Buddhism
By James W. Kershner
(Chan An Hoa – True Peaceful Reconciliation)
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Buddhism |
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I just want to be happy. Don’t you?
Unfortunately, life includes a lot of suffering. We are all confronted with sickness, old age and death, plus the daily stress of life. Isn’t there anything we can do to relieve this suffering and increase happiness? These are the questions addressed by Siddhartha Gautama, a man who lived in the foothills of the Himalayas 2,500 years ago. Through the practice of meditation he discovered some profound and practical answers to those questions. His answers and his practices form the foundation of Buddhism.
Siddhartha Gautama was the son of the leader of a small kingdom near what is now the border between Nepal and India. As a child and young man he was pampered and given all the luxuries available at that time. He married a beautiful woman form a wealthy family, and they had two children. Although his father attempted to shield him from any suffering, he encountered evidence that people get sick, that people grow old, that people die, and that eventually everything and everyone we hold dear will be taken from us. This profound truth troubled him, and he decided to dedicate his life to seeing if there is any way to overcome the suffering inherent in this basic human condition.
At first he followed the custom of seekers of that day and became an ascetic, forgoing all pleasures and comforts and practicing long fasts. Although he practiced diligently, he did not find the answers. That is when he decided to follow what he called “The Middle Way.” He abandoned the life of complete deprivation and also abandoned the life of complete indulgence, but practiced moderation and meditation. After extensive meditation he experienced a feeling of enlightenment that felt like awakening from a long sleep.
His first talk was about “The Four Noble Truths,” which form the basis of all Buddhist practice worldwide:
1. Suffering (also known as disease, discomfort, or stress) exists.
2. There is a cause for this suffering. It is our tendency to cling and become attached to our mistaken impressions, including the mistaken impression that things are permanent and will not decay and the mistaken impression that there is such a thing as a separate self independent form the outside world.
3. There is a way to reduce this suffering. We can increase happiness by releasing and letting go of our attachment to our mistaken impressions and understanding that we are all one.
4. There is a path out of suffering. The way to live our lives to facilitate this letting go is known as the noble Eightfold Path of right understanding, resolve, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration.
These last two steps on the Eightfold Path, mindfulness and concentration relate to the practice of meditation, which is central to almost all Buddhist practice. The fourth step, right action, is often linked to the five precepts enumerated by the Buddha, which include refraining from killing, stealing, irresponsible sexual activity, lying, and using intoxicants.
His teachings became very popular during his lifetime. When asked if he was a god, he said that he was simply a man who had awakened. The term Buddha is Sanskrit for awakened one.
Buddhism is the chameleon of world religions. As it spread form culture to culture if took on some of the exterior characteristics of the prevailing culture, but retained the basic internal structure taught by the Buddha. His teachings were passed on by oral tradition during his lifetime and shortly thereafter. About 100 years after his death, a council was held in 300 BCE to write down his teachings in the Pali language. Many Buddhists identify themselves as being in the Theravadan School of Buddhism, or the Way of the Elders. They base their practices strictly on the Pali Canon. The other major division is Mahayana Buddhism, or the Larger Vessel. Mahayana Buddhists accept not only the Pali texts, but other documents written in Sanskrit, Chinese, Tibetan, and other languages. Theravadan Buddhism is known as the Southern School and is most common in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Cambodia and Indonesia. Mahayana Buddhism is known as the Northern School, and is most common in China, Japan, Nepal, Korea, Vietnam and India. Tibetan Buddhism is usually included in the Mahayana tradition, although some experts see it as a third school altogether.
In Europe and America, teachers from Asia brought a variety of Buddhist traditions that are increasingly popular. Several Mahayana Zen traditions are very popular in America, including those in the Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean traditions. Several Theravadan teachers also have large followings, as do Tibetan teachers. A few preeminent leaders including His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama from Tibet and the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh from Vietnam have achieved worldwide fame and admiration through their popular books and public appearances.
The Buddha himself never directly addressed the issues of the existence of God or an afterlife. Buddhists hold a wide variety of views of those issues. Because it is not based on Theology, Buddhism is not a religion in the Western sense, but it fulfills the role of a religion in the lives of millions of people worldwide. It is estimated that there are about 1.5 billion Buddhists worldwide, but no one is sure exactly. The Buddha would say, however many there appear to be, we are all one.