a perception of

 Buddhism

 

Some of the branches of Buddhism are Mahayana Buddhism, Theraveda Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, & Tibetan Buddhism.

There is some debate as to the exact year that Buddhism was formed, but it is believed that the religion began in the 6th century B.C. in India by Siddhartha Guatama. When Siddhartha was a young man, he left society and went to meditate on the causes and relief of human suffering. Six years later, Siddhartha achieved enlightenment and became the Buddha. He began to teach others how to achieve enlightenment, too. In the 3rd century B.C., the Indian emperor Ashoka spread Buddhism by sending missionaries to Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, and other parts of Asia. Gradually Buddhism has spread worldwide.

A religion & a philosophy based on the teachings of Siddhartha Guatama, the Buddha. Buddhism's beliefs include the "four noble truths,"

  1. suffering exists,

  2. suffering is caused by desires,

  3. suffering ceases when desires cease,

& freedom from suffering can be achieved by following the "noble eightfold path." The "noble eightfold path" is the

  1. practice of right view,

  2. right resolve,

  3. right speech,

  4. right action,

  5. right livelihood,

  6. right effort,

  7. right mindfulness,

  8. right concentration.

When a person has achieved the cessation of desires, he or she will have nirvana, or enlightenment. If nirvana is not achieved, Buddhists believe that a person will continue to be reborn or reincarnated until he or she achieves nirvana.

 

In addition to the "four noble truths" & the "noble eightfold path," Buddhism's beliefs include precepts that all Buddhists should follow:

  1. do not kill, do not lie,

  2. do not commit adultery, do not steal,

  3. do not drink alcohol or take drugs.

 

Karma & Rebirth

The Buddha taught that we are responsible for our own happiness &/or suffering. What we experience is dependent on our previous actions. Good moral actions lead to happy states & bad actions lead to future suffering. No-one, according to the Buddha, can escape responsibility for what they do. This is the process of kamma or karma which literally means 'action'. The Buddha referred to actions as either wholesome (kusala) or unwholesome (akusala). For an action to be morally wholesome or morally unwholesome there has to be intention. To accidentally hurt someone is not morally wrong.

The fruits of our actions ripen in the future. In Buddhism this could mean this life, or the next. Linked to the Buddha's teaching on karma, therefore, is the notion of rebirth & realms of existence other than the human realm.

 

Traditionally, depending on one's actions, a person is reborn into one of these six realms. The best realm to be born into as the human realm is this affords the best opportunity for gaining enlightenment:

  1. the Hell worlds,

  2. the realm of the hungry ghosts,

  3. the animal world,

  4. the human realm,

  5. the realm of the jealous gods

  6. the heavens.

The Buddha taught that it is not an individual soul that moves from one body to a new one but that there is much more of a fluid process in which consciousness continues from one life to the next determined by previous deeds.

 

The Moral Code

The Buddha taught that it is important to live a good moral life if an individual is to gain enlightenment. The basic moral guidelines are captured in the five precepts. These are:

  1. to abstain from harming living beings

  2. to abstain from taking what is not given

  3. to abstain from sexual misconduct

  4. to abstain from false speech

  5. to abstain from intoxicating drugs or drink

Buddhists, therefore, aim to be compassionate for the welfare of all sentient beings, taking care not harm any creature big or small. Similarly, they see stealing as something morally unwholesome, as they do being unfaithful, promiscuous or having sex with minors. The Buddha stressed the importance of being honest & truthful - warned against the dangers of intoxicants that cloud the mind. Monks & nuns take further precepts, including a vow of celibacy.

Buddhism, however, is not just about living a good moral life. It is also about working with the mind to see things as they really are, which is to attain enlightenment.

 

Meditation

The Buddha taught that living a good moral life was a prerequisite to spiritual development. On its own, however, living a good moral life will not lead to enlightenment. Something more is required. The tool for this is meditation which, in Buddhism, can take different forms. Two principal approaches are 'calm' & 'insight'.

  • 'Calm' meditation, or samatha, is about concentrating the mind to such an extent that both mind & body attain a high degree of calmness. When cultivated to higher levels, this kind of meditation leads to rapturous trance-like states known as jhanas. In such states, sensory experience is cut off & the individual experiences great purity of mind. Though this kind of meditation is seen as very beneficial, it does not lead to enlightenment.

  • 'Insight' meditation, or vipassana aims to develop the mind's ability to see into the true nature of the world around us. This is to see that all things are characterized by impermanence, suffering & the lack of an individual self or soul. To see into the true nature of things is to realize Nibbana.

In both approaches, the Buddha used breathing meditation as a principal technique. This can mean sitting in a cross-legged position & either concentrating in each inhalation or exhalation (samatha) or simply noting the feel of the breath as it touches the nostrils (vipassana).

 

 

Compassion & Loving-Kindness

It would be wrong to see Buddhism as a cold, rational religion. At its root lies the very human quality of compassion. When the Buddha was faced with keeping his knowledge to himself or sharing it with the world he chose to share it. This was motivated by the deepest compassion. He knew that what he had discovered would be difficult for many to embrace but he was so moved at the suffering of others that he wanted them to experience what he had experienced.

  • Compassion, or karuna, is deeply rooted in the Buddhist approach to life. It is acknowledged that all beings suffer - indeed it is our suffering that links us together. Thus, it is important to desire, at a fundamental level, the happiness & contentment of others & to be moved by their suffering.

  • Loving-kindness or metta is a quality peculiar to Buddhism. Through establishing loving-kindness, individuals are able to extend good will to all other beings, wishing them well whoever they are. In its purest expression, it is indiscriminate, encompassing all beings, even those who do us wrong. Loving-kindness meditation is one in which we extend this feeling first to ourselves, followed by friends, people who are neutral to us & to those who we may feel hostility towards.

 

The Three Marks of Existence

To understand Buddhism fully it is necessary to see the significance of what are termed the 'three marks of existence'. These are impermanence or anicca, suffering or dukkha, & not-self or anatta.

The Buddha taught that all things are subject to change, nothing is permanent. Our suffering often stems from the fact that we cling on to things as if they were. For example, we enjoy a pleasant taste but rather than just enjoy it for that moment we want it to last forever. In the nature of things, this cannot be & so when the pleasantness fades way we are disappointed, discontented, unhappy.

Suffering - the first noble truth - is the unsatisfactoriness that underlies all that we experience. Nothing is completely perfect - even happiness has within it the seeds of discontentment.

If we are rich, we know that wealth may not be something we can enjoy forever. If we are healthy we know that ill-health is always lurking in the background, & one day we will face death which will bring an end to all that we find pleasant in life.

The third mark of existence is 'not-self' quite a radical & challenging concept. Buddhism differs from other religions in that it puts forward the view that there is no such thing as a permanent self or soul. The personality is made up of five changing factors - body, feeling, perception, mental activity (including the will) and consciousness. Buddhism rejects, therefore, the idea of an eternal soul, even one that is reborn time & time again

 

 

 

 

 

 

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