The philosophy of Buddhism is centered around self-discovery, and therefore can be classified as a philosophy. The Kalama Sutta, a discourse of Buddha states, “Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition… when you yourself knows… (it will) lead to benefit and happiness” (Thera 9). This quote directly relates to self-discovery in Buddhism. From Sutta’s teachings it is taught one should not believe in things simply because they are told or it’s a tradition, but to discover it for themselves and in return benefit in a deeper meaning of life. This reassures the statement of Buddhism being a philosophy rather than religion because it expresses the importance …show more content…
Many Americans pursued the Buddhism teachings for its pillars on how to live. The PEW Research Center predicts a rise in Buddhist practitioners, “In North America, for example, the Buddhist population is projected to grow by more than 2 million, from 3.9 million in 2010 to nearly 6.1 million in 2050” (Wormlord 7). This shows a growing number of Buddhist followers in modern day North America. As more people practice the Buddhist teachings in their lives, the more of a rise one will see in the number of Buddhist practitioners. This being said, more and more people will use the Buddhist teachings as a building block to living a full and compassionate