Buddhism
Introduction
Buddhism is an Eastern religion and philosophy that is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, or the Buddha. Followers of Buddhism are known as Buddhists. Buddhism is a major movement, with over 700 million followers, and it is growing more popular in the west. The goal of Buddhists is to overcome the cycle of rebirth by the awakening of the person to find what reality truly is. Buddhist morality is based on the priciples of harmlessness and moderation. Mental training focuses on moral discipline, meditative concentration, and wisdom. Buddhism is divided into two main branches: Theravada Buddhism and Mahayama Buddhism.The followers of Theravada Buddhism take the scriptures known as the Pali suttas, Vinaya and Abhidhamma; the followers of Mahayana Buddhism base themselves chiefly on the "Mahayana sutras" as well as on various versions of the vinaya. The Theravadins (followers of Theravada Buddhism) only go by the Pali suttas and their commentaries, whereas the followers of Mahayana accept both the suttas and the Mahayana sutras as teachings of the Buddha. The two sects are specifically aimed at two different groups of people who at different levels of spiritual involvement.
The Four Noble Truths
1.)Life is suffering
2.)Suffering is due to attachment
3.)Attachment can be overcome
4.)There is a path for accomplishment
The Eightfold Path
1.)Right View- true understanding of the four noble truths
2.)Right Aspiration- true desire to oneself from ignorance
3.)Right Speech- abstaining from lying and hurtful talk
4.)Right Action- abstaining from hurtful behaviors, such as: killing, stealing, and careless sex
5.)Right Livelihood- making your living in such a way to avoid dishonesty and hurting others
6.)Right Effort- a matter of exerting oneself in regards to the content of one's mind: bad qualities should abandoned while good qualities should be enacted and nurtured
7.)Right Mindfulness- focusing one's attention on one's body, feelings, thoughts, and consciousness to overcome craving, hatred, and ignorance
8.)Right Conecentration- meditating in such a way as to progressively realize a true understanding of imperfection, impermanence, and non-seperateness
The Four Solaces
"Suppose there is a hereafter and there is a fruit, result, of deeds done well or ill. Then it is possible that at the dissolution of the body after death, I shall arise in the heavenly world, which is possessed of the state of bliss."
"Suppose there is no hereafter and there is no fruit, no result, of deeds done well or ill. Yet in this world, here and now, free from hatred, free from malice, safe and sound, and happy. I keep myself."
"Suppose evil befall an evil-doer. I, however, think of doing evil to no one. Then, how can ill affect me who do no evil deed?"
"Suppose evil do not befall an evil-doer. Then I see myself purified in any case"
The Five Precepts
1.)I observe the precept of abstaining from the destruction of life.
2.)I observe the precept of abstaining from taking that which is not given.
3.)I observe the precept of abstaining from sexual misconduct.
4.)I observe the precept of abstaining from falsehood.
5.)I observe the precept of abstaining from intoxicants that cloud the mind and cause carelessness.
The phrase "I observe the precept of abstaining from ..." that begins each precept clearly shows that these are not commandments. They are moral codes of conduct that lay Buddhists willingly undertake out of clear understanding and conviction that they are good for both themselves and for society
The Life of Siddhartha Gautama
Buddhism originates from the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, or the Buddha. Siddhartha was born in southern Nepal to royalty. While pregnant with Siddhartha, his mother, Mahamaya, had a strange dream in which a baby elephant had blessed her with his trunk. When she gave birth to him, the birth was nearly painless and he was born fully awake and told her that he had come to free all mankind from suffering. He lived a life of royalty and luxury for a long time and after a while he began to wonder what the world was like outside of the palace walls. When he walked out to see what the real world was like he saw what became known as the Four Passing Signs:a crippled man, a sick man, a decaying corpse, and a wandering holy man. He came to realize that sickness and death come to everyone and he wanted to find a way to overcome it. He left his life of luxury and gave away his all his belongings and became a holy man. He began to practice the austerities and self-mortifications practiced by a group of five ascetics whom he followed. In the town of Bodh Gaya, Siddhartha decided that he would sit under a certain fig tree and meditate as long as it would take for him to find the answers to suffering. He sat under the tree for many days, and finally on the full moon of May, he finally understood the answer to the question of suffering and he became Buddha, or "he who is awake".
Buddha taught that the only way to refrain from temptation and our emotional craving as humans is to live by the Four Noble Truths. To further test the Four Noble Truths, Buddha suggests to live by the Eightfold Path. Buddhist monks are called to live by the Five Precepts.