Buddhism: The Religion of Peace - Research Paper Example

Buddhism: The Religion of Peace. Among the major religions of the world, Buddhism holds its own unique position. India was the cradle of Buddhism, from where it spread to other parts of Asia. It is now the predominant religion in Sri Lanka, China, Japan, Taiwan, Tibet, Nepal, Mongolia, Korea, and Vietnam, and retains a significant position in India. Its teachings continue to attract a growing number of adherents in the Western world. With about 376 million followers, Buddhism is considered to be the world’s fourth largest religion, after Christianity, Islam and Hinduism (Robinson, religioustolerance.org). The life and teachings of Buddhism’s founder, its major books and writings, and the beliefs and practices of its followers are a powerful testimonial to this religion of peace. Siddartha Gautama is the founder of Buddhism. He was born to king Suddhodana Gautama of the Shakya tribe in present-day Nepal in about 563 B.C. (Beck, “Buddha and Buddhism”). Many myths of auspicious portents surround the accounts of his birth at Lumbini. His mother, Mahamaya, died a week after the birth, and her sister Mahaprajapati was his foster-mother. The name Siddartha means, “he who has attained his goals” (Boeree, “The Life of Siddartha Gautama”). A renowned seer, Asita, foretold that the child would become either a great emperor, or a renowned spiritual teacher. In order to shield him from any attraction to a religious calling, Suddhodana ensured that Siddartha grew up in the lap of luxury, surrounded by beauty and health, and insulated from the harsh realities of life. Siddartha grew to be a skilled warrior, and won the hand of princess Yashodhara at the age of sixteen. At this juncture, on a tour of the capital, Kapilavastu, Siddartha was finally exposed to old age, infirmity and death. This engendered in him a passionate urge to discover the key to overcome human suffering. At the age of 29, after the birth of his son, Rahula, Siddartha renounced the life of a prince, and secretly left for Magadha in search of enlightenment (Boeree). Practicing yoga and meditaion, he studied for a while under two of the most renowned teachers of the time, Alara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputra. Still seeking answers, Siddartha next adopted the path of extreme austerity and self-mortification for six years. When this did not yield the desired results, he went back to mediation (Beck). Overcoming all temptations of the mind and flesh, Siddartha meditated under a fig tree at Bodh Gaya, until he comprehended the meaning of suffering. He became the Buddha: the ‘Enlightened One,’ or ‘He who is awake’ (Boeree), at the age of thirty-five. The tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment is called the ‘Bodhi Tree.’ Buddha preached his first sermon at the deer park at Sarnath, near Benares to five ascetics, who had earlier followed him. This was the beginning of the Buddhist ‘Sangha,’ or community of monks, which was later expanded to include women, beginning with Siddartha’s wife and aunt. His son also became a monk. King Bimbisara of Magadha became a patron and Buddha’s teachings spread throughout northeast India. Buddha fell ill at Kushinagar, and died at the age of eighty. His last words were...Impermanent are all created things; Strive on with awareness. (Boeree). Buddha is also called the ‘Shakyamuni,’ or sage of the Shakya clan. According to its followers, the “three jewels" of Buddhism are 1.The Buddha. 2. His teachings- the dharma . 3. The community of monks - the sangha - (Tamney, Hartford). The teachings of the Buddha center round following ‘the Middle Path,’ between sensual indulgence and self-mortification. This term connotes a path of moderation, shunning extremes. Buddha expounded ‘The Four Noble Truths,’ consisting of 1. Dhukka: Life is suffering 2. Samudaya: Suffering is due to attachment 3. Nirodha: Attachment can be overcome 4. Magga: There is a path for accomplishing this. This path to enlightenment is called ‘The Eightfold Path,’ which is as follows: Prajna, or wisdom: 1. Samma ditthi - Right view: the true understanding of the four noble truths. 2. Samma sankappa - Right aspiration: the true desire to free oneself from attachment, ignorance, and hatefulness. Shila, or morality: 3. Samma vaca - Right speech: abstaining from lying, gossiping, or hurtful talk. 4. Samma kammanta - Right action: abstaining from hurtful behaviors, such as killing, stealing, and careless sex. 5. Samma ajiva - Right livelihood: living so as to avoid dishonesty and hurting others, including animals. Samadhi, or meditation: 6. Samma vayama - Right effort: exerting oneself to control one's mind, by abhorring bad qualities and nurturing good qualities. 7. Samma sati - Right mindfulness: focusing of one's attention on one's body, feelings, thoughts, and consciousness in such a way as to overcome craving, hatred, and ignorance. 8. Samma Samadhi - Right concentration: meditating so as to progressively realize a true understanding of imperfection, impermanence, and non-separateness. (Boeree). In addition to the Four Truths and the Eightfold Path, Buddhism lays down five precepts, or rules to live by. 1. Do not kill: this is connoted to mean non-violence. 2. Do not steal: this includes the avoidance of fraud and economic exploitation. 3. Do not lie. 4. Do not misuse sex. 5. Do not consume alcohol and drugs. Buddhist monks and nuns are also expected to avoid the untimely consumption of food, song and dance, personal adornment, the use of high seats and the acceptance of gold and silver. Reincarnation is a fundamental belief of Buddhism, according to which every individual goes through repeated cycles of birth, death and rebirth before they cut off all attachment to desire and attain Nirvana, or freedom from suffering. The goal of a Buddhist is to break free from the cycle of life and death, or samsara (Robinson, religioustolerance.org). According to the Buddha the four motives that lead to evil deeds are partiality, enmity, stupidity, and fear. The six channels for dissipating wealth are being addicted to liquors, frequenting the streets at unseemly hours, haunting fairs, gambling, bad companions, and idleness (Beck). There are three major schools of Buddhist thought:  Theravada, Mahayana , and Vajrayana . Theravada Buddhism, called the ‘Way of the Elders,’ or ‘The Lesser Vehicle,’ is prevalent in Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand. The Tipitaka is the main scripture of this sect. According to this school, total renunciation is the way to salvation. Mahayana Buddhism, or the ‘Great Vehicle,’ is popular in China, Japan, Taiwan, Nepal, Mongolia, Korea, and Vietnam, and India. In addition to the Tipitaka, this sect also gives importance to the sutras as a precept for life, and is relatively more liberal in its beliefs. Emphasis is given to Bodhisattvas, or living saints. The Vajrayana school is mainly confined to some parts of Tibet and is characterized by the use of mantras – incantations, and tantras – symbols. Buddhists do not hold attendance at temples to be mandatory. Temple rituals are held on auspicious days of the lunar calendar: the new moon, the full moon and eight days after each. A New Year festival is celebrated and a Harvest festival. In addition to the three main schools of Buddhism, there are two other contemporary lines of belief in China and Japan: Pure Land, or Jodo and Ch’an or Zen. Pure Land Buddhism invokes the Amitabha, a Buddha, and a Bodhisattva, Kuan Yin, goddess of mercy. While it exhorts non-attachment, worldly problems are recognized. Ch’an Buddhism holds each individual to be Buddha by nature, and urges non-attachment, spontaneity, compassion and meditation.(Tamney). The teachings of the Buddha were passed on by oral tradition and were collated as texts after centuries. These texts are in the ancient Pali language, and take the form of dialogues between Buddha and others. The fundamental scripture of Buddhism is the Tipitaka, or ‘the three baskets,’ which was written after 50 B.C. The Tipitaka is divided into three sections, or baskets: the Vinaya Pitaka which lays down the rules and regulations for Buddhist monks and nuns; the Sutta Pitaka documents the experiences and commentaries of the Buddha, along with the myths and legends surrounding his life and times; the Abhidhamma Pitaka which expounds the Theravada school of thought (ThinkQuest Library). The Dhammapada, or ‘Path of Truth,’ is the most important literary canon of Buddhism, and is a part of the Tipitaka. Its author is unknown and it is believed to record the teachings of the Buddha himself. There are frequent references made to Mara, the great tempter. It preaches a doctrine of love, freedom from sensual indulgence, and adherence to the truth. Suffering is the result of attachment, greed and desire. Meditation is the way to wisdom and nirvana. Another notable Buddhist literary work is The Questions of King Milinda, which takes the form of a philosophical dialogue, through which the doctrines of Buddha are explained in detail (Beck). Buddhism remains a major world religion. However, it lacks a strong organizational structure, making it particularly vulnerable to state policies. This has led to the confiscation of Buddhist properties by communist governments. There was a severe repression in China at the time of the Cultural Revolution of the 1960’s.The lack of an acknowledged central authority has also led to poor consolidation of the faith and its followers. As Buddhism adapts to the modern world, there is an increased emphasis on the ethical tenets of the faith and a reduction in myths. Meditation techniques have been simplified. Buddhist clergy are now more politically aware and active. This is evident in the Tibetan protest against China, the rebellion against the military junta in Burma and chauvinistic political violence in Sri Lanka. Buddhism entered North America with Chinese and Japanese immigrants to the West Coast. The Zen Buddhist tradition is particularly attractive to Westerners. Asian-American Buddhists center their faith round the temple congregation, while Caucasian-Buddhists focus on meditation. For many American converts to Buddhism, it is less a religion and more a philosophy for life (Robinson). Buddhist philosophy is gaining adherents in the Western world, mainly because of the perception that “it is not puritanical, is not dogmatic, and emphasizes religious experience, not religious beliefs” (Tamney). Buddhist meditation techniques are gaining widespread acceptance as tools for healthy living. When one considers the Dhammapada’s teaching “To do no evil, To cultivate good, To purify one’s mind, “ one cannot but argue that Buddhism is one of the greatest philosophies expounded in the history of mankind. Works Cited. Beck, Sanderson. 2004. “Buddha and Buddhism.” India and Southeast Asia to 1800. 29 July, 2011. http://www.san.beck.org/EC9-Buddha.html Boeree, George C. 2000. “An Introduction to Buddhism.” Shippensburg University. 29 July, 2011. http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/buddhaintro.html Tamney, Joseph B. “Buddhism.” Hartford Institute for Religion Research, Hartford Seminary. 29 July, 2011. http://www.hartfordinstitute.org/ency/buddhism.htm Robinson, B.A. 2009. “The Core Beliefs of Buddhism.” Religious Tolerance Organization. 29 July, 2011. http://www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism.htm ThinkQuest. “Buddhism.” Oracle Education Foundation. Projects for Students by Students. 29 July, 2011. http://library.thinkquest.org/28505/buddhism/intro.htm Read More