| Some aspects of Buddhism challenge our assumptions | | | | itself is. |
| about the nature of religion itself. I have a standard | | | | Buddhists, instead, ask questions like this: What is |
| definition of religion from an old dictionary that I've used | | | | ultimate reality? How can I know it? |
| for years since I was a college student. It goes | | | | Another aspect of Buddhism that would be surprising |
| something like this: "Religion is the service and | | | | and challenging for us has to do with the nature of the |
| adoration of god or gods in form of worship". I suspect | | | | self. Many religious traditions emphasize the importance |
| that many of you would define religion using the word | | | | of an immortal soul. This is not so in Buddhism. |
| god somewhere in that definition. | | | | Buddhists say that a human personality is a bit like a |
| Buddhists do worship gods. Gods are part of Buddhist | | | | river. It is constantly flowing. It could be also like a fire, |
| life, they are important in some aspects of Buddhist | | | | constantly burning. The soul itself is not eternal, it |
| ritual. However, Buddhists deny the existence of one | | | | doesn't endure. It's part of a changeable process. |
| single almighty god who created the world. The | | | | The idea of an immortal soul is simply an illusion that |
| Buddha is a human being just like us, who confronted | | | | we impose out of our own psychological and |
| the difficulties of life and worked out a human | | | | emotional needs. Buddhist ideas of the self challenge |
| response. | | | | us to think in new ways about some basic questions, |
| When we talk about Buddhism we have to confront | | | | questions that belong to all of us as human beings: |
| the possibility that religion could be worked out on the | | | | Who I am? How can I develop my full potential as a |
| deepest level without a concern for a creator god. | | | | human being? |
| That will challenge our understanding of what religion | | | | |