Buddhism

Buddhism was propounded by Gautama Buddha around 500 B.C.

Life of Gautama Buddha

Siddhaartha Gautama as he was known in his childhood, was the son of King Suddhodana of Kapilavastu and Queen Maya. He grew up in luxury and was married to Yashodharaa and had a son by name Rahul. He led a sheltered life in the palace, unaware of the miseries of the world. On one occasion when he went out of the palace, he saw an old man, sick man, a corpse and an ascetic. These are known among Buddhists as ‘The Four Sights’. He understood that all human beings were liable to sickness and suffering and were subject to death. The sight of the holy man impressed Buddha and he too decided to leave home and went out into the forest in search of truth.

He started by living the life of an ascetic and practised many forms of self-denial including severe fasting. One day, after almost starving to death, he accepted a little milk and rice from a village girl. After this experience, he concluded that ascetic practices such as fasting, holding one’s breath and exposure to pain brought little spiritual benefit. He abandoned asceticism, concentrating instead on anapanasati meditation (awareness of breathing), thus discovering what Buddhists call the Middle Way, a path of moderation between the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification.

Seven years later, at Bodh Gaya under the shade of a Bodhitree, while sitting in meditation he obtained enlightenment. He was called as Buddha or ‘The Enlightened One’. Buddha then travelled from place to place, touched the lives of thousands of people, high and low, princes and peasants and all. He spent the rest of his life teaching Dharma.

For 45 years, he taught people the beauty of charity, the joy of renunciation and the primary need to lead a simple life and have a heart full of compassion. At the age of eighty, at Kushinagara, he attained parinirvaana. The Pumima or the full moon day of the month of Vaishaakha is connected with 3 important events in the life of Buddha – his birth, enlightenment and his parinirvaana. It is the most sacred day in the Buddhist calendar.

Soon Buddhism as a religion was accepted and followed in most parts of Asia.

The Religion

The 4 main principles of Buddhism:

1. Sarvam Dukkham: Life is all misery.
2. Sarvam Kshanikam: Everything is momentary temporary.
3. Sarvam Anantam: Everything is substance-less.
4. Nirvaanam Shaantam: Nirvaana is peace.

The Four noble truths preached by Buddha:

1. Life is full of suffering.
2. It is desires that are the origin and cause of suffering.
3. To end all sorrows, desires must be curbed and all cravings must be destroyed.
4. To destroy cravings, one must follow the eight-fold path.

The eight – fold path for Nirvaana: –

1. Right understanding /view of the 4 noble truths;
2. Right resolve/ thoughts;
3. Right speech
4. Right conduct
5. Right vocation: means of living
6. Right effort
7. Right mindedness, attitude/thinking
8. Right meditation

Buddha laid down the panchasheela or fivefold rules to be followed by the common man in daily life. These are –

1. Never to do harm to living things (Ahimsaa)
2. Never speak falsehood (Satyam)
3. Never to steal (Asteya)
4. Not to indulge in the pleasure of the senses (Brahmacharya)
5. Not to take intoxicants.

Buddha’s teachings are very simple. He does not mention God or soul in his teachings. He refers to the ‘Manas’ or mind, which prompts all actions and words. Hence he emphasized that one must cultivate absolute purity of mind, purity of emotions, words, actions.

In India Buddhism got incorporated into its mother religion – Hinduism that is – Hindus accepted Buddha as the 9th incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Buddhism however, spread to the other countries and today it is the religion of the people in many East Asian countries.

PRAYER

Buddham Saranam Gachaami
(I seek refuge in Buddha)
Dharmam Saranam Gachaami
(I seek refuge in Dharma)
Sangham Saranam Gachaami
(I seek refuge in Sangha)

Dharmachakra

It is the Buddhist emblem. It is a wheel with eight spokes, each representing one of the eight tenets of Buddhism. The circle symbolizes the completeness of the Dharma.

The Buddhist scriptures: Paali Tripitaka

The Paali Tripitaka (tri means ‘three’, pitaka means ‘baskets’) refers to:

1. Vinaya Pitaka, which contains disciplinary rules for the Buddhist monks and nuns, as well as explanations of why and how these rules were instituted and supporting material.
2. Sutta Pitaka contains discourses ascribed to Gautama Buddha.
3. Abhidhamma Pitaka contains explanations of Gautama Buddha’s teachings.