Buddhism

1. I think the story of the early life of the Buddha is a mix of legend and truth. That may not matter in the overall scheme of life though. This is because we are more concerned about his teaches after his Enlightenment at the Bodhi tree. I'm sure there have been some embellishments and exaggerations that were added but zealous disciples who most likely had attempted to make the historical Buddha more attractive. 2. To me, enlightenment means attaining recognition of the Truth of all things. This truth would encompass how all things, such as life, death, the universe, time, space, etc, are interconnected. As humans, there seems to be something deep within each of us that desires things to be forever. Personally, my path in Buddhism began when I realized that all things are impermanent. For me, that realization pointed me in a direction in my spiritual life that I had not taken before. 3. I believe that enlightenment is possible, and just as there are many roads to be traveled, I think that the path is different for each person, but that the guidelines are similar. One can not go about murdering humans and then still try to attain enlightenment, for an example. The basic teaches of the Buddha, should be followed. Compassion and an altruistic attitude need to be developed, especially in a world that is primarily narcissistic and self centered. Meditation upon ones own life and attitudes needs to be disciplined. Aside from that, I'm sure that the path could vary. Rev. Mark J. Larose ******************************* The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button. The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary. Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar