Buddhism

1) Were you born into Buddhism?
No I was not. My mom is Christian and my dad was brought up as an Episcopalian and is now atheist. However, my aunt and uncle are both Buddhist and they are the ones who got me interested in it. I became interested because it has a good understanding of the human mind.
 

4) What are some unique traditions the Buddhist religion holds?
Vesak, which is Buddha's birthday. There's a major festival and is celebrated on the first full moon day of May. There is plays about Buddha's life and teachings, and public messages given by religious leaders.
 

5) How can a person become a Buddhist?
A person can become a Buddhist by following the teachings of the Buddha. You kind of decide yourself whether or not you have followed all of the teachings.
 

6) What are the main teachings of the Buddha?
There are many teachings of the Buddha. For example one is the four noble truths. The first, the truth of suffering, the second, the truth of the cause of suffering, the third, the truth of the path that frees us from suffering, there is also the eightfold path. To really understand them, you need to study them extensively from books and teachers, But basically you just need to overcome these.
 

7) Does heaven and hell exist in Buddhism?
The goal in Buddhism is to reach Enlightenment and true happiness.
 

8) Do Buddhist eat meat?
The view of vegetarianism varies thought the teachings. Theravada says that eating meat is okay. I am not a vegetarian, but my aunt and uncle are.
 

9)How strict is the Buddhist religion?
The Buddhist religion is stricter if one is a monk, but if someone is just following the philosophy it is not as strict. It is as strict as you want it to be.