– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Do you need to be religious to become a

Buddhist? Well, that depends on what you

mean by becoming religious. For many

people becoming religious or the word

religion brings the memories of rigid

traditions and unquestionable faith and

also imposed beliefs and a set of rules

that are made not because they they make

sense but because they're coming from an

ancient scripture, ancient text. In that

approach, Buddhism is different. Buddha

did not claim himself to be a god.

Buddha never asked for worship from

people and also Buddha never demanded

blind faith from people. Instead he

offered a path of self-realization and

self-exloration and a path that everyone

must follow by themsel right in one of

his most famous sutras kalama sutra with

the meets a group of people who was

confused that they met a lot of

spiritual teachers and everyone they

meet they claim themselves to be to know

the ultimate truth and then they ask

this question from the Buddha. Who

should we believe? What spiritual leader

and what spiritual teaching should we

believe?

The Buddha's answer was quite

surprising. The Buddha said, "Do not

just reject an idea or believe in an

idea just because it is coming from an

ancient scripture."

And also do not reject an idea or

believe an idea just because it is your

tradition. And also remember that do not

believe and reject an idea just because

your teacher said it so. Instead test

it, live it, observe it and see it for

yourself.

Is this idea brings happiness to my

life? Is this idea is bringing happiness

to my life and to the others? Is this

idea works for well-being and for the

benefit of myself and to the others? If

it is a yes, then by all means hold on

to that practice. Hold on to that idea

and do it. But if an idea brings

suffering and unhappiness and pain and

suffering to your life and to the

others, then the Buddha said, "Let it

go." So understand Buddhism doesn't need

blind faith. What Buddhism need is the

confidence to practice it. So you may

ask if Buddhism isn't about blind faith.

What is it about? Call it a religion,

call it a philosophy, call it

spirituality,

labels don't matter. What matters the

most is what you practice.

If you're practicing love and kindness

that is unbound and unconditional for

every sentient being in this world,

you're practicing the Buddhist path. If

you're practicing the mindfulness and

awareness to seek the truth within

yourself, then you are practicing the

Buddhist path. So Buddhism is not about

whether you call yourself a Buddhist. It

is about whether you are choosing your

life to live, choosing to live your life

with wisdom and compassion and kindness

and with more clarity. Right? Just keep

in mind that even the Buddha started

this journey not as someone who was

enlightened. First the Buddha was before

becoming the Buddha, he was living in a

palace. He was living in a royal life.

He he lived a a luxurious life. He was

born for the to wealth. Right? And then

he understood that living within these

material pleasures, becoming busy with

these material pleasures doesn't help me

to seek the truth, doesn't help me to

seek the peace that I'm looking for. So

what he did was he renounced his life

and he fell into the other extreme where

he practiced the self-denial,

right? He tortured his body. He starved

his body. And then he understood that

even self-denial, this extreme doesn't

help to practice and to find the peace

within myself. And then only he found

out this middle path, this balanced life

where you you do not indulge yourself in

the sensual pleasure and also you do not

deny anything. You do not you do not

deny yourself. Right? So this is the

essence of Buddhism. Not falling into

any kind of extremes. Not falling into

any kind of extreme beliefs. And it is

more about finding what works for you.

Finding what brings the peace and

happiness to yourself and to the others.

If Buddhism brings the peace and

happiness to your life, you have to

practice it. You can practice it. You're

free to practice it. Right? And also the

Buddha said everyone is open to come and

see it for yourself. This is the most

important thing in Buddhism. The Buddha

says see it for yourself. Put it into

practice and understand and then you

will realize the peace of this practice

and the value of this practice. So keep

it in your mind. In Buddhism you don't

need to believe anything blindly. You

don't need to accept any traditions or

dogmas. What you need to do is try to be

more kind. Try to practice more kindness

and compassion within your heart and

also try to be aware of your thoughts

and try to live with intentions rather

than being carried away with the habits

and emotions. Right? So if if it works

for you, if it helps for you and if it

brings the happiness to your life, then

practice it. If it doesn't, let it go.

All right? So this is the difference in

Buddhist practice. So in the end the

question is not whether you call

yourself a Buddhist or not whether you

call yourself religious. It is about are

you willing to practice? Are you ready

to practice? Right? And how are you

ready to say it by yourself? So keep

this valuable idea in your mind and then

you'll be able to understand Buddhism

more clearly. I wish you all may you be

happy and may you be healthy and may you

be able to live in peace in this life.

side.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
belief /bɪˈliːf/ B1	noun - something that someone accepts as true, especially without proof noun - religious or philosophical doctrine
faith /feɪθ/ B1	noun - complete trust or confidence in someone or something noun - religious belief, especially in a higher power
practice /ˈpræk.tɪs/ B2	noun - repeated performance of an activity to improve skill verb - to perform an activity repeatedly or regularly
mindfulness /ˈmaɪnd.fəl.nəs/ C1	noun - the quality of being aware of the present moment in a non‑judgmental way
compassion /kəmˈpæʃ.ən/ B2	noun - sympathetic pity and concern for the suffering of others
wisdom /ˈwɪz.dəm/ B2	noun - the ability to make sensible decisions and give good advice based on experience and knowledge
truth /truːθ/ B1	noun - the quality or state of being true; reality
happiness /ˈhæp.i.nəs/ B1	noun - the state of being happy; contentment and joy
suffering /ˈsʌf.ər.ɪŋ/ C1	noun - the experience of physical or mental pain, distress, or hardship
path /pɑːθ/ B1	noun - a way or track laid down for walking or traveling noun - a course of action or a way of life (as in "the Buddhist path")
Buddha /ˈbʊd.ə/ B2	proper noun - the title given to Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism
Buddhism /ˈbʊd.ɪ.zəm/ B2	proper noun - the religious and philosophical system based on the teachings of the Buddha
religion /rɪˈlɪdʒ.ən/ B1	noun - a system of faith and worship, often involving a belief in a higher power
tradition /trəˈdɪʃ.ən/ B1	noun - customs, beliefs, and practices passed down from generation to generation
scripture /ˈskrɪp.tʃər/ C1	noun - a sacred religious text, especially one regarded as authoritative
kindness /ˈkaɪnd.nəs/ B1	noun - the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate
awareness /əˈwɛə.nəs/ B2	noun - knowledge or perception of a situation or fact
balance /ˈbæl.əns/ B1	noun - a state in which opposing forces are of equal strength verb - to keep or put in a state of balance