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BUDDHISM
The Buddha
Key Facts
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Buddhism is 2,500 years old.
There are currently 376 million followers worldwide.
There are over 150,000 Buddhists in Britain.
Buddhism arose as a result of Siddhartha Gautama's quest for
Enlightenment in around the 6th Century BC.
There is no belief in a personal God. It is not centred on the
relationship between humanity and God.
Buddhists believe that nothing is fixed or permanent - change is
always possible.
The two main Buddhist sects are Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana
Buddhism, but there are many more.
Buddhists can worship both at home or at a temple.
The path to Enlightenment is through the practice and development
of morality, meditation and wisdom.
Dharma Wheel
Temple
Lotus flower
Overview
Buddhism is a spiritual tradition that focuses on personal spiritual development and the
attainment of a deep insight into the true nature of life. There are 376 million followers
worldwide.
Buddhists seek to reach a state of nirvana, following the path of the Buddha, Siddhartha
Gautama, who went on a quest for enlightenment around the sixth century BC.
There is no belief in a personal god. Buddhists believe that nothing is fixed or permanent
and that change is always possible. The path to enlightenment is through the practice and
development of morality, meditation and wisdom.
Buddhists believe that life is both endless and subject to impermanence, suffering and
uncertainty. These states are called the tilakhana, or the three signs of existence.
Existence is endless because individuals are reincarnated over and over again, experiencing
suffering throughout many lives. It is impermanent because no state, good or bad, lasts
forever. Our mistaken belief that things can last is a chief cause of suffering.
The history of Buddhism is the story of one man's spiritual journey to enlightenment, and
of the teachings and ways of living that developed from it.
Siddhartha Gautama
Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, was born into a royal family in present-day
Nepal over 2500 years ago.
He lived a life of privilege and luxury
until one day he left the royal enclosure
and encountered for the first time, an
old man, a sick man, and a corpse.
Disturbed by this he became a monk
before adopting the harsh poverty of Indian asceticism. Neither path
satisfied him and he decided to pursue the ‘Middle Way’ - a life without
luxury but also without poverty.
Buddhists believe that one day, seated beneath the Bodhi tree (the tree of
awakening), Siddhartha became deeply absorbed in meditation and reflected
on his experience of life until he became enlightened.
By finding the path to enlightenment, Siddhartha was
led from the pain of suffering and rebirth towards
the path of enlightenment and became known as the
Buddha or 'awakened one'.
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Schools of Buddhism
There are numerous different
schools or sects of Buddhism. The
two largest are Theravada
Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism.
Theravada and Mahayana are both
rooted in the basic teachings of the
historical Buddha, and both
emphasise the individual search for
liberation from the cycles of
samsara (birth, death, rebirth…).
The methods or practices for doing that, however, can be very different.
Theravada Buddhism
Theravada Buddhism is one of the largest subdivisions of Buddhism. The name
means ‘the doctrine of the elders’ - the elders being the senior Buddhist
monks. This school of Buddhism believes that it has remained closest to the
original teachings of the Buddha. However, it does not over-emphasise the
status of these teachings in a fundamentalist way - they are seen as tools to
help people understand the truth, and not as having merit of their own.
Theravada Buddhism emphasises attaining self-liberation through one’s own
efforts. Meditation and concentration are vital elements of the way to
enlightenment. The ideal road is to dedicate oneself to full-time monastic life.
The follower is expected to “abstain from all kinds of evil, to accumulate all
that is good and to purify their mind.” When a person achieves liberation they
are called a ‘worthy person’ - an Arhat or Arahat.
Mahayana Buddhism
Mahayana Buddhism is not a single group but a collection of Buddhist
traditions; Zen Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism, and Tibetan Buddhism are
all forms of Mahayana Buddhism. The name means ‘great vehicle or journey’.
Mahayana talks a great deal about the bodhisattva (the ‘enlightenment being’)
as being the ideal way for a Buddhist to live. Anyone can embark on the
bodhisattva path. This is a way of life, a way of selflessness; it is a deep wish
for all beings no matter who they are, to be liberated from suffering.
The majority of Buddhist sects do not seek to proselytise (preach and
convert). All schools of Buddhism seek to aid followers on a path of
enlightenment.
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Buddhist worship
Buddhists can worship both at home or at a temple. It is not considered
essential to go to a temple to worship with others.
At home
Buddhists will often set aside a room or a part of a room as a shrine. There will
be a statue of Buddha, candles, and an incense burner.
Temples
Buddhist temples come in many shapes. Perhaps the best known are the pagodas
of China and Japan. Another typical Buddhist building is the Stupa, which is a
stone structure built over what are believed to be relics of the Buddha, or over
copies of the Buddha's teachings.
Buddhist temples are designed to symbolise the
five elements:
Fire, Air, Water,
Earth, symbolised by the square base;
Wisdom, symbolised by the pinnacle at the
top.
Buddhapadipa Temple, Wimbledon
All Buddhist temples contain an image or a statue of Buddha.
Buddhist beliefs
There are three beliefs central to Buddhism. These are known as the Three
Jewels:
1. Belief in the Buddha.
2. Dharma - the teaching of the Buddha.
3. The Sangha - the Buddhist community made up of
lay people, monks and nuns. The purpose is to help
others and by doing so to cease to become selfish
and to move on the way towards enlightenment.
One important belief involves reincarnation: the concept
that one must go through many cycles of birth, living and death. After many
such cycles, if a person releases their attachment to desire and the self, they
can attain Nirvana—a state of liberation and freedom from suffering. There
is a belief in a concept called Karma which states that our past actions affect
our present and possible future lives. At the heart of the Buddha’s teaching
lie The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path which lead the Buddhist
towards the path of Enlightenment.
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The Four Noble Truths
“I teach suffering, its origin, cessation and path. That’s all I teach”,
declared the Buddha 2500 years ago.
The Four Noble Truths contain the essence of the Buddha's teachings. It
was these four principles that the Buddha came to understand during his
meditation under the bodhi tree.
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Life is full of suffering. (Dukkha)
There is a cause for suffering. (Samudāya)
There is an end to suffering. (Nirodha)
In order to end suffering you must follow the middle way or the
Eightfold Path. (Magga)
The Three Poisons
Concerning the question “why do we suffer”, Buddha’s vision
under the bodhi tree revealed a very simple response: The
Three Poisons. That is, the vices ignorance, greed and
hatred. For the Buddha the centrality of these problems is
best illustrated by their location at the centre of the
Wheel of Samsara, spun by the Buddhist “demon” of illusion,
Mara. They are represented as a Rooster, Pig and Snake. As
seen in the picture, the tails of each animal are grasped by the other, with
greed and hatred having ignorance as their root. Ignorance is the first and
worst of these and is known as the “fundamental darkness”.
The Three Universal Truths
Buddha argued that to avoid suffering we must not be ignorant but aware of
three things. These are called the Three Universal Truths:
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Anicca: nothing stays the same in the external world;
everything is impermanent and there are no eternal material
or immaterial substances.
Anatman: nothing stays the same in your internal world. You
have no permanent material or immaterial self or soul. Atman
is the Sanskrit word for soul
Dukkha: If you are ignorant of these truths about impermanence, you will
foolishly desire permanent things. But to believe in permanent things is to
believe in an illusion. The nature of the universe and human nature is that
all things pass away. If you desire, crave or attach to these things as if
they were permanent you will suffer.
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The three signs of existence
The great tragedy of existence, from a Buddhist point of view, is that it is
both endless and subject to impermanence, suffering and uncertainty. These
three are called the tilakhana or three signs of existence.
Existence is endless because individuals are reincarnated over and over
again, experiencing suffering throughout many lives. It is impermanent
because no state, good or bad, lasts forever. Our mistaken belief that things
can last is a chief cause of suffering.
Only achieving liberation, or nirvana, can free a being from the cycle of life,
death and rebirth.
The Noble Eightfold Path
The Noble Eightfold Path describes the
way to end suffering. It is a practical
guideline to ethical and mental
development with the goal of freeing the
individual from attachments and
delusions; and it finally leads to
understanding the truth about all things.
The first two steps constitute Wisdom.
1. The Right View
This is the beginning and the end of the path. Right View understands the
teachings on karma and rebirth, the Three Universal Truths, the Four Noble
Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. However, this is not just an intellectual
understanding. Rather it is where you actually feel those things to be true in
your heart and they influence the way you see and do things at a day-to-day
level; it is a direct insight and penetration into the nature of things.
2. Right Intention
Before we do anything we usually think about it; first we develop the
INTENTION to do something then we do it. Right Intention means doing
things for the right reasons. Instead of thinking about doing things selfishly, a
virtuous Buddhist thinks about doing things for others. Instead of thinking
about how they can harm others, Buddhists think about how they can help
others. Basically, Right Intention is stopping doing things for bad
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reasons and instead doing them for good ones. It is a frame of mind which is
selfless, detached and free of malice; that generosity of spirit which extends
loving benevolence to all beings.
The next three steps on the Eightfold Path constitute ethical conduct.
3. Right Speech
Right Speech means (1) not lying, (2) not swearing, (3) not gossiping and
(4) not saying things that cause other people to fall out. A Buddhist always
tries to do the opposite of these things: he or she tries to tell the truth, to
speak pleasantly and about meaningful subjects. Finally, he tries to speak in
ways that cause harmony between people.
4. Right Action
Right Action means (1) not killing or injuring any living being, (2) not stealing,
and (3) not committing sexual misconduct (simply put, this means not being
unfaithful to your partner).
5. Right Job/Livelihood
A Buddhist must never make their living in a way that is harmful to others.
This means that he or she can never work selling (1) weapons, (2) meat,
(3) slaves, 4) harmful drugs or (5) poisons. A Buddhist could be a chemist
because the drugs he sold would not harm people. He could not own a pub
though!
The last three steps on the path are those which promote mental discipline.
6. Right Effort
Right Effort means making an effort to abandon negative ways of thinking
such as proud, angry, or jealous thoughts and instead making an effort to
develop positive ways of thinking such as humble, generous or compassionate
thoughts.
7. Right Mindfulness
To be mindful of something means to remember it. We all have mindfulness
but it is usually mindfulness of something meaningless like the pop song we
can’t stop singing or the girl or boy we can’t stop thinking about. Buddhists
learn to be mindful of a calm and peaceful state of mind so that when
something that causes a strong sense of 'self' suddenly appears to the mind,
be it a thought, a feeling, a sensation, or an object, they remember or are
‘mindful’ of that calm and peaceful state of mind.
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8. Right Meditation
Right Meditation is the ability to keep the mind totally concentrated on a
calm, peaceful state without becoming distracted. It is very similar to Right
Mindfulness, indeed the two work together very closely. While Right
Meditation remains focused on the calm and peaceful state, Right Mindfulness
notices when the mind starts to get distracted and pulls it back to the object
of concentration. By keeping the mind concentrated through Right
Meditation, and preventing distraction from arising by practicing Right
Mindfulness, a Buddhist gradually dissolves their mind into deeper and deeper
states of meditation until eventually they reach Enlightenment. Here, because
they have gone beyond the sense of 'self', they achieve the End of Suffering,
(the Third Noble Truth). Chiefly this is achieved through meditation.
The realms
Buddhism has six realms into which a soul can be reborn. From most to
least pleasant, these are:
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Heaven, the home of the gods (devas): this is a realm of enjoyment
inhabited by blissful, long-lived beings.
The realm of humanity: although humans suffer, this is considered the
most fortunate state because humans have the greatest chance of
enlightenment.
The realm of the Titans or angry gods (asuras): these are warlike beings
who are at the mercy of angry impulses.
The realm of the hungry ghosts (pretas): these unhappy beings are bound
to the fringes of human existence, unable to leave because of particularly
strong attachments. They are unable to satisfy their craving, symbolised
by their depiction with huge bellies and tiny mouths.
The animal realm: this is undesirable because animals are exploited by
human beings, and do not have the necessary self-awareness to achieve
liberation.
Hell realms: people here are horribly tortured in many creative ways, but
not for ever - only until their bad karma is worked off.
These are not all separate realms, but are interlinked in keeping with the
Buddhist philosophy that mind and reality are linked.
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The Wheel of Life
These realms are depicted in a diagram known as the Bhavachakra, the Wheel
of Life or Wheel of Becoming. The wheel itself is a circle, symbolising the
endless cycle of existence and suffering.
In the middle of the Wheel are the Three Fires of greed, ignorance and
hatred, represented by a rooster, a pig and a snake. These are the cause of all
suffering and are shown linked together, biting each other's tails, reinforcing
each other. In the next circle out, souls are shown ascending and descending
according to their karma. The next ring out is composed of six segments
showing the six realms: gods, humans and Titans above and hungry ghosts,
animals and those tortured in hell below.
The outer ring shows twelve segments called nidanas, illustrating the Buddhist
teaching of dependent origination, the chain of causes of suffering. The wheel
is held by Yama, the Lord of Death, who symbolises the impermanence of
everything. The beings he holds are trapped in eternal suffering by their
ignorance of the nature of the universe.
Origin of the Universe
Buddhism has no creator god to explain the origin of the universe. Instead, it
teaches that everything depends on everything else: present events are
caused by past events and become the cause of future events.
One tale told by the Buddha in the Agganna Sutta describes the process of
recreation on this grand scale. An old world-system has just been destroyed,
and its inhabitants are reborn in a new system. To begin with they are spirits,
floating happily above the earth, luminescent and without form, name or sex.
The world in these early stages is without light or land, only water. Eventually
earth appears and the spirits come to taste and enjoy it. Their greed causes
their ethereal bodies to become solid and coarse and differentiate into male
and female, good-looking and ugly. As they lose their luminescence the sun and
moon come into being. Gradually the beings fall into further wicked habits,
causing themselves - and the earth itself - to become less pleasant.
In this way, the Buddha seems to be saying, desire, greed and attachment not
only cause suffering for people but also cause the world to be as it is.
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The Bhavachakra,
the Wheel of Life or Wheel of Becoming 10
Glossary of terms
Anatman: not-self; self or ego is not real.
Anicca: change, impermanence.
Arahant: worthy one, a name for the Budhha.
Asceticism: the practice of extreme self-denial.
Bhavachakra: the wheel of life.
Buddha: ‘awakened’ or enlightened one.
Devas: gods.
Dharma: teachings of the Buddha.
Dukkha: the teaching which says life is full of suffering.
Impermanence: the belief that nothing, good or bad, lasts forever.
Karma: a belief that our past actions affect this and future lives.
Mahayana: means ‘great vehicle or journey’. A collection of Buddhist
traditions.
Nirvana: freedom from the cycle of life, death and rebirth.
Reincarnation: a belief that a person comes back to life in different forms.
Samsara: cycle of life, death and rebirth.
Shrine: holy/sacred place.
Stupa: stone structure believed to contain relics or copies of the teachings of
the Buddha.
Theravada: means ‘the doctrine of the elders’. One of the largest branches of
Buddhism.
Tilakhana: the three signs of existence.
Yama: the Lord of Death.
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