Buddism is respectful
In the Buddhist religion, the monks and nuns do not criticize other religions. In fact the monks were taught to always accept people and animals for who they are. Buddhist monks also were taught to respect lives of people and animals. Therefore, all Buddhist Monks including some civilians that are buddhist do no eat meat which leads them to become a vegetarian. I remember my grandfather saying that “people and animals are always equal and therefore, should have and equal right to live.” I also remember saying the rule, “em loung loung thung nho va vat”- i will always love humans in animals, at my youth group. These are the examples i have grown up around.
Buddhism allows curiosity
The Buddha had stated that in a bowl of water live tiny beings. One thing that the Buddha will always do and the monks today is to allow others to question and challenge them. In Buddhism, everyone has the right to go against the Buddha’s sayings without being criticized, ridiculed, or judged by the monks or Buddha himself. At the youth group where i went to, the kids, even i had questioned the teachings of buddha. For example, some one in my youth group asked a question about purity and peace. Instead of getting mad, the leader actually gave the person the answer that was needed.
Buddhism teaches life lessons
When you go to the temple, or hear the monks on a CD in your car, radio, etc, you will notice that every sermon the monks and nuns hold lies a different lesson. One lesson i remember is the lesson about lying. Long ago the Buddha had told one of his students to wash his feel with the bowl of clean water. After the student had done what the Buddha had told him to do, Buddha ask the student if he wanted to drink the water. The student said no, because the water is dirty. Buddha then told the student to pour out the water. He then ask the student if he wanted to eat out of the same bowl. The student said no, because that same bowl is still dirty even though the dirty water had been poured out. Buddha then told his students that when you lie, people do not want to be around you, just like when a bowl holding dirty water is poured out, people still would not want to eat out of it.