04.04. Buddhism

BUDDHISM The Life of Gautama Buddha

Gautama Buddha was born as Siddhartha Gautama in c. 560 BC in a grove called Lumbini near the city of Kapilavastu (modern Bhinla), Nepal. His father’s name was Suddhodhana and mother’s name was Mahamaya. Suddhodhana was an aristocratic Hindu chieftain who made all effort to keep his son in all comfort. It is said that at Siddhartha’s birth some astrologers had predicted that this child would either become a very great emperor and rule the world or renounce everything and bring emancipation to the world.

Till the early twenties of his life, Siddhartha lived all the time in the palace not venturing far from the comforts, luxuries, and delights provided to him by his father. There were three palaces, each of which were built to suit the three seasons of summer, rainy, and winter. Siddhartha resorted to each of them as convenient. Female minstrels were appointed to entertain him and he enjoyed all comforts and pleasures of life. He was also trained, during this period, in all the skills that a prince needed. His skill in archery helped him to win him his beautiful wife Yasodhara, while he was only sixteen years old. For the next thirteen years after his marriage, Siddhartha lived a very luxurious and complacent life until, one day, he encountered a very shocking scene, which was followed by three others.

It came to pass that, one day, the prince climbed his chariot and drove through the streets of his city. Suddenly, an old man with gray hair staggered out of his house clad in ragged clothing. On inquiry, he was horrorstruck by the fact that all men must encounter this inevitable pain of aging. On another day as the prince drove in his chariot, he heard a curdling cry for help. Turning to where the sound came from, Siddhartha was shocked to see a sick man rolling on the ground with excruciating pain and agony. On an other occasion, the prince came face to face a corpse of a man being carried to its funeral by bewailing men and women. Siddhartha was overpowered by the reality of the scope of human suffering. He was dumbfounded, shocked, disillusioned, and dismayed. Then, he saw a hermit, calm and dignified, clothed in flowing orange colored robes. Siddhartha understood this to be the way to finding emancipation from suffering for all humans. And so, one night, at the age of twenty-nine, the very day his son Rahul was born, Siddhartha left his family in the sleeping night hours and departed into the forest in search of truth, peace, and deliverance. Deep in the forest, he shaved his head and put on the yellow robes of a hermit. For six years, after that, he kept searching for truth. He went through severe forms of asceticism to the extent that he was close to death. According to traditional accounts, once Gautama fasted so much that his belly was glued to his backbone. After having found this way to b fruitless, he renounced asceticism; then arriving at Gaya, sat down under a Peepal-tree with a resolve not to get up until he found a solution. The story goes on that Mara, the tempter, tried to dissuade Gautama from his meditation by sending horrifying storms, rains, and fiery weapons. But Gautama was adamant and firm. Then, after forty-nine days of meditation, on a full-moon night of May, Siddhartha achieved enlightenment. Henceforth, he would be known as "the Buddha," which means "the Enlightened One." The tree, under which he sat and achieved enlightenment, came to be known as Bodhi-tree or Bo-tree, and the spot came to be known as Buddhagaya (it is in modern Bihar). This was the thirty-fifth year of his life.

Beginning right here, for the next forty-five years of his life the Buddha toured through north India teaching and preaching his message of truth and deliverance. He made many convert, despite the many opposition and pains he had to face. After all this, finally, on a full moon day at Kusinara the Buddha passed away at the age of eighty.

Buddhist Scriptures The Theravada scriptures are known as the Tripitaka (the three baskets) and consists of the Vinaya Pitaka (Discipline), Sutta Pitaka (Discourses), and the Abhidhamma Pitaka (Metaphysics). The Mahayana scriptures are named as Vinaya, Sutras, and, Shastras. The Teachings of Buddha

Immediately after his enlightenment, the Buddha set out for Banares. At Sarnath, he preached to his five ascetic friends his first sermon called the ’Dharmachakra Pravartana,’ i.e., the setting in motion of the wheel of dharma. The sermon set forth the four Noble Truths concerning life and the Eight-fold path to deliverance. Dhamma is paramount for Buddhists. That is the word by which they designate their religion. It means ’doctrine,’ ’law,’ ’norm,’ ’religion,’ ’truth,’ or ’world order.’ ’Dharmachakra Pravartana’ is generally called the speech of the foundation of the Kingdom of Righteousness and is considered the foundation of the whole doctrine. Buddha’s doctrine is based upon two axioms:

These two axioms are summed up in the Four Noble truths, which may be called the Gospel of Buddhism. The first two of these Truths diagnoses the problem, the third one declares the remedy, and the fourth one declares how this remedy is to be attained.

1. The Four Noble Truths a. The first Noble Truth is that suffering is a universal fact. All of earthly existence can be summed up in one word: suffering. The word for suffering in the Pali language (the language which the Buddha spoke) is dukkha. This word has a deep philosophical meaning and is very difficult to define. It covers the whole avenue of concepts related to suffering such as, misery, distress, despair, agony, suffering of body and mind, change, emptiness, imperfection, conflict. This dukkha is what describes the condition of all existence.

"This is the noble Truth of pain: birth is suffering, old age is suffering, disease is suffering; death is suffering; sorrows, lamentation, dejection and despair are suffering. Contact with unpleasant thing is suffering; not getting what one craves is suffering. In brief the five groups of clinging are suffering."

This, however, was not a pessimistic analysis leading to existential despair and nihilism. Life is not totally meaningless and hopeless. The Buddha was Buddha he knew the solution to this problem; he had awakened; he was enlightened. He has already diagnosed the sickness of the world. Now he goes on to explicate the second Noble Truth related to the cause of this problem of suffering.

2. The second Noble Truth states that suffering results from desire. Desire is the cause of all suffering. In this sense, suffering is purely subjectivised. The problem is internal not external. It is the thirst, the desire, the craving (Tanha) for sensual enjoyment, indulgence, and self-satisfaction that leads to renewed rebirths. The false self being submerged in desire, desire seeks satisfaction and falls down to another birth. And so the cycle is set in motion. The illusion of self is the fruit of ignorance, which gives birth to desire, which in turn causes sorrow.

3. The third Noble Truth deals with the cessation of suffering. Suffering ceases to be when desiring ceases to be. This state of complete deliverance, of unceasing and unspeakable bliss is called nirvana.

4. The fourth Noble Truth declares the path to nirvana. It is called the Noble Eight-fold Path. Also referred to as the Middle Way between the extremes of self-indulgence and self-torture, the Noble Eight-fold Path lays down the moral principles of Right living:

The Eight-fold path leads to insight and wisdom, which dispel ignorance and bring about serenity, knowledge, and enlightenment; which is nirvana.

2. The Doctrine of Anatta

Buddha revolted against the Vedas by proclaiming the doctrine of anatta, which essentially states that there is nothing called an eternal, unchanging soul, a fundamental diversion from Hinduism. This would even mean that the concept of an eternal Paramatma, the Supreme Self, the Brahman, is not only preposterous but also false. Every existing entity is subject to the law of change and decay. The apparent self (atman) is only an illusion, originating from and manifesting itself in a clinging to things. The "I" arises out of sense-experience which also are the cause of suffering; since they add fresh fuel to the flame of life. An individual is made up of the Skandhas, which by combination produce the delusion of the self, the "I." The five Skandhas are:

All of the above forces or factors are changing; therefore, the self that they combine to produce is also changing, although it assumes that it is an unchanging unity. The false idea of the self must be done away with to attain nirvana.

3. Karma and Rebirth

Buddhism retained the Hindu doctrine of Karma and Samsara, although with some modifications: Buddhism doesn’t talk about the transmigration of soul. As we have already seen, it denies the existence of the self. According to Buddhism, after death the desire that a being entertained in his life (instead of destroying it) gathers fresh life and forms a new mind-body complex, a new ’being.’ As long as there is desire, the law of Karma will hold sway and rebirth will occur.

Ones Karma (action) determines ones kind of rebirth, as an animal, a ghost, or a god. By ’ones rebirth’ is meant neither the rebirth of the same individual nor the rebirth of another. The Buddhists attempt to solve this paradox by the means of parables used to illustrate the doctrine. They say that rebirth is like lighting a new candle by an old one. The two lights have the same properties but are not identical.

4. Nirvana The goal of Buddhism is not eternal life. It is extinction and annihilation of the illusion of the self and freedom from the cycle of rebirth, the end of all birth and individual existence. It is freedom from suffering. The word nirvana literally means ’dying out,’ or ’extinction’ as of fire. The world is enveloped with the fire of suffering kindled by desire. All the panorama of suffering that we observe is only a depiction of how evil desire is. This desire needs to be extinguished. The extinguishing of this desire is nirvana. Once desire for existence is annihilated, individual existence is annihilated, and with that all suffering. The way to nirvana is the knowledge of the Four Noble Truths, and the pursuit of the Noble Eight-fold Path. Sadly, Buddhists can hardly point to at least one who has experienced nirvana, in the present time.

Main Buddhist Groups and their Ways of Worship The four main groups within Buddhism are: Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, and Mantrayana Buddhism.

1. Theravada Buddhism. This form of Buddhism is the orthodox group that rigorously sticks to the Buddha’s original teachings. It follows the doctrine of anatta, rebirth, the Four Noble Truths, and the Eight-fold Path strictly. Buddha is considered as the emancipated one and his refuge is sought. This form of Buddhism is also called Hinayana (Lesser Vehicle) Buddhism because of its straitness and conservativeness.

Theravada Buddhism is practiced in Sri Lanka and Thailand where it has also been mixed with local beliefs and practices.

2. Mahayana Buddhism. the high demands of Buddhist ethics were very severe for ordinary men and women. Two hundred years after Buddha, a group of his disciples came up with a more liberal interpretation of Buddha’s teachings that would suit the needs of ordinary people. This movement came to be known as Mahayana Buddhism or the ’Greater Vehicle.’ This form of Buddhism is practiced in the northern countries of Asia, China, Korea, and Japan.

While the Hinayanas stressed salvation by works, Mahayanis taught that faith and devotion were sufficient for salvation. Nirvana was not the only goal. One could aim to become a Bodhisattva, a compassionate person who vows to reach supreme illumination in order to help all other humans to gain the same. The Bodhisattva postpones entering nirvana for the same. The Mahayanis consider the Buddha to be their savior. There are other Buddhas besides Gautama that the Mahayanis venerate. In Japan, Vairocana is the great Buddha; in China, Amitabha. The Mahayanis also worship a goddess known as Kuan Yin, who is given equal status with Amitabha and worshipped as the goddess of mercy, love, and compassion.

3. Mantraya Buddhism. This form of Buddhism is prevalent in Tibet, Mongolia, and Japan. A mixture of magic, mysticism, and occultism, it was brought to Tibet by an Indian Buddhist monk named Padma Sambhava in about AD 750. Also known as Tantrism, it includes prayers, ritual dances, demon exorcism, and magic spells.

4. Zen Buddhism. Zen Buddhism derives its name from the Japanese ’Zen’ meaning ’contemplation.’ It originated in China and from there spread to Japan. The west knows Zen Buddhism better than any other form of Buddhism.

According to the Zen doctrine, enlightenment can be obtained through contemplation. It is not study, neither is it reason that leads to enlightenment; only a mystical intuitive insight does. This form of Buddhism understands logic and the mind as being a hindrance to enlightenment. The art of right meditating is to be learnt by meditating and transcending the mind.

Ways of Worship As has already been seen both Mahayana and Theravada Buddhists resort to Buddha for help in attaining salvation. In Theravada countries, the Buddha is regarded as Devatideva – the God above gods – who lives, knows, and loves, and is worthy of all adoration. Strict orthodox Buddhists, however, regard Buddha as only the greatest man and the most enlightened teacher who ever lived.

1. The Refuges and the Precept. Buddhist worship begins with a recital of the formula of homage to the Buddha which is followed by the recital of the worshipper’s resort to the three Refuges, viz., the Buddha, the Doctrine, and the brotherhood of monks.

Immediately after this the five Precepts are taken, which are:

2. Offerings. Offerings offered by the worshippers are of various kinds, such as flowers, oil lamps, candles, incense, food, drinks, and requisites for the monks. Each offering is accompanied by a recital of the relative formula.

3. Prayers and Invocations. Prayers and invocations are offered for human needs and material blessings, for rain, food, and for pardon.

4. Transference of Merit. Worshippers offer offerings in the name of their deceased relatives in the form of robes, utensils, medicines, and food for monks. The purpose is to transfer the merit thus gained to the account of the dead. A formula invoking happiness for and transference of merit to the dead relative follow this.

5. Pilgrimages. The Buddhists consider a pilgrimage to a sacred place very meritorious. The birthplace of Buddha, the place of his enlightenment, the place of his first sermon, and the place where he passed into nirvana are considered sacred. In addition to these places are the Sri Pada in Sri Lanka and Phrabad in Thailand. It is considered very meritorious to journey to these sacred places all the way on foot.

6. Ceremonies and Festivals. The chief ceremony is known as Pirit. It is believed that this ceremony wards off the malice of demons and gives blessing. In this ceremony, one end of a long thread, twisted around the neck of a new clay pot filled with water, is held by the Buddhist monks while the other end is held by the congregation. The monks chant selected texts from the Buddhist scriptures called Parittas. After this, the thread is broken in pieces and tied round the wrist and neck of those assembled. The sanctified water is sprinkled on all to ward off evil and bring blessings.

Another festival, the festival of Vesak, is celebrated by Buddhists all over the world. It falls on the full moon day of the month of May. This day has three significances. It is said that it is the day of the Buddha’s birth, his enlightenment, and his death. The Buddhists decorate and illuminate their houses, streets, and temples on this day. Clad in white, the devotees perform religious rites at the Stupa, the Bodhi-tree, and the Buddha image. They also assemble in the temples and halls to observe precepts, meditate, and listen to religious discourse.