JaneSmith105
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Buddha means “The Awakened One.” Siddharth Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, was born in the city of Lumbini and brought up in Kapilavastu (current day Nepal, north of India). His birth is placed at around 500 BC. His mother died in childbirth. Upon his birth, a wise man visited his father, King Suddhodana, and told him that the boy would either become a great emperor or a great sage. The king did not want his son to become a sage, so he took extreme precautions in ensuring that his son never saw anything that would disturb his mind. As a result, the boy was brought in a fairy-tale world where he did not know the sufferings of the common man. He was married to Yashodara and had a child named Rahula.
One day, despite his father’s precautions, Gautama managed to go out of his palace without the usual precautions. There, he beheld the first sight of the sufferings of humans. He came across an old man, a diseased man, a corpse, and an ascetic. He was mightily disturbed, as he was not aware of these things; he, for the first time, came to know that a person can die. It led to a spiritual awakening in him. He decided to abandon his royal life, left his palace, and set out in search of enlightenment.
On his way, he met up with a few ascetics, who taught him many forms of meditations and self-denials including severe under eating. One day, after almost starving to death, Buddha accepted some milk and rice from a little girl. He then realized that neither extremes of self-denial and self-indulgence are desirable and realized that the middle path or the path of moderation was the ideal solution. After discovering the middle way, he one day sat under a fig tree, known as Bodhi tree, in the town of Bodhgaya, India. He vowed not to get up until he found enlightenment. At the age of thirty-five, after many days of meditation, he attained enlightenment, or nirvana. He then attracted a large number of followers, far and wide, instituted a monastic order and spent his time traveling and teaching what he found, for the upliftment of humanity. He is also credited with several miracles, which were done to improve the faith of people in him rather than impress people.
Like Hindus, Buddhists also believe in the perennial cycle of birth and death. And Buddhists need to place implicit faith in what are called the three jewels in order to come out of this cycle: Buddha, Dharma (Buddha’s teachings), and Sangha (communion of Buddhist saints or monks).
As per Buddha, there are four noble truths of life:
1) Life means suffering.
2) Suffering arises out of attachment, desires, craving.
3) It is possible to conquer suffering.
4) The path to conquer suffering and attain nirvana, or ever lasting bliss, is the eight-fold noble path taught by Buddha, which consists of realization of the reality and a gradual attainment of Samadhi. And the guiding principle for this eight-fold path is the middle way realized by Buddha.
Living a life of monastic discipline is almost a must for attainment of enlightenment. So, householders cannot easily attain enlightenment. Giving up all temporal attachments and desires, and living a life of celibacy where no sexual interaction is entertained, are the cornerstones of Buddhism.
There are two major kinds of schools in Buddhism—Hinayana (or lesser vehicle) and Mahayana (greater vehicle).
Hinayana schools of thought were the original schools of Buddhism that emerged after the death of Buddha. In Hinayana schools of Buddhism, personal salvation of monks is of the highest priority. Each monk tries for his individual salvation in the company of other similar-minded monks. These are relatively atheistic schools of thought, as they do not see any role for an all-seeing or all-conquering God.
Mahayana schools of thought differ in this respect; these schools developed later on as theistic tendencies started developing. For them, Buddha is the Supreme God himself, who appeared on earth for the upliftment of humanity. Mahayana schools of thought believe in certain quasi-divine saviors of mankind, called Boddhisattvas. These Bodhisattvas are enlightened sages, ready for Buddhahood. However, they defer their attainment of Buddhahood for the spiritual upliftment of humanity. A Bodhisattva would take enlightenment only when each and every soul on this planet has attained Buddhahood. As we can see, they are more compassionate faiths that take the salvation goals of the general humanity into account.
Jainism is also dated to have developed at around the same time as Buddhism. Mahavira, the founder of Jainism, is also dated to 500–600 BC. Both religious systems have very similar theologies, with their extensive stress on ahimsa or nonviolence. The stress of Jainism in this regard is much more than that of Buddhism, to the extent that they do not even eat vegetables like potatoes because these vegetables grow inside the earth and contain germs that might be killed when they are cooked. Both religious systems preach the doctrine of karma and the cycle of life and death, and both talk about liberation through self-realization, and through nonattachment to temporal possessions. Most importantly, neither religion talks much about God; in that sense they are atheistic.
One day, despite his father’s precautions, Gautama managed to go out of his palace without the usual precautions. There, he beheld the first sight of the sufferings of humans. He came across an old man, a diseased man, a corpse, and an ascetic. He was mightily disturbed, as he was not aware of these things; he, for the first time, came to know that a person can die. It led to a spiritual awakening in him. He decided to abandon his royal life, left his palace, and set out in search of enlightenment.
On his way, he met up with a few ascetics, who taught him many forms of meditations and self-denials including severe under eating. One day, after almost starving to death, Buddha accepted some milk and rice from a little girl. He then realized that neither extremes of self-denial and self-indulgence are desirable and realized that the middle path or the path of moderation was the ideal solution. After discovering the middle way, he one day sat under a fig tree, known as Bodhi tree, in the town of Bodhgaya, India. He vowed not to get up until he found enlightenment. At the age of thirty-five, after many days of meditation, he attained enlightenment, or nirvana. He then attracted a large number of followers, far and wide, instituted a monastic order and spent his time traveling and teaching what he found, for the upliftment of humanity. He is also credited with several miracles, which were done to improve the faith of people in him rather than impress people.
Like Hindus, Buddhists also believe in the perennial cycle of birth and death. And Buddhists need to place implicit faith in what are called the three jewels in order to come out of this cycle: Buddha, Dharma (Buddha’s teachings), and Sangha (communion of Buddhist saints or monks).
As per Buddha, there are four noble truths of life:
1) Life means suffering.
2) Suffering arises out of attachment, desires, craving.
3) It is possible to conquer suffering.
4) The path to conquer suffering and attain nirvana, or ever lasting bliss, is the eight-fold noble path taught by Buddha, which consists of realization of the reality and a gradual attainment of Samadhi. And the guiding principle for this eight-fold path is the middle way realized by Buddha.
Living a life of monastic discipline is almost a must for attainment of enlightenment. So, householders cannot easily attain enlightenment. Giving up all temporal attachments and desires, and living a life of celibacy where no sexual interaction is entertained, are the cornerstones of Buddhism.
There are two major kinds of schools in Buddhism—Hinayana (or lesser vehicle) and Mahayana (greater vehicle).
Hinayana schools of thought were the original schools of Buddhism that emerged after the death of Buddha. In Hinayana schools of Buddhism, personal salvation of monks is of the highest priority. Each monk tries for his individual salvation in the company of other similar-minded monks. These are relatively atheistic schools of thought, as they do not see any role for an all-seeing or all-conquering God.
Mahayana schools of thought differ in this respect; these schools developed later on as theistic tendencies started developing. For them, Buddha is the Supreme God himself, who appeared on earth for the upliftment of humanity. Mahayana schools of thought believe in certain quasi-divine saviors of mankind, called Boddhisattvas. These Bodhisattvas are enlightened sages, ready for Buddhahood. However, they defer their attainment of Buddhahood for the spiritual upliftment of humanity. A Bodhisattva would take enlightenment only when each and every soul on this planet has attained Buddhahood. As we can see, they are more compassionate faiths that take the salvation goals of the general humanity into account.
Jainism is also dated to have developed at around the same time as Buddhism. Mahavira, the founder of Jainism, is also dated to 500–600 BC. Both religious systems have very similar theologies, with their extensive stress on ahimsa or nonviolence. The stress of Jainism in this regard is much more than that of Buddhism, to the extent that they do not even eat vegetables like potatoes because these vegetables grow inside the earth and contain germs that might be killed when they are cooked. Both religious systems preach the doctrine of karma and the cycle of life and death, and both talk about liberation through self-realization, and through nonattachment to temporal possessions. Most importantly, neither religion talks much about God; in that sense they are atheistic.
