Is there a punishment for those who don't believe in buddhism? I know in christianity, those who don't believe in God go to hell. But what about anti-buddhists?
Not that I am aware of. There definitely isn't a punishment if you think of Buddhism as a philosophy. If you're talking about Buddhism as a dumbed down religion ... I can't tell you for certain, but I highly doubt it. The only "punishment" is the natural cycle of death and constant rebirth, until you gain enough wisdom to enter Nirvana. And you're part of that cycle whether or not you follow Buddhism (so the religion says at least; I don't believe that).
Suffering is true, but it is not punishment. Suffering, then, cannot be truly alleviated by following a path, but by understanding the true nature of the self and why we suffer. When we understand what is causing the pain, which is universal, therein lies the potential to dissolve it. So, if one does not listen to what Buddhism speaks of and recommends doing, that is ones choice. You may or may not find the answer, the solution from suffering, but this is not punishment.
Not sure it is really as you get it Javajade. Even if you follow buddhism precepts precisely all your life long you have no guarantee to reach a buddha state (if it is the goal of your practice, or not). It is not like a punishment, unless you understand the fact of being alive as a punishment. We are all in the karma wheel which causes suffering, to the buddhism tradition. Willing it or not, it is just a fact. Buddhism is usually not proselitist. You can be a non christian without being an anti christian, as you can be a non buddhist without being an anti buddhist. If you define anti buddhism as destructing the buddhist culture, then you should check the behaviour of Tibetans buddhists towards the invasion and the destruction of their country/culture by Chineses. The buddhist leaders reactions could amaze you. Take care.
Hey, thanks for the elaboration Spiritforces. I hope it's all clear now JavaJade. There's definitely no punishment in Buddhism. A man was always in pain, always. No matter what, he suffered. He didn't know why, he didn't see. He kept bumping into things, and he never understood why there was conflict. This pain was true, beyond all beliefs and religious matters, he felt pain. Beyond spirituality and technicality, this pain was incessant. One day, he sat down. Just stopped for a while. Even while sitting, something was digging into his leg. Pain and pain, even while resting. He wondered, he pondered, he questioned why he felt this pain. Eventually, he began to explore himself. Was it the way he moved? It must be something to that nature. Yet, no matter how he moved he always managed to trip over something. He pondered and pondered until, one day, he began to see a faint glimmer of light. He followed the light, letting his hands touch his brow. He felt his face, and discovered there was a blindfold covering his vision. Slowly, he removed the blindfold, and could see. Quite well, in fact. This was a way to alleviate the pain. This was the way to walk through the forest and cease to be in conflict. It was not avoidance, merely seeing what truly is. Just seeing. He walked on. In the same sense, we are walking through life with pain, with suffering, with conflict, and we wonder if there is more to life than this? Is there a way to peace? Is there peace? Buddhism attempts to describe what the problem is; pain born from us and also ceased by us. It is in no way 'enlightening'. You are enlightening. It is up to you to find the cause of your ignorance, the cause of your conflict, it is up to you to see yourself. Only you can see yourself as you are. Only you can be a light to yourself. To be blind is not punishnment. To be in pain is not punishment. It just is what it is. If you do not wish to be in pain, if you wish for peace, therein lies the 'purpose' of Buddhism. To bump into thing is to bump into things. To flow through the path of the forest is to do just that. There is nothing more. No rewards or punishment.
If you read the Tibetian Book of the Dead, it says that as the mind and brain dies it experiences hot and cold, water and wind. Just as seconds can be seen as years in the dream state, so also an eternity can be perceived in what is actually minutes and hours. Whether there is an eternity or not is immaterial, it feels like an eternity and so it is an eternity. So going through the hot 'bardo' it may feel like Hell. Heat is perceived because the brain is starving for oxygen. Then the light, the spark of life, goes out...
and why would there be? Buddhism is breaking free of constraints, so why would the teachings constrain groups of people into a dichomatic system of heaven and hell? There's really no need to
