Buddhism is one of the oldest religions in the world. Practiced by people all over the world, it brings calm and peace to busy lives. People as diverse as Steve Jobs, Steven Segal, Orlando Bloom and Tina Turner have all discovered the path to enlightenment and decided to follow the teaching of Buddhism in their everyday lives. Learn more about the ancient practice of Buddhism with a course.
I don’t want to become a Buddhist, but I’d like to learn more about it
If actually going all-in and becoming a fully practicing Buddhist seems a bit too much, but you’d like to learn more, why not take a course in Buddhist meditation? Learn how to achieve inner calm and zen with the Buddhist meditation course. Theses courses teach traditional Buddhist meditation and breathing techniques. It is not necessary to become a Buddhist in order to benefit from this course at all. Anyone can use these techniques to make a difference in their everyday lives.
If your interest in Buddhism is academic, rather than practical, then the Open University Introducing Religions course may be best for you. This course lets students take a look at Buddhism within the context of the other 5 major global religions (Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism). This is a distance learning course. This gives maximum flexibility to potential students, as they do not need to attend set classes or set dates.
What are the teaching of Buddha?
A message of peace, love and spiritual harmony are the key tenets of Buddhism. Learning to live in harmony with the world around you, and finding an inner peace with what is going on around us is the reason that Buddhism is so popular around the world. Buddhism is about searching for balance and moderation.
Do I need to be Buddhist in order to study it?
Not at all. The teachings of the Buddha can be applied to almost any situation, regardless of whether or not you choose to become a Buddhist. Its popularity has spread because it is so flexible – you do not need to shave your head or become a monk in order to follow what you will learn. The five tenets of Buddhism are very simple.
Do not:
- Hurt any person or any animal.
- Take something if it was not meant to be yours.
- Engage in sexual misconduct.
- Lie or say things that could cause hurt to other people.
- Take alcohol or drugs, which will cause you to become heedless in your actions
The 8 rules by which a Buddhist should live are very similar too:
- Know and understand the Four Noble Truths
- Give up all worldly things and don’t harm others
- Tell the truth, don’t gossip, and don’t talk badly about others
- Don’t commit evil acts, like killing, stealing, or living an unclean life
- Work for good and oppose evil
- Do rewarding work
- Make sure your mind keeps your senses under control
- Practice meditation as a way of understanding reality
If these rules appeal to you, and you would like to find out more about them, or even go as far as to live by them, then try a course in Buddhism today.
You will find the Courses.ie list of Buddhism classes here. In addition, have a look at meditation classes and mindfulness courses.
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