As Alexis de Tocqueville put it: “General ideas are no proof of the strength, but rather of the insufficiency of the human intellect.”

Common statement: “You believe in reincarnation! Yer a bood-hist!”

I actually do not ‘believe’ in that at all. Nor do most Buddhists. That’s a misconception in the Western World due to exposure to Tibetan tradition and Mahayana Doctrine.

“Huh?!”

As there are sects in every religion, so there are sects in the Philosophies of Siddhartha Gautama, the first ‘Buddha’. The original Pali Canon, of which all present day teachings are based, Theravada is the closest, and has no dogma or doctrine to that effect concerning reincarnation. Mahayana is in fact ‘unorthodox’ Buddhism, as it split from the main branch some time ago, and as it spread, it became adapted to local traditions and religions.

I prefer to call the ‘Buddha’ by his ‘real’ name of “Siddhartha” both from a personal preference, and to perhaps guide the others minds away from the preconceived notion. Siddhartha was a Hindu Prince turned Ascetic, he believed in multiple gods and some form of reincarnation.

He never once preached or taught it. He is quoted as saying: ” I teach one thing only: the nature of suffering, and it’s cessation.”

He is respected and venerated for showing us the Dharma, and there are sects that do take a religious function especially ‘New Earth’ buddhism, which is really a copy and paste of Christian Mythology.