Biographical Aspects of Buddha and Buddhism - Research Paper Example

? Buddha This paper research paper discusses the biography of Buddha. Starting from his early life to his enlightenment,this paper covers all the aspect so his life. Buddha teaches us several ways through which the satisfaction of mind can be achieved. The foundation of Buddha’s teaching is based on the principle that human suffering can end if they let go the worldly desires, which they posses. The paper also provides the comparison of Buddhism with other religion that how the aspects of Buddhism are different from other faiths. Early Life Siddhartha Gautama was the birth name of Buddha. He lived in Nepal in the region commonly known as the Indo-Nepalese area. He was an Indian prince and his father Suddhodana was a king of the Indian clan known as Shakyas. Queen Maya, the mother of Siddhartha died shortly after giving birth to him. When Siddhartha was a child, a spiritual man prophesied unusual things about the Prince. Predicting about the Prince’s future he also said that he would either become a great king or a great religious teacher. His father preferred his son to be the king after him and therefore he trained Siddhartha accordingly (Thomas, 2000). Prince Siddhartha was raised by his father in a luxurious environment after the death of his mother. His father gave him the education about religion and suffering humanity. King Suddhodana wanted to keep his son away from the suffering of the world and therefore he raised him inside a palace made especially for Siddhartha. He was married at the young age of 16 but his life of isolation and spirituality began after 13 years (Asvaghosha, 2006). Beyond the Walls of the Palace When Siddhartha was 20 years old, he still did not have sufficient knowledge about the external world. One day Siddhartha asked one of the charioteers to give him a tour outside the walls of the palace. As soon as Siddhartha entered the world outside the palace he got confronted to the harsh realities of humanity. While exploring the external world, the sight of an aged man shocked him. The charioteer made him aware of the reality that people grow old. This sight of the old man sickened the Prince. Fear of sickness and death starting nurturing in his mind. On his way he also saw an ascetic. The charioteer explained him that ascetics are people who are not scared of death or sickness because they have relinquished the world. Renunciation The sight of the ascetic conquered the mind of Siddhartha. Although he returned to the palace the other day but he no longer found pleasure in his regular tasks. The news of his son birth did not spark any sort of happiness in the Siddhartha. While wandering in the palace alone at night, Siddhartha thought about all the luxuries he possessed, which now seemed grotesque. The musicians and dancers present in the palace were all sleeping. Prince Siddhartha reflected on the consequences that the old age brings along with it obstacles such as weakness and sickness. He was surprised that how this phenomenon changes everything and turns man into dust. Search for Enlightenment Siddhartha appointed teachers, who gave him knowledge of different religious philosophies. They also taught him the method of meditation. After gaining all the knowledge for his teacher, the doubts of the Prince were still unclear. The very next day Siddhartha and five of his companions left the palace to become ascetics, abandoning their wives and children. According to them asceticism was the only way through which they can be relieved from the harsh realities of humanity (Buddha Biography, 2013). Siddhartha’s Ascetic Life and Enlightenment Siddhartha led the life of an ascetic for 6 years, practicing and meditating their ways to exploration the subtle state of mind. For all these years he meditated and studied the work of different religious philosophers. He practiced new ways of meditating with his companions. When his companions saw his passion and quest for his faith, they became his disciples. When Siddhartha realized that he is still not satisfied and his questions are still left unanswered, he doubled his efforts of searching. He starting meditating for longer hours and fasted till starvation. Whatever methods he practiced, he wasn’t able to acquire the desired level of satisfaction. Until one day a little girl gave him some rice to eat. It was then he realized that corporeal austerity cannot be considered a mean of finding inner satisfaction. Living under severe physical constraint was a restriction in the way of achieving inner liberation and spirituality (O'Brien, 2013). The Enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha Siddhartha performed his meditation under a sacred fig which was later referred as the Bodhi. While Siddhartha meditated his mind fought a mythologized battle with a demon named Mara. The meaning of Mara was “destruction”. The demon was the mythological demonstration of our desires and passions that deludes us. Mara brought along with him a group of powerful monsters who tried to distract Siddhartha from his meditation. Mara also sent his prettiest daughter to seduce Siddhartha but all his effort failed. Mara claimed that the chair of enlightenment did not belong to Siddhartha but to him because his spiritual accomplishments were far more than that of Siddhartha. Mara’s army of monstersshouted that they were the witnesses of his accomplishments. Mara challenged Siddhartha and asked him to show his own witness. Siddhartha touched the ground and the earth itself hollered that it is the witness of his accomplishments. Mara vanished away and at that particular moment Siddhartha saw a morning star and he realized that he has gained enlightenment. After this Siddhartha Gautama became famed as the Buddha. Buddha as a Teacher At first, Siddhartha Buddha hesitated to become a teacher for he thought that he cannot communicate through words. However his disciples and his clarity of concepts influenced him to teach. The listeners did not conceptualize the teachings and concepts of Buddha very well and therefore they usually misunderstood everything that was being preached by him. Buddha went to Deer Park located in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India after he gained enlightenment. When he reached there he found his five companions were present there too teaching his own sermons. Basic Teaching of Buddha One day while sitting under a tree, Buddha noticed the beauty of the environment. He saw flowers blooming and the colors of bright new leaves but in between all this beauty he felt a surge of unhappiness. He observed that the farmer beats his ox in order to take work from him. A falcon eats worms for living. After observing these scenarios, he questioned that why is it that a farmer has to beat his ox to take work from him or why is it that a falcon depends on other living being for its survival. All his questions were answered in the period of Enlightenment. Three great truths were revealed upon him during his enlightenment. He explained these truths in simple way, so that it is easy for other to understand. First Truth The first truth is that nothing in this world is lost. Energy is not lost but it is transformed from one form to the other. For example a dead leaf becomes the part of soils and eventually turns into the soil. A seed turns into a whole new plant. Solar systems disintegrate and convert themselves into cosmic rays. We are born of our parents and our children are born of us. Every person has the influence of its surrounding. We are not different from rain, trees and plants, which consist of their surroundings. If we destroy anything from our environment we are basically destroying ourselves. If we deceive others, we are deceiving ourselves as well. When Buddha and his disciples understood the significance of this revelation they never killed an animal in their life. Second Truth The second truth revealed on Buddha was that nothing is constant in the world, everything changes. Life can be considered as a river that flows on and never consists of the same components. Sometimes the flow of these changes is slow and sometime they take place swiftly. Sometime the change is favorable for the person while in some situationsit is not. As soon as a person thinks that he is stable, something unexpected happens making him thinks about the realities of life. It was a time when dinosaurs, saber toothed tigers and mammoths lied on the earth but they all had become extinct. This was however not the end of the world. Other species of animal appeared on the earth and eventually the human beings. The changes occurring in the composition of earth can be viewed from the space. Third Truth The third truth of Buddha was based on the cause and effect relationship. This is the same concept that is now present in the science textbooks. Similarities can be found in the concepts of science and the teaching of Buddha. This concept of cause and effect is also referred as karma. According to Karma, nothing bad can happen to us, unless we don’t deserve it. We get what we deserve. We are this way because of our past experiences and the acts that we performed in the past. The actions that we perform today determine that what the future will hold for us. If we perform bad acts today, then we will face unfavorable consequences in the future as well. With every passing moment we create new karma for ourselves with what acts we perform and what thoughts we possess. If one understands this universal truth presented by Buddha then there is no need to be terrified from the karma (Following the Buddha's Footsteps , 2013). Other teachings of Buddha Buddha also presented the four Noble truths. The first truth was that the human beings suffer because of several reasons and some of these are aliments, old age and death. The second truth revealed by Buddha was that humans suffer in the path of achieving the worldly desires. The desires of possessing humanly power and worldly happiness is the main reason of suffering. The third truth is that we can stop suffering if we end urging for the worldly desires. The fourth truth is that one can abandon their desires simply by following the path of the Noble Eightfold (Buddha teachings, 2013). Comparing the Teaching of Buddhism with other religions One of the major differences between Buddhism and other religion is that the followers of Buddhism believe that there is no God therefore the concept of Day of Judgment does not exist in Buddhism. Buddhism is not a religion but faith, which determines way through which we can get deeply possessed by the spirituality (Kyokai, 2004). There is no concept of salvation in Buddhism and like other religions it does not provide refuge to its followers but influences them to leave the worldly affairs behind them. The major objective of Buddhism is to acquire enlightenment, whereas the objective of other religions is to please the supernatural being. Karma is an important doctrine of the Buddhism. People need to know that the acts they perform today influence their future. Suffering is a significant aspect of Buddhism. People need to get rid of their sufferings and therefore they adopt Buddhism as their faith (Narada, 2006). Buddha teachings are also based on seeking liberation from the harsh realities of the universe. His teaching also teaches us the way through which we can grab the Enlightenment for the betterment of humanity. Practicing Buddhism teaches us that how we can improve the quality of human life (Buddha, 2012). Conclusion The whole life of Gautama Buddha was devoted to the teaching of spirituality. He attracted thousands of followers through his teachings. His son became a monk at an early age of 7 years and preached with his father. In the end Buddha reunited with his father Suddhodana and his wife Yasodhara. Cognitive behavioral therapist used the concepts of Buddhism, which we invented by Buddha to cure the patients (Kumar, 2002, pp. 40-43). The Teachings of Buddha provides the cure for several form of human suffering. The teachings of Buddha are also being used as the foundation of different studies. The relation of Buddhism can be drawn to several different aspects related to ecology, psychology and environmental sciences (Daniels, 2010, pp. 962–972). Buddha’s teachings are a source of valuable knowledge for the mankind. His contributions for the betterment of society are numerous and it will stay with the mankind till eternity. Buddha travelled to different places and preached for about 80 years. In his last word he advises his followers that nothing is permanent, everything can be changed but they must remember one thing that hard work is the only key to salvation. References Asvaghosha. (2006). The Life of Buddha. New York: The Colonial Press. Buddha Biography. (2013). Retrieved October 12, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/buddha-9230587 Buddha teachings. (2013). Retrieved October 12, 2013, from http://www.age-of-the-sage.org/buddhism/Buddha_teachings.html Buddha, T. o. (2012). Jack Kornfield, Gil Fronsdal. Boston: Shambhala Publication. Daniels, P. L. (2010). Climate change, economics and Buddhism — Part 2: New views and practices for sustainable world economies . Ecological Economics, 69:11 , 962–972. Following the Buddha's Footsteps . (2013). Retrieved October 12, 2013, from http://online.sfsu.edu/rone/Buddhism/footsteps.htm Kumar, S. M. (2002). An introduction to buddhism for the cognitive-behavioral therapist. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 9:1 , 40–43. Kyokai, B. D. (2004). The Teachings of Buddha. New Dehli: Sterling Publishers. Narada. (2006). The Buddha and His Teachings. Mumbai : Jaico Publishing House. O'Brien, B. (2013). The Life of the Buddha. Retrieved October 12, 2013, from http://buddhism.about.com/od/lifeofthebuddha/a/buddhalife.htmhttp://buddhism.about.com/od/lifeofthebuddha/a/buddhalife.htm Thomas, E. J. (2000). The Life of Buddha as Legend and History. Madras: Asian Eductional Services. Read More