Buddhism refers to the religion that is dedicated to ‘Buddha’, which means ‘awakened one’ or ‘enlightened one’. In this case, Siddhattha Gotama is the one which is implicated in the history of Buddhism. Buddhism is more of a philosophy than religion and it mainly emphasizes the teachings of Buddha.
These teachings mainly help people to develop a calmer and more affectionate personality and to see their way through suffering and pain. Buddhism is characterized by the ‘Dhamma’ (eternal truth) and the Nibbana (goal of life – escape of what is seen as the cycle of suffering and rebirth). The foundations of Buddhist tradition and practice are the Three Jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma (the teachings), and the Sangha (the community).
Gotama was born in Limbini and his father was a King called Suddhodana. He got married at the age of 16. From the time he was born, he father shielded him from al possible suffering that existed. However, later on, Gotama discovered that material wealth was not life’s ultimate goal and thus he decided to go on a religious quest. He came across what his father had been hiding him from; the aged, the sick and the suffering. After that, he became an ascetic as a possible route to his goal.
Buddha developed deep meditations as a prelude to enlightenment, seated under the ‘Bodhi’, known as the enlightened tree. He used mind-reading powers and decided to convey his teachings to people who were spiritually mature. Buddha had recourse to psychic powers but these were as a result of the meditations. Moreover, his powers were used for physical healing.
Buddha was neither a God nor a human. He believed that he had gone beyond the deep-rooted unconscious traits that would make him God or human, just like a lotus which grows from the water but blossoms above it unsoiled. Today, there are approximately 1-1.6 billion Buddhists around the world and it remains by date the fourth largest religion.
Harvey P. 1990, An Introduction to Buddhism: teachings, history, and practices, Cambridge University Press, England, pp. 1-29
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