Would you define being a monk/buddhism as a religion, or a way of life? I've always looked at Buddhism as a religion until a few months ago, which at the time I began wondering about it. I've searched around and it doesn't seem there's a clear thing about it.
Access to insight has a fairly decent explanation on it, if you wish to read it all. I don't agree with everything they write, however.
TL;DR: Buddhism is a way of life based on the teachings of the Buddha. It is non-theistic (a belief in god or gods is ultimately irrelevant to happiness), practical method to dispelling suffering and finding ultimate happiness. It contains elements of a religion and philosophy, but those labels ultimately fail at defining it's nature. The Buddha was an enlightened human being, not a god, that teaches the art of happiness.
Is Buddhism a religion or a philosophy?
The Buddha referred to his teachings simply as Dhamma-vinaya — "the doctrine and discipline" — but for centuries people have tried to categorize the teachings in various ways, trying to fit them into the prevailing molds of cultural, philosophical, and religious thought. Buddhism is an ethical system — a way of life — that leads to a very specific goal and that possesses some aspects of both religion and philosophy:
It is a philosophy.
Like most philosophies, Buddhism attempts to frame the complexities of human existence in a way that reassures us that there is, in fact, some underlying order to the Universe. In the Four Noble Truths the Buddha crisply summarizes our predicament: there is suffering, it has a cause, it has an end, and there is a way to reach the end. The teachings on kamma provide a thorough and logically self-consistent description of the nature of cause-and-effect. And even the Buddhist view of cosmology, which some may at first find farfetched, is a logical extension of the law of kamma. According to the Dhamma, a deep and unshakable logic pervades the world.
It is not a philosophy.
Unlike most philosophical systems, which rely on speculation and the power of reason to arrive at logical truths, Buddhism relies on the direct observation of one's personal experience and on honing certain skills in order to gain true understanding and wisdom. Idle speculation has no place in Buddhist practice. Although studying in the classroom, reading books, and engaging in spirited debate can play a vital part in developing a cognitive understanding of basic Buddhist concepts, the heart of Buddhism can never be realized this way. The Dhamma is not an abstract system of thought designed to delight the intellect; it is a roadmap to be used, one whose essential purpose is to lead the practitioner to the ultimate goal, nibbana.
It is a religion.
At the heart of each of the world's great religions lies a transcendent ideal around which its doctrinal principles orbit. In Buddhism this truth is nibbana, the hallmark of the cessation of suffering and stress, a truth of utter transcendence that stands in singular distinction from anything we might encounter in our ordinary sensory experience. Nibbana is the sine qua non of Buddhism, the guiding star and ultimate goal towards which all the Buddha's teachings point. Because it aims at such a lofty transcendent ideal, we might fairly call Buddhism a religion.
It is not a religion.
In stark contrast to the world's other major religions, however, Buddhism invokes no divinity, no supreme Creator or supreme Self, no Holy Spirit or omniscient loving God to whom we might appeal for salvation.[1] Instead, Buddhism calls for us to hoist ourselves up by our own bootstraps: to develop the discernment we need to distinguish between those qualities within us that are unwholesome and those that are truly noble and good, and to learn how to nourish the good ones and expunge the bad. This is the path to Buddhism's highest perfection, nibbana. Not even the Buddha can take you to that goal; you alone must do the work necessary to complete the journey:
"Therefore, Ananda, be islands unto yourselves, refuges unto yourselves, seeking no external refuge; with the Dhamma as your island, the Dhamma as your refuge, seeking no other refuge."
— DN 16
Despite its non-theistic nature, however, Buddhist practice does call for a certain kind of faith. It is not blind faith, an uncritical acceptance of the Buddha's word as transmitted through scripture. Instead it is saddha, a confidence born of taking refuge in the Triple Gem; it is a willingness to trust that the Dhamma, when practiced diligently, will lead to the rewards promised by the Buddha. Saddha is a provisional acceptance of the teachings, that is ever subject to critical evaluation during the course of one's practice, and which must be balanced by one's growing powers of discernment. For many Buddhists, this faith is expressed and reinforced through traditional devotional practices, such as bowing before a Buddha statue and reciting passages from the early Pali texts. Despite a superficial resemblance to the rites of many theistic religions, however, these activities are neither prayers nor pleas for salvation directed towards a transcendent Other. They are instead useful and inspiring gestures of humility and respect for the profound nobility and worth of the Triple Gem.
Have you practiced mediation yet? Does it help to relieve stress and, I don't know, think clearer? I'd like to start, but I feel like meditation is different from 'Sit and try to relax'. Have you ever had an Out of Body Experience from meditating?
Meditation is the heart of the practice. I find it helps relieve stress, suffering, and most fundamentally... pain.
I haven't had any out of body experiences from meditating, although I have had many insights into the nature of reality and more importantly, myself.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/guided.html is a good starting point.
Is the "Thai Theravadan Buddhist order" anything like the Shao-Lin guys? You certainly dress alike. I ask, because I got a book about a the modern Shao-Lin guys from a relative for some weird reason, and I want to know what kind of physical stuff you do as a monk, if anything. Not that I'm expecting to hear tales of breaking bricks with your crotch or anything.
Except I actually am, because that would be really cool.
We're different
The Theravadans place an importance on the development of mindfulness and concentration in order to build wisdom and understand the nature of being and to overcome suffering. (Did you ever see that picture of the vietnamese monk who set fire to himself to protest the treatment of Buddhists under the American-backed oppressive regime and calmly meditated as he burned to death?)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%ADch_Qu%E1%BA%A3ng_%C4%90%E1%BB%A9cPurposely harming other living beings and focused development of the body is discouraged. The most physical stuff I do is tend to the temples
Although Shaolin is quite interesting stuff.
EDIT: Buddhism has as many different sects as any other "religion", the Theravadan order is supposedly the oldest and one that relies the least on 'rituals' and focuses the most on the self rather than external forces. By some other orders, such as the Mahayana popular in China and Japan, it is often viewed as pessimistic for focusing on the self rather than aiming for enlightenment out of a sense of compassion to save others.
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Topic: Kael's "Ask a monk" - IamA Buddhist monk, AMA extravaganza (Read 17324 times)