Buddhism

Fundamental Buddhism summarised by Shakyamuni in the Dhammapada: "Not to do any evil, to cultivate good, to purify one's mind, this is the teaching of the Buddhas."

Origin

Siddhartha Gautama was born as a prince into a royal family in modern Nepal at around the fifth century BC. He grew up living an extravagant life. The story goes Siddhartha was told by his father to live wife his wife in seclusion, but one day, at the age of twenty-nine he left his palace and ventured into the outside world only to be greeted by tremendous suffering. He saw how his people, the Sakya people, were suffering in their day to day lives and he was determined to divine a way to end all suffering in the world.      For six long years he traveled as a monk, participating in many different meditations with various religios leaders, most notable Hinduism or the Vedic religion, but it was not until a young girl gave him a bowl of rice that he realized that material things were not important, but rather one should live a moderate life style, avoiding extreme wealth and poverty.  He called this the Middle way.  That period of time in which Buddha realized his purpose is call the great awakening.  At the age of thirty-five he gained enlightenminet and the title "Buddha". And so, Buddhism was born.

Major Elements

Buddhism centers on the idea that life is filled with suffering.  Consequently, the major teachings of Buddhism focus on describing suffering and how to come away from suffering.

175ft Bamiyan Buddha in Afghanistan Image from Google images

The Four Noble Truths: 1. The truth of suffering: everywhere you look, life is full of suffering 2. The Cause of suffering:  craving, desire, and ignorance cause all worldly suffering 3. The end of suffering:  remove all desire, ill will, and ignorance 4. The Path leading to the end of suffering: The Middle Path, the one of the moderate life, leads to the end of suffering

KEY TERMS

Samsara- is the release from the infinite cycle of birth and rebirth; all Buddhists seek samsara

Nirvana- A level of enlightenment reached after escaping with through samsara.

In order to escape suffering one must follow the EightFold Path:

Karma- intentional action done deliberately through body or speech.  The law of moral causation.  Every action, whether it be positive or negative has a certain effect.  With positive action comes good karma and with negative action comes negative effect.  People should try to live through only positive karma.

1. Right Understanding- To understand the Law of Cause and Effect and the Four Noble truths 2. Right Attitude- Not hardoring thoughts of greed and anger. 3. Right Speech- Avoid lyiig, gossip, harsh speech and tale-telling. 4. Right Action- Not to destroy any life, not to steal of commit adultery. 5. Right Livelihood- Avoid occupations that bring harm to oneself and others. 6. Right Effort- Earnestly doing one's best in the right direction. 7. Right Mindfulness- Always being aware and attentive. 8. Right Concentration- To make the mind steady and calm in order to realize the true nature of things.

"According to the seed that is sown, so is the fruit you reap. The door of good will gather good result.  The door of evil reaps evil result.  If you plant a good seed well, then you will enjoy the good fruits" ~The Buddha

The EightFold Path Separates into three categories:

Right Speech Right Action Right Livelihood Right Effort Right Mindfulness Right Concentration Right Attitude Right View

Good Conduct~ Mental Development~ Wisdom~

The Five Precepts:

1. Do not kill 2. Do not steal 3. Do not indulge in sexual misconduct 4. Do not make false speech 5. Do not take intoxicants

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