FREE ESSAY ON BUDDHISM

BUDDHISM

Buddhism is one of the biggest religions founded in India in the 6th and 5th cent. B.C. by
Siddhartha Gautama, called the Buddha. One of the great Asian religions, it teaches the
practice of and the observance of moral precepts. The basic doctrines include the four
noble truths taught by the Buddha. Since it was first introduced into China from India,
Buddhism has had a history which has been characterized by periods of sometimes awkward
and irregular development. This has mainly been the result of the clash of two cultures,
each with a long history of tradition. Most of the difficulties have arisen due to the
transplanting of an Indian religious/philosophical system onto a culture strongly
dominated by indigenous secular, philosophical and religious systems. In spite of these
difficulties, Chinese Buddhism has come to have an important influence on the growth and
development of Buddhism in general and this has occurred largely because of its own
innovatory contributions. (Eliade, M. p.16-29) The spread of Buddhism into China began in
Central Asia and was facilitated by the efforts of the Indo-Scythian king Kanishka
(Encyclopedia Britt. 273-274) of the Kushan dynasty which ruled in northern India,
Afghanistan and parts of Central Asia in the 1st and 2nd centuries (Encyclopedia Britt.
274). He is said to have undergone an Ashoka-like conversion upon seeing the slaughter
caused by his campaigns. Around the beginning of the common era, Buddhism started to
filter into China from Central Asia via the Silk Road, brought by monks, merchants and
other travelers. It also entered later via trade routes around and through Southeast
Asia. It was nurtured in the expatriate community of Loyang and other northern cities.
(The Encyclopedia of Religion p58-62) Siddhartha (Buddha) was born around 563 B.C.E. in
the town of Kapilavastu (located in today's Nepal). Siddhartha's parents were King
Shuddhodana and Queen Maya, who ruled the Sakyas. His history is a miraculous one... One
night, Queen Maya dreamed that an elephant with six tusks, carrying a lotus flower in its
trunk, touched her right side. At that moment her son was conceived. Brahmins (learned
men) came and interpreted the dream. The child would be either the greatest king in the
world or the greatest ascetic (a holy man who practices self-denial). The future child
would be named Siddhartha, which means he whose aim is accomplished. (Snelling, J. p
12-19) Later when Queen Maya was going to her father's home to prepare for the birth, she
stepped off her chariot in the Lumbini Gardens and held the branch of a sal tree to rest.
In that instant, Siddhartha emerged from her right side without any help. The infant
walked seven steps each in four directions of the compass, and lotus flowers sprouted
from where his foot touched the earth. Then the infant said, No further births have I to
endure, for this is my last body. Now shall I destroy and pluck out by the roots the
sorrow that is caused by birth and death. Seven days later Queen Maya died.
Mahaprajapati, Maya's sister, looked after Siddhartha. King Shuddhodana shielded
Siddhartha from all kinds of suffering and hardship. When Siddhartha was about 20, he
married Yasodhara, daughter of one of the King's ministers, and one year later they had a
child named Rahula (meaning fetter or impediment). At age 29, Siddhartha asked his
charioteer, Channa, to take him out of the city two times without the consent of the
king. During these two trips, Siddhartha saw Four Sights that changed his life. On the
first trip, he saw old age, sickness, and death. The second trip, he saw a wandering holy
man, an ascetic, with no possessions. Siddhartha started questioning the holy man, who
had a shaved head, wore only a ragged yellow robe, and carried a walking-staff. The man
said, I am... terrified by birth and death and therefore have adopted a homeless life to
win salvation... I search for the most blessed state in which suffering, old age, and
death are unknown.(Snelling, J. p33) That night, Siddhartha silently kissed his sleeping
wife and son, and ordered Channa to drive him out to the forest. At the edge of the
forest, Siddhartha took off his jeweled sword, and cut off his hair and beard. He then
took off all his princely garments and put on a yellow robe of a holy man. He then
ordered Channa to take his possessions back to his father. Siddhartha then wandered
through northeastern India, sought out holy men, and learned about Samsara
(reincarnation), Karma, and Moksha. Attracted to the ideas of Moksha, Siddhartha settled
on the bank of Nairanjana River, and adopted a life of extreme self-denial and penance,
meditating constantly. After six years of eating and drinking only enough to stay alive,
his body was emaciated, and he was very weak. Five other holy men joined him, hoping to
learn from his example. One day, Siddhartha realized that his years of penance only
weakened his body, and he could not continue to meditate properly. When he stepped into
the river to bathe, he was too weak to get out, and the trees lowered their branches to
help him. In that instant, a milk-maid named Nandabala came and offered a bowl of milk
and rice, which Siddhartha accepted. The five holy men left Siddhartha after witnessing
this. Refreshed by the meal, Siddhartha sat down under a fig tree (often referred to as
the Bo tree, or Tree of Enlightenment) and resolved to find out an answer to life and
suffering. While meditating, Mara (an evil god) sent his three sons and daughters to
tempt Siddhartha with thirst, lust, discontent, and distractions of pleasure. Siddhartha,
entered a deep meditation, and recalled all his previous rebirths, gained knowledge of
the cycle of births and deaths, and with certainty, cast off the ignorance and passion of
his ego which bound him to the world. Thereupon, Siddhartha had attained enlightenment
and became the Buddha (enlightened one). His own desire and suffering were over and, as
the Buddha, he experienced Nirvana... There is a sphere which is neither earth, nor
water, nor fire, nor air...which is neither this world nor the other world, neither sun
nor moon. I deny that it is coming or going, enduring, death or birth. It is only the end
of suffering.(www.buddhanet.net) Instead of casting off his body and his existence,
however, Buddha made a great act of self-sacrifice. He turned back, determined to share
his enlightenment with others so that all living souls could end the cycles of their own
rebirth and suffering. Buddha went to the city of Sarnath and found the previous five
holy men that deserted him earlier at a deer park. When they saw Buddha this time, they
realized that he had risen to a higher state of holiness. The Buddha began teaching them
what he had learned. He drew a circle in the ground with rice grains, representing the
wheel of life that went on for existence after existence. This preaching was called his
Deer Park Sermon, or Setting in Motion the Wheel of Doctrine. Siddhartha revealed that he
had become the Buddha, and described the pleasure that he had first known as a prince,
and the life of severe asceticism that he had practiced. Neither of these was the true
path to Nirvana. The true path was the Middle Way, which keeps aloof from both extremes.
To satisfy the necessities of life is not evil, the Buddha said. To keep the body in good
health is a duty, for otherwise we shall not be able to trim the lamp of wisdom and keep
our mind strong and clear. Buddha then taught them the Dharma, which consisted of the
Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. The five holy men and others soon joined
Buddha, accompanying him everywhere. As more joined, Buddha organized the Sangha, a
community of Bhikkus (dedicated monks and later nuns). The Sangha preserved the Dharma,
and allowed bhikkus to concentrate on the goal of Nirvana. On raining seasons they would
settle in Viharas (resting places in cave dwellings) followers who believed in Buddha's
teachings, but could not follow the strict rule of the Sangha, were taught to follow the
Five Precepts. Buddha returned to his birthplace in Kapilavastu, and his father was
mortified to see his son begging for food. Buddha kissed his father's foot and said, You
belong to a noble line of kings. But I belong to the lineage of Buddha's, and thousands
of those have lived on alms.(www.who2.com) King Shuddhadana then remembered the Brahmin's
prophesy and reconciled with his son. Buddha's wife, son, and cousin (Ananda) later
joined the Sangha. When Buddha was about eighty, a blacksmith named Cuanda gave him a
meal that caused him to become ill. Buddha forced himself to travel to Kushinagara, and
laid down on his right side to rest in a grove of shala trees. As a crowd of followers
gathered, the trees sprouted blossoms and showered them on Buddha. Buddha told Ananda, I
am old and my journey is near its end. My body is like a worn-out cart held together only
by the help of leather straps. Three times, Buddha asked the people if they had any
questions, but they all remained silent. Finally Buddha said, Everything that has been
created is subject to decay and death. Everything is transitory. Work out your own
salvation with diligence. After passing through several states of meditation, the Buddha
died, reaching Parinirvana (the cessation of perception and sensation). Buddha is not a
Supreme God nor the Creator of Universe in Buddhism. Buddha is just an enlightened being.
If a person enlightened, the person is Buddha too. All sentient beings can be Buddha.
There are numerous enlightened beings in millions and millions of worlds in millions and
millions of years. Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, was the enlightened being in the
world of time. Although Buddha is the most supreme being known in all realms, he has no
power to control everything. For instance, he is unable to change the principle of cause
and effect. In other words, if you commit an evil deed, Buddha cannot save you by waiving
the effect caused by your evil deed. Nevertheless, Buddha can advise you how to mitigate
the diverse effect, if a person repent of his/her's evil deed.( Snelling, J. p47-55)
Buddhism is perhaps the only religion that claims the eventual extinction of itself, and
also the sutra. Buddhism and its sutra inevitably abide by the universal truth of
impermanence. Whichever exists, it will extinguish, and vice versa. Buddhism is a vehicle
to carry all beings to the shore of the Sea of Suffering. When you arrive at the shore,
get off the vehicle. Don't attach to it! Let other beings use it. It is just a convenient
tool to facilitate all beings to understand and certify the reality of the nature and
lives, and liberate themselves. Thus, in view of highest wisdom, all verbal and written
Buddhism with names and forms are not real By the time of enlightenment, there will be no
Buddhism. However, before one is enlightened, one has to study and practice Buddhism
wholeheartedly and vigorously, cultivating all merits and virtues. (Buswell, R. p29-46)
Buddhism is pragmatic and practical. Buddhism was originated from and established for the
sentient beings. It teaches how to observe and understand and certify the reality of the
nature and lives in objective and scientific way. Do practice and don't just study
theories, especially those which are abstract. Some people would like to know about the
origin of the universe, finite or not, eternal or not, before they will undertake to
practice a religion. It is just like a man who is wounded by an arrow wishes to know who
shoots the arrow, what the arrow is made of, and other irrelevant questions before he
will have the arrow removed. Buddhism is optimistic and enthusiastic towards life. It
rejects the principle of fate, though it emphasizes karma. The principle of impermanence
and the principle of no-self enlighten us that we should not attach and crave to fame and
wealth, not benefit ourselves by hurting others. One can enlighten and realize oneself by
enlightening and realizing others. Therefore, one has to cultivate and commit oneself in
society. Without selfishness, we can really serve the society and people. Without the
craving and clinging to personal fame and wealth, we can be really free, comfortable and
rich. The principle of Middle Way enlightens us about the interdependent nature of
existence, therefore we should not go extreme. Be optimistic! The secret of happiness is
not doing things what we like, but liking things what we do. The 3 processes of learning,
namely belief/faith, interpretation, practice and certification, are known as The three
Ways. The faith to a religion should not be affected by the behavior or performance of an
individual in the religion. A group of people is just a miniature of society, having some
good guys and some had guys. All religions and philosophies have their doctrines, values
and functions. Within a specific time frame and space, different religions will serve 
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