Buddhism

Buddhism
Buddhism, just the word of it conjures up I'm sure you’ve seen Buddhist
images of serene monks and historic monks in martial arts movies.
temples.

Meditation retreats
are something you've
probably heard of.

Or you've likely seen those

enormous Buddha statues.
 What exactly is
Buddhism, and what
do Buddhists genuinely
believe?

Is this religion truly

linked with peace,
tranquility, and bald
guys?
 Buddhism, one of the oldest surviving religions, began
2500 years ago in India and is today the world's fourth-
largest religion. With approximately 520 million
followers, or 7% of the world's inhabitants.
 Buddhism, one of the world's oldest living religions, began in India 2,500 years ago.

Almost all of them

are concentrated in
this region known as
the country, China.
 And Is his life an
So, who endless cycle of
is The disappointment
and death!!!
Buddha?

Around 480 BCE the Buddha was born as Prince Siddhartha Gautama in
modern day Nepal. Siddhartha's dad was a powerful ruler of a Hindu republic.
But due to a prophecy he was terrified that Prince Siddhartha would become a
religious leader instead of taking his place on the throne. To avoid the prophecy
he hid human suffering from Siddhartha.
Siddhartha lived in fancy palaces, had the finest clothes and jewelry,
ate and drank what he pleased, and married a beautiful bride. His
dad fired sick, ugly, aging servants and no one could speak to
Siddhartha about any of life's miseries, like death. This could
obviously never backfire.
Siddhartha felt a deep sense of
dissatisfaction with this luxurious life.

At 29 years old after finally being allowed to

go on a trip outside the palace,
Siddhartha saw an old man, a sick man, and
finally a corpse.

He spiralled into an existential crisis. He

thought why do anything in life when old
age, sickness, and death would eventually
get everyone.
On another visit outside Siddhartha came
across a homeless monk that had given up
all possessions.

This guy seemed pretty wise and happy.

So Siddhartha decided he would abandon
his princely life and become a wandering
monk in search of an answer to life's
suffering.
 Siddhartha spent the next six years learning from India's greatest yoga
and meditation masters. He joined a group of hermits in the forest that
practice extreme fasting and intense meditation. But after six years of
eating nothing but seeds that had blown into his lap Siddhartha was little
more than a living skeleton.
This effort turned out to be pointless
however.Siddhartha realised that his mind
was slow and clouded…

On account of the starvation.This relation

taught him that the true path lay between
indulgence and deprivation.

He would later develop this concept into the

Middle Path.He gave up his fast by eating
a bowl of rice milk.
His 5 ascetics friends left in disgust thinking
Siddhartha had given up.
Siddhartha wandered until he came across a fig tree.He was determined to sit under this tree, meditating until he reached enlightenment.
After 49 days of intense meditating he did just that.At 35 years of age he had become the Awakened One, the Buddha.

The tree he sat under became known as the Bodhi Tree. The direct descendant of this tree can still be seen at Bodh Gaya in India.After some consideration the Buddha decided he would share his knowledge with the world.
He found his 5 acetic friends at Deer
Park, Sarnath.
And there he delivered his first
teaching or Dharma.
So how exactly did the Buddha become Enlightened. Well, luckily he
laid out a handy dandy guide for everyone to follow.
Know as the, 4 Noble Truths.
The First Noble Truth Is...

1.
Life is suffering Wait wait. I know this sounds dark but it's actually
not. The actual first truth is Life is Dukkha. Which is an ancient
Sanskrit word that is normally translated as “suffering,” in English.
But it's more like dissatisfaction.

Life will always be disatifying because humans cling to temporary

things. Old Age, Sickness, and Death are Dukkha. Things changing
when you don't want them to is dukkha. Not getting what you want
is dukkha. Things never measuring up to our expectations is
Dukkha.Dukkha suggests that even when life is not physically
painful it can be disappointing
and unfulfilling.
 The Second Noble Truth is that Dukkha is caused by desire.

Humans desire and cling to possessions, people, power, and life itself. So
they end up constantly disappointed. Because all of those things end.

2.
People want things they don't have and want things they have to never
change. But everything is always changing. Everything we think we own is
really borrowed. We want to live forever and want our loved ones to stay
the same forever. But you can’t catch a running stream.

You can't have a permanent relationship with an impermanent world. It

always ends in disappointment. Eventually you discover that the
bottomless breadsticks are in fact bottom’d. Desire fuels suffering in the
way that wood fuels a fire. Fire consumes everything you feed it and will
always demand more fuel.

The only way to kill the fire is to stop feeding it breadsticks. The Buddha
taught that the secret to a happy life is to enjoy what you have without
attachment and not want what you don’t have.
 The third Noble Truth is there’s an
end to suffering.

3.
Since we cause our suffering
we can also cure it.

We cannot change the things that

happen to us, but we can change
our responses.
Symbols of Faith

4. The fourth Noble Truth is the Eightfold Path that leads to the end of
suffering.

The Noble Eightfold Path or the Middle Way, is an eight step guide to
deprogramming the desire addicted brain. It's called a Path but you should
think of it more as a wheel with 8 spokes that should be spun together at the
same time. The Buddha would wander the Gangetic Plain for the next 45
years..

Gathering thousands of followers and accepting people of all genders, class,

and castes into the Sangha.
Symbols of Faith
 Along with the Noble Truths and Eightfold Path there are some other
important Buddhist Core Beliefs.

Such as: Karma

Karma is an ancient Sanskrit word meaning action. But actions that have consequences.
When you commit bad or good actions it causes a chain reaction that will later come back
to you in this life or the next.

Buddhists see Karma more like a natural law like gravity rather than some sort of judgmental
system of reward and punishments. It’s a system of cause and effect. Think of Karma like seeds. As
you sow, so shall you reap. If you plant a mango seed maybe not in canada but, you eventually get a
mango tree. If you plant a murder seed, MURDER TREE. Or the worst one of all if you plant
coriander...straight to hell.

According to Buddhism "If you want to know about your past life, look at your present
body. If you want to know your future life, look at your present mind." Even though Karma
affects your life conditions it is not destiny. Buddhism teaches that at every moment each
person can change and make their lives better. When it comes to Karma intention matters.
If you squash an ant by accident then you don't generate any karma. If you stamp on
it with pure hatred and anger as if it was coriander then that will generate negative
Karma, a strong example is the movie known as The Ant Bully.
 Along with the Noble Truths and Eightfold Path there are some other
Karma
important Buddhist Core Beliefs.

Such as: Karma

Karma also influences how you will be reborn after death.

Buddhists believe we live in a beginningless and endless cycle of birth, suffering, and
death called Samsara. When the Buddha reached Nirvana he escaped the cycle of
rebirth.

Desire and Karma push the cycle on and on. When a life ends in one body,
karma drags that life into a new body, with no memory of the previous life.
Karma even if it's good or bad karma keeps people stuck in the cycle. The
only way to break out of the cycle is to stop desire,stop suffering, stop the
creation of karma and reach Nirvana.Nirvana or Enlightenment isn’t a place
for you to go. It’s not Heaven. It's a state of mind.
 4 Holy cities of Buddhism
After Siddhartha became enlightened and transformed into the Buddha, he
embarked on a journey throughout Asia preaching his middle path message. At
Sarnath, Buddha delivered his first teaching. The Buddha preached that belief was
not the same as personal experience and that direct knowing was the only way to
secure liberation.

He made it clear that his teaching was a practice to obtain direct knowledge and not
a system of beliefs. When the Buddha traveled, he wore simple cloth clothes and
walking sticks. He taught and traveled for almost 45 years starting from his
enlightenment till his death. Four major Buddhist pilgrimage sites apply to all
Buddhists. These are Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, and Kushinagar. These
pilgrimage sites compose of the core pilgrimage sites for Buddhism.
 Holy cities of Buddhism

Bodhgaya
Holy cities of Buddhism
Holy cities of Buddhism
 Holy cities of Buddhism

Lumbini
Lumbini, Nepal's historic birthplace of
Lord Buddha, is a significant spiritual
site known for its significance in
Buddhism. Born in 623 BC, Buddha
introduced the religion by gaining the
result for death and peace, making him
the 'lord of peace'.

Lumbini is home to numerous older

temples, including the Maya Devi
Temple, and is home to numerous
stupas and chaityas, all of which bear
the names of their countries. Lumbini,
the sacred holy place for Buddhism, is
a popular destination for all religions.
 Buddhist Holidays & Festivals

Buddhists celebrate many holidays, most of which honor important events

in the life of the Buddha or various Bodhisattvas. The holidays are joyous
occasions. Lay people take offerings of food, candles, and flowers to the
monks and nuns in the local temples and monasteries. They chant the
Buddha’s teachings, listen to Dharma talks and meditate. The dates of the
holidays are based on the lunar calendar and often differ by country and
tradition.
Dharma Day
Asalha Puja Day or Dharma Day is
celebrated on the full moon in July. It great joy and spirit on different days in
honors the Buddha’s first teachings
of the Dharma to the five hermits in
the Deer Park at Benares.
Upon hearing the Truth of his words,
the five hermits overcame their
doubts and became the Buddha’s
first disciples--the beginning of the
Buddhist sangha.
Buddhist New Year
Buddhist New Year is celebrated with
different countries. Special food is
offered to monks and nuns. Buddha
statues are bathed, houses cleaned,
offerings made to ancestors, and
lanterns lit to bring good luck for the
coming year. Children bow to their
parents and receive red envelopes with
lucky money.
Kathina
Kathina Ceremony is usually held in
October. In the Theravada tradition,
monks and nuns go on a three-
month retreat during the rainy
season. After the retreat, lay people
offer robes and other necessities to
them.
This day symbolizes the close
relationship between the sangha and
lay people.
Guan Yin Celebration
Bodhisattva Guan Yin Celebrations: These Ullambana: On this day Buddhists make
holidays celebrate the compassion of the
Bodhisattva and are popular in China,
Tibet and Nepal. The celebrations are in the
form of worship by reciting Guan Yin’s
name and reflecting upon our own
compassionate nature.
The birthday of Guan Yin is celebrated on
the full moon day of the 2nd lunar month,
his Day of Enlightenment on the 6th lunar
month and his Day of Renunciation on the
9th lunar month.
Ullambana
offerings of robes, bedding and daily
needs to the monks and nuns to
commemorate the kindness of the
Buddha’s disciple, Maudgalyayana. The
Buddha told Maudgalyayana to make
offerings to liberate his mother and
others who had fallen into the realm of
ghosts. This tradition of making
offerings for dead ancestors is usually
observed in August or September.
Kathina
Wesak
Wesak or the Buddha’s birthday is the most
important holiday in Buddhism. It falls on
first full moon day in May. On this day,
Buddhists clean the temples and elegantly
decorate them with flowers and banners. In
Mahayana countries, like China and Japan,
Buddhists pour water scented with flower
petals over an image of the baby Buddha to
purify their hearts.
In Theravada countries, this day is known as
Wesak and marks the Buddha’s birth,
enlightenment and death. Buddhists visit the
monasteries, and take part in street
processions and entertainment.
 What do Buddhists believe happens after death?

Most Buddhists believe that death marks the end of this life and the
passage into the next. It is just one spoke among infinite spokes in
samsara, the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. According to the Buddha,
beings go through countless births and deaths until they gain
enlightenment.

We are reborn, according to Buddhist scripture, because of the same

kind of clinging and desire that causes us to suffer. The engine of the ego
is so powerful that even when the body dies, the mind continues its
clinging and searching. In this way, according to Buddhism, it builds a
bridge to another body and takes birth again.
 What do Buddhists believe happens after death?
The Buddha taught that the where, when, and how of rebirth is entirely determined by our accumulated
karma. That is, our actions in this and previous lives shape the outcome for the next life. Even at the point
of death and thereafter, we can make choices that will have a positive or negative effect on our next life.
The attitude of the mind at death is very important, Buddhists believe. The less fear and aversion we
experience at death, and the more focus, calm, and equanimity we have, the more likely we will be reborn
in good circumstances. Which is why preparing the mind for death through meditation is a core element of
Buddhist practice.

Ideas about the details of what happens at death—for instance, what beings experience between
death and the next birth—vary from tradition to tradition. Many Buddhist traditions teach that
sending goodwill or chanting certain scriptures or prayers at the time of and following death can
help the deceased on their journey to the next life. Buddhist scriptures also identify various heaven-
and hell-like realms—sometimes considered to be states created by the mind—where we may take
rebirth. Secular Western Buddhists, however, do not believe in rebirth.

Belief in life after death may be influenced by the meaning and purpose it gives to the
lives of Buddhists.
 What are the concepts of Buddhism

Buddhists believe that human life is a cycle of suffering and rebirth, but that if one
achieves a state of enlightenment, it is possible to escape this cycle forever. Siddhartha
Gautama was the first person to reach this state of enlightenment and was, and is still
today, known as the Buddha. Buddhists do not believe in any kind of deity or god,
although there are supernatural figures who can help or hinder people on the path
towards enlightenment.

The Buddha taught that all phenomena, including thoughts, emotions, and experiences, are
marked by three characteristics, or “three marks of existence”: impermanence (anicca), suffering
or dissatisfaction (dukkha), and not-self (anatta). These three marks apply to all conditioned
things—that is, everything except for nirvana. According to the Buddha, fully understanding and
appreciating the three marks of existence is essential to realizing enlightenment.
 What are the concepts of Buddhism

Everything changes, the Buddha taught. This may seem obvious, but much of the time
we relate to things as if their existence were permanent. So when we lose things we
think we can’t live without or receive bad news we think will ruin our lives, we
experience a great deal of stress. Nothing is permanent, including our lives.

Dukkha, suffering or dissatisfaction, is among the most misunderstood ideas in

Buddhism. Life is dukkha, the Buddha said, but he didn’t mean that it is all
unhappiness and disappointment. Rather, he meant that ultimately it cannot satisfy.
Even when things do satisfy―a pleasant time with friends, a wonderful meal, a new
car―the satisfaction doesn’t last because all things are impermanent.
 What are the concepts of Buddhism

Anatta—not-self, non-essentiality, or egolessness—is even more difficult to grasp. The

Buddha taught that there is no unchanging, permanently existing self that inhabits
our bodies. In other words, we do not have a fixed, absolute identity. The experience
of “I” continuing through life as a separate, singular being is an illusion, he said.
What we call the “self” is a construct of physical, mental, and sensory processes that
are interdependent and constantly in flux.

It is the illusion of a separate, permanent self that chains us to suffering and

dissatisfaction, the Buddha said. We put most of our energy into protecting the self,
trying to gratify it and clinging to impermanent things we think will enhance it. But
belief in a separate, permanent self leads to the craving that, according to the four
noble truths, is the source of our suffering.
 Conclusion

Buddhism is a non-theistic religion founded by Gautama Buddha, the Enlightened One. Buddha’s
teachings, also known as Dharma or Dhamma, are aimed entirely at the liberation of humans from
suffering. It reveals truths as taught by the Buddha and encourages people to follow the Noble Eightfold
Path, which will lead them towards achieving enlightenment. Buddha gave importance to virtues such as
wisdom, kindness, generosity, patience, and compassion.

Buddha preached three universal truths: Nothing is lost in the universe; Everything Changes; and the
Law of Cause and Effect. The Buddha taught about Four Noble Truths: The truth of suffering: everybody
suffers; the truth of the cause of suffering: worldly desires; the truth of the end of suffering: removal of
desires; and the truth of the path that frees us from suffering: Eightfold Path. Buddha emphasised the
development of wisdom, moral character, and concentration. After his enlightenment, Buddha set forth
the Eightfold Noble Path to free one from suffering in his first sermon. Buddha also laid down the Pancha
Shila, actions to be avoided, to check one’s behaviour.