The Philosophy of Buddha - Term Paper Example

The Philosophy Of Buddha Buddha The Philosophy of Buddha Introduction "Buddha" isa Sanskrit word which means "a person who has become enlightened or awakened". The Lord Buddha Siddhartha Gautama was the founder of the religion called Buddhism. It is mentioned in Srimad-Bhagaratam: In the beginning of age kali, the supreme personality of God will appear in the province of Gaya as Lord Buddha, the son of Anjana, to confuse those who are always jealous of the devotees of the Lord. The Philosophy of Buddha This shows that the birth of Buddha was predicted long before he actually arrived on the scene. The lord Buddha was born in Nepal (566-486BC). Right from the beginning his nature was altogether different from a royal family. He used to feel sorry for suffered and poor humanity. As he grew older, he visited different places and during his visits to different places, he came across an old man, sick man, dead body and an austere. This is known as "four passing sights" which enabled Siddharta to identify the reality of sufferings and death. At the age of twenty nine, he left his family and decided to find a solution to an end of human problems. In the next six years, he became enlightened with truths of nature. Gautama did not claim any divine status for himself; he did not assert that he was inspired by a god or gods. He claimed to be not a personal saviour, but a teacher to guide those who choose to listen. Buddha He was against extremism. He was against of both self entertainment and self denial. He followed a middle path (Majjhima Patipada) between self denial and self entertainment. And this middle path is also reflected in his teachings. Four Nobel Truths Buddha taught four basic truths to people: Dukkha, Samudaya, Nirodha, Maggo.1 Dukkha According to Dukkha, "Birth is suffering, old age is suffering, disease is suffering, death is suffering, to be united with the unpleasant is suffering, to be separated from the pleasant is suffering, not to receive what one craves for is suffering, in brief the five Aggregates of Attachment are suffering ". Samudaya Samudaya says that " it is the desire which leads from rebirth to rebirth accompanied by lust of passion, which delights now here now there; it is the craving for sensual pleasures (Kamatanha), for existence (Bhavatanha)7 and for annihilation (Vibhavatanha)."" Nirodha Nirodha says that "It is the remainderless, total annihilation of this very craving, the forsaking of it, the breaking loose, fleeing, deliverance from it."" Maggo It says that "It is the Noble Eightfold Path which consists of right understanding, right thoughts, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right endeavor, right mindfulness, and right concentration" 1 Bullen Leonard. Philosophy of Buddhism. 2007. V. Jayaram Buddha From the study of these four truths we see that their objective is that people should first understand these four truths, and then practically apply the knowledge from their understandings to their lives in order to gain happiness. Real happiness lies within oneself. These four truths can be experienced by people in daily life. Thus Buddhism can be considered as a practical philosophy. Buddha also gave the concept of Karma, according to which, a person's actions in one age decide his state of existence in next stage. There are different kinds of people in the world. Some of them face difficulties throughout their lives in spite of hard work and some of them achieve everything in spite of their lazy attitude. Some are born with saintly characteristics and others with criminal tendencies. The question arises, why there is such an inequality in world According to Buddhism this variation is due to our own karma, or in other words, due to the result of our own actions. We ourselves are responsible for our own actions and our state of life. Five Orders of Buddhism Buddhism says that there are five orders (Niyamas) which act on the physical and mental realms: Karma Niyama, order of cause and effect, which means that desirable and undesirable acts would result in producing corresponding good and bad results. Utu Niyama, physical order,that include seasonal phenomena of winds and rains. Bija Niyama, which is the order of germs or seeds. Buddha Citta Niyama, order of mind or psychic law, for example processes of consciousness, power of mind etc. Dhamma Niyama, order of the norm or natural phenomena such as gravitation. Thus Karma is one of the five processes or orders that are widespread in universe. Path of Peaceful life Buddha gave a complete package of steps to spend a peaceful life (described above as Maggo). These steps include1: Right Understanding, It includes right understanding of oneself and of the things that are all around us. It also emphasizes on identifying the temporary nature of this world. Right Thoughts, It emphasizes on eliminating worldly thoughts and progressing in kindness. Right Speech, It includes avoiding vulgar language and harsh talks. Right Action, It includes maintaining spiritual progress by remaining enthusiastic and without negative thoughts. Right Livelihood, It includes, means of securing the necessities of life in a non violent way. Buddha Right Endeavor, It includes endeavor to promote good thoughts and endeavor to uproot bad thoughts from society. Right Mindfulness, Right mindfulness is process of remaining free from worldly attachments by remembering the temporary nature of things. Right Concentration, It is the process of gaining inner peace and spirituality. Responsibilities of a Person In Buddhism According to Buddhism, a person should assist six kinds of people2: parents, friends, teachers, wife and children, servants and ascetics. Parents and teachers should be given proper respect. A person should be loyal to his wife. He must help his friends in bad times, he must be polite with his servants and he must show love and affection towards ascetics. Branches/Partitions of Buddhism After the disappearance of Buddha, some advancements were made in his philosophy that resulted in three main partitions of Buddhism: Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana. Hinayana (meaning "lesser vehicle") is based on the original teachings of Buddha and it 2 Jones Ken. Buddhism and Social Action An Exploration. 2007. V. Jayaram Buddha is considered as the most authentic philosophy. Hinayana emphasizes on one's own awakening and puts lesser emphasis on enlightening others. Hinayana is practiced today in Sri Lanka, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and portions of Vietnam and Malaysia. Mahayana (meaning "great vehicle") comprises of rules and principles from Buddha's philosophy as well as from other philosophies. It stresses on enlightment for the sake of other people. Mahayana Buddhism is practiced in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Vajrayana (meaning "Diamond Vehicle") is also called Mantrayana, Tantrayana, Tantric or esoteric Buddhism. It consists of many of the basic concepts of Mahayana, but also includes spiritual techniques to enhance Buddhist practice. Vajrayana is practiced today mainly in Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia, Kalmykia, areas of India, and, to a limited extent, in China and Japan. Research has shown that Buddhism is basically a teaching which begins from certain fundamental methods about how we experience the world and how we act in it. There is a large amount of material written about Buddhism which reveals that Buddhism is basically not a revelation but in fact it is knowledge about ethics, and about the ways in which we can spend our lives with wisdom. In the end here is a saying of Buddha, which might be helpful in bringing peace in our lives:Let none find fault with others, let none see the omissions and commissions of others, let one be connected one's own acts, done and undone. Buddha Bibliography Bullen Leonard. Philosophy of Buddhism. 2007. V. Jayaram. April 28, 2008 http://www.hinduwebsite.com/buddhism/buddhist_philosophy.asp Jones Ken. Buddhism and Social Action An Exploration. 2007. V. Jayaram. April 28, 2008 http://www.hinduwebsite.com/buddhism/essays/social_action.asp Read More