BUDDHISM
Posted by anthonynorth on March 18, 2007
Buddhism originated in India about 500BC. Formulated by Buddha, or the ‘enlightened one,’ he had been born Gautama Siddhartha, a rich prince. At the age of 29 he saw suffering for the first time and it deeply affected him.
He left his wife and son for a life of asceticism, but after six years he realized it was as futile as his previous overindulgence. He devised the middle way of meditation, and gained enlightenment under a bo tree in India.
For the rest of his life he traveled and taught, setting up the Sangha, or order of monks, and bringing Buddhism to the world. Although many varieties of Buddhism exist today, they all retain several major points.
The self is not permanent, but subject to change and decay. In life it attaches to things that are impermanent, and this causes delusion, suffering and greed. This gives the impression that the self is reinforced.
The Buddhist aims for actions that promote selflessness. This is the path towards enlightenment, and escape from the cycle of rebirth. This is achieved by realizing the Four Noble Truths and beginning the Eightfold Path.
The Four Noble Truths are the fact of suffering; that suffering has a cause; that it can be ended; and that it is ended by following the Eightfold Path, which is right views, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness and concentration.
Enlightenment is known as nirvana – or ‘blowing out’ - and involves the extinction of desire and the annihilation of the self into the infinite. Once achieved, you have risen above the material and the world of craving.
Buddhism has no gods. For this reason it has been accused of atheism. Similarly, whilst they believe in the moral code of karma and reincarnation, each incarnation is a life in itself, as opposed to the Hindu continuance of the soul.
This, and the personal requirements of the Buddhist, make it an individualistic system. What the Buddhist does, he does for himself, rather than some communal religious ethic. This perceived atheism and individualism explains why it is so popular in the west.
© Anthony North, December 2006
