Buddhism is the first religion that I am looking into that does not fall into the Abrahamic faiths. Buddhism follows the teachings of the Buddha which are the 3 universal truths and the 4 Noble truths. Buddha did not want to be worshiped but wanted people to take charge of their own lives and actions.
THE 3 UNIVERSAL TRUTHS (from URI)
1) Everything in life is impermanent and always changing.
2) Life based on possessing things and people does not make you happy.
3) There is no eternal unchanging soul, “self” is just a bunch of changing characteristics and attributes.
THE 4 NOBLE TRUTHS (from URI)
1) Human life is full of suffering
2) Suffering is caused by greed
3) There is an end to suffering
4) The end to suffering is to follow the Middle path
The middle path which seems to also be referred to as the Middle way is the balance between indulgence luxury and fasting/hardship so, to not fall too much into greed but also not punish oneself too much find balance.
Photo from Pexels by Sunilkumar Krishnamoorthy https://www.pexels.com/photo/brass-buddha-figurine-on-black-surface-1585716/
Meditation is important in most Buddhist practices, meditation is used to seek enlightenment and to understand the teachings of Buddha better. Buddhists are also seeking Nirvana which URI explains as “Nirvana is freedom from needless suffering and being fully alive and present in one’s life. It is not a state that can really be described in words — it goes beyond words.”(URI). Meditation involves working towards quieting the mind, meditation is also said to have plenty of other benefits. Meditation can take on a variety of forms including Practicing martial arts, sitting quietly, and even can involve chanting, this is not an exhaustive list of course.
According to Buddhism for kids there are quite a few different holidays, during these holidays people tend to leave food, candles and flowers for the monks and nuns within temples and monasteries.
Holidays being pulled from Buddhism for kids include:
Dharma Day- celebrates the first full moon in July, honoring the Buddha’s first teachings of the Dharma.
Buddhist New Year- there is no consistent day it is celebrated on, that varies from country to country. Buddha statues are cleaned along with houses and offerings are made to ancestors. Lanterns are lit to bring in good luck.
Kathina Ceremony- Usually held in October, monks and nuns go on a three-month retreat, people offer robes and other necessities to them to symbolize the close relationship between people and Sangha.
Guan Yin Celebration- Popular in China, Tibet, and Nepal, repeats the name of Guan Yin and reflects on their own compassion. Celebrated on the full moon of the second lunar month.
Ullambana- people in August/September bring offerings of robes and other daily needs to the nuns/monks, comes from the teaching of Buddha to bring offerings to those in the land of the dead.
Wesak- celebrated on the first full moon in may, celebrating the birthday of the Buddha. Celebrated by cleaning the temple and decorate them with flowers and banners, different countries may have different practices the tie into the celebration.
(all information On the holidays comes from Buddhism for kids)