What Is Buddhism?

Buddhism is a mindset and group of practices whose goal is to lead one to spiritual Enlightenment. This path will reveal to you the true nature of reality, and will lead you to a life of contentment and peace. There are many different traditions and sects of Buddhism, but at their core they all seek to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness and wisdom. Since Buddhism does not include the worship of a creator God, many don't view it as a traditional religion - and it isn't. It is more of a lifestyle that allows those to follow the path freedom from the suffering and angst of everyday life. Think of Buddhism as freedom!

Who Is Buddha?

In the sixth century B.C., a prince named Gautama was born to a life of luxury and privilege. His father was the ruler of a small kingdom in present day Nepal, and Gautama lived sheltered from things like sickness, death or human suffering. But when he learned of death from one of his servants, Gautama was bothered by the transience of life. He soon left his father's palace, forfeiting his right to the throne, in search of a cure to this suffering that he could not shake. He spent six years wandering the banks of the Ganges River, learning from five major sects of the day about their practices and beliefs. After finding that none of them could provide him the answers to his questions, he left and decided to sit under a Bodhi tree until the answers were revealed to him. He sat there for many days until he finally realized the true nature of reality and became the Buddha, which means "he who is awake".

Shortly thereafter, the Buddha decided that he must teach others the path to Enlightenment and began to give his first sermons. He taught the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, which are the keys to the path of Enlightenment. These ideas are still taught today, much in the same way as he presented them some 2500 years ago.

What Is BarrieBuddhism.org?

This site is a starting point for the Buddhist community in the city of Barrie, Ontario, Canada. It was created by a local Buddhist Upsaka (lay-man practitioner) named Rick Towns in 2005, and it has a four part mandate for the local community as well as the world at large:

1. To act as a global resource for the Buddha's teachings for all that wish to learn about them.
2. To provide the local Buddhist community an interactive forum to express and share ideas about the path to Enlightenment.
3. To promote the idea of Buddhism to the local community as well as the world at large via the World Wide Web.
4. To eventually provide a permanent, physical Buddhist place of worship in the Barrie area (a temple).

There is no time-line or dead-line on this mandate. This site and the community it brings together will continue to grow going forward. The mandate will change and adapt to accommodate this growth. Our sincerest hope is that this site will help spark a curiosity in it's visitors and will help them on their journey down the path to Enlightenment.

Continue on and learn about Experience and Reality >>