Buddhism is one of the oldest religions in the world. Historically, Buddhism has been centered in the Eastern world, but the faith has experienced increased popularity in the West in the last century, leading many people to want to learn more about it.
While it is true that there are many different expressions of Buddhism today sometimes involving a variety of beliefs, information like its history, size, etc. gives the outsider a good foundation in understanding Buddhist beliefs and practices.
Buddhists believe to end of all suffering a person must end all desire. And, the state of enlightenment is achieved only by purified spiritual seekers.
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Gautama Buddha
The founder of the Buddhist religion is Siddhartha Gautama. He was the first Buddha.
Originally born a wealthy prince, he left it all behind to pursue the path of truth when he saw the poverty and sickness beyond his palace walls. This also led him to drop his birth name, Siddhartha Gautama.
A few days after his birth, it was predicted by a wise old man that he would later become a great king or a saint that would change the world.
At the time of Buddha’s quest for enlightenment, there were many religious practices that called for either intense overindulgence in the senses, or strict deprivation such as weeks of fasting. Realizing that neither were truly beneficial, he devised what would later be known as “The Middle Way” to enlightenment…a balanced approach that emphasized inward rather than outward renunciation.
To achieve enlightenment, young Siddhartha vowed to sit under a fig tree and meditate until he transcended suffering. At the end of an extremely long meditation and mental battle with Mara (the god of desire), he became awakened and was then known as the Buddha.
Unlike with most religions or spiritual beliefs, Buddha’s teachings were spread by nonviolent methods such as word of mouth or carvings on prominent stone buildings.
Practicing Buddhists view Buddha as a teacher and not a god or avatar.
Buddha’s enlightenment underneath a bodhi tree and this tree is said to be still preserved to this day.
The three major tenants Buddha taught his followers were not to be ignorant, hate others, or get angry.
Buddha taught and traveled his entire life until the age of 80 when he passed away. His final request of his followers was this: All component things in the world are changeable. They are not lasting. Work hard to gain your own salvation.
The first Buddha was not as chubby as many depictions of him would make it appear. He was mainly portrayed this way because it was symbolic of happiness in the East. He practiced moderation in all things, fasted regularly, and spent most of his time walking hundreds of miles spreading the philosophy of enlightenment.
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The Teachings of Gautama Buddha
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.
The mind is everything. What you think you become.
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.
There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.
No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.
Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.
Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.
Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.
Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.
Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.
Virtue is persecuted more by the wicked than it is loved by the good.
All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain?
When one has the feeling of dislike for evil, when one feels tranquil, one finds pleasure in listening to good teachings; when one has these feelings and appreciates them, one is free of fear.
Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
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Buddhism Beliefs
'Bauddha Dharma' (Buddhism) can be translated as 'Religion of the Buddha' or 'Way of Buddha'. Thus, it means following the teachings of the Enlightened One.
Buddhism was founded in the 6th Century BC (between 528BC and 448BC).
Buddhism is the 4th largest religion by population behind Christianity, Islam, Hinduism.
Buddhism was founded in the north-eastern part of India.
Buddhism is a non-theistic religion and therefore independent from the belief or non-belief of God. However, the Mahayana tradition of Buddhism is considered polytheistic.
Gautama Buddha is considered the founder of Buddhism. He himself acknowledged that there had been many "enlightened ones" in the past and there will be many in the future. However, the teachings of Buddhism are largely based on the teachings of the Gautama Buddha.
Theravada ("The School of the Elders") and Mahayana("The Great Vehicle") are the two major branches of Buddhism.
Buddhism teaches that the 'Middle Way' is the best path towards liberation. Neither too much worldliness nor too much of asceticism are good to one's spiritual advancement.
Fig tree is revered in Buddhism because it was under a Fig tree that the Buddha got enlightened.
Tripitaka (3 baskets) is considered the most important text of Buddhism. It has 3 volumes: SuttaPitaka, Vinaya Pitaka and Abhidhamma Pitaka.
Buddhists believe in reincarnation.
A Buddha is one who is perfected and purified and has no more cravings and thus has no more re-births.
All full moon days are a sacred days, especially the Buddha Poornima, the birthday of Buddha.
Viharas are the sacred places of Buddhists where they worship, meditate, read scriptures, discuss and attend lectures.
Visitors do not wear shoes inside the Viharas.
Candles and incense sticks are lit during worship. Their light symbolizes knowledge.
Pali is the original languages of the Buddhist scriptures. It was the common language of the part of India during which the Buddha lived.
In Buddhism, the purpose of life is to attain liberation from the cycle of birth and death which is the cause of suffering.
The "3 Jewels of Buddhism" are: Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Taking refuge in these is considered to be one's way out of earthly misery.
There are "4 Noble Truths" in Buddhism. They are: life is suffering, the cause of suffering is craving, to end suffering you must end craving, and the way to end craving is to follow 'The Noble Eightfold Path".
In Buddhism, following "The Noble Eightfold Path" is the method to end suffering. The Eightfold Path is: right (correct) views, right (correct) intentions, right (correct) speech, right (correct) actions, right (correct) livelihood, right (correct) effort, right (correct) mindfulness, and right (correct) concentration.
There are 6 realms or types of existence in Buddhism, They are: the Realm of Devas (Gods) and Heavenly Beings, the Realm of Asura (Titans), the Realm of Preta (Hungry Ghosts), the Realm of Naraka (Hell), the Realm of Tiryagyoni (Animals), and the Realm of Manusya (Humans).
There are 4 immeasurables in Buddhism. They are: the 4 virtues and practices for their attainment, loving-kindness, compassion, and empathetic joy .
There are 12 sources of suffering in Buddhism and they are interdependent. They are ignorance, formations and fabrications in the mind, discrimination and discernment, the mind and body, the senses, impression and stimulation, feeling, desire, clinging and grasping, existing, birth, and aging and death.
There are 5 precepts which are the guidelines to be followed by a serious Buddhist. They are: to refrain from violence against any form of life, to refrain from taking that which is not given, to refrain from sensual (including sexual) misconduct, to refrain from lying, and to refrain from intoxicants which can lead to bad hehavior (drugs, alcohol etc).
There are two fundamental precepts in Buddhism. They are: there is suffering in life and there is a way to end it forever; and nothing in the creation has any intrinsic nature, thus there is emptiness.
Buddhists believe in Samsaara, the repetitive cycle of birth and death. And, a person is believed to die and be born again in the physical and psychological realms repetitively because of his ignorance.
Buddhists believe in Karma, every mental action bears fruit. As a result, everything we think of becomes reality in the later stages of life or in the next life. So, thought is like a seed and it is bound to germinate. In other words, "As you sow, so shall you reap".
Buddhists believe that birth is not the beginning and that death is not the end. Birth and death are just transitory events. Every one that dies will be born in another form until that one gets rid of all ignorance and achieves the higher state of complete liberation.
Buddhists believe that all existence is without self-nature in its truest form, meaning things lack intrinsic reality, intrinsic objectivity, intrinsic identity or intrinsic referentiality. Lacking such static essence or substance does not make them not exist, it makes them thoroughly relative.
Buddhists believe that there are 28 Buddhas including Gautama Buddha and Buddhists revere all of them. They are all Buddhas of the past who taught Dharma to people just and followed in the footsteps of Gautama Buddha.