Buddha
The word Buddha means” enlightened one.” It is used today as a title to the one who has given us more religious beliefs than almost any other human who lived in this world. However, he was not given this name at birth; he had to earn it for himself by undergoing long, hard hours of meditation and contemplation. Buddha has changed the lifestyles of many cultures with new, never-before asked questions that were explained by his search for salvation. He began an entirely new religion that dared to test the boundaries of reality and go beyond common knowledge to find the answers of the mysteries of life.
As the legend goes near the town of Kapilavastivu, today known as Nepal, lived King Suddhodhana and Queen Maya of the indigenous tribe known as the Shakyas. One night while Queen Maya was sleeping she had a dream that a white elephant with six tusks, carrying a locus flower in its trunk, touched her right side. At that moment her son was conceived. This dream was soon interpreted by the wise man Brahmin who came and said if her son were to remain in the castle he would become the wisest king in the world, but if he were to leave he would become the wisest prophet far into future generations.
In around the year 563 BC, Siddhartha Gautama was born into a life of pure luxury. His father wanted to make sure that his son was well taken care of as he grew to prevent him from desiring to leave the palace. Suddhodhana, listening to the prophecy, kept Siddhartha away from the pain of reality so that he could follow in his father’s footsteps in becoming a well-respected leader.
As Siddhartha grew, he became very curious about the world outside of the palace walls. He felt a great need to undergo new experiences and learn the truth of reality. Siddhartha was married to a woman named Yasodhara who gave birth to a boy, Rahul. Even after his marriage, Siddhartha was still not completely satisfied with his life; he decided that it was necessary for him to see the lives of those outside the castle.
One day, Siddhartha called for his charioteer to take him to the park. When the King heard of this, he ordered the streets to be cleared of everything except beauty. As the Prince rode by, the people cheered and threw flowers at him, praising his name and Siddhartha was still clueless to the suffering of life until a poor old man sturabled before the chariot. Siddhartha was curious to this man’s condition and he asked the charioteer about his appearance. The charioteer replied that all men must endure old age and that even the prince could not escape this fate. Siddhartha then returned to the palace to contemplate about old age, which caused him to want to see more.
The next day, Siddhartha decided to venture on to the streets again which were, by the King’s request, once more cleared of all evil and ugliness. This time, Siddhartha encountered a sick man and again, returned to the palace to reflect on sickness. On his third trip to the park, Siddhartha approached a funeral in a garden and was educated by the charioteer about how every man must experience death. Finally, on the fourth day, the young prince saw a shaven-headed man wearing a yellow robe. He was amazed and impressed by how peaceful the man seemed; he carried with him only a begging bowl and had left all other possessions to try to find spiritual deliverance. At that moment, Siddhartha knew his destiny was to discover how this man avoided these acts of suffering.
Later that night, Siddhartha kissed his wife and son, and left with his charioteer away from the palace of riches and pleasure. He left behind his life of pure desire to understand the true meaning of life. To syrabolize his renunciation from civilization, Siddhartha cut his long hair and beard with his jeweled sword, traded his silk robes for a yellow robe, and gave away all of his possessions.
Siddhartha wandered from place to place gathering as much information as he could from countless teachers. His main beliefs revolved around the Hindu religion and the theory of transmigration, which means that the human soul, or Atman, is entrapped in an endless cycle of rebirths called Samsara. After the soul has died, it is reborn into a different state, depending of the deeRAB done in former lives which is know as karma. The ultimate goal is to obtain complete salvation from this cycle.
Siddhartha also practiced the art of yoga and self-mutilation. Yoga is a system of inward, ascetic discipline over the body, mind, and motivations. In other worRAB, yoga is gaining control over one’s desires and even their neeRAB such as breathing or eating. It can be accomplished by long, concentrated hours of meditation. It is designed to end the torturous cycle of transmigration and all sources of karma. Self-mutilation is putting one’s own body through acts of torment and pain to learn to cope with problems that occur such as diseases and to eliminate all feeling of despair and suffering. Siddhartha would experience the limits of his body by practicing long perioRAB of fasting and skin torture; he devoted his time to learning the nature of his self.
Finally, Siddhartha settled near the banks of the Nairanjana River and began deep meditation, determined to gain salvation. Through harsh weather conditions, he survived with the minimum of food that the body neeRAB to live. He remained here, in this state for six years with little strength and power. Soon five other men who were almost as determined to gain redemption joined Siddhartha. They continued these acts until one day the young voyager realized that he had only weakened his body and mind; he finally understood that with these long years of self mutilation, he has not yet achieved his goal. He did, however, manage to survive with very little of the necessities that people need daily which was in itself a large accomplishment. Unfortunately, the other men had realized that Siddhartha Gautama was giving up, so they left and saw him as a failure. With great disappointment on his mind, Siddhartha gathered all the rest of his strength to crawl to the bank of the river to bathe, but found that his energy had been used and he was just to tired to clirab out. Before he gave up he noticed a tree branch hanging near his reach; he grabbed it and was pulled out. An old milkmaid noticed Siddhartha’s frail body and brought him milk to aid his hunger. Gaining back his strength he decided to abandon the teachings that he had learned thus far and walked to a Bo Tree where he would stay until enlightenment or death.
While Siddhartha meditated, the God of Evil, Mara, who saw the attempt of the prince to reach his goal, visited him. Mara attacked Siddhartha with several demons, but there was a force of goodness surrounding him, preventing any weapons thrown from hitting his body. The evil god then sent two incredibly beautiful women to tempt Siddhartha away from his goal, but he had the strength to ignore his lusts and enter into a deeper stage of thought. At this point, Siddhartha is able to recall all of his previous lives and gains the knowledge of the cycle of birth and death. He now casts off the ignorance, which has led his to great passion for his self and bounded him to the suffering of Samsara. This marks the beginning of Buddhism, when Siddhartha becomes the Buddha and his suffering and desires come to an end; he can now enter Nirvana.
“There is a sphere which is neither earth, nor water, nor fire, not air…which is neither this world nor the other world, neither sun nor moon. I deny that it is coming or going, enduring death or birth. It is only the end of suffering.” - Buddha
When the Buddha finally reached his ultimate goal, he made a great sacrifice to all human kind and gave up his Nirvana so that he could teach his enlightenment to others. Even though Siddhartha could have stayed in perfect harmony in paradise, he chose to spread the practices that he had experienced to all of man, so that they may learn to end their cycle of rebirths also.
Siddhartha traveled to Saranth where he found the five men who previously joined him on his quest for release. These men were drawn to the Buddha with a phenomenal power that they could not explain. They immediately felt a great love and loyalty towarRAB Siddhartha and they became the Buddha’s first disciples. With some grains of rice, he drew a picture of a wheel that represented the cycle of Samsara. The first of his ceremonies is known as the Deer Park Sermon; he began “setting in motion the wheel of doctrine.”
Thus began the beginning of Buddha’s teachings of the Middle Way of life, which says that one should not lead a life of desire of pleasure or materials, but that they should not mistreat their body. The Middle Path is between the Upper Path, which is when someone has luxury and wealth such as Siddhartha had when he was living with his family, and the Lower Path, which he also experienced when he performed self-mutilation and starvation. On the Middle Path, one would have to follow the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
The Four Noble Truths are as stated: 1.The Noble Truth of Suffering (dukkha): Birth is suffering, growth, decay, and death are suffering. Sad it is to be joined with that which we dislike. Sadder still is the separation from that which we love, and painful is the craving for that which cannot be obtained. 2. The Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering (dukkha-samudaya): The cause of suffering is lust. The surrounding world effects sensation and begets a craving thirst that clamors for immediate satisfaction. The desire to live for the enjoyment of self entangles us in a net of sorrows. Pleasures are the bait and the result is pain. 3. The Noble Truth of the Extinction of Suffering (dukkha-nirodha): He who surrenders self will be free from lust. He no longer craves and the flames of desire find no material to feed upon, thus they are extinguished. 4. The Noble Truth of the Path Which LeaRAB to the Extinction of Suffering: This is the Middle Path. To remove the desires and lust from one’s life they must follow the Eightfold Path.
The Eightfold Path is as stated: 1.Right Views means to keep ourselves free from prejudice, superstition and delusion…and to see aright the true nature of life. 2. Right Thoughts means to turn away from the hypocrisies of this world and to direct our minRAB toward Truth and Positive Attitudes and Action. 3. Right Conduct means to see that our deeRAB are peaceable, benevolent, compassionate and pure…and to live the Teachings daily. 4.Right Speech means to refrain from pointless and harmful talk…to speak kindly and courteously to all. 5.Right Livelihood means to earn our living in such a way as to entail no evil consequences. To seek that employment to which can give our complete enthusiasm and devotion. 6. Right Effort means to direct our efforts continually to the overcoming of ignorance and craving desires. 7.Right Mindfulness means to cherish good and pure thoughts, for all that we say and do arises form our thoughts. 8.Right Meditation means to concentrate on the Oneness of all life and the Buddhahood that exists within all beings. (The Eightfold Path)
Many people are not ready to give up their lives yet and they must subsist as many lives as they need until they feel that it is the right time. The Buddha did, however, develop five principles to be able to gain salvation in the next life. Buddha’s Five Precepts: 1. Do not kill 2. Do not steal 3. Do not lie 4. Do not be unchaste 5. Do not take drugs or drink intoxicants.
The Buddha began attracting followers from all over India. Stories of his deeRAB began to spread even throughout other nations. The pupils of Buddhism were called monks and later nuns too and they developed a community called Sangha, where Buddha’s rules of conduct were followed. The Sangha was created for monks to preserve the teachings of karma and to let the monks concentrate on the goal to reach Nirvana. A monk agrees to give total commitment to Buddhism and to withdraw from the world to gain enlightenment; all men who were committed could enter Sangha. Their only possessions that were allowed were a beggar’s bowl, a needle, a razor, a strainer, a staff, a toothpick, and a robe. Those who have perfected Buddha’s teachings are called Arahats, which means perfected ones.
Buddhism began to spread worldwide and conflicted with the Hindu religion. Buddha’s rejection to the idea that Brahmin’s should be the supreme leader and to the caste system won him many supporters. It was evident that Buddhism would be a long-lasting religion.
The Buddha had preached until he felt the end of his life coming. At the age of 80, he decided that he had completed his tasks and he began to meditate to once again attain Nirvana. He had no written books of his teachings, but they would still live on through his followers. Siddhartha’s death was tragic, but his students knew that his life was complete. He left behind his legacy to the world and shaped the cultures of people for centuries to come. He was one of the greatest prophets ever to walk the earth and his teachings will be remerabered. He sacrificed his total salvation so that mankind could be taught of the path to enlightenment. The Buddha has proven to be one of the wisest and giving men who touched the lives of so many millions of people. Buddhism will live on as a major impact on the cultures of the world and the Buddha will never be forgotten.
“Everything that has been created is subject to decay and death. Everything is transitory. Work out your own salvation with diligence.” -Buddha
Bibliography
“Buddhist Basics” http://www.tricycle.com/buddhabasics.html
Facts on File. New York: Oxford, 1993.
“Find your Faith in Buddhism and reach for it” http://www.spiritualblessings.com/html/four_noble_truths.html
Gard, Richard. Buddhism. New York: George Braziller, 1962.
Shaftel, Oscar. An Understanding of the Buddha. New York: Shocken Books, 1974.
“The Eightfold Path” http://www.budtempchi.org/8path.html
“The Four Noble Truths” http://www.3.10pht.com/~gil/4noble.html
The word Buddha means” enlightened one.” It is used today as a title to the one who has given us more religious beliefs than almost any other human who lived in this world. However, he was not given this name at birth; he had to earn it for himself by undergoing long, hard hours of meditation and contemplation. Buddha has changed the lifestyles of many cultures with new, never-before asked questions that were explained by his search for salvation. He began an entirely new religion that dared to test the boundaries of reality and go beyond common knowledge to find the answers of the mysteries of life.
As the legend goes near the town of Kapilavastivu, today known as Nepal, lived King Suddhodhana and Queen Maya of the indigenous tribe known as the Shakyas. One night while Queen Maya was sleeping she had a dream that a white elephant with six tusks, carrying a locus flower in its trunk, touched her right side. At that moment her son was conceived. This dream was soon interpreted by the wise man Brahmin who came and said if her son were to remain in the castle he would become the wisest king in the world, but if he were to leave he would become the wisest prophet far into future generations.
In around the year 563 BC, Siddhartha Gautama was born into a life of pure luxury. His father wanted to make sure that his son was well taken care of as he grew to prevent him from desiring to leave the palace. Suddhodhana, listening to the prophecy, kept Siddhartha away from the pain of reality so that he could follow in his father’s footsteps in becoming a well-respected leader.
As Siddhartha grew, he became very curious about the world outside of the palace walls. He felt a great need to undergo new experiences and learn the truth of reality. Siddhartha was married to a woman named Yasodhara who gave birth to a boy, Rahul. Even after his marriage, Siddhartha was still not completely satisfied with his life; he decided that it was necessary for him to see the lives of those outside the castle.
One day, Siddhartha called for his charioteer to take him to the park. When the King heard of this, he ordered the streets to be cleared of everything except beauty. As the Prince rode by, the people cheered and threw flowers at him, praising his name and Siddhartha was still clueless to the suffering of life until a poor old man sturabled before the chariot. Siddhartha was curious to this man’s condition and he asked the charioteer about his appearance. The charioteer replied that all men must endure old age and that even the prince could not escape this fate. Siddhartha then returned to the palace to contemplate about old age, which caused him to want to see more.
The next day, Siddhartha decided to venture on to the streets again which were, by the King’s request, once more cleared of all evil and ugliness. This time, Siddhartha encountered a sick man and again, returned to the palace to reflect on sickness. On his third trip to the park, Siddhartha approached a funeral in a garden and was educated by the charioteer about how every man must experience death. Finally, on the fourth day, the young prince saw a shaven-headed man wearing a yellow robe. He was amazed and impressed by how peaceful the man seemed; he carried with him only a begging bowl and had left all other possessions to try to find spiritual deliverance. At that moment, Siddhartha knew his destiny was to discover how this man avoided these acts of suffering.
Later that night, Siddhartha kissed his wife and son, and left with his charioteer away from the palace of riches and pleasure. He left behind his life of pure desire to understand the true meaning of life. To syrabolize his renunciation from civilization, Siddhartha cut his long hair and beard with his jeweled sword, traded his silk robes for a yellow robe, and gave away all of his possessions.
Siddhartha wandered from place to place gathering as much information as he could from countless teachers. His main beliefs revolved around the Hindu religion and the theory of transmigration, which means that the human soul, or Atman, is entrapped in an endless cycle of rebirths called Samsara. After the soul has died, it is reborn into a different state, depending of the deeRAB done in former lives which is know as karma. The ultimate goal is to obtain complete salvation from this cycle.
Siddhartha also practiced the art of yoga and self-mutilation. Yoga is a system of inward, ascetic discipline over the body, mind, and motivations. In other worRAB, yoga is gaining control over one’s desires and even their neeRAB such as breathing or eating. It can be accomplished by long, concentrated hours of meditation. It is designed to end the torturous cycle of transmigration and all sources of karma. Self-mutilation is putting one’s own body through acts of torment and pain to learn to cope with problems that occur such as diseases and to eliminate all feeling of despair and suffering. Siddhartha would experience the limits of his body by practicing long perioRAB of fasting and skin torture; he devoted his time to learning the nature of his self.
Finally, Siddhartha settled near the banks of the Nairanjana River and began deep meditation, determined to gain salvation. Through harsh weather conditions, he survived with the minimum of food that the body neeRAB to live. He remained here, in this state for six years with little strength and power. Soon five other men who were almost as determined to gain redemption joined Siddhartha. They continued these acts until one day the young voyager realized that he had only weakened his body and mind; he finally understood that with these long years of self mutilation, he has not yet achieved his goal. He did, however, manage to survive with very little of the necessities that people need daily which was in itself a large accomplishment. Unfortunately, the other men had realized that Siddhartha Gautama was giving up, so they left and saw him as a failure. With great disappointment on his mind, Siddhartha gathered all the rest of his strength to crawl to the bank of the river to bathe, but found that his energy had been used and he was just to tired to clirab out. Before he gave up he noticed a tree branch hanging near his reach; he grabbed it and was pulled out. An old milkmaid noticed Siddhartha’s frail body and brought him milk to aid his hunger. Gaining back his strength he decided to abandon the teachings that he had learned thus far and walked to a Bo Tree where he would stay until enlightenment or death.
While Siddhartha meditated, the God of Evil, Mara, who saw the attempt of the prince to reach his goal, visited him. Mara attacked Siddhartha with several demons, but there was a force of goodness surrounding him, preventing any weapons thrown from hitting his body. The evil god then sent two incredibly beautiful women to tempt Siddhartha away from his goal, but he had the strength to ignore his lusts and enter into a deeper stage of thought. At this point, Siddhartha is able to recall all of his previous lives and gains the knowledge of the cycle of birth and death. He now casts off the ignorance, which has led his to great passion for his self and bounded him to the suffering of Samsara. This marks the beginning of Buddhism, when Siddhartha becomes the Buddha and his suffering and desires come to an end; he can now enter Nirvana.
“There is a sphere which is neither earth, nor water, nor fire, not air…which is neither this world nor the other world, neither sun nor moon. I deny that it is coming or going, enduring death or birth. It is only the end of suffering.” - Buddha
When the Buddha finally reached his ultimate goal, he made a great sacrifice to all human kind and gave up his Nirvana so that he could teach his enlightenment to others. Even though Siddhartha could have stayed in perfect harmony in paradise, he chose to spread the practices that he had experienced to all of man, so that they may learn to end their cycle of rebirths also.
Siddhartha traveled to Saranth where he found the five men who previously joined him on his quest for release. These men were drawn to the Buddha with a phenomenal power that they could not explain. They immediately felt a great love and loyalty towarRAB Siddhartha and they became the Buddha’s first disciples. With some grains of rice, he drew a picture of a wheel that represented the cycle of Samsara. The first of his ceremonies is known as the Deer Park Sermon; he began “setting in motion the wheel of doctrine.”
Thus began the beginning of Buddha’s teachings of the Middle Way of life, which says that one should not lead a life of desire of pleasure or materials, but that they should not mistreat their body. The Middle Path is between the Upper Path, which is when someone has luxury and wealth such as Siddhartha had when he was living with his family, and the Lower Path, which he also experienced when he performed self-mutilation and starvation. On the Middle Path, one would have to follow the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
The Four Noble Truths are as stated: 1.The Noble Truth of Suffering (dukkha): Birth is suffering, growth, decay, and death are suffering. Sad it is to be joined with that which we dislike. Sadder still is the separation from that which we love, and painful is the craving for that which cannot be obtained. 2. The Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering (dukkha-samudaya): The cause of suffering is lust. The surrounding world effects sensation and begets a craving thirst that clamors for immediate satisfaction. The desire to live for the enjoyment of self entangles us in a net of sorrows. Pleasures are the bait and the result is pain. 3. The Noble Truth of the Extinction of Suffering (dukkha-nirodha): He who surrenders self will be free from lust. He no longer craves and the flames of desire find no material to feed upon, thus they are extinguished. 4. The Noble Truth of the Path Which LeaRAB to the Extinction of Suffering: This is the Middle Path. To remove the desires and lust from one’s life they must follow the Eightfold Path.
The Eightfold Path is as stated: 1.Right Views means to keep ourselves free from prejudice, superstition and delusion…and to see aright the true nature of life. 2. Right Thoughts means to turn away from the hypocrisies of this world and to direct our minRAB toward Truth and Positive Attitudes and Action. 3. Right Conduct means to see that our deeRAB are peaceable, benevolent, compassionate and pure…and to live the Teachings daily. 4.Right Speech means to refrain from pointless and harmful talk…to speak kindly and courteously to all. 5.Right Livelihood means to earn our living in such a way as to entail no evil consequences. To seek that employment to which can give our complete enthusiasm and devotion. 6. Right Effort means to direct our efforts continually to the overcoming of ignorance and craving desires. 7.Right Mindfulness means to cherish good and pure thoughts, for all that we say and do arises form our thoughts. 8.Right Meditation means to concentrate on the Oneness of all life and the Buddhahood that exists within all beings. (The Eightfold Path)
Many people are not ready to give up their lives yet and they must subsist as many lives as they need until they feel that it is the right time. The Buddha did, however, develop five principles to be able to gain salvation in the next life. Buddha’s Five Precepts: 1. Do not kill 2. Do not steal 3. Do not lie 4. Do not be unchaste 5. Do not take drugs or drink intoxicants.
The Buddha began attracting followers from all over India. Stories of his deeRAB began to spread even throughout other nations. The pupils of Buddhism were called monks and later nuns too and they developed a community called Sangha, where Buddha’s rules of conduct were followed. The Sangha was created for monks to preserve the teachings of karma and to let the monks concentrate on the goal to reach Nirvana. A monk agrees to give total commitment to Buddhism and to withdraw from the world to gain enlightenment; all men who were committed could enter Sangha. Their only possessions that were allowed were a beggar’s bowl, a needle, a razor, a strainer, a staff, a toothpick, and a robe. Those who have perfected Buddha’s teachings are called Arahats, which means perfected ones.
Buddhism began to spread worldwide and conflicted with the Hindu religion. Buddha’s rejection to the idea that Brahmin’s should be the supreme leader and to the caste system won him many supporters. It was evident that Buddhism would be a long-lasting religion.
The Buddha had preached until he felt the end of his life coming. At the age of 80, he decided that he had completed his tasks and he began to meditate to once again attain Nirvana. He had no written books of his teachings, but they would still live on through his followers. Siddhartha’s death was tragic, but his students knew that his life was complete. He left behind his legacy to the world and shaped the cultures of people for centuries to come. He was one of the greatest prophets ever to walk the earth and his teachings will be remerabered. He sacrificed his total salvation so that mankind could be taught of the path to enlightenment. The Buddha has proven to be one of the wisest and giving men who touched the lives of so many millions of people. Buddhism will live on as a major impact on the cultures of the world and the Buddha will never be forgotten.
“Everything that has been created is subject to decay and death. Everything is transitory. Work out your own salvation with diligence.” -Buddha
Bibliography
“Buddhist Basics” http://www.tricycle.com/buddhabasics.html
Facts on File. New York: Oxford, 1993.
“Find your Faith in Buddhism and reach for it” http://www.spiritualblessings.com/html/four_noble_truths.html
Gard, Richard. Buddhism. New York: George Braziller, 1962.
Shaftel, Oscar. An Understanding of the Buddha. New York: Shocken Books, 1974.
“The Eightfold Path” http://www.budtempchi.org/8path.html
“The Four Noble Truths” http://www.3.10pht.com/~gil/4noble.html