DEMOCRACY Buddhism was a democratic movement, which upheld democracy in religion, democracy in society, and democracy in politics. - Dr. Ambedkar

Buddhism was a democratic movement, which upheld democracy in religion, democracy in society, and democracy in politics.

- Dr. Ambedkar

ETHICAL MAN OF GENIUS

In this sphere He gave expression to truths of everlasting value and advanced the ethics not of India alone but of humanity. Buddha was one of the greatest ethical men of genius ever bestowed upon the world.
- Albert Schweitzer, a leading Western philosopher

WORLD CULTURE

Buddhism has done more for the advance of world civilization and true culture than any other influence in the chronicles of mankind.
- H. G. Wells

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[04] TOLERANCE – PEACE – LOVE

The question that inevitably suggests itself is, how far can the great message of the Buddha apply to the present-day world? Perhaps it may apply, perhaps it may not, but if we follow the principles enunciated by the Buddha, we will ultimately win peace and tranquility for the world.

- Nehru

WISDOM IS THE SWORD AND IGNORANCE IS THE ENEMY

Not a single page of Buddhist history has ever been lurid with the light of inquisitorial fires, or darkened with the smoke of heretic or heathen cities ablaze, or red with blood of the guiltless victims of religious hatred. Buddhism wields only one sword, the sword of wisdom, and recognises only one enemy – ignorance. This is the testimony of history, and is not to be gain-said.

- Prof. Bapat, "2500 years of Buddhism"

NO UNKIND WORD

There was never an occasion when the Buddha flamed forth in anger, never an incident when an unkind word escaped his lips.

- Dr. S. Radhakrishnan

PRACTISE OF WISDOM AND COMPASSION

It seemed that the kindly aesthetic, eternally young, seated cross-legged on the lotus of purity with his right hand raised in admonition, answered in these two words: "If you wish to escape from suffering from fear, practise wisdom and compassion."

- Anatole France

NO PERSECUTION

There is no record known to me in the whole of the long history of Buddhism throughout the many centuries where its followers have been for such lengthened periods supreme, of any persecution by the Buddhists of the followers of any other faith.

- Prof. Rhys Davids

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[05] - MAN’S POSITION IN BUDDHISM

MAN IS NOT READY MADE

Man today is the result of millions of repititions of thoughts and acts. He is not ready made; he becomes, and is still becoming. His character is predetermind by his own choice, the thought, the act, which he chooses, that by habit, he becomes.

- Ven. Piyadassi

MAN CAN STAND ON HIS OWN FEET

Buddhism makes man stand on his own two feet and rouses self confidence and engergy.

- Ven. Narada Thera, "Buddhism in a Nutshell"

MAN CAN CEASE TO BE CRUSHED

Man is greater that the blind forces of nature because even though he is crushed by them he remains superior by virtue of his understanding of them. Again., Buddhism carries the truth further: it shows that by means of understanding man can also control his circumstances. He can cease to be crushed by them, and use their laws to raise himself.

- Pascal

Buddhism stands unique in the history of human thought in denyingthe existence of such a Soul, Self, ot Atman. According to the teaching of the Buddha, the idea of self is an imaginary, false belief which has no corresponding reality, and it produces harmful thoughts or ‘me’ and ‘mine’, selfish desire craving, attachment, hatred, illwill, conceit, pride, egoism, and other defilement, impurities and problems. It is the source of all troubles in the world from personal conflicts to wars between nations. In short, to this flase view can be traced all the evils in the world.

- Ven. Dr. W. Rahula, "What the Buddha Taught"

LIFE AFTER DEATH IS NOT A MYSTERY

The difference between death and birth is only a thought moment: the last thought moment in this life conditions the first thought moment in the so called next life, which in fact is the continually of tha same series. During this life itself, too, one thought moment conditions the next thought moment. So, from the Buddhist point of view, the question of life after death is not a great mystery, and a Buddhist is never worried about this problem.

- Ven. Dr. W. Rahula, "What the Buddha Taught"

[07] - BUDDHISM AND SCIENCE

‘I have oftern said, and I shall say again and again, that between Buddhism and modern Science there exist a close intellectual bond’.

- Sir Edwin Arnold

BUDDHISM COPES WITH SCIENCE

If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism.

- Albert Einstein

A SPIRITUAL SCIENCE

Buddhism is, on the contrary, a system of thought, a religion, a spirtual science and a way of life which is reasonable, practical and all embracing. For 2500 years it has satisfied that spiritual science and a way of life, which is reasonable, practical and all embracing. For 2500 years it has satisfied the spirtual needs of nearly one third of mankind. It appeals to the West, insists on self reliance coupled with tolerance for the other ‘s points of view, embraces science, relgion, philosophy, psychology, ethics and art, and points to man alone as the creator of his present life and sole designer of his destiny.

BUDDHISM BEGINS WHERE SCIENCE ENDS

Science can give no assurance herein. But Buddhism can meet the atomic Challenge, because the supramundane knowledge of Buddhism begins where science leaves off. And this is clear enough to anyone who has made a study of Buddism. For, through Buddhist Meditation, the atomic constituents making up matter have been seen and felt, and the sorrow, or unsatifactoriness, of their ‘arising and passing away’ (dependant on causes) has made itself with what we call a ‘soul’ or ‘atma’ – the illusion of Sakkayadithi, as it is called in the Buddha’s teaching.

- Egerton C.Baptist, "Supreme Science of the Buddha"

CAUSE AND EFFECT INSTEAD OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS
According to the Buddha the world is not so constituted. Buddhist believe in a just rational of Kamma that operates automatically and speak in terms of cause and effect instead of rewards and punishments.

- A writer

[08] - WHAT IS NIBBANA

For the first time in the history of the world, Buddha proclaimed a salvation, which each man could gain for himself and by himself in this world during this life, without the least help from the personal GOD or Gods. He strongly inculcated the doctrine of self reliance, of purity, of courtesy, of enlightment, of peace and of universal love. He strongly urged necessity of knowledge, for without wisdom psychic insight could not be got in his life.

- Prof. Eliot, "Buddhism and Hinduism"

BUDDHA AND THE SALVATION

It is not the Buddha who delivers men, but he teaches them to deliver themselves, even as he has deleivered himself. They accept his teaching of the truth, not because it comes from him, but, because of personal conviction, aroused by his words, arises by the light of their own spirit.

- Dr. Oldenburg, a German Buddhist scholar

- George Grimm, "The Doctrine of the Buddha"

The various ways in which Buddhism influenced, modified, transformed, and revitalised Hindu religion among all the philospohical Sutras of the Hindus, are admitted post Buddhistic. The presuppostion of Indian philosophy in the doctrine of Karma and rebirth and other pre Buddhistic system have attained fullest development from Buddhistic literature and been established on philosphical basis.

- Dr. S. N. Das Gupta

UNIVERSAL ETHICS

None the preBuddhistic religions of India may be said to have been able to formulate a code of ethics and religion that wass unversally and compulsorily valid for all.

- Dr. S. N. Das Gupta

BUDDHISM IS BUDDHISM

Buddhism and Jainisn were certainly not Hinuism ot even the Vedic Dharma. Yet they arose in India and were integral parts of Indian life, culture and philosophy. Buddhist or Jaina in India is a hundred per cent product of Indian thought culture, yet neither is Hindu by faith. It is entirely misleading to refer to Indian culture as Hindu culture.

- Nehru, "Discovery of India"

ETERNAL DEBT TO THE BUDDHA

It is my deliberate opinion that the essential part of the teachings of the Buddha now forms an integral part of Hinduism. IT is impossible for Hindu India today to retrace her steps and go behind the great reformations that Gautama effected in Hinduism. By his immense sacrfice, by his great renuniation, and by the immaculate purity of his life he left an indelible impress upon Hinduism, and Hinduism owes an eternal debt of gratitude to the great teacher.

- Mahatma Gandhi, "Maha Bodhi"

DOMINANT CREED

A system which knows no God in the Western sense, which denied a soul to man, which counts the belief in immorality a blunder, which refuses any effecacy to prayer and sacrifice, which bides man to look to nothing but their own efforts for salvation, which in its orginal purity knew nothing of vows of obedience and never sought the aid of the secular arm, yet spread over a considerable motley of the old world with marvellous rapidity and is still, which whatever base admixture of forcing supertitions, the dominant creed of a large fraction of mankind.

- T.H. Huxley

BUDDHIST IDEA OF SIN

Its idea of sin differs somewhat from the Christian idea. Sin to the Buddhist is mere ignorance or stupidity. The wicked man is an ignorant man. He doesn’t need much punishment and condemnation so much as he needs instruction. He is not regarded as ‘violating God’s commands’ or as one who mest beg for divine mercy and forgiveness. Rather it is necessary fo rthe sinner’s friends to make him reason in the human way. The Buddhist does not believe the sinner can escape the consequences in prayerful attempts to bargain with God.

- John Walters, "Mind Unshaken"

GODS NEED SALVATION

For the first time in human history the Buddha admonished, entreated and appealed to people not to hurt a living being, not to offer prayer of praise or sacrifice to gods. With all the eloquence as his command the exalted one vehemently proclaimed that gods are slso in direction need of salvation of themselves.

[11] - THE WORLD AND THE UNIVERSE

Buddha was not angry with the world. He thought of it as unsatisfactory and transitory rather than wicked, as ignorant rather than rebelliou. He troubled little about people who would not listen to him and showed no nervous irritablity.

A GREAT BATTLE