Is Buddihism a religion?

“It is neither a religion in the sense in which that word is commonly understood, for it is not “a system of faith and worship owing any allegiance to a supernatural being.”

From Buddhanet

Wiki defines religion as, ”... a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of life and the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a supernatural agency, or human beings’ relation to that which they regard as holy, sacred, spiritual, or divine.”
Wiki states that Buddhism has religious and philosophical aspects.

Religion, philosophy, a variety of traditions, beliefs, and practices, whatever you wanna call it.

Buddah himself said he wasn’t a god, which is why there’s two huge sects of Buddhism.

I think it is. I guess it is also a philosophy? Pretty sure the US government exempts Buddhist places of worship from taxes, like other religions.

1. There are more than one kind of Buddhism. I believe the applicable kind for this question is Zen, not Theravada. (Theravada falls squarely into what most people consider “religion,” Zen skirts the boundary between religion and philosophy.)

2. There is no objective answer to this question because there is no objective and perfect definition of “religion.” Some people define religion broadly, to mean any broad philosophy or ideology. For my part, I prefer to define religion more narrowly, as an ideology centered around the worship of a deity or deities (who are, in turn, defined as powerful beings with personalities who are interested in human history and morality). So I would not call Zen a religion, but I would not care if someone did.

I classify it under religion. Many people don’t think of my religion is a religion, either.

The definition of religion is actually a very complex thing. There is not a general agreement of what it is, and it has changed over time. One of my colleagues is writing a book about this topic.

In the end, I think, it comes down to what each individual thinks. This is not an answerable question in the sense that there is only one answer. Yes. It is a religion. It is a religion, but… No it isn’t religion. All are true. Take you pick.

I classify it a religion, they say philosophy, I can see either way….i perfer it to other religions however (I don’t buy it but I perfer it)

Religion is a word, with multiple definitions. The answer depends on the definition.

If you really want a fascinating explanation of this question, as well as lots of other information about Buddhism both ancient and modern, the podcast Reasonable Doubts did an amazing three-part series you should listen to. They are episodes 73, 74 and 75.

It isn’t a religion, and The Buddha said it wasn’t one, but then everyone else treated it as a religion (and The Buddha as a god), so then it is one.

For some it is a religion, or the nearest thing to it. For others it is a philosophy, one that is compatible with other religions and with absence of religion. Some followers of Zen simply say it’s a way of life.

The practice of Buddhism in the West is different from the traditional practice in the East, with family-owned temples and priests who mainly perform ceremonies at births, weddings, funerals, and special observances.

Why wouldn’t it be? It just happens to have a strong humanitarian bent. That doesn’t mean it’s not BS.

Well, one reason it wouldn’t be is that (at least when you practice it as a philosophy) it has no dogma that you have to swallow. There’s no divinity to worship and no beliefs other than beliefs about how to practice. There’s no creation myth and no hell or heaven and no pantheon and no hierarchy of ecclesiastical authority. It’s a matter of what you do. What religion can you describe that way?

Yes buddism is a religion. It is one of the most largest religions in the world in fact.

Harp provided some good explanations regarding Buddhism and religion in this thread

@Jeruba: only dogma says there’s dogma you have to swallow. Jesus Christ never forces you to believe in Jesus Christ. It’s the dogma of the churches that say so. Some churches are liberal about it, and let go the fact that some people don’t care, others aren’t. You see to at least some extent the same trend in Buddhism. Maybe it’s less extreme, but then Buddhism is a relatively minor religion next to the big thuggy ones like Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. I would guess that if Buddhism suddenly rose to be #1 or #2, all its tolerance and moderation would last about five seconds, at least among the most powerful institutions. Historically, the same thing happened with Christianity when it become official.

I think of it more as a life philosophy than a religion.