing back more suffering.
It just becomes worse and worse, pulling people to the depths of the most terrible hell.

Only Buddhism can stop this vicious circle.
Buddhism teaches the Principle of Cause and Effect.
The Principle of Cause and Effect is an absolute universal law that nobody can violate.

You receive suffering because you gave suffering.
It is impossible to reap tomatos if you have never sowed tomatos.

No one is to blame except yourself.
Everything that happens in your life is the result of your own actions.

The knowledge of the Principle of Cause and Effect makes all hatred disappear, to be replaced by infinite regret, gratitude and joy.

No force in the universe can stop the Principle of Cause and Effect.
If you give happiness you will receive happiness.
No matter how small, not matter how short the good deed.
Even if it is just for today.
If you do a good deed, sooner or later inevitably the good result will come back to you.
And no force in the universe can stop it.
The result will come, no matter what.
It is absolutely inevitable, unstoppable.

If you save the life of an ant, that tiny act of compassion will come back to you and bring you happiness.

But if you give suffering, you will inevitably receive suffering, and no force in the universe will be able to stop it.
Human beings may forgive, but the Principle of Cause and Effect never forgets, never forgives.
Human beings can be deceived, but nobody can deceive the Principle of Cause and Effect.
You have to brace yourself because the results of your actions will come back to you, no matter what. No force in the universe, no god, no buddha can help you.

Buddhism urges people to believe in the Principle of Cause and Effect.
It is the only path to salvation.

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Imagine that your neighbor comes to your house and tells you that a tiger just escaped from a truck on its way to the zoo and it is now loose at the neighborhood and urges you to look for refuge.

What do you do?
Would you demand proof?
Would you demand evidence?

Maybe it is just a prank. Maybe your neighbor is lying.

What kind of proof can your neighbor give you?
Just because there is no evidence do you assume it is not true?
Can you really be sure that he is lying?
What evidence do you have that he is really lying?
Can you prove that he is lying?
Isn't it safer to assume that he is telling the truth?
What is the worst that could happen?

The same thing happens with Buddhism.
Buddhism says that the afterlife is hell.
That is why death is so terrifying.
That is why we must not commit suicide.
That is why we must not kill people.
That is why doctors must treat patients.
That is why we must care for the old and disabled, even when they can't work.

But lots of people ask me for proof.
What kind of proof should I give you?
What kind of proof can satisfy you?
The proof itself is useless.
The proof itself will not save you.

Lots of people assume the afterlife is non-existent or heaven.
Are you absolutely sure of that?
What proof do you have?
What evidence do you have?
What happens if you are wrong?
Isn't it safer to assume the afterlife is hell?

Buddha Siddhartha tells us the following story.
Imagine a man being hit by an arrow.
His friend, terrified, urges him to go to a doctor.
But the man refuses to go to a doctor and keeps asking questions.
"Who shot this arrow?"
"Why they shot this arrow?"
"How fast was the arrow?"
"Where did this arrow come from?"
Finally the man ends up dying from his wound.
Buddha Siddhartha asked his disciples what they thought about this man.
"He was extremely stupid."
He kept asking irrelevant questions. He couldn't see what was most important. All those questions could be asked later. The most important thing was to treat the wound. He wasted his time asking irrelevant questions, and finally ended up losing his own life.

When Buddhism tells you the afterlife is hell, what is the most important thing to ask?
Do you ask for proof?
Do you ask for evidence?

The most important thing to ask is why the afterlife is hell, and supposing it is true, what we should do to prevent this tragedy.

----------------
Who is Kentetsu Takamori?

Kentetsu Takamori is the founder of Jōdo Shinshū Shinrankai.

http://www.lifespurpose.info/
http://www.lifespurpose.info/buddha/index.html
http://www.lifespurpose.info/shinran/index.html
http://www.takamori.info/
http://www.shinrankai.or.jp/
http://www.youtube.com/user/shinrankai2000
http://www.youtube.com/user/tulipk/videos

Buddhism is the teachings of buddha Siddhartha, born in India 2,600 years ago.
The disciples of buddha Siddhartha wrote the sutras soon after buddha's death.
There are more than 7,000 sutras.
Each sutra is a literal transcription of one of buddha Siddhartha's lectures.
The sutras exist in only 2 languages: ancient Sanskrit and ancient Chinese.
They were never completely translated to any other language.
Some English translations of some sutras may exist, but the translations may not be correct.
Shinran Shōnin and Hōnen Shōnin read all the sutras several times.
That is why Shinran Shōnin's books are filled with quotations from the sutras.
Kentetsu Takamori also has all the sutras in his house. His books are also filled with quotations from the sutras.

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In order to reach salvation, we need to know the cause of suffering.
The cause of suffering is death. There is nothing more terrifying than death.
We need to solve the problem of death in order to reach happiness.
To solve it we need to see the world after death.
To see it, you need to know yourself.
If you are a  good person, the afterlife is paradise.
If you are a bad person,  the afterlife is hell.
Buddhism urges you to do good deeds so you can know yourself and the afterlife.
The more you try to do good deeds, the more you see you are filled with desire, anger and hatred.
The more you try to do good deeds, the more you see you are evil.
The more you try to do good deeds, the more you see the afterlife is hell.
At the exact moment you see there is nothing you can do to save yourself, you are saved by buddha Amida.

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What happens exactly to the human soul when saved by buddha Amida?

There are many ways to explain that.

Buddha Siddhartha compares the human soul to a rock that inevitably sinks to the bottom of a lake. The human soul is absolutely evil that sinks to the bottom of hell.
The power of buddha Amida is like a giant boat. No matter how heavy the rock, once inside the boat, it never sinks.
The rock itself doesn't change its nature.

Another example is to compare the human soul to coal. It is dark, dirty, cold.
The power of buddha Amida is like fire, shiny, hot, brilliant.
When you mix coal and fire, they become one single substance, impossible to separate.

Another example is to compare the human soul to coal and the power of buddha Amida to pressure and heat. After being saved by buddha Amida, the human soul becomes a diamond, shiny and beautiful.
It is still the same substance, and yet it is completely different.

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There is nothing more terryfing than looking at your own soul.
To look at your own soul is the same as looking at the abyss of hell.
At the exact moment of salvation you actually experience the suffering of death.
At the same moment your soul dies, it is reborn into a new soul, and all suffering disappears completely.

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"Here is the problem: Buddha also discovered Temporariness. ALL KARMA IS TEMPORARY/ Impermanant! The effects of good karma and bad karma wear out! Nothing Lasts. Even so-called Heavenly Realms Do Not Last . They are part of the Phenomenal Realm. "

I am sorry I don't think so.

When buddha Siddhartha says 諸行無常 (shogyō mujō), he is referring only to this world, the world of human beings.
Nothing is permanent in this world.
He is not referring to the entire universe.

Karma is not temporary. Karma is what determines what will happen to you in the future, including the future after death.
Karma is an indestructible, invisible form of energy.

If the entire universe were impermanent, then Truth would not exist.
The words 道理(dōri), 真理(shinri), 真実(shinjitsu) can all be translated as "truth".
Truth is something that never changes, no matter the time, no matter the place.

Kentetsu Takamori in his book こんなことが知りたい 2 says:
正しい宗教は三世十方を貫く大道理の上に立つものでなければならない
The true religion needs to be based on truth, which is valid anywhere, anytime.

三世 (sanze) means the 3 worlds: the past, present and future worlds.
The present world is the world from birth till death. Since we are humans, it usually refers to the world of human beings.
The future world is the world after death.
The past world is the world before birth.

三世を貫く means something that doesn't change no matter the time.

十方 (jippō) means ten directions: north, south, east, west, northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest, up and down.
十方 (jippō) is short for 十方微塵世界 (jippō mijin sekai) which is the entire universe.

十方を貫く  means something that doesn't change no matter the place.

That is the definition of 道理(dōri): something that never changes, no matter the time or place.

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Do souls exist?

Buddhism says that each one of us has an immortal soul.
One argument for the existence of the soul is the question of identity.
Where are you? Are you inside your hand? You can lose your hand and still be you. Are you inside your heart? You can have a heart transplant and you are still the same person, with the same name, same parents, same birthdate, same bank account. If you became a different person, the bank could refuse access to your bank account, claiming that you are a different person.
No matter how many organ transplants you have, no matter how much your body changes, you are still you, you don't become a different person.
Due to metabolism all cells in the body are continuously been replaced.
After approximately 7 years you have a completely different body.
Even though your body is completely different, you are still you.
If any part of your body can be removed, replaced or changed, where are you? You are not inside your hand, you are not inside you heart, you are not inside your brain. You can't find yourself anywhere in your own body.
There must be something besides your physical body that stays the same and identifies you.
The real "you" is not your body, it is your soul.
The soul is the only thing that stays the same and identifies you.

What about memory and personality?
Memory and personality are parts of the brain, they do not identify you.
If you borrow money from the bank, you will have to return the money, no matter how much your memories or personality have changed. For the bank you are still the same person, with the same identity. The bank doesn't care how much your memory or personality have changed.

In the same way you can change your clothes, your body can also be changed.
In the same way your clothes belong to you, your physical body belongs to you.
But you and your clothes are separate and independent entities.
You and your physical body are also separate and independent entities.
Your physical body (which includes memory and personality) keeps changing all the time.
But your soul stays the same. Your soul is the only thing that identifies you.

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Do souls exist?

Another argument for the existence of souls is the universal acceptance of monsters by children.
Children all over the world accept the existence of monsters. How come no child ever doubts that? Is it possible that all children have agreed to imagine these monsters? Why do most adults assume it is the product of the children's imagination? What if it isn't ?
It seems unbelievable that children all over the world have agreed to imagine those monsters.
One possible explanation is that these monsters actually exist, but not in this world. They exist in the world before birth. Children are describing memories from previous lives, previous reincarnations.
Children cannot tell the difference betweeen imagination and memories, they are told by adults that it is just their imagination, and they end up accepting and forgetting about it.
But why assume it is just imagination? There is no evidence to indicate that.
It would be very interesting if researchers all over the world thoroughly and extensively documented children's stories and descriptions. If artists would draw pictures based on children's descriptions of these monsters.
It would be an extraordinary breakthrough if unrelated children all over the world started describing exactly the same monster again and again.
It would be a powerful argument to support the idea that these monsters actually exist in another world.

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Do souls exist?

People go to funerals to wish the dead to "rest in peace" because they accept not only the existence of the soul but also the existence of the world after death, which may be one of suffering or happiness.
No matter how atheist one may be, after the death of loved ones, they have to believe in the existence of the soul. Many go to the tombs every year and talk to the tombs as if it were a living person.
People are forced to believe in the existence of the soul and the world after death because they actually exist.

------------
Do souls exist?

We are forced to believe in the existence of the soul not only when loved ones die, but also when we are faced with death ourselves.
At the moment of death we all will turn to religion for salvation.
Medicine will not save us.
Family and friends will not save us.
All the money in the world will not save us.
Not matter how atheist one can be, at the moment of death, we are forced to believe in the existence of the soul.

Arthur Schopenhauer, at the moment of death, cried several times: "God, oh God!".
When asked by his doctor if his philosophies included a god, he answered: "In the throes of death, I can't help thinking of God. If I am spared of this, I will certainly change all my researches"
The French atheist Voltaire, at the moment of death, cried several times: "I can see the devil! He came for me! I can see hell! Please help me!"
Japanese writer Katai Tayama, at the moment of death at 60, said: "It is too sad to die alone".
Soseki Natsume, at the moment of death at 50, said: "No, this is too terrible, I can't die now!"
Outspoken atheist Hakucho Masamune, at the moment of death, surprised everyone by saying: "Amen!".
Fervent christian Doppo Kunikida, at the moment of death, said in tears: "I can't pray!"

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What if the soul didn't exist?

If the soul didn't exist, we should all commit suicide because life would be meaningless.

Japanese writer Ryūnosuke Akutagawa thought intensely about life, then committed suicide at the age of 35.
Osamu Dazai, after writing the book "人間失格" (Disqualified to be human), committed suicide at the age of 38.
Buddha Siddhartha said "人生は苦なり", life is suffering, life is a succession of painful events.
What kind of happiness can we expect from this world?
What people usually call happiness in Buddhism is called Relative Happiness.
Relative Happiness is not true happiness because there is no satisfaction, there is no security, there is no continuance.

No matter how much you have, you can never get satisfaction with Relative Happiness.
If you don't have, you want it.
If you have it, you want more.
The more you have, the more you want.
The more you have, the more dissatisfied you become.
The human desires are insatiable.
How much money do you need to be satisfied?
Would all the money in the world be enough?
How beautiful does your wife need to be for you to be satisfied?
Would all the women in the world be enough?
How long does it take before boredom comes after the excitement of marriage?
Sick people suffer because of their diseases. But are healthy people happy with their health? How many healthy people in the world commit suicide?
No matter what you do, no matter how much you have, you can never get satisfaction.

There is no security with Relative Happiness.
The more you have, the more afraid you become of losing what you have.
The richer you are, the more your house resembles a prison.
The more beautiful the woman, the more insecure she is.
The richer you are, the more suspicious you become of other people.
The more you have, the greater is the fear.

Finally there is no continuance in Relative Happiness.
In Buddhism this is called 諸行無常 (shogyō mujō).
諸行 (shogyō) means "all things in this world".
無常 (mujō) means "inconstant" , "impermanent".
All things in this world are inconstant, impermanent.
Nothing lasts forever. Everything is momentary, fleeting, ephemeral.
Everything is constantly changing. The change may be abrupt or very slow but nothing stays the same.
Nothing is true in this world.
Buddhism defines TRUTH as something that never changes, no matter the place, no matter the time.
For example when a boyfriend says "I love you" to a girfriend, that is not really true love, because it may change. True love must never change no matter what.
Because nothing stays the same, all happpiness sooner or later becomes suffering.
Healthy people become sick.
Young people become old.
Beautiful people become ugly.
All happiness becomes suffering.
If you think intensely about the future, all you can see is suffering.
You are going to see all your friends and family die.
You are going to lose everything you have.
You are going to see your own body become sick and old and ugly.

No one was born to suffer.
We all are looking for happiness.
True Happiness MUST EXIST somewhere.
That is why we are alive, that is why we were born, that is why we must not commit suicide.
True Happiness must be permanent, something that not even death can take away from us.

Buddhism teaches us how to obtain this True Happiness.

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What is the soul?

In Buddhism the soul is called 阿頼耶識 (arayashiki).
Araya or alaya means "storage", "deposit".
"Himalaya" means deposit of snow.
The arayashiki stores our karma, or 業 (gō).
Karma is an indestructible, invisible form of energy which is the result of our actions.
This is called 身口意の三業 (shin-ku-i no sangō).
身(shin) means body.
口(ku) means mouth.
意(i) means mind.
三業 (sangō) means 3 karmas.

There are 3 kinds of actions: actions of the mind, actions of the mouth, and actions of the body.
Every single thought you have is an action of the mind.
Every single word you say is an action of the mouth.
Every single movement you do is an action of the body.

All those action are converted to an invisible, indestructible form of energy, the karma, and are stored in your arayashiki.

The karma becomes the cause for everything that happens in your life, according to the Principle of Cause and Effect.

善因善果 ( zen in zen ka )
悪因悪果 ( aku in aku ka )
自因自果 ( ji in ji ka )

因 (in) means "cause".
果 (ka) means "effect".

Good causes produce good effects.
Bad causes produce bad effects.
One's causes produce one's effects.

The karma stays in the arayashiki until 縁 (en) appears, producing the effect.
縁 (en) are the external conditions necessary to produce the effect.

Karma (cause) can be compared to a seed.
縁 (en) can be said to be all the external conditions necessary for the seed to germinate and grow.
The resultant fruit is the effect.
The effect is the result of karma plus 縁 (en).

The arayashiki contains all our actions since an infinite past.
Because our actions in the present determine the infinite future, the arayashiki contains both our infinite future and infinite past.

In the sutra 因果経 (ingakyō), buddha Siddhartha says:
"If you want to know the future, look at the present."
"If you want to know the past, also look at the present."
The present is the key that unlocks both the future and the past.
The present is the point of intersection of 2 infinities: the infinite past and the infinite future. The infinite past and the infinite future are contained in the very present instant.

"Know thyself", said the ancient Greeks.
There is nothing more important than self-knowledge.

By looking at your own soul at the present moment,  you will be able to see every single thought, word, action you did in all your previous reincarnations since an infinite past.
You will also be able to see the world after death.

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If the afterlife didn't exist, then there would be no problem in committing suicide.
If suicide is OK, then murder is also OK. They both mean the death of a human being.
Murder is the most heinous of all crimes.
If murder is OK, then any other crime, like rape and stealing also becomes OK.

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Why is death so terrifying?

Is it because the afterlife doesn't exist?
Is it because the afterlife is heaven?
The only possible explanation is that the afterlife is hell.

-------------------
Let's suppose a doctor tells you that you have a terrible disease and need to take a certain medicine.

Would you demand proof?

The doctor may do his best to convince you about his diagnosis and treatment.

But unhappily a definitive proof may not exist.
Even if it existed, you may not be able to understand it.
Even if you could understand it, the proof itself is useless.
The proof is just academic, to satisfy intellectual curiosity.
The proof itself will not save you.
No matter how convinced you are, if you don't take the medicine you are going to die.
By demanding proof you are just delaying the treatment.
And eventually it will be too late.

It is natural to be suspicious. The doctor may be lying. Or maybe he is just wrong. The medicine may be fake.
But there is a limit to it. After a certain point, you have to decide  to trust or not the doctor.

The definitive proof can be obtained after you take the medicine and get cured.
That is the moment you can actually see the doctor was telling the truth.

Many people in the history of Buddhism were saved by buddha Amida, and dedicated their entire lives promoting Buddhism and the salvation by buddha Amida.
法然上人 (Hōnen Shōnin, 1133 - 1212) was  saved by buddha Amida at the age of 43 and died at 80.
親鸞聖人 (Shinran Shōnin, 1173 - 1262) was  saved by buddha Amida at the age of 29 and died at 90.
蓮如上人 (Rennyo Shōnin,  1415 - 1499) was saved by buddha Amida and died at 85.
Kentetsu Takamori was saved by buddha Amida approximately at the age of 20. He is still alive and is the founder of Jōdo Shinshu Shinrankai.

All  these people are living proofs of Buddhism.

----------------
Can you explain color to a blind man?

No matter how much you explain, the blind man may never understand or accept your explanations. For him all your explanations would sound like fairy tale.

The only way for him to really understand is by curing his blindness.
When he is able to see for himself, he will finally accept and admit you were telling the truth.

The same thing happens with Buddhism.
In Buddhism there is a word called 開眼 (kaigan) which literally means "open the eyes". Of course it is not the eyes of the physical body, but the eyes of the soul.

The eyes of the soul of human beings are closed.
That is why we cannot see the worlds after death.
We can neither see the hell, nor the world of buddha Amida.

But when we are saved by buddha Amida, the eyes of the soul open, and we can see for ourselves all the worlds described by Buddhism.
That is the moment all doubts and suspicions about Buddhism disappear and we can finally admit Buddhism was true.

For people who have not yet been saved, Buddhism will always sound like fairy tale. There will always be doubts and suspicions.

But Buddhism describes in detail the world we are living, and the nature of the human soul.
These are things we can actually confirm.

-------------
Are humans evil or good?

Buddhism says that human beings are evil, that is why the afterlife is hell.

Humans beings are made of 煩悩 (bonnō).
煩悩 (bonnō) is made of 108 parts.
Temples in Japan ring their bells 108 times at New Year's Eve.
This number comes from the number of parts 煩悩 (bonnō) is made of.
Of all these 108, the worst 3 are called 三毒の煩悩 (sandoku no bonnō):
欲 (yoku) desire
怒り (ikari) anger
愚痴 (guchi) ignorance (hatred, jealousy, envy)

There are 5 kinds of desire:
食欲 (shokuyoku) desire to eat
色欲 (shikiyoku)  sexual desire
名誉欲 (meiyoyoku) desire to be praised
睡眠欲 (suiminyoku) desire to sleep
財欲 (zaiyoku) desire for money or power

Buddha Siddhartha describes, in a parable, desire as a blue dragon, anger as a red dragon, ignorance as a black dragon.
The color blue represents depth. If you go to the sea, the deeper the place, the bluer the water seems to be. Human desires are deep, bottomless, insatiable.
The color red is because humans literally get red when angry due to the blood flow.
The color black is the color of the human soul when filled with hatred, jealousy, envy, resentment.

Everything humans do, every day, is to satisfy those desires.
When something prevents them from satisfying those desires, they get angry.
When they must show anger, they feel 愚痴 (guchi).

In the sutra 大無量寿経 (daimuryōju kyō) it is written:
心常念悪 (shin jō nen naku ) the mind constantly thinks evil
口常言悪 (ku jō gon naku ) the mouth constantly says evil
身常行悪 (shin jō gyō aku ) the body constantly does evil
曽無一善 (zō mu ichi zen ) humans have never done a single good deed

This is the description of every human being on the planet.
The mouth and body are slaves of the mind. If the mind has evil thoughts then the mouth and body will do evil deeds.
What is the mind thinking all the time?
The mind is thinking of 煩悩 (bonnō).

---------------
Prince Siddhartha abandoned the castle at the age of 29 to do ascetic practices.
He achieved the wisdom of buddha at the age of 35.
This is a story when he was still doing ascetic practices.

A dove came flying from the sky.
"Please help me! I  am being attacked by an eagle!"
Siddhartha very gently hid the dove in his pocket.
Soon after, a starving eagle came from the sky, searching around eagerly.
"Excuse me. Did you see a dove passing nearby?"
"Yes. It is inside my pocket."
"Thank heavens!! I am saved! Please give it to me. I am starving! If I let it go, I am certainly going to die!"

To save the eagle, Siddhartha must sacrifice the dove. To save the dove, he must let the eagle die.
Faced with the dilemma, Siddhartha made a crucial decision.

"Eagle! Does it need to be a dove to save you from hunger?"
"No. It just needs to be meat. Any kind of meat. It doesn't need to be a dove."

Siddhartha then sliced a piece of his own thigh with a knife and gave it to the eagle.
But that was not enough. He then started slicing several pieces from several places of his own body.

Finally the eagle was satisfied, thanked deeply and went away.
The dove also thanked profusely and went away.
Siddhartha saw both birds surviving and felt happy.

It is noble to teach the eagle compassion.
The dove also must learn 諦観 (taikan, to see the future).
But Buddha Siddhartha travelled the most difficult and suffering path.
That is the best and noblest of all paths.
----------------
Lots of people post comments talking about "anatta".
Since I learned Buddhism in Japanese, I am not familiar with this term, but possibly it is related to 無我(muga).

Kentetsu Takamori mentions this term briefly in his books.
In the book 光に向かって:
歴然として私が無い、この因果の大道理を深信し日々精進する、これが仏法者であり、親鸞学徒である。

無我(muga) literally means "no  I".
因果の大道理 (inga no dai dōri) means  the Principle of Cause and Effect.
深信 (jinshin) means to "to believe deeply".

A buddha is a living being that achieved the highest level of wisdom by finding the Truth of the Universe.
And the Truth of the Universe is the Principle of Cause and Effect.
The Principle of Cause and Effect is explained in the sutra 因果経 (inga kyō):

善因善果 (zen in zen ka) If you sow good seeds, you will reap good fruits.
悪因悪果 (aku in akka) If you sow bad seeds, you will reap bad fruits.
自因自果 (ji in ji ka) You reap what you sow.

If you give happiness, you will receive happiness.
If you give suffering, you will receive suffering.
The only way to receive happiness is by giving happiness.

A buddha is a person who knows and follows the Principle of Cause and Effect and works incessantly to make other people happy.
A buddha is free to go wherever he wants, but he is not free to do whatever he wants.
He is bound by the Principle of Cause and Effect to do good deeds.
He is forced to obey the Principle of Cause and Effect.
He cannot do whatever he wants. He is not allowed to do evil deeds.
If you give suffering, you will receive suffering.
A buddha can see the future and the consequences of his actions if he does evil deeds.

He is 無我(muga),  because he is not free to do what he wants.

That is the meaning of the word  無我(muga).
----------------
Buddhism says we need to be grateful to be human because it is extremely difficult to be born as human being.
In the sutra 雑阿含経 (zōagon kyō) there is the famous parable of the blind turtle and the floating log.

Imagine a blind turtle at the bottom of the ocean that rises to the surface only once every 100 years.  On the surface there is a floating tree log with a hole just large enough for the turtle's head.
Is it possible for this turtle to raise its head exactly at the log's hole?
One of the disciples of Buddha called  阿難 (Anan), answered that it was hard to believe. Buddha Siddhartha then replied that anyone would think that it is extremely difficult. But we cannot say it is absolutely impossible.
The turtle rises only once every 100 years. Moreover it is blind, so it cannot see the floating log.
The log is floating in the vast ocean. It doesn't stay in one place, it is carried by the waves.
Even if the turtle rose to the surface billions of times, for trillions of years, that could still not be enough for it to hit the hole.

To be born as human being is even more difficult.

The word "thank you" in Japanese is 有難う (arigatō) and it comes from the word 有難い(arigatai), which means "something difficult to happen".
We need to be grateful to be born as human being because it is extremely difficult to happen.
Fishes and insects may spawn hundreds of eggs at once. The probability of being born as an insect or a fish is much greater than being born as a human being.

But only human beings can listen to Buddhism, be saved by buddha Amida,  and achieve Absoute Happiness. Dogs and cats cannot listen to Buddhism.
That is why we must not commit suicide, no matter how painful life can be.
-----------
In the sutra 大無量寿経 (daimuryōjukyō) it is written
一向専念無量寿仏 (ikko sennen muryōjubutsu)
Believe only in buddha Amida.
無量寿仏(muryōjubutsu) is another name for buddha Amida.
一向専念 (ikko sennen) means "to believe only"

In the sutra 般舟経 (hanjūkyō) it is written
三世の諸仏は、弥陀三昧を念じて等正覚になる
(sanze no shobutsu wa, mida zanmai wo nenjite, tōshōkaku ni naru)
All buddhas in the universe have (or will ) become buddha through the force of buddha Amida.

三世(sanze) means the 3 worlds: the present world, the future world, the past world.
三世の諸仏 (sanze no  shobutsu) means all buddhas in all 3 worlds: present, past and future. It means all buddhas that exist now and all buddhas that will appear in the future.
弥陀三昧を念じて (mida zanmai wo nenjite) means "by the force of buddha Amida".
等正覚 (tōshōkaku) means the wisdom of buddha.

Throughout the history of Buddhism many people have been saved by buddha Amida.
法然上人 (Hōnen Shōnin, 1133 - 1212) was  saved by buddha Amida at the age of 43 and died at 80.
親鸞聖人 (Shinran Shōnin, 1173 - 1262) was  saved by buddha Amida at the age of 29 and died at 90.
蓮如上人 (Rennyo Shōnin,  1415 - 1499) was saved by buddha Amida and died at 85.
Kentetsu Takamori was saved by buddha Amida approximately at the age of 20. He is still alive and is the founder of Jōdo Shinshu Shinrankai.

All these people spent their whole lives promoting Buddhism and the salvation by buddha Amida.
--------------
There are 2 types of Buddhism:

聖道 (shōdō), also called 自力 (jiriki) or 方便 (hōben)
and
浄土(jōdo), also called 他力 (tariki) or 真実 (shinjitsu).

Shōdō Buddhism  says that the cause of suffering is 煩悩 (bonnō), so we must remove bonnō from the body by doing 修行 (shugyō or ascetic practices).
But shōdō buddhism is not the true path for salvation and buddha Siddhartha himself predicted its decline.
Buddha Siddhartha  predicted that the first 500 years after his death would be called 正法(shōbō).
The next 1,000 years would  be called 像法(zōhō).
The next 10,000 years would be called 末法 (mappō).
The following years would be called 法滅 (hōmetsu).

In the shōbō era, the 教(kyō), the 行(gyō), and  証(shō) would exist.
In the zōhō era, only 教(kyō) and the 行(gyō) would exist.
In the mappō era, only 教(kyō) would exist.
In the hōmetsu era, all 3 (教, 行, 証) would completely disappear.

教(kyō) means the buddhist sutras that teach shōdō buddhism.
行(gyō) means the people who can follow the teachings of shōdō buddhism.
証(shō) means the people who were saved by the shōdō buddhism.

We are right now in the Mappō era.

Jōdo Buddhism says that it is impossible to remove 煩悩 (bonnō) from the body, the real cause of suffering is something called 無明の闇 (mumyō no yami), and the only way to be saved is by the force of buddha Amida.
--------------
Is the life force contained within me to be considered a soul, at least for the purposes of making me uniquely suffering in samsara?
Yes.

Should I even desire that this life force be re-transmitted into another lifetime in which I suffer less?
No.
The end of suffering needs to be in this lifetime, not in the next.
The end of suffering needs to be complete and absolute, not  partial.
親鸞聖人 (Shinran Shōnin, 1173 - 1262) was  saved by buddha Amida at the age of 29 and died at 90.
法然上人 (Hōnen Shōnin, 1133 - 1212) was  saved by buddha Amida at the age of 43 and died at 80.

親鸞聖人は、「南無阿弥陀仏を称れば、この世の利益きわもなし、流転輪廻の罪消えて、定業中夭のぞこりぬ」と仰言って、これは信心獲得して、念仏すれば、この世の利益は限りなく、当然受けねばならぬ業報も、若死することなく、天寿を全うすることが出来るのだと言われています。
If you are saved by buddha Amida, the cause of 流転輪廻 (ruten rinne, transmigration of the soul) disappears, the suffering you were supposed to receive in this lifetime (業報, goho) also disappears, and you can die of old age (天寿を全う).
If you are saved by buddha Amida, you get rid of all suffering, don't get sick anymore, don't suffer accidents, get to be respectd by all people, and after death you are born in the world of buddha Amida (極楽浄土), free to go wherever you please.
---------------
釈迦の前に仏なし、釈迦の後に仏なし
Shaka no mae ni hotoke nashi, shaka no ato ni hotoke nashi.
"No buddha before Shaka, no buddha after Shaka."

On Earth, Buddha Siddhartha (Shaka) was the only person in human history to reach the maximum level of wisdom, the level 52, called 仏陀 (buddha).

But in this vast universe there are more buddhas than grains of sand in the Ganges river. They are called　恒河沙諸仏 (gōgasha shobutsu)。
恒河 (gōga) means Ganges river.
沙 (sha) is sand.

Buddha Amida is also called 無上仏 (mujōbutsu), which means "supreme buddha". He is the supreme buddha of all buddhas in the universe.
Buddha Amida has promised to save all living beings in the universe to the Absolute Happiness. His promise is called 本願 (hongan) and it is written in the sutra 大無量寿経 (daimuryōjukyō).
It is so important that Jōdo Shinshu is also called 本願寺 (honganji).
Jōdo Shinshu is also called 一向宗 (ikkōshū), because of the phrase
一向専念無量寿仏 (ikko sennen muryōjubutsu).
無量寿仏 (muryōjubutsu) is another name for buddha Amida.
一向専念 means to "believe only in".
It means to believe only in buddha Amida. Only buddha Amida has the power to save humanity. No other buddha, god or bosatsu can save us.

In order to be saved by buddha Amida you need to follow the promises of buddha Amida.
In total there are 48 promises, but only 3 are meant for human beings: the 18th, the 19th, and the 20th.
The 18th promise is the most important of all and says we are saved when we receive the 信心 (shinjin). 信心 in modern Japanese is translated as "faith", but its original meaning is "true soul". Buddha Amida promises to give us his own soul to save us.

Unhappily human beings are conceited, vain, proud, egotistical, self-important. Human beings believe to be good and virtuous, with the power to save themselves.
In order to show that human beings are evil, unable to save themselves, buddha Amida created the 19th, and the 20th promises.

In the 19th promise, buddha Amida urges us to practice all kinds of good deeds (諸善, shozen).
In the 20th promise, buddha Amida tells us to do the 念仏 (nenbutsu). Nenbutsu means to say 南無阿弥陀仏 (namu amidabutsu).

The more we try to be nice and good to people, the more we find out we are evil and selfish.
The more we try to be patient, the angrier we become.
The more we try to be compassionate, the more we find out we can only hate people.

When we see we are completely evil, unable to perform a single good deed, condenmed to fall to hell, we abandon all delusions of saving ourselves, and we are able to entrust budha Amida completely.

That is the instant buddha Amida gives us his own soul and saves us.
---------------
commenter
"It is extremely dangerous to say the soul doesn't exist."
"It is extremely dangerous to say the afterlife doesn't exist."
since this is asserted with so much certitude, I would be interested in reviewing your scientific sources. could you cite them please?

hisao
Everybody is looking for happiness, even people who commit suicide. They believe they will be happier dead than alive. They believe the afterlife doesn't exist or it is paradise. But that is a  terrible mistake.
If people believed the afterlife is hell, much worse than this life, they wouldn't commit suicide.

commenter
you still haven't explained your opinion why not believing would be a terrible mistake.

hisao
Don't you think suicide is a terrible mistake?

commenter
well, it would depend on the circumstances, but it would never be a mistake for the reasons you are proposing. You say that something terrible will happen to us after we die. when we die, we are dead, that's all there's to it

hisao
If suicide is OK, then you also think it is OK to kill people?

commenter
I never said suicide is OK, I said it depends on the circumstances, just like with killing people. If a police man can only save a girl from being raped by shooting the 7'10 350lbs rapist, than yes, he should kill him. 

hisao
You said "when we die, we are dead". What is the problem of committing suicide?

commenter
you have a problem with it

hisao
I am sorry, I am trying to understand you. If the soul doesn't exist, if the afterlife doesn't exist, there would be no problem in committing suicide. If the human being just disappears after death, what is the problem in commiting suicide? 

commenter
there is a problem once you understand that this life is the only life we have. there is no afterlife. Try to live your life to the fullest and fill it with meaning and happiness as much as you can, because when it is over, the party will go on, but without you. So suicide, being a personal choice, is unwise because life is too precious to waste. on the other hand, life can also be unbearable through pain, unhappiness, loneliness...people that decide to end their lives do this out of personal choice and after consideration of the circumstances. it's a personal choice, and unless you are causing grave disadvantage to others with your suicide, it is just as much part of a person's right to choose their own path as is sexuality or philosophy 

hisao
Why is life precious? What kind of meaning and happiness are there?
If you think intensely about the future, all you can see is suffering.
You are going to see all your friends and family die.
You are going to lose everything you have.
You are going to see your own body become sick and old and ugly.

commenter
that is the same in your world view. you'll also see everyone die. you'll also grow old. death is as much a part of our existence as is life. You have to accept that, in stead of creating a fantasy in which you won't actually die, but will live forever after death. This wishful thinking degrades the life we have to something temporary, meaningless and inferior.
Imagine your favorite food. What gives you more pleasure eating it? if you have only a small portion, just once in a while? or plate after plate after plate, all you can eat until you're fed up with it? I think this is how we should treat life. Not something that we have in abundance, a never ending source of indulgence, but something precious, to be savored and enjoyed modestly, for it is short lived and fleeting

hisao
The fact that life is short-lived and fleeting doesn't make it precious, especially if it is unbearable through pain, unhappiness, loneliness.
So you think it is OK for people to commit suicide if life is unbearable through pain, unhappiness, loneliness?

commenter
again, not in all circumstances, but as a personal choice (if it doesn't cause disadvantage to others) it should be respected. And if there's no heaven to enjoy, there's also no hell to fear. life just ends...how you lived your life will determine how you affected others and how you will be remembered. that's the afterlife...life after you

hisao
And you also see no problem about killing people? As long as there is a reason?

commenter
please don't put words in my mouth. killing is never OK. depending on the circumstances, it can be permissible, even required if it prevents an even greater injustice.

hisao
You said "If a police man can only save a girl from being raped by shooting the 7'10 350lbs rapist, than yes, he should kill him. "
So if there is a reason is it  OK to kill people?

commenter
you are trying to simplify this to the point where it's black and white. The police officer will never feel good about having to shoot the rapist, the girl will never feel good about him being shot, nobody will feel better at any point. But if shooting the rapist was unavoidable to save the girl (even more extreme, he was raping and strangling her. shooting him was absolutely necessary to save her life), than nobody will accuse the police of being a murderer. he will have done his duty, and what was morally unavoidable. It will always have to be ascertained according to the circumstances, and according to what a decent secular society is in consensus on

hisao
I am just following the logical conclusion.
If there is no afterlife, then it is OK to commit suicide.
Also it is OK to kill people.
So is it also OK to rape people?
Life is short-lived and fleeting.
My life is precious and I need to live my life to the fullest and fill it with meaning and happiness as much as I can.
The girl I rape may feel pain, yes, but I can just kill her, so her pain will be brief.

commenter
You are either willfully misinterpreting out willfully ignorant. In both cases it makes you a troll

hisao
I am just following the inevitable logical conclusion.
If afterlife doesn't exist, then it becomes OK to commit suicide, to kill people, to rape and kill and steal.
There would be no sense in treating patients and prolonging life, if people got sick we could just kill them.
A person spending his entire life raping and killing would have exactly the same fate as a person who helped other people. They both die and disappear. Do you think it is fair? Do you call this justice?

commenter
"If afterlife doesn't exist, then it becomes OK to commit suicide, to kill people, to rape and kill and steal." this is your personal conclusion, I don't see how it is based on what I said in any way. You seem so eager to make your point, you are plucking conclusions out of thin air.

hisao
Is it OK for people to commit suicide if life is unbearable through pain, unhappiness, loneliness?
Is it OK for a policeman to shoot a rapist to save a girl?
Is it OK for me to steal and kill to save my own life?

commenter
I wouldn't be the judge of that unless I had intimate knowledge about the circumstances, however I could understand if the answer were deemed to be yes. If you say you had to kill to save your life, unless I knew the exact situation, I couldn't correctly ascertain whether indeed it was your last option to kill. what suicide is concerned, what is unbearable torment for one might be a slight inconvenience to others. Suicide, murder, stealing...these are hardly comparable. totally different things that require a totally different assessment to determine what is right and wrong.
don't think black and white, it limits your scope on the world

hisao
Why worry about right and wrong if the afterlife doesn't exist? What is the problem of spending my life killing and raping if after death I just disappear?

commenter
we'll, I guess if the only thing stopping you is your flimsy belief in an afterlife, than I guess nothing much is stopping you. You haven't heard anything I said and keep seeing conclusions where there are none. you are unable and unwilling to change your position. this discussion is over

commenter
why go to the doctor if this life is only a rehearsal? why postpone going to heaven? what you are accusing us of is exactly what one would think would happen when you believe in an afterlife. You explain why you wouldn't go around killing? the person you murdered will go to heaven, so what's the problem?

hisao
Buddhism absolutely prohibits suicide. People who commit suicide are throwing themselves to hell. There is nothing more stupid.
That is exactly why we must not kill other people. Killing people is sending people to hell.
That is why Buddhism considers the medical profession a sacred one.
Doctors are literally saving patients from falling to hell.

commenter
well, since buddhism is based on faith without evidence, it has as much merit as any other religion. you are judging people and forcing your worldview based on your personal, unfounded opinion.

-------------
What does Buddhism say about suicide?

Buddhism absolutely prohibits suicide. People who commit suicide are throwing themselves to hell. There is nothing more stupid.

It is extremely dangerous to say the soul doesn't exist.
It is extremely dangerous to say the afterlife doesn't exist.
It is extremely dangerous to say the afterlife is paradise.
People may believe and commit suicide, thinking it is better to be dead than alive.
If people knew the afterlife is hell, much worse than this life, they wouldn't commit suicide.

Over one million people commit suicide every year all over the world.
Most of them are not suffering mental disorder.
Every human being on the planet has thought or will think of suicide.
Children are not the only ones to suffer from bullying.
Adults are bullied all the time by their bosses, co-workers, employees, even family and friends.
When the pressure is too much, people just give up on living.

Buddha Siddhartha said 人生は苦なり (jinsei wa ku nari), "Life is suffering".

善導大師 (Zendō Daishi, 613 - 681) said:
四方八方眺むれど　唯愁嘆の声のみぞ聞く。
(shihō happō nagamuredo, tada shūtan no koe nomi zo kiku)
"Everywhere I look, I can only hear the voice of anguish".

All human beings on the planet are suffering.
But no one wants to suffer. Everybody is looking for happiness.
Even people who commit suicide. They believe they will be happier dead than alive. They believe the afterlife doesn't exist or it is paradise. But that is a  terrible mistake.

Buddha Siddhartha was walking along a river with his disciples when he saw a young girl. She was putting rocks in the pockets of her dress. She was preparing to commit suicide.
Very gently buddha Siddhartha asked why she was doing that.
Realizing it was buddha, she confessed everything. She fell in love for a man, got pregnant, but was then abandoned by him. Worrying about the future of her unborn child, she decided to take her own life and asked buddha to let her go.
Buddha Siddhartha, in spite of feeling pity for her, said very angrily:
"You are a fool! I will teach with a parable.
Once upon a time a bull was suffering for having to pull a wooden cart every day.
He thought and concluded that the cart was the cause of his suffering.
He then destroyed the cart by crashing it to a large rock.
His owner then built a metal cart, much heavier and stronger, for him to pull.
The bull deeply regreted his decision.
You think that by destroying your own body you will be happy? You will just fall to the most terrible hell!"

The girl then became a disciple of buddha and was saved afterward by buddha Amida.
-------------
The age of the universe is not finite. The universe has always existed since an infinite past and will continue to exist to an infinite future.
There are in total 10 worlds (or realms).
Six of them are worlds of suffering.
人間界 (ningenkai) the world of human beings
修羅界 (shūrakai) the world of war
地獄界 (jigokukai) the world of hell
天上界 (tenjōkai) the world of celestial beings
餓鬼界 (gakikai) the world of hunger
畜生界 (chikushōkai) the world of animals

We are trapped in the 6 worlds of suffering. We keep repeating the cycle of birth and death in these 6 worlds.
The cycle of reincarnation is called 流転輪廻 (ruten rinne) or 六道輪廻 (rokudō rinne). This is often translated as "transmigration of the soul".
People who keep repeating the cycle of birth and death are called 生死 (shōji). 生 means birth. 死 means death.
人間界 (ningenkai) is the only world where it is possible to listen to Buddhism and be saved.
地獄界 (jigokukai)  is the next world of reincarnation. It is the most painful of all worlds.
畜生界 (chikushōkai) is the only other world we can see. All other worlds are invisible to us.
天上界 (tenjōkai) is the world with the least pain.

Of the remaining 4 worlds, one of them is 極楽浄土 (Gokuraku Jōdo) the world of buddha Amida.
The other 3 worlds are worlds of 菩薩 (bosatu).

What Buddhism calls 人間界 (ningenkai) includes humans beings on Earth. But Earth is not the only planet with beings capable of listening to Buddhism. Earth is a mere speck of dust compared to the universe.

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Why Buddhism urges people to do good deeds?

So you can see your own soul and the world after death.
If you are a good person the world after death will be paradise.
If you are a bad person the world after death will be hell.
Buddhism urges people to practice good deeds so they can know if they are good or bad.
We all believe to be good but that is a mistake.
Buddhism says that human beings are evil, moved by desire, anger and hatred, and because of that the world after death is hell. That is why death is the worst suffering in life.
By looking at your own soul, you are saved by buddha Amida and achieves Absolute Happiness. You will be able to see the worlds after death, including the paradise of buddha Amida. 
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Does god exist?

No. Buddhism says that god doesn't exist.
When we say "god", most people understand the god described in Christianity, the omnipotent creator, able to perform miracles.

According to Buddhism the universe has always existed since an infinite past, and will continue to exist to an infinite future. There was never a creation, there will never be an end of the universe, there is no creator. This is called 無始無終 (mushi mushū), "no beginning, no end".
There is no god that created the universe, the universe was not created by anyone.

Buddhism says that miracles don't exist. A "miracle" is an effect without a cause. Everything in the universe follows the Principle of cause and effect. For every effect there must be a cause. It is impossible to have an effect without a cause. The cause may be unknown but it is never non-existent.

It is impossible to have an omnipotent being. No one in the universe is omnipotent. It leads to a paradox.
In ancient China a stupid man was selling shields and lances.
"This shield (盾) can stop any lance. And this lance (矛) can penetrate any shield!!"
A customer then asked: "what happens if you use that lance against that shield??"
That is the origin of the word 矛盾 (mujun), "paradox".
An omnipotent being should be able to create such a lance and shield, leading to a paradox.

The idea of "god" was invented by the pre-historic man to hide his own ignorance.  For everything he couldn't explain, instead of honestly saying "I don't know", he would say "it is god's will". God is just a lame excuse to hide one's own ignorance.

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If god doesn't exist, what should we believe in ?
Buddhism says we have to believe in the Principle of Cause and Effect.

善因善果 (zen in zen ka) good seeds produce good fruits.
悪因悪果 (aku in akka) bad seeds produce bad fruits
自因自果 (ji in ji ka) You reap what you sow.

The only way to achieve happiness is by doing good deeds.
If you give happiness you will receive happiness.
If you give suffering you will receive suffering.
Buddhism urges people to do good deeds.

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Buddhism is a religion whose only purpose is the salvation of the soul.
If you have a health problem you have to go to a doctor.
Never go to religion to solve a medical or health problem.
The physical body ultimately cannot be saved. Sooner or later the body will die and be buried or cremated.

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Where does that initial karma energy come from?
Buddhism says that each one of us has an invisible, indestructible soul that has existed since an infinite past and will continue to exist to an infinite future. There is no initial karma.

How can we have reincarnations since an infinite past, it is evidently finite as life only appeared on Earth approx. 2 billion years ago?
The Universe in Buddhism is called 十方微塵世界 (jippō mijin sekai).
微塵 (mijin) means "particle of dust" because the universe is so vast, the planet Earth is a mere particle of dust compared to the universe.
On planet Earth there was only one buddha, buddha Siddhartha, born in India about 2,600 years ago.
But in this vast universe there are more buddhas than grains of sands in the river Ganges. Those buddhas are called 恒河沙諸仏 (gōgasha shobutsu).
恒河 (gōga) means river Ganges.
沙 (sha) is sand.
But the total number of 生死 (shōji), people who have not yet become buddhas, far exceeds the number of buddhas.
The planet Earth is not the only planet with life in the Universe.
According to Buddhism the universe is brimming with inhabited planets, and in all those planets there are buddhas teaching Buddhism.

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金や、財産や、地位や、名声は、我々を幸福にする材料ではあるが、それがそのまま幸福ではない。
Money, fortune, social status, fame, etc, are only the ingredients of our happiness.  But they are not by themselves happiness.

幸福と幸福の材料を混同している迷信こそ、全人類を不幸のドレイにしている。
To mistake happiness and its ingredients is the illusion that causes humanity to be slave to suffering.

昔と比べれば、現代人は驚異的に物質に恵まれていながら、不安と焦燥、満たされない孤独感に悩んでいる。
Comparing to old times, modern people are impressively blessed materially, but they suffer from anxiety, impatience, unsatisfied loneliness.

材料の活殺は、それを使用する人の腕一つにかかっている。
The usefulness of the ingredients lies solely in the ability of the person using them.

その生かし方を教えたものが、真実の仏法なのである。
How to use them is exactly what True Buddhism teaches.

高森顕徹 白道燃ゆ pag 12
Kentetsu Takamori

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この一瞬の人生を如何に生くべきか、如何に死ぬべきは、これこそ一生参学の大事でなければならぬ。
How to live this momentary life, how to die, that is the most important thing in life.

「人身受け難し、今すでに受く。仏法聞き難し、今すでに聞く。この身今生に向かって度せずんば、更にいずれの生に向かって、この身を度せん」
It is difficult to be born as human, and yet I am human.
It is difficult to listen to Buddhism, and yet I am listening.
If I don't reach salvation in this life, when will I reach salvation?

まことに、永劫の迷いを断ち切り、絶対の幸福を獲得する為に生まれて来たことがひしひしと身証される。
We were born to cut the infinite illusion and obtain the Absolute Happiness.

高森顕徹 白道燃ゆ pag 4
Kentetsu Takamori

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What is the difference between good and evil?

In Buddhism the dividing line between good and evil is if it is selfish or not.
Selfishness in Buddhism is called 我利我利亡者 (garigarimōja).
Unselfishness is called 自利利他 (jiririta).
Kentetsu Takamori in his book 白道燃ゆ, tells us the following story.

Once upon a time a curious man went to Hell (地獄) just to see how things were.
He arrived there at lunch time. All inhabitants of hell were at the table ready to eat. Thinking that in Hell people wouldn't be eating well, he was surprised to see several long tables filled with all kinds of delicious foods. In spite of having plenty of food, all Hell inhabitants were starving to death.
Puzzled, the traveller looked more closely. All inhabitants had 1-meter-long forks and knives attached to their hands. The utensils were too long and they couldn't bring the food to their own mouths.

With his curiosity satisfied, the traveller then went to Gokuraku (極楽), the buddhist paradise. He arrived there just in time for dinner. As expected all buddhas were healthy and well-fed.
But the traveller was again surprised. The buddhas had exactly the same 1-meter-long forks and knives attached to their hands. How could they eat??
Then the traveller waited for the buddhas to start eating.
Instead of bringing the food to their own mouths, they were feeding the fellow buddha across the table.

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Is it right for a king to kill somebody?

There are 3 kinds of right and wrong.
The right and wrong of the laws, of the moral and of religion.

The laws and regulations of a country define right and wrong in many subjects. But usually they are restricted to what people do, and in some few occasions, to what people say.

Then we have the right and wrong defined by morals or ethics. Something may be morally wrong but not legally wrong. Moral and ethics are usually a set of rules for people to live together in harmony. Usually they define the good manners and good behaviour.

Finally we have the right and wrong defined by religion. If you do the right things, you will be saved and after death you will go to Paradise. If you do the wrong things, you will not be saved and after death you will go to Hell.
The right and wrong defined by religion is not necessarily related to morals or the laws of a country. Specially in Buddhism, what you think is more important than what you say or do.
In Buddhism it is a crime to even think of killing.
In moral it is wrong to say that you want to kill somebody.
In law it is a crime only if you actually kill somebody. Usually the police doesn't care if you just say or think of killing.

In your example the king may not be wrong according to the laws of his country, but according to Buddhism, killing another human being is a crime, and the king will have to suffer the consequences of his actions according to the Principle of Cause and Effect.

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What is Buddhism?

Buddhism is a religion taught by buddha Siddhartha at about 2,600 years ago in India.
Buddhism teaches the purpose of life of all humanity, how to obtain the Absolute Happiness by solving the worst suffering of life, the suffering of death.

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Is this really Buddhism?

Some people say that what I post here is not Buddhism.
In order to know if a certain proposition is Buddhism or not, we have to go to the buddhist sutras.
The buddhist sutras were written by buddha Siddhartha's disciples after his death.
There are more than 7,000 sutras. They are called 一切経 in Japanese.
Each sutra is a literal transcription of a lecture of buddha Siddhartha.
Buddha Siddhartha gave lectures on Buddhism since he became buddha at the age of 35, until his death at the age of 80.
Each sutra starts with the words 如是我聞 or 我聞如是  which means "I have heard in this way ".
Each sutra has a question posed by one of buddha's disciples.
Buddha's answer to that question becomes the content of the lecture.
The only exception is the sutra 阿弥陀経. In this sutra buddha Siddhartha simply starts to talk, without being asked by any of his disciples.
The sutras were written in ancient Sanskrit. Hundreds of years later, there was a massive effort to translate all the sutras to ancient Chinese.
All the sutras were brought to Japan by prince Shōtoku around the year 600.
Some sutras were translated to Japanese, but not all.
Hōnen Shōnin (1133 - 1212) read all the sutras several times.
Shinran Shōnin (1173 - 1262) also read all the sutras several times. Shinran Shōnin's books are filled with quotations from the sutras.

The most famous sutras are:

大無量寿経: the most important sutra of all. It is here where the 48 promises of buddha Amida are written and explained. Only this sutra will survive forever. All other sutras will disappear after the 末法 era.

阿弥陀経: explains in detail the world of buddha Amida (極楽浄土)

観無量寿経: one of the most dramatic lectures of buddha Siddhartha. It is the lecture given specifically to queen Idaike (韋提希), when she was imprisoned by her son, the prince Ajase (阿闍世), after she tried to save the king Binbashara (頻婆娑羅) of the kingdom of Magada (摩訶陀). Queen Idaike was saved by buddha Amida after listening to this lecture, becoming the very first person to be saved by Buddhism, after buddha Siddhartha.

因果経: the second lecture given by buddha Siddhartha soon after Enlightenment. It is the easiest of all sutras. It is here where the Principle of Cause and Effect is explained.

涅槃経: the last lecture of buddha Siddhartha, soon before his death at the age of 80. One of the disciples asked buddha what buddhism was, in a few words. Buddha answered: 仏法は法鏡なり, Buddhism is the mirror of Truth. The more you listen to Buddhism, the more you can see your true image.
Also in here is his final message to his disciples: 破邪顕正せざる者は仏弟子にあらず、仏法中の仇なり. The one who knows Buddhism but doesn't teach to other people, is not a disciple of Buddhism, he is an enemy of Buddhism.

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Who is buddha Amida?

阿弥陀仏(Amidabutsu) or buddha Amida is the supreme buddha.
On planet Earth there was only one buddha, buddha Siddhartha, but in this vast universe there are more buddhas than grains of sand in the river Ganges. These buddhas are called 十方諸仏 (jippō shobutsu).
The supreme master of all buddhas is buddha Amida.
All buddhas in the universe are disciples of buddha Amida.

In the sutra 大阿弥陀経 it is written: "諸仏の中の王なり、光明の中の極尊なり"
Buddha Amida is the king of all buddhas, he is the noblest of all wise beings.

Why is buddha Amida the master of all buddhas?
The answer is in the sutra 般舟経: "三世の諸仏は、弥陀三昧を念じて、等正覚になる"
All buddhas in the universe became buddhas through the force of buddha Amida.

Buddha Amida is also called 無量寿仏(muryōjubutsu).
仏(butsu) means buddha. 無量(muryō) means infinite.  寿 is short for 寿命(jumyō), often translated as "life", but it also means "compassion".
無量寿仏 means "the buddha of infinite compassion".
Buddha Amida is also called 不可思議光如来.
如来 means buddha. 不可思議 means "unimaginable".  光 is short for 光明, often translated as "light", but it also means "wisdom".
不可思議光如来 means the "buddha of unimaginable wisdom".

Shinran Shōnin wrote in his book 正信偈 (shōshinge):
"如来所以興出世　唯説弥陀本願海"
Buddha Siddhartha came to this world to teach only about the promise of buddha Amida.

Buddhism has only one purpose: to teach about the promise of buddha Amida.
Buddha Amida has promised to save all living beings in the universe to the Absolute Happiness.

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Does an omnipoten being exist?

It is impossible to have an omnipotent being.
No one in the universe is omnipotent.
It leads to a paradox.

In ancient China a stupid man was selling shields and lances.
"This shield (盾) can stop any lance. And this lance (矛) can penetrate any shield!!"
A customer then asked: "what happens if you use that lance against that shield??"

That is the origin of the word 矛盾 (paradox).
An omnipotent being should be able to create such a lance and shield, leading to a paradox.

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How to defeat death?

First we need to know why death is so terrifying.
Death is terrifying because we don't know what is going to happen after death. In Buddhism it is called 後生暗い心. 後生 means after death. 暗い means dark. 心 means soul.
When we think about death all we can see is darkness.
How can we see the world after death?
To know the future we have to look at the present.
The future is the result of the present.
The present is the cause of the future.
If you sow tomatoes, you know you will reap tomatoes.
If you are a good person, the world after death will be paradise.
If you are a bad person, the world after death will be hell.
The question then becomes: are you a good or a bad person?
Everybody believes oneself to be a good person, but that is a delusion.

In the sutra 大無量寿経(daimuryōjukyō) it is written:
心常念悪 (shin jō nen naku ) the mind constantly thinks evil
口常言悪 (ku jō gon naku ) the mouth constantly says evil
身常行悪 (shin jō gyō aku ) the body constantly does evil
曽無一善 (zō mu ichi zen ) humans have never done a single good deed

This is the description of every human being on the planet.
The mouth and body are slaves of the mind. If the mind has evil thoughts then the mouth and body will do evil deeds.
What is the mind thinking all the time?
The mind thinks of 3 things:
欲 desire
怒り anger
愚痴 ignorance (hatred, jealousy, envy)

There are 5 kinds of desire:
食欲 desire to eat
色欲 sexual desire
名誉欲 desire to be praised
睡眠欲 desire to sleep
財欲 desire for money

We try to satisfy these desires all the time. When something gets in the way, we get angry. When we cannot express anger, we feel hatred.

Buddhism urges people to do good deeds so they can see their true soul.
The more we try to do good deeds, the more we realize we are unable to do good deeds.
The more we try to love people, the more we realize we can only hate people.
When you are able to clearly see your own soul you will be able to see the world after death.
At that moment you will be saved by Buddha Amida and achieve Absolute Happiness.

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There are 8 kinds of sufferings. They are called 四苦八苦.
生苦 suffering of living
老苦 suffering of getting old
病苦 suffering of disease
死苦 suffering of dying
愛別離苦 suffering of losing loved ones
怨憎会苦 suffeing of meeting hateful ones
求不得苦 suffering of not achieving goals
五陰盛苦 suffering of having a physical body

Of all these sufferings the worst of them is the suffering of dying.
At the moment of death we lose everything.
There is nothing more terrible, more fearsome.
At the moment of death people cry in utter desperation.
The only way to achieve happiness is to defeat the worst of all sufferings.
Everything else becomes meaningless at the face of death.

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Once upon a time, the famous Mito Komon Mitsukuni was inspecting the city, after announcing a large prize for filial piety.
In this city there was an infamous man who treated his own mother very cruelly. He decided to win the prize by carrying his mother in front of Mito Komon.
When Mito Komon saw him, he shouted:

"Give the prize to that man!"

Mito Komon's aides, astonished, protested:

"Your Excellence! What are you saying?? That man is an impostor! He is trying to deceive you just to get the prize!"

Mito Komon explained:
"Yes, yes. I know. But it doesn't matter if it is a lie. It doesn't matter if it is a fake.  It doesn't matter if it is just for one day. A good deed is still a good deed, even if it is a lie. Even if it is just for one time, the important thing is that is he is being nice to his mother now. Give the prize to him!"

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Everything that happens in one's life is the result of one's own past actions. The past actions could be from a prior life, from last year, last month, last day, last second. We cannot change the past but the present is under our control. The future is determined by our actions in the present. That is why Buddhism urges people to do good deeds. That is the only way to achieve happiness.

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Do miracles exist?

Buddhism says that miracles don't exist. A miracle is an effect without a cause. Buddhism says the universe is governed by the Principle of Cause and Effect.
善因善果 (zen in zen ka) good cause produces good effect.
悪因悪果 (aku in aku ka) bad cause produces bad effect.
自因自果 (ji in ji ka) you reap what you sow.
That is why Buddhism urges people to do good deeds. That is the only way to achieve happiness. Not pray or wait for miracles.

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What happens to you is the result of your own actions. You can control your own actions.
If I do good deeds, I will receive good results.
If my neighbor does bad deeds, he will receive bad results.
It is impossible for my neighbor to do bad deeds and I receive the bad results from those deeds.

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No matter how many tsunamis there are, if I am not at the exat time and place of a tsunami, nothing will happen to me.
No matter how many rapers there are, if I am not at the exact time and place a raper attacks, nothing will happen to me.
All your actions, good and bad, are converted to karma. If you have a bad karma, your karma will pull you to the exact time and place a tragedy will happen. If you have a good karma, you may be a split second later or earlier, and nothing will happen to you.
And karma is something that you yourself created with your own actions.

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Buddhism says that each one of us has an immortal soul that has always existed since an infinite past and will always continue to exist to an infinite future. If I commit a crime now, the bad result may come immediately, may come tomorrow, may come next year, or may come a million years from now in a future life. Noboby knows when the result will come, but according to the Principle of Cause and Effect, sooner or later I will have to suffer the consequences of my actions. According to Buddhism infants are suffering the consequences of their own actions in previous lives.

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The raper, by commiting a crime, will also have to suffer the consequences of his actions. But according to Buddhism , the infant is not innocent either. Why does the infant need to be exactly at the time and place a raper attacks? Even if the world were infested with rapers, if the infant is not at exactly the time and place the raper attacks, nothing will happen to the infant.
Jack the Ripper was never arrested, judged or punished.
Hitler was never arrested, judged, or punished.
But Buddhism says they will suffer the consequences of their actions.
If not in this life, it will be in a future life, after death.
Maybe the infant is the reincarnation of Hitler, or Jack the Ripper.
We only receive what we give.
If I receive happiness, it is because I gave happiness.
If I receive suffering, it is because I gave suffering.

I am not condoning rape or prostitution. It is possible to minimize those crimes with better education, better police, better policies, better technologies, etc. But the infant will still have to suffer the consequences of his/her actions. If it is not by rape, it will be by something else. All we did was postpone or change the kind of suffering the infant will receive.

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What is the Principle of Cause and Effect?

The Principle of Cause and Effect is the fundamental principle of Buddhism and also the truth of the Universe. It was taught in the sutra of Cause and Effect (因果経 ingakyō), the second lecture by buddha Siddhartha soon after his Enlightenment, and is the easiest sutra of all.

The Principle of Cause and Effect is stated in only 3 sentences:

善因善果 (zen in zen ka) good cause, good effect
悪因悪果 (aku in aku ka) bad cause, bad effect
自因自果 (ji in ji ka) one's cause, one's effect

If you do good deeds, you will receive good results.
If you do evil deeds, you will receive bad results.
The person who does the deeds is the same person who receives the results.

If you sow seeds of orange, you will reap oranges.
It is impossible to sow seed of orange and reap apples.
It is impossible for one person to sow and another person to reap.

If you give happiness, you will receive happiness.
If you give suffering, you will receive suffering.
It is impossible to receive suffering without having given suffering.
The only way to receive happiness is by giving happiness.

Let's suppose you are a law-abiding citizen who was crossing the street and then was run over by a drunk driver that ignored the red sign. In this case who is to blame? What did you do to deserve this? It seems clear that you are innocent and the drunk driver is guilty and responsible for your suffering.

But Buddhism has a different interpretation. It is impossible to receive suffering without having done something wrong in the past.

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What is the meaning of life?

According to Buddhism, every living being in the Universe is looking for Happiness.
Happiness is the purpose of life of every living being.
The only way to achieve Happiness is by defeating the worst of all sufferings.
The worst of all sufferings is the suffering of death.
We are afraid of dying because we don't know what happens after death.
The future is the result of the present. If you do good deeds, you will have a future of happiness, if you do evil deeds, you will have a future of suffering.
In order to know if the world after death is hell or paradise, you need to know if you are a good or bad person.
To know yourself you need to practice good deeds.
The more you practice good deeds the more you get to know your soul is filled with desire, anger and hatred.
Complete self-knowledge allows you to see the world after death and achieve Absolute Happiness.

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According to Buddhism your future is determined by your own actions in the present, as predicted by the Principle of Cause and Effect, if you do good deeds you will receive good results, if you do evil deeds you will receive evil results.
Human beings are selfish, they have insatiable desires, they always want more and more, the more you have the more you want. When they can't satisfy these desires they get angry. And then they feel hatred, resentment, jealousy.
The world after death is a world we ourselves are creating with our own actions in the present.
If you look into your soul you will be able to see the world after death.
The human soul is a dark place, with dissatisfaction, insecurity, loneliness, hatred, resentment and fear.
The purpose of Buddhism is to solve the problem of the human soul.
The human soul is solved when saved by Buddha Amida.  People saved by Buddha Amida have received the wisdom and compassion of Buddha Amida. Their souls are reborn.
They have the knowledge of the Principle of Cause and Effect, that says that the only way to receive happiness is by giving happiness.
Buddhas are unselfish. They only think about making other people happy.
Buddhas will do anything to make other people happy, even sacrificing their own lives.
Buddhas have no fear of dying. Buddhas have no fear at all. They are willing to die for the happiness of other people.
By being unselfish, Buddhas have no fear, no dissatisfaction, no insecurity, no loneliness, no hatred.

The knowledge of the Principle of Cause and Effect makes Buddhas unselfish.
By being unselfish Buddhas have no fear of dying for the happiness of other people.
By having no fear of dying Buddhas have solved the problem of death.
By solving the problem of death Buddhas have become immortal, never to experience the suffering of death again.

Human beings don't know or don't follow the Principle of Cause and Effect.
Human beings are selfish, they think only about themselves, they think only about satisfying their desires.
Human beings have insatiable desires.
If they don't have it, they want it.
If they have it, they want more.
The more they have the more they want.
The more they try to satisfy their desires, the more dissastified they become.

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http://www.lifespurpose.info/
http://www.lifespurpose.info/buddha/index.html
http://www.lifespurpose.info/shinran/index.html
http://www.takamori.info/
http://www.shinrankai.or.jp/
http://www.youtube.com/user/shinrankai2000
http://www.youtube.com/user/tulipk/videos
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