Is Buddhism is a monotheist religion or Polytheist
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The resurgence of Buddhism in the late 1990s was due in part to the Nobel Peace Prize to the Dalai Lama. The Institute of Buddhist Studies was established to meet the demands of the general public about Buddhism as a whole, its history, its growth, its thought and its involvement in Western culture. It is difficult to keep an account of exactly everything about Buddhahood.
One popular estimate says 1 million Buddhists in France. However, if we relativize this figure, it should be noted that it is based on the Asian community and that all members of these countries are not necessarily Buddhists.
The director of the Institute of Buddhist Studies, for example, would claim rather 20-25000 people instead of 200-300000 usually given. One survey in over 20 years gives a figure of 5 million supporters, although this figure has not been updated. The only thing we can say with certainty is that the popularity of Buddhism in the 90's was huge.
Read also: What are the beliefs of Buddhism?
There are many different forms of Buddhism, no one style.
The complexity of Buddhism is comparable to that of monotheism. Monotheism has three main branches: the Jews, Christians and Muslims. Similarly, in Buddhism, there are three main branches: Buddhism of Southeast Asia, Buddhism Far East and Himalayan Buddhism.
Each has its own organization, its functioning, its writing and its hierarchy guns. Within these three currents, there are many schools and lineages that there are in Christianity between the Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants. Trotignon reviews three forms of Buddhist association found in France.
The location of these facilities varies considerably, depending on the community from which they originate. When the groups are linked to immigrant communities, their location is limited to specific areas.
This is the case in Marseille since its harbor is a landing place, this is also the case in Paris, in the North or in Britain for economic reasons. But in general, attend some French centers. The director of the Institute of Buddhist Studies discusses the temples that are specifically designed for French with distinct sociological characteristics in public life.
The influence of Buddhism in Europe
People's interest for Buddhism is due to various reasons, and many misconceptions still. The fundamental teaching of Buddhism is "to try to relieve suffering" We are all part of a civilization that knows suffering, but the suffering can be analyzed at different levels.
There are some French who are true Buddhists, as defined by Asians. Around this small group is a large population of supporters, ranging from those who have a degree of basic agreement with very informed perspectives and theoretical. This interest can range from a high spiritual and intellectual curiosity to an emotional feeling agree with the general concepts. The number of people interested in Buddhism is enormous, as in Asia.
The West, especially the Christian West, has a significant impact on contemporary Buddhism. According to the Director of the Institute of Buddhist Studies, since the mid-19th century and especially in recent decades, a whole movement of Buddhism in Asia has lacked social engagement in relation to Christian missions.
Given the form of French secularism, when individuals come together for, for example, accompanying a dying person or sick, they do it without the "Buddhist label." However, as soon as the Buddhist Union of France will put in place Buddhist chaplashes, things will change. For other religions such as Christian, Jewish and Muslim religions that have been established in France for longer.
To read too: Do the Buddhists believe in God?
The main difference between the various forms of Buddhism is that they involve somewhat different methods in terms of meditation and ethics. The first is the gift, which includes active support to the community as well as monastics practicing meditation.
Some common references also exist, which gives a sense of unity more important than Christianity. Finally, all Buddhists recognize the Gautama Buddha, who lived in India at the sixth century BC and was known as Shakyamuni.
The Buddhist Union of France works to bring together different Buddhist traditions from France, thanks to the activities of the huge wood pagoda of Vincennes in Paris. Several events in recent years have shown a strong desire for cooperation, especially two years ago when France has received historical Buddha relics.
It is the only Western nation to whom Thailand has done this gift. That day, French Buddhists recognized the creation of a Buddhist community that connects its many currents.
