Is there any way we can increase the number of Buddhists in the world? Can we use an advertising campaign? How can we present Buddhism, the most scientific religion in the world to people of other faiths? What methods can we use for that? What are your thoughts on this? (There are other advertising campaigns from other religions as “God loves you“, “Jesus loves you“ and “God has something for you“.)
Why would you? True Buddhism exists, it is enough. Everyone is at their own level of maturity.
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Build monestry in area where u want to spread Buddhism..
Then monks will go to alms round..
Slowly slowly interaction will increase and dhamma will spread
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That is a nice idea. But it needs a lot of money to build a monastery.
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Your thinking is wrong. I don’t agree.
Is there any way we can increase the number of Buddhists in the world?
Yes.
Can we use an advertising campaign?
Yes. Since spreading Buddhism is not a profit making business, a donation based approach can be considered.
How can we present Buddhism, the most scientific religion in the world to people of other faiths? What methods can we use for that? What are your thoughts on this? (There are other advertising campaigns from other religions as “God loves you“, “Jesus loves you“ and “God has something for you“.)
I think one good general approach would be to spread Brahmajāla Sutta (DN1) to make people compare and contrast religions.
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Your ideas are nice.
How did you become a Buddhist? That will be part of the answer.
How did the Buddha make us Buddhists?
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That’s due to saddhā. So the key is to make saddhā.
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The Western form of Buddhism is polluted with anti-commentary and anti-abhidhamma for the “Theravāda” world (better to call it Sautrāntika).
Very few monks go for Alms, but it is a way to get “new” Buddhists. You really need to go for alms and grab people who are new to Buddhism or who are already in Buddhism that get an “attraction” to classical theravāda. Then help them there. It is not easy to spread proper Buddhism and that is why the Buddha was hesitant on his first day. He said it would be a lot of trouble for him. Start spreading classical theravada on other groups and watch how quickly you will get shut down.
This Classical Theravada is an excellent way. It is our own land with our own rules. It is “discoverable” and people can find it.
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These slogans have long since expired. The Abrahamic religions have faced a strong wave of deconversion into atheism in recent years. With this growing shift, they will no longer be dominant at all.
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Yes bhante..
Also
It’s like planting a seed in them — setting things in motion. Even a simple conversation that teaches there is morality, there is kamma, that the self is not real but only the five khandhas, and that there is Nibbāna — such a conversation can set things in motion, I believe.
At first, I was worried about my parents, thinking they needed to understand the Dhamma. But since they don’t have respect for it, I decided instead to make a Saṅgha donation together with my mother. Even though she may not know or respect the Dhamma, she still showed respect for the Saṅgha while giving. That too, I believe, sets things in motion.
Personally, I believe that anyone who comes into contact with the Dhamma will one day be delivered — sooner or later. It is certain that they will be delivered.
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“Wander forth, O bhikkhus, for the welfare of the multitude, for the happiness of the multitude, out of compassion for the world, for the good, welfare, and happiness of devas and humans. Let not two go the same way. Teach, O bhikkhus, the Dhamma that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, good in the end, with the right meaning and phrasing.” Samyutta Nikaya 4.453
Online is perhaps the most cost-effective way for spreading the good Dhamma. It takes a lot of money to build temples, monasteries. Using the internet, there is domain registrations, web hosting and some other nominal fees. And it can reach an international audience. Online forums like this one are great.
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Don’t know about everyone, but having contact with the Dhamma is the first step.
Middle length sayings 35 Culasaccaka Sutta
The Shorter Discourse to Saccaka
Now on that occasion Saccaka the Nigantha’s son was staying at Vesall, a debater and a clever speaker regarded by many as
a saint. He was making this statement before the Vesall assembly: "I see no recluse or brahmin, the head of an order, the head
of a group, the teacher of a group, even one claiming to be
accomplished and fully enlightened, who would not shake, shiver, and tremble, and sweat under the armpits if he were to
engage in debate with me. Even if I were to engage a senseless
post in debate, it would shake, shiver, and tremble if it were to
engage in debate with me, so what shall I say of a human being?
Now at one time Assaji explained to Saccaka the teaching on anattta.
Saccaka was not impressed:
If the recluse Gotama
maintains before me what was maintained before me by one of
his famous disciples, the bhikkhu named Assaji, then just as a
strong man might seize a long-haired ram by the hair and drag
him to and drag him fro and drag him round about, so in debate
I will drag the recluse Gotama to and drag him fro and drag him
round about. Just as a strong brewer’s workman might throw a
big brewer’s sieve into a deep water tank, and taking it by the
corners, drag it to and drag it fro and drag it round about, so in
debate I will drag the recluse Gotama to and drag him fro and
drag him round about. Just as a strong brewer’s mixer [229]
might take a strainer by the corners and shake it down and
shake it up and thump it about, so in debate I will shake the
recluse Gotama down and shake him up and thump him about.
And just as a sixty-year-old elephant might plunge into a deep
pond and enjoy playing the game of hemp-washing, so I shall
enjoy playing the game of hemp-washing with the recluse
Gotama.372 Come forth, good Licchavis, come forth! Today there
will be some conversation between me and the recluse Gotama
He met with the Buddha and suggested that the doctrine on anattta was wrong:
I assert thus: ‘Material form is my self,
feeling is my self, perception is my self, formations are my self,
consciousness is my self.’"
However, the Buddha spoke and explained anattta and no control and Saccaka was defeated in the discussion.
Later he met the Buddha again and was respectful but although he gave alms to the sangha he never took refuge in the triple gem. Nevertheless, only a few hundred years later he attained:
Bodhi note 394: MA explains that even though Saccaka did not reach any attainment or even become established in the Three Refuges, the Buddha taught him two long suttas in order to deposit in him a mental impression (vasana) coming to maturity in the future. For he foresaw that at a later time, after the Dispensation became established in Sri Lanka, Saccaka would be reborn there and would attain arahantship as the great arahant, Kala Buddharakkhita Thera.
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I’ve always liked “Born again Buddhist”. 
Then I need to do something…
But I think as one start respecting monks ..and with power of donation..next time she might listen or get chance to listen and understand dhamma ..
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