There is no regulation prohibiting smoking in the Buddhist precepts… Drinking itself is not evil, but… As for gambling, it is strictly prohibited in the Buddhist sūtras because…

Bodhisattvas are enlightened sentient beings who are aware of all sentient beings’ sufferings, feel sympathy for others’ plight, and act to succor them. To become a Buddha, a sentient being must pass through the stage of being a bodhisattva.

The ritual, simple but solemn, is designed to cause one to wholeheartedly take sanctuary in the Three Jewels, to rely on and revere the Three Jewels, and to bring forth pure, staunch faith and confidence.

In truth, whether one goes to heaven or hell depends solely on one’s karma. If one has “divine” karmic energy, one will be reborn in a heaven; if one has “infernal” karmic energy, one will end up in a hell.

Orthodox Buddhism does not have the idea of a world-creator. The Buddha is an enlightened one among humans, and although he is capable of knowing all the truths in the world, he cannot change what has already occurred.

Buddhism encourages vegetarianism, but it does not require all Buddhists to be vegetarians.

What are the three categories of kalpas mentioned in Buddhist scriptures?

How long or how short can the lifespan of a sentient being be? How many years remain before our Earth is destroyed? Is that true human life expectancy can be as high as 84,000 years?

Buddhists should concern themselves with political affairs but not hold [appointed] office.

Buddhism acknowledges the existence of spiritual powers and their effects. While spiritual powers can be great, they cannot nullify the law of cause and effect.

The law of karma in Buddhism runs through all three times and thus links together the past, present, and future. Buddhists believe that, except for certain heavy, unchangeable karma, people can change karma from previous lives by their efforts in following lives…

According to Mahāyāna Buddhism, the four “elements” are just material phenomena— provisional constructions, not substantial entities. They are merely the facilitating conditions and not the foundational causes of physical phenomena, they are not regarded as the true face behind phenomena…

Buddhists believe that all phenomena, including change in the universe and the cycle of birth and death, are consequences of the karma [intentional actions] of sentient beings…

It cannot be denied that in regions where Mahāyāna Buddhism is practiced, especially in China, Buddhism has seldom been correctly understood and practiced by the general populace, whose religious practice is actually a potpourri of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism…