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BUDDHISM
Buddhism is probably the most tolerant religion in the
world, as its teachings can coexist with any other religion's.
However, this is not a characteristic of other religions. The
Buddhist teaching of God is neither agnostic nor vague, but
clear and logical. Buddhism was created by Siddhartha Gautama,
who was born in the sixth century B.C. in what is now modern
Nepal. Siddhartha grew up living the extravagant life of a
young prince. His father was Suddhodana and was the ruler of
the Sakya people. According to custom, he married a young girl
named Yasodhara at the age of sixteen. His father had ordered
that he live a life of total seclusion, but one day Siddhartha
ventured out into the world and was confronted with the harsh
reality of life and universal suffering. At age twenty-nine, he
left his kingdom and new-born son to lead a plain, reclusive
life and determine a way to relieve this universal suffering.
Siddhartha meditated under a bodhi tree for six years, but he
was never fully satisfied. One day, however, he was offered a
bowl of rice from a young girl and he accepted it. At that
moment, he realized that physical harshness was not a means of
achieving liberation. From then on, he encouraged people to
follow a path of balance rather than extremism. He called this
path the Middle Way.
Devotion to the pleasures of sense, a low
practice of villagers, a practice unworthy, unprofitable, the way of the world [on one
hand]; and [on the other] devotion to self- mortification, which is painful, unworthy and unprofitable. By avoiding these two extremes
the Tathagata [or Buddha] has gained knowledge
of that middle path which giveth vision, which
giveth knowledge, which causeth calm, special knowledge, enlightenment, Nibbana [or Nirvana]. (Smart 236)
That night, Siddhartha sat under the bodhi tree and medi-
tated until dawn. He purified his mind of all evil thoughts
and attained Enlightenment at the age of thirty-five, thus
earning the title Buddha, or Enlightened One. For the re-
mainder of his eighty years, the Buddha preached the dharma in
an effort to help other people also reach Enlightenment. The
Buddha objectively examined the phenomena of life. Studying
effects and tracing their causes, he produced a science of
living which ranks with any other science known to man. He de-
scribed life to be one and indivisible. Man, he declared, can
become Buddha, Enlightened, by the principle of Enlightenment
within. This process is simply to become what you are, to de-
velop to the full innate Buddha-Mind by destroying the igno-
rance, sin, and evils of human nature. According to the Buddha,
all forms of life can be shown to have three characteristics in
common; impermanence, suffering, and an absence of a permanent
soul which separates itself from other forms of life. The
Buddha also pointed out that nothing is the same as it was only
a moment ago. Everyone and everything are constantly changing.
There is no rest within the universe, only a ceaseless becoming
and never-ending change. Buddhism denies that man has an im-
mortal soul. The Enlightenment which dwells in life does not
belong to only one form. Man is always changing and entirely
mortal.
Buddhism is a natural religion. It does not violate either
the mind or the body. The Buddha became aware that men are born
and die according to their good or evil actions, according to
their self-created Karma--the consequences of good or evil acts.
Even though there are several different forms of Buddhism that
have come into existence since Buddha's death, there is still a
basic essence that all Buddhists agree with. All Buddhists rec-
ognize four basic noble truths. The first noble truth of the
world is dhukka, or suffering. The second truth is tanha, or
desire, which is the cause of suffering. The third truth is
that in order to free oneself from suffering, one must overcome
desire. The fourth truth tells us how this can be accomplished
through the eight-fold path. The eight-fold path is the means
to achieve liberation from suffering. It helps one weed out
cravings and ignorance, to overcome rebirth, old age, disease,
death, sorrows, lamentation, grief, and despair. It helps to
end mass misery and aids people in attaining Nirvana, or salva-
tion.
Specifically, this path includes:
1. Right View
2. Right Thought
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration
The most simple teaching of the Buddha was to do good, to
avoid evil, and to purify the heart. According to Buddha, the
hearts of ordinary men are not pure. They are filled with
greed, ill will, and delusion. Greed and hatred are impurities
caused by desires, and ignorance is the cause of delusion, es-
pecially delusion of self. Ignorance, in fact, is the cause of
desire and thus the primary cause of all suffering and of re-
birth. The Buddha said that one may purify his heart:
1. By practicing self-control and self-restraint
2. By meditating upon one's own self
3. By following the Eight-Fold Path that leads to the end of all suffering
All of these points are the basic essence of Buddhism. They
help people understand the worlds of suffering, personal or
otherwise, and how to overcome that suffering. Buddhism is a
simple religion that focuses on changing the evil of man and
society into a good entity. It brings a message of salvation
and hope to whoever will follow its path.
Word Count: 921
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