I attended a meeting a few days ago during which one of the participants made a statement regarding the Buddhist perspective on a topic under discussion. This individual is a friend of mine. He is an educated man…an attorney. He was well-meaning but he was also wrong. That isn’t surprising. I might have been more surprised had he been right.

The fact is that most Westerners do not know much about the Buddha, the Dhamma or the Sangha. We are not exposed to Buddhism in the same way we are exposed to the Abrahamic religions. As an undergraduate, I minored in comparative religions. We read the Bible, the Qur’an and the Torah in their entirety and we were tested on our knowledge of these holy texts (including all the “begats”). But we never discussed Buddhism. Indeed, a person can do substantial online research about Buddhism and come away with misconceptions in abundance. If you haven’t noticed, there is a lot of nonsense on the internet.

I didn’t correct my friend in front of the group. That would have been more harmful than helpful. But I did tell him that I would write a short essay addressing misconceptions many Westerners have when it comes to this venerable and beautiful spiritual path. So, H., my friend, this is for you.

A. Buddha is not a God.

Most Westerners I run into think of the Buddha as God with an Asian face. This is incorrect. Buddha is not a God, he is not a prophet of God, he is not a relative of God, he is not an angel or any other type of heavenly being. In his lifetime, he was very clear about this. Buddha is an honored teacher. He was a mortal being like the rest of us with the very significant exception that he discovered the path to enlightenment and achieved it in his lifetime. The Buddha could have kept this information to himself. But instead, he dedicated the rest of his life to teaching others how they can also travel the path to enlightenment.

Should you require additional proof that Buddha is not a God, a story from Thailand might be helpful. On my most recent trip to the kingdom, I toured a Buddhist university with a monk who spoke excellent English. As part of this tour, we visited a shrine room in which resided a large statue of the Buddha. The monk told me that during finals week, he often finds students in the room praying to Buddha for good grades. The monk said he shoos the students out and tells them to do something that will actually result in good grades… like studying.

Gods, devas and demons do exist in Buddhism but the Buddha is not among them.

B. His Name isn’t Buddha.

The man we know as the Buddha was born Siddartha Gautema. Buddha is a title that translates roughly to “One who is Enlightened.” Similarly, Christ isn’t Jesus’ last name. It is a title that translates to “Anointed One” or “Messiah.”

C. The Fat Guy isn’t Buddha.

You know the guy… jolly and bald with his robe open exposing an enormous belly. Most Westerners think this fellow is Buddha. They also think the thin, serene, meditating fellow is Buddha.

The jolly fat guy is a 10th century Chinese monk named Budai (Hotei in Japanese). He has become associated with prosperity, abundance and good health. Perhaps Buddha and Budai are close enough that Westerners confuse one for the other.

D. The Buddha Never said, “Life is Suffering.”

If the Buddha’s claim to fame was saying, “life is suffering,” he would not be famous… or entirely correct for that matter. What the Buddha said is: suffering exists, suffering has a cause, suffering has a remedy, and he went on to describe the remedy, The Noble Eightfold Path. Much more about that in coming posts.

E. Buddhism is not Monolithic.

Most of the world’s major religions are divided into sects, schools or denominations. Some of these include, Christianity (Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox); Judaism (Heradi, Masorti, Hiloni); Islam (Sunni, Shi’a). Buddhism is also divided into schools, the most common of which are Mahayana, Theravada, Vajrayana.

Just as any Christian familiar with the Bible would be able to understand and follow along should they find themselves in a Catholic, Protestant or Orthodox church, any Buddhist familiar with the Tripitaka could follow along in any Buddhist temple. The form, format and rituals would be somewhat different but the central figures and the teachings would be largely the same.

F. The Dalai Lama is not the Spiritual Leader of all Buddhists.

If you ask most Westerners to name the leader of one of the world’s great religions, chances are they would say the Pope or the Dalai Lama. In the case of the Pope, Westerners will know that he is the spiritual leader of the Catholic religion; not the leader of Christianity in its entirety. In the case of the Dalai Lama most Westerners think he is the spiritual leader of all Buddhists. In actuality, he is the most important Lama in his tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and the political leader of Tibet, albeit in exile. All Buddhists respect the Dalai Lama regardless of the Buddhist tradition they follow. Of course, if you are a supporter of the Chinese Communist Party, you will see him in a very different light.

G. Reincarnation is not Part of Buddhist Teachings.

Many Westerners think Buddhists believe in reincarnation. In fact, this belief is so wide spread that it might be the only thing some people think they know about Buddhism. However, reincarnation is not part of Buddhist teachings.

Don’t believe me? Take it from the late, venerable Thich Nhat Hanh who said, “Reincarnation means there is a soul that goes out of your body and enters another body. That is a very popular, very wrong notion of continuation in Buddhism. If you think that there is a soul, a self, that inhabits a body, and that goes out when the body disintegrates and takes another form, that is not Buddhism.”

Buddhists do believe in the concept of rebirth. Rebirth is an important subject that requires more thoughtful analysis than can be accommodated with this entry. But rebirth is not the same thing as reincarnation.

H. Buddhists are not Required to be Vegetarians.

Many monks are not vegetarian. The Buddha himself was not vegetarian. He gave instructions to his monks regarding the types of meat that can be eaten and those which should be avoided, primarily for health reasons. There was no reliable refrigeration in the Buddha’s time. Like anyone else, Buddhists may choose to be vegetarians or not.

The confusion occurs around the first Buddhist Precept: “I undertake the precept to refrain from taking the life of any living creature.” When it applies to diet, this means that Buddhists may not kill their own food or consume food that has been killed specifically for their own consumption. Theravada and Tibetan Buddhism are more tolerant of eating meat. Mahayana Buddhism is more restrictive. Ultimately, it is a personal decision left to the individual practitioner.

I. Buddhists do not Welcome Suffering.

Neither do they shrink from it. Buddhists accept that suffering is part of the human condition. They can endure suffering with equanimity because to do anything else prolongs and deepens the suffering. Buddhists understand that there are ways of functioning in the world that reduce suffering for oneself and others. The teachings articulate this way of living.

J. Buddhists do not Reject Material Possessions.

Buddhists understand that craving things we do not have and clinging to those we do will not make us happy. Indeed, the desire for things we do not have and the fear of losing things we have are the causes of much of the world’s suffering.

Thanks for reading along. If you have never visited a temple, monastery or Dhamma center, you might find it an enlightening thing to do (pun intended). But don’t take my word for it. Investigate for yourself.