Buddha Shakyamuni

Buddhism: An Introduction

Buddhism is one of the 6 major religions in the UK. As a global religion it has much diversity of practice worldwide.

The following is a brief introduction to Buddhist fundamental tenets.

To learn more about Buddhism why not come to the Center

Jamyang Leeds Friends can borrow books for free

Siddhartha Gautama: The Buddha

Historians estimate that the founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, lived from 566 to 480 BCE. The son of an Indian warrior-king, Gautama enjoyed the privileges of his social caste.
As a young man he searched for meaning in life. After encountering an old man, an ill man, a corpse and an ascetic, Gautama became convinced that suffering underpinned life. He left his wife and son, renounced his princely title and became a monk, exchanging worldly possessions for a spiritual search for truth.
The culmination of his search came while meditating beneath a Bodhi tree. He finally understood how to be free from suffering and to achieve liberation and enlightenment.
Following this, Gautama was known as the Buddha, meaning the "Enlightened One." He spent the remainder of his life journeying about India, teaching others.

The Four Noble Truths

The Four Noble Truths are the essence of Buddha's teachings. They are:

• the truth of suffering,
• the truth of the cause of suffering,
• the truth of the end of suffering, and
• the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering.

Simply put, suffering exists; it has a cause; it has an end; and it has a cause to bring about its end.

This emphasis on suffering is not to convey a negative world view, but is a pragmatic perspective that deals with the world as it is. The concept of pleasure is not denied, but acknowledged as fleeting and temporary. Pursuit of worldly happiness is unquenchable. Ultimately, only aging, sickness, and death are certain and unavoidable.

The Four Noble Truths deal with the reality of what humanity faces -- suffering of a physical or of a mental nature.

The First Noble Truth identifies the presence of suffering.

The Second Noble Truth seeks to determine the cause of suffering - desire and ignorance. By desire, Buddhists mean the craving for pleasure, for material goods, and for immortality, all of which are wants that can never be satisfied. As a result, desiring them brings suffering. By ignorance, Buddhists mean the way we do not see the world as it actually is. Out of ignorance, if we don't develop the capacity for mental concentration and insight, our mind is left undeveloped, unable to grasp the true nature of things and greed, envy, hatred and anger develop.

The Third Noble Truth, the truth of the end of suffering explains that there can be an end to suffering through achieving Enlightenment. Enlightenment is a transcendent state free from suffering and the worldly cycle of birth and rebirth.

The Fourth Noble truth explains the method for attaining the end of suffering which is called the Noble Eightfold Path.

The steps of the Noble Eightfold Path are:

• Right Understanding,
• Right Thought,
• Right Speech,
• Right Action,
• Right Livelihood,
• Right Effort,
• Right Mindfulness and
• Right Concentration.

These can be divided into three themes:

Moral conduct (Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech);
Meditation and mental development (Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort),
Wisdom or insight (Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration).

Karma

Karma refers to the actions a person does during his/her lifetime.
Good actions involve positive acts, such as generosity, righteousness, and meditation, which bring about happiness in the long run.
Bad actions, such as lying, stealing or killing, bring about unhappiness in the long run.
The Buddhist interpretation of karma does not refer to preordained fate.
The weight that actions carry is determined by five conditions:

frequent, repetitive action;
determined, intentional action;
action performed without regret;
action against extraordinary persons;
action toward those who have helped one in the past.

The Cycle of Rebirth

The role of karma can be seen more clearly in the Buddhist explanation of the cycle of rebirth.
There are six realms into which any being can be reborn - three fortunate realms, and three unfortunate realms.
The inhabitants of the three unfortunate realms of animals, ghosts and hell suffer untold suffering.
Those who create favourable, positive karma will take rebirth in one of the fortunate realms: the realm of demigods, the realm of gods, and the realm of humans.
Although the demigods and gods enjoy pleasures, they suffer unceasing jealousy and envy.
Despite all the various difficulties involved in being born a human, the human realm is considered the most fortunate realm of rebirth. This is because it is only with a human rebirth that Enlightenment can be achieved. Given the sheer number of living things, to be born human is, to Buddhists, a precious and rare opportunity.

Images courtsey of Andy Weber Studios