Over 360 million followers from all over the world and many more getting attracted at an exponential rate. Sounds interesting! This is what appealed to me and set me to trace the tenets of this unique religion which is often not seen as the religion in the normal sense. Buddhism does not advocate the practice of worshiping a creator or God and thus is seen as different from other religions.

After exercising my brains and exploring the various literally sources both scholarly and popular what I have understood is that Buddhism is not about teaching or learning but it is all about experiencing.

Key to eternal bliss
The teachings of Buddha reveal a step by step path to lasting happiness. Happiness for which we all mortal beings aspire and to which all our actions are directed but unfortunately which keeps on eluding from most of us. By following the path shown by Buddha anyone can gradually transform his or her mind from its present confused and self-centered state into eternal bliss.

Thus goes the saying " Every living being has the potential to become a Buddha, someone who has completely purified his or her mind of all faults and limitations and has brought all good qualities to perfection. Our mind is like a cloudy sky, in essence pure and clear but overcast by the clouds of delusions." Just as the thickest clouds eventually disperse, so too even the heaviest delusions can be removed from our mind. Delusions such as hatred, greed and ignorance are not an intrinsic part of the mind. If we apply the appropriate methods these they can be completely eliminated, and we shall experience the happiness of full enlightenment. Understanding mind.

Meditation is the first step towards this spiritual enlightenment. That is why it is at the heart of Budddhist way of life. It is basically a method for understanding and working on our own minds . We first learn to identify our different negative mental states known as "delusions"and learn how to develop peaceful and positive mental states or "virtuous minds".

Then in meditation we overcome our delusions by becoming familiar with virtuous minds. Out of meditation we try to maintain the virtuous minds we have developed and use our wisdom to solve the problems of daily life. As our mind becomes more positive our actions become more constructive, and our experience of life becomes more satisfying and beneficial to others.

Three Jewels
Anyone can learn basic meditation techniques and experience great benefits, but to progress beyond basic meditation requires faith in the Three Jewels - Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Usually people find this develops naturally as they experience the benefits of their meditation practice.

I found that basic tenets of Buddhist teaching are straight forward and practical : nothing is fixed or permanent, actions have consequences and change is possible. Thus Buddhism has unfolded to me as a path of practice and spiritual development which leads one to an insight into the true nature of life and various Buddhist practices such as meditation are means of changing oneself in order to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness and wisdom.