Buddhism can be defined as “religion and philosophy founded in
India c.525 B.C. by Siddhartha Gautama, called the Buddha”
("Buddhism," 2013). Buddhism
is a religion that is practiced worldwide and consists of several branches
known as Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana and Zen Buddhism. This paper will focus on Theravada Buddhism,
which was carefully considered after discussing the branches of Buddhism with
fellow classmates. In addition to discussing
Theravada Buddhism this paper will give a brief summary of the history of
Buddhism and the life of Buddha, provide an explanation on the basic teachings
of Buddhism and explain the uniqueness of Theravada Buddhism.
History of Buddhism and the
life of Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama is said to have been born “just outside
Kapilavastu in Lumbini Park in the present-day area of southern Nepal” (Green,
2012). Siddhartha’s mother died one
week after giving birth to him so he was left in the care of his aunt. As a young child Siddhartha was inspected by
an elder whom noticed some special marks on his body that indicated that
Siddhartha would become well-known by either “following his father’s footsteps,
inheriting his position and becoming a great king, a world ruler, or if he were
exposed to the sight of suffering, he would become a great spiritual leader, a
world teacher” (Molloy, 2013 p.125). Siddhartha’s father felt very strongly
about him following in his footsteps so he made sure that Siddhartha received education
and training as a warrior and was instructed not to leave the royal grounds so
he would not be exposed to suffering; however at one point in time Siddhartha
disobeyed his father’s orders and left the royal grounds to visit a nearby
town. During his visit Siddhartha
witnessed the suffering of ordinary life and those accounts are known as the
four passing sights. The four passing
sights was “an old man, crooked and toothless; a sick man, wasted by disease; and
a corpse being taken for cremation. Then
he saw a sannyasin (a wandering holy man, a renunciate), who had no possessions
but seemed to be at peace” (Molloy, 2013 p.125). After Siddhartha witnessed the four passing
sights he developed a sense of unhappiness about his life because he had so many
questions about human nature that caused him to become depressed and eventually
making a decision to leave the kingdom and his family behind. Siddhartha spent six years searching for
answers to questions that could help him “resolve the dilemma of suffering”
(Green, 2012). Siddhartha’s mother died
at a very young age and it made him realize that “death was apparent without
meaning. Why, he often asked, is there
suffering? Why do people have to grow old and die? Is there a God or unchanging
divine reality behind the surface of things? Is there a soul? Is there an
afterlife? Are we reborn? Can we avoid suffering? How should we live?” (Molloy,
2013 p. 126) Those were questions that Siddhartha spent his time moving about
the lands searching for teachers to help find answers.
Basic Teachings of Buddhism
The basic teachings of Buddhism were developed from the Four Noble
Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. The
Four Noble Truths states that suffering exists, there is a cause for suffering,
and there is an end to suffering and in order to end suffering, one must follow
the Eightfold Path. The main goal in Buddhism is “nirvana, which suggests the
end of suffering, inner peace, and liberation from the limitations of the
world” (Molloy, 2013 p. 134). In Buddhism
an individual can achieve Nirvana by following the Noble Eightfold Path to
inner peace. The Noble Eightfold Path
provided eight steps taught by Buddha that leads and individual to “liberation
from the impermanence and suffering of reality by describing three main goals:
to face life objectively, to live kindly, and to cultivate inner peace”
(Molloy, 2013 p.134). The eight steps of
the path are right understanding of the Four Noble Truths, right intention to
follow the right path in life, right speech by not gossiping or using
condemning or harsh language, right action, right work, and right effort to
promote good thoughts, right meditation and right contemplation.
Theravada Buddhism
The school of Theravada Buddhism is very unique being that it is
said to be the first and the only remaining school to be developed based solely
of the teachings of Siddhartha.
Theravada Buddhism “takes its name from its goal of passing on the
Buddha’s teaching unchanged. It means
the way of the elders” (Molloy, 2013 p.140). The school of Theravada Buddhism follows the
examples set by Buddha to reach Nirvana because Buddha believed that
“enlightenment can be achieved only through one’s own effort by leading a
monastic life of austerity and taking refuge in the Sangha in addition to the
Buddha and the Dharma” (Zhao, 2009). Meditation is the key to Nirvana in
Theravada Buddhism, known as “Vipassana (insight) because it emphasizes being
fully attentive to the present moment” (Molloy, 2013 p.171). In Theravada Buddhism concentration can be
accomplished through meditation by “sitting quietly and paying attention to
one’s exhalation and inhalation. The
same type of meditation may also be done while walking” (Molloy, 2013 p.
171).
Conclusion
Buddhism is a religion that was developed from the teachings of
Siddhartha Gautama as he searched for answers to questions concerning human
suffering and attaining inner peace.
Siddhartha abandoned his prosperous life and family in search for
answers to those questions and the path that he took would eventually become
the path to Nirvana in Buddhism.
Theravada Buddhism is based on journey that Siddhartha took to find the
answers to his questions and it emphasizes the importance of meditation and the
connection it has to an individual achieving enlightenment.
Buddhism. (2013). The
Columbia Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://search.credoreference.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/content/entry/columency/buddhism
Green, P. (2012). Gautama, Siddhartha. Encyclopedia of global religion.
doi:10.4135/9781412997898.n256
Molloy, M. (2013). Experiencing
the world’s religion (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
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