Buddhism was formed by a man named Siddhartha
Gautama in India around the 6th B.C.E. Gautama was born
in Nepal and was the son of a king. His father believed
that he would become something great like a monarch. His
father would not allow him to leave their home, so Gautama
escaped and became a homeless wanderer. He went in search
of peace, then one day he came upon the Tree of Enlightenment,
under which he stayed and lived under for 49 days. According
to legend he was tempted by demons but still he sat quietly.
That spot became known as the Immovable
Spot.
Gautama came to understand suffering while he was meditating
and explained it in the Four Noble Truths, which is the
foundation of Buddhism. The Eightfold Path is also a foundation
for the religion and it discusses ways to end suffering
and become a better person. Gautama devoted his life to
sharing his teachings with others. Gautama at first taught
what he had learned to five followers, but soon founded
an order of monks. He taught his beliefs for 45 years
until his death at the age of 80. Buddhism is a religion
that tries to share the Buddha's experience of awakening.
What does the word Buddhism and Buddha mean?
The word Buddhism comes from the word 'budhi'
which means 'to wake up'. Monks say that Buddhism is the
philosophy of awakening. The word Buddha means ‘enlightened
one.’
Goals of Buddhism:
Enlightenment, purity, and proper thoughts
and viewpoints.
When practicing Buddhism you can focus on
any of the above three, it is thought that when you achieve
any one of them, the other two will come naturally.
The Buddhist monks believe that purity of
the world comes from an individual’s inner purity.
With a pure mind a higher level of wisdom is achieved.
Buddhists believe that by reciting the Buddha’s
name, meditating, and practicing in accordance with Buddha’s
teaching one will attain enlightenment. The monks also
believe that if you have proper thoughts and viewpoints,
and purity of mind you will become void of all deluded
thoughts.
The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold
Path
The Four Noble Truths:
1-all life is suffering, pain, and misery,
also known as dukkha.
2-suffering has a cause, also known as tanha,
or selfish craving and personal desire.
3-selfish craving can be overcome.
4-to overcome this misery is through the
Eightfold Path.
Buddhists believe in reincarnation, where
they are born again after they die. This wheel of rebirth,
known as samsara, condemns the individual to the suffering
of being alive. A Buddhist’s goal is to escape from
the cycle of being reborn. When they have finally stopped
reincarnating than they have reached Nirvana. Nirvana
is considered the highest bliss. It was this bliss that
the Buddha felt under the Bo tree.
Buddhists believe that the way to achieve
Nirvana is to follow the steps in the Eightfold Path.
Buddhists believe that not everyone will be able to reach
Nirvana, but if you follow the Eightfold path you will
be going the right way.
The Eightfold Path:
1. Right Knowledge or the knowledge of the Four Noble
Truths.
2. Right Aspiration means that you are working
towards the Path to Enlightenment.
3. Right Speech means speaking without hurting
others, and taking care and caution in each word.
4. Right Behavior means acting appropriately.
There are also five basic laws of behavior: do not kill,
steal, lie, drink intoxicants, or commit sexual offenses.
However, some Buddhists, including Western Buddhists,
occasionally smoke.
5. Right Livelihood, this mean choosing a
career that does not lead you off the path. You want a
path that promotes life and well being not money.
6. Right Effort means training one’s self to be
obedient and following the path toward Enlightenment.
7. Right Mindfulness means to always be self
aware and continually examine oneself.
8. Right Concentration means to be completely
absorbed into a state of Nirvana.
Buddhists believe that the first two
steps can be taken by anyone but normally only monks go
onto the other steps.
