Buddhism

Buddhism is the worlds fifth largest religion, with approximately 350 million adherents around the world1. It is found predominantly in Asia, especially Japan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, China and Korea2. Buddhists follow the teachings of the Buddha, who founded the religion circa 520 BCE. Buddhism is unique as a classical world religion, as it offers an atheistic worldview. It views itself as a practical religion, emphasising the transitoriness of life and offering a way to overcome the suffering inherent within human existence. As this way of life influences so many people across the globe, and also as it is beginning to attract interest in the West, it is important to understand a little about it. This essay will attempt to set forth the basic components of Buddhism, with reference to its origins, development, teachings, sacred texts and rituals. Buddhism begins with the birth of its founder, Siddhartha Gautama, in the sixth century BCE. He was born into a wealthy family in Lumbini, in modern day Nepal3. Historical facts about this person are not abundant, and most of our information about him comes to us from legend and scripture written 400 years after his death. According to Burke, before his birth it was foretold that Gautama would become either a great ruler or a great holy man. His father, a chief, went to great lengths to ensure his son avoided the latter by surrounding him in the luxury of the palace. One day, however, Gautama ventured outside the grounds in his chariot. There he encountered what are called The Four Sights. First he saw a very old man, then an ill man, and thirdly a corpse being carried on a stretcher for cremation. He was greatly distressed by these sights and as Erricker tells, disturbed by what he perceived as the powerlessness of man against these forces4. Finally, he saw a

Major Religions of the World Ranked by Number of Adherents, http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html, 2005, (accessed 01/12/06). 2 Worldwide Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1995, http://www.zpub.com/un/pope/relig.html, 1995, (accessed 01/12/06). 3 Lumbini, the Birthplace of the Lord Buddha UNESCO World Heritage Centre, http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm? cid=31&id_site=666, 2006, (accessed 01/12/06) 4 Erricker, C., Teach Yourself Buddhism. (London, 1995) p22.

poor monk who had renounced the material world for a life of asceticism. Gautama questioned his charioteer about these sights and contemplated their meaning. The next significant events in the story of the origins of Buddhism are what are known as the Great Going Forth and the Great Awakening. Gautama left his wife and children and became a monk, practising the austere lifestyle of fasting and self-denial. He studied Hindu scriptures and garnered considerable fame and many followers. Eventually, however, he became disillusioned with this approach, as it did not lead to truth, and he gave it up. He came to a great pipal tree (now an important Buddhist pilgrimage site), where he resolved to stay until he reached enlightenment. After forty nine days trials, he eventually gained insight into the truth. From this point on he became the Buddha, which means enlightened one. The principle teachings of the Buddha as revealed to him during his meditation under the tree are the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. These are the foundations upon which the religion of Buddhism is built and which all subsequent schools share. The First Noble Truth is Dukkha, and is the realisation that suffering is an intrinsic part of the human condition. As Burke points out, this is not as pessimistic as it sounds5. Buddhists acknowledge the great joys we experience in life but argue that even at such a time we are aware of the transitory nature of our moods and hence cannot enjoy it to the full. The Second Noble Truth is Samudaya, the truth that all suffering is caused by desire. As pointed out by Erricker, this suffering is rooted in our egocentrism6. Because we perceive ourselves as individuals, and moreover because we are so fond of ourselves, we see suffering as caused by external factors. It is this view that Buddhists refute. The Third Noble Truth is Nirodha, meaning the cessation of suffering. This is done by extinguishing all desire and selfish thoughts. The result of this is the attainment of Nirvana, a state of freedom from worldly attachment. The Fourth Noble Truth is Magga and gives the path that is to be followed in order to achieve this goal. It advocates the Middle Way, which, in accordance with

5 6

Burke, T., The Major Religions. (Oxford, 1996) p62. Erricker, C., Teach Yourself Buddhism. (London, 1995) p38

the Buddhas own experience, encourages a balance between sensual indulgence and extreme asceticism. The Middle Way is a central part of Buddhist teaching of the Eightfold Path. This provides Buddhists with guides for living and lays out eight virtues that they strive to achieve. In order, they are Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. They can be subdivided into three groups: Prajna meaning wisdom, the first two virtues; Sila, or Ethical conduct, virtues three to five (inclusive); and Samadhi (Mental Discipline), the final three. By aiming towards these ideals all Buddhists hope to achieve freedom from suffering. It is at this point that Buddhism splits into two major schools; the earlier Theravada school (which means Way of the Elders) and the later Mahayana (Great Vehicle). At a Buddhist council called circa 380 BCE, disputes emerged over the teachings of Buddha. The Theravada school advocates the path of asceticism and meditation in order to attain the state of Nirvana. The goal for all monks is to eventually become an Arahant, one who has extricated himself from material desire. In opposition to this followers of the Mahayana tradition believe the goal is to enlighten everyone, and as a religion this path is more altruistic. They find perfection in the ideal of the Bodhisattva, a figure that postpones his own attainment of Nirvana in order to enlighten others. Another important distinction between the two traditions is the way in which each views its founder. Theravada Buddhists state that Buddha was a remarkable man, but that he was strictly human. In contrast, the Mahayana school believes that the historical Buddha was but one of many Buddhas of the past and future, and as Dr Nieuwenhove puts it, a semi-deity. Thus worship of Buddha becomes a part of the practice of Mahayana. As mentioned above, the Theravada tradition puts much emphasis on monasticism. To quote Burke, the term Sangha, meaning the Buddhist community, refers only to the monks, not to the laity7. This difference is apparent in the Buddhas doctrine of the Five Precepts and the Ten
7

Burke, T., The Major Religions. (Oxford, 1996) p65.

Precepts. It is the duty of the Theravada laity to observe the Five Precepts, which forbid destroying life, stealing, committing adultery, telling lies and taking intoxicants. The Sangha, in addition to these rules, must follow another five, making up the Ten Precepts. These command one not to eat at forbidden times, dance, sing, play music or act, use perfume or jewellery, sleep on a high or bed or accept gold or silver. The laity perform their role in Theravada Buddhism by feeding and taking care of the monks. Though this approach may seem like a religion for the individual, the monastic community could not survive without the donations from the lay people. The main Theravada text is the Tipitaka. This scripture is divided into, as the name suggests, three parts Vinaya Pitaka, Sutta Pitaka and Abhidhamma Pitaka. Vinaya Pitaka consists of the rules of conduct for the monks. Sutta Pitaka contains the teachings of the Buddha, including the doctrine of the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. The Abhidhamma Pitaka is the philosophical basis of the religion. The Sutta Pitaka contains the Dhammapada and the Jatakas. The Jatakas are stories which are told of the past lives of the Buddha. The Dhammapada is a collection of the Buddhas sayings, and in practice is the most commonly referred to of the Buddhist scriptures, perhaps akin to the four Gospels of Christianity. As was indicated above, Mahayana Buddhism views Buddha as a divine figure. Indeed, it teaches that Buddha-nature pervades all things, and as such is a form of pantheism. This is quite similar from the Hindu concept of Maya, the illusory world of the senses. Mahayana divides into two main forms, vaguely reflecting the divisions of Theravada. These forms are Meditational and Devotional. Meditational Mahayana advocates meditation in order to free oneself from the illusion and realise the true reality of the Buddha-nature. Mentioned above was the fact that Mahayana recognises many Buddhas. (In fact, anyone who has gained enlightenment can be called a Buddha). Devotional Mahayana is the most traditionally theistic form of Buddhism, and involves the worship of these many Buddhas. It is practiced chiefly by lay members of society, yet it must be made clear that this is merely a statistical observation, and there are no restrictions one way or the other.

In contrast to the Theravada tradition, Mahayana Buddhists accept scriptures that are not categorically traceable to Siddhartha Gautama. In consequence, in this school there exist a comparatively large number of texts, or Sutras. Some of the most important are the Prajna Paramita, or Perfect Wisdom Sutras, and the Saddharma-pundarika, the Lotus Sutras. The Prajna Paramita expounds the doctrine of Emptiness, the radically non-dualistic8 view of reality. This can be compared to Hegelian dialectic, combining thesis and antithesis to form an unchanging synthesis, a world free from opposites. The Lotus Sutra contains writings on the subject of skilful means. As already stated, a major part of Mahayana is compassion, and helping others to achieve enlightenment. Skilful means, then, is to recognise individual differences and teach accordingly. It states that everyone follows a different path on their journey to enlightenment and consequently needs different methods of guidance to reach it. Buddhist ritual consists of two aspects, meditation and devotion. Either may have more emphasis than the other, according to a particular branch of Buddhism, but both are very important in Buddhism overall. Meditation is divided into samatha and vipassana, meaning calm and insight respectively. Samatha meditation puts emphasis on concentration; techniques used are anapanasati (concentrating on the breath) and mettabhavana, which progressively trains the mind towards an automatic love for all things. Vipassana is the contemplation of impermanence, especially the impermanence of the body, through the six element practice, whereby one contemplates that the elements that constitute our bodies are transient. The goal of meditation is to purify the mind and free its energy from the chaotic thoughts of our daily lives. Devotion takes place at Buddhist shrines, where a representation of Buddha may be erected. The devotional practice, called a puja, consists of three acts. These are: bowing before the statue, offering flowers, candles or incense to the Buddha, and chanting. Bowing is done to remind the Buddhist of his or her commitment to the goal of enlightenment and following the Buddhas
8

Wikipedia contributors, "Buddhist texts," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php? title=Buddhist_texts&oldid=92206752, 2006, (accessed December 9, 2006).

teaching. The offerings are made with a similar purpose, but each item has its own significance. Flowers signify beauty and impermanence9; candles represent the light of enlightenment, and incense the compassion that Buddhists share for others. All this is articulated by the chanting, the last part of the Buddhist ceremony. Buddhism sees itself and is seen as a thoroughly pragmatic religion. Its emphasis on detachment and self-liberation make it an attractive path for people living in an increasingly materialistic Western society. Its deep philosophical foundations appeal to Western intellectuals seeking an alternative to Christianity. When one adds to this its promise of a life free from suffering, it becomes clear why we are witnessing a large growth of the religion in the West. It has helped individuals discover themselves for centuries across the globe, and if this essay has fulfilled its purpose, it should now be a little clearer as to why and how this is the case.

Erricker, C., Teach Yourself Buddhism. (London, 1995) p96