Buddhism is one of the world’s major religions. It began in northern India during the sixth century BCE. In the centuries that followed, Buddhism spread southwards to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, northwards into Tibet, and east to China, Korea, and Japan. In all these countries different forms of Buddhism developed, depending on the existing beliefs and traditions. Buddhism has continued to spread in modern times.
Buddha
Buddhism was founded by a religious teacher, Siddhartha Gautama, who probably lived from 563 to 483 BCE. He is also known as the Buddha, a title that means "the enlightened one." Siddhartha was born a prince and lived a sheltered life until he was about thirty. At that age he encountered human suffering for the first time, the form of sickness, old age, and death.
Siddhartha was so affected by this experience that he became a penniless monk, wandering in search of the meaning of life and the cause of suffering. After years of searching, he finally understood that all suffering is caused by human desire, greed, and ignorance. Sitting in meditation under a fig tree, he entered a calm, peaceful state called nirvana. At that moment he was enlightened and from then on was known as the Buddha.
Buddha was not content to rest after becoming enlightened. He wanted others to become enlightened, too. He founded an order of monks to spread his ideas. Buddha’s teachings became known as the dharma, which means "law." The main ideas of Buddhism are summed up in sets of principles such as the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path.
The idea of reincarnation is central to Buddhist teaching, and many stories are told about the Buddha’s own previous existences. Buddha taught that all living things are born, live, die, and are then reborn into another life in an endless cycle called samsara. He believed that the only way to break free of this cycle was to become enlightened.
The First Buddhists
The first Buddhists were people who heard Buddha preach and decided to change their lives as a result of his ideas. Some gave up their jobs to devote themselves to good acts and meditation (quiet, focused thought). They became monks and nuns, dependent on the kindness of ordinary people for shelter and food.
The first four principles of the Noble Eightfold Path are right understanding (of the causes of suffering), right thoughts (kind and compassionate thinking), right speech (not lying or criticizing others), and right action (harming no living thing and avoiding wrongful relationships and also drugs and alcohol). Next comes right livelihood (living honestly) and right effort (using energy in the right way). Finally Buddha urged his followers to practice right mindfulness (a person must be alert to what is going on inside and around him or her), and right concentration (a person should meditate to calm the mind and concentrate on whatever he or she is doing). Presentday Buddhists still try to live according to these ancient principles.
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BUDDHIST BELIEFS |
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None of Buddha’s teachings were written down in his lifetime. The first summaries of his ideas appeared about four hundred years after his death. Central to Buddhist thought is the idea that all living things suffer and that suffering is caused by attachment to worldly things. Buddhists believe that the only way to escape suffering is through enlightenment, a state that can be achieved by following a set of rules called the Noble Eightfold Path.
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During his search for truth, Buddha had lived a life of harsh discipline and had almost died of starvation, but this path had not helped him to find nirvana, and so he preached a "middle way" to his followers, urging them neither to deny nor indulge themselves too much.
