FREE ESSAY ON BUDDHISM

BUDDHISM

"Buddhism begins with a man. In his later years, when India was afire with his message,
people came to him asking what he was. Not 'Who are you?' but 'What are you?' 'Are you
god?' they asked. 'No.' 'An angel?' 'No.' 'A saint?' 'No.' 'Then, what are you?' Buddha
answered, 'I am awake.' His answer became his title, for this is what Buddha means. The
Sanskrit root budh means to awake and to know. While the rest of humanity was dreaming
the dream we call the waking human state, one of their number roused himself. Buddhism
begins with a man who woke up."("Buddhism" The Worlds Religions p.60)
Buddha was born a prince named Siddhartha Gautama in a small kingdom in what is now Nepal
in 563b.c.e. Gautama's birth is described as a miraculous event, his birth being the
result of his mother's impregnation by a sacred white elephant that touched her left side
with a lotus flower. The scriptures claim that when Gautama was born "immeasurable light
spread through ten thousand worlds; the blind recovering their sight, as if from desire
to see his glory ("What Man Believes" Evans p.141) Shortly after his birth, his father
consulted with a number of astrologers, all of whom declared that the newborn prince
would become a great king and that he would rule the world in truth and righteousness.
Among these astrologers, there was one who declared that if the prince were to see a sick
person, an old person, a corpse, and a world-renouncing ascetic, he would become
dissatisfied with life and become a wandering monk in order to seek final peace. King
Shuddhodana decided he wanted his son to have the former destiny and went to no ends to
keep his son on this course, surrounding him with pleasant diversions during his early
years, such as palaces and dancing girls. Finally the prince convinced his father into
letting him visit a part of the city that was beyond the palace gates. Before allowing
the prince to ride in his chariot, Shuddhodana ordered the streets to be cleared of the
sick or the infirm, that the prince not be allowed to see any of the corpses or the world
renouncers. Despite the kings efforts, at one point the path of the royal chariot was
blocked by a sick man. He found that the man had only grown old and that such afflictions
were the result of age. Siddhartha was amazed to find that most people see such sights
every day but persist in short-sighted pursuit and mundane affairs, apparently
unconcerned that they will become sick, grow old, and die. In two other journeys outside
the palace, Siddhartha saw a man stricken with disease and a corpse, and when he learned
that eventually his young healthy body would become weak he fell into a deep depression.
On the fourth trip, Siddhartha saw a world renouncer, a man who stood apart from the
crowd, who owned nothing and was unaffected by the petty concerns of the masses, and who
radiated calm, serenity, and a profound inner peace. This man had nothing, yet he had
obtained happiness. This made Siddhartha realize the vanity of earthly pleasures. That
very night Siddhartha did the unthinkable. At the age of 29, although married with a
beautiful young son as well as heir to a very rich throne, he forsook it all, leaving
them to set out on a pilgrimage to find the ultimate truth. Siddhartha left the palace
and started to practice meditation with many teachers, but none could show him a path
leading to the end of suffering. He met with five spiritual seekers who told him that the
way to salvation lies in severe asceticism. He followed their practices, and eventually
was eating only a single grain of rice per day. He grew so weak that he almost died.
Siddhartha continued on his journey. One day on Gautama's thirty-fifth birthday, sensing
a breakthrough was approaching, he settled under a tree to mediate, promising not to
arise until he had reached his goal. According to legend, Mara, the Evil One, attempting
to disrupt Siddhartha, tempted him with beautiful Goddesses, attacked him with flaming
rocks and other devices, all from which Gautama blocked himself. During the night,
Siddhartha entered into progressively deeper meditative states, in which the patterns of
the world fell into place for him, and thus he came to understand the causes and effects
of actions, why beings suffer, and how to transcend all the pains and sorrows of the
world. By the dawn of the next morning he had completely awakened from the misconceptions
of ordinary people, realized the essential truth about life and about the path to
salvation; at this point he became Buddha, remaining in the same spot for many days in a
trance-like state. This experience stirred in Gautama a desire to share his knowledge
with others. He spent the remainder of his life as a preacher and a teacher until his
death in about 483 BCE. He preached on the Four Sacred Truths as the way to
enlightenment, which he received during his original vision.
The Four Sacred Truths are steps to spiritual improvement and salvation. The first sacred
truth is that all the world is sorrow and suffering. From birth to death, man is in a
constant state of suffering. The second noble truth reveals that all this suffering comes
from the craving of the pleasures of life. The third truth reveals that the end of
suffering will come when craving ceases. Finally the fourth truth explains that the end
to these cravings comes through an eightfold path. The steps to this path include: "Right
Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort,
Right Mindfulness, and Right Meditation."("Buddhism" Halverson p.58 ) Right
Understanding, , one " sees the universe as impermanent and illusory and is aware that
the 'I' does not, in reality, exist." ("Buddhism" Halverson p.58). Right Thought is to
"renounce all attachment to the desires and thoughts of our illusory selves." ("Buddhism"
Halverson p.58). "As a person attains such a literally selfless perspective, her or she
finds the power to speak well of others (Right Speech), to obey Buddhism's moral commands
or abstentions (Right Action), and to avoid making his or her living through an
occupation that breaks the moral precepts of Buddhism (Right Livelihood)." ("Buddhism
Halverson pp.58-59) The basis of Buddhism's ethical conduct were to refrain from killing,
stealing, lying, committing indecent sexual acts or consuming of intoxicants. This is the
Buddha's Dharma, or body of his teachings. 
According to tradition, Buddha taught strict allegiance to the Four Sacred Truths, and
insight through the practice of meditation. His teachings also stressed avoidance of ill
will, lusting, incorrect talk, and destruction of any living thing. The Buddha's path was
one of strict meditation, in which one seeks Nirvana. Nirvana is a state of emptiness or
bliss. Those who finally achieve nirvana are spared from the suffering of rebirth, or
reincarnation. They are made one with the sea of nothingness, and all their desires are
quenched. This "extinguished flame" ("What Man Believes" Evans p. 106 ) is salvation for
humankind. If desires cannot be quenched then the cyclical existence (reincarnation) will
begin again, with more suffering. This form of salvation, is centered around works of the
individual.
Although later followers make him into a god, Gautama never taught that he was divine.
His teachings never focused on any reliance on God, or gods. Rather than rejecting any
form of a god, his teachings are indifferent to traditional gods, thus making his
teachings more universal. While there are gods in the Buddhist religion, they are not
part of salvation. The main focus of his teaching is not to rely on any god, but rather
on the individual and his/her search for truth.
After Gautama's death, his disciples passed along his message by oral tradition. There
are many monasteries in the world; in some of them in countries such as Burma, Thailand,
and Ceylon, almost every young male spends at least a few weeks of his life within a
monastery. "Typically at the age of four the boy celebrates an elaborate ceremony which
involves first dressing him in fine clothing, then stripping the clothing from him,
shaving his head and is given a beggar-bowl along with a saffron-colored robe." ("What
Man Believes" Evans p.407 ) These three things all being traditional symbols of a
Buddhist monk. For those who do become monks, it is a life of poverty and celibacy.
Over the years, the Buddhist religion split into three major divisions. These sections
include Theravada, Mahayana, and Tantric Buddhism. All of these divisions have their own
sects, having varying views on how Buddhist tradition should be implemented. Though they
have differing views, they all agree with the core of the Buddhist message, "Seek in the
impersonal for the eternal man, and having sought him out, look inward- thou art Buddha"
("What Man Believes" Evans p. 101 )