The one of largest religion in the world is known as Buddhism. It is a religion of peace and compassion, as well, nobility and truth.
More two and a half thousand years ago, at Kapilavastu capital of Kosala kingdom ruled by the virtuous King Suddhodana and the gentle Queen Mahamaya. On the night of full moon, the Queen Mayamaya had a dream and in her dream there a white elephant with six tusk then elescended from heaven, carrying a lotus flower in it’s trunk, and entered her side. And then she got pregnant.
In the year 623 B.C, the queen Mahamaya was travelling in state from Kapilavastu to Devadaha, her homeland, to have her first child according to the tradition at that time. On her way, the queen gave birth to a divine son in the Lumbini grove with trees in full bloom.
The Prince boy was named Siddhartha Gautama, The his father, king Suddhodana summoned hermits to predict Siddhartha’s future life, the hermits found signs of a Great Being upon him, they predicted that the prince will become a Wheel Turning Monarch, a Great King of the world. But should he leave household life, go forth as a monk, he will become a Fully Enlightened Buddha, supreme teacher of gods and humans. His father was keen on bringing him up as a great political leader with more power. Seven days after Prince Siddhartha’s birth, his mother, Queen Mahamaya passed way and became a god in the heaven of Tusita.
Seven years later, at the Ploughing Ceremony, Prince Siddhartha, left alone in a peaceful and shady glade, He began to sit in meditation, attaining the tranquility of the first jhāna. But to curb this interest in spiritual life, the Buddha’s father attempted to form a perfect place to live, one which Siddhartha would never want to leave. And so, in his palace he was surrounded by luxury, every whim and desire was satisfied, and at the age of sixteen his father found him a beautiful bride. His father was beginning to think palace life was finally suiting his son, but this was wishful thinking. And Prince Siddhartha experienced his first glimpse at the outside world. He made four journeys, and saw four signs. Each journey would reveal to him an aspect of life that had been hidden from him.
Buddhism – The religion of compassion and wisdom
On his first journey he noticed an old decrepit man, and was reveated the process of aging. Prince Siddhartha then noticed a sick man, and revealed that all men can become sick. He saw a corpse, and was appalled to discover that all things die, and are reborn, to suffer and die again and again. Lastly Prince Siddhartha saw an peaceful ascetic walking majestically along aroad, and wonders why anyone would want to give up luxury of worldly life, and his servant explains that the man is seeking a greater understanding of the human life. After returning to the palace he learned of the fanstasy his life really was. Although his wife had just given birth to hid child, Siddhartha knew he must leave the palace to seek greater understanding for himself. He exchanged his riches for the truth, and entered the outside world, alone for the first time.
At this time, the world was in spiritual unrest. There were countless new spiritual leaders and religions popping up all over, but Siddhartha Bodhisattva felt that the solution to life’s suffering needed to be available to everyone, instead of an exclusive group. He searched for a way of life that overcame the suffering he had seen. He traveled around, meeting teachers and gurus so that he could achieve this way of life, he was searching for. He began to meditate, and experiment with forms of fasting and religious practices. Although he realized forcing his body to be would not work, and one day, he came across a musician tuning his sitar. And noticed that if he tuned it too tightly, it would snap, and if it was to loose, it would not play. And that only in the middle, would the string play. And this simple realization lead Siddhartha to understand that only this place in the middle could lead him to where he wanted to be, a Middle way, the way lead known as enlightenment.
At the end of six years he realized that physical torture was not the way to archieve enlightenment and decided to partake of food again. When on that day he was offered a bowl of milk by Sujata. At the same time Siddhartha Bodhisattva found a tree, and sat underneath it, and vowed not to leave until he had reached enlightenment. He relinquished the pain, and began to focus on the slow movement of his breath, coming in and out, and he began to become one Siddhartha’s mind was now so focussed he could travel to every depth of his mind. And at this point, the Demon Mara, lord of ego and illusion appeared to him. This demon could make any illusion real in Siddhartha mind. Mara attack him, firing flaming arrows at him. But he turned the arrows into lotus blossoms, that fell harmlessly before him. Mara then tried to tempt him with his three daughters. But Siddhartha Bodhisattva was able to easily overcome this temptation. And at this point, Siddhartha realized that Mara was the personification of himself and own temptation, and once he overcome this, he truly become the Buddha.
He continued to stay under the tree for seven days in absolute bliss. In this state, he realized that one desire is removed, dissatisfaction and suffering will be removed as well. And this became known as the Birth of Buddhism.
The Buddha summed up his wisdom in Four Noble Truths, the foundations of all Buddhist practice methods.
+ The first Noble Truth explains that there is suffering in life.
+ The second Noble Truth discloses the cause of that suffering, which is craving.
+ The third Noble Truth reveals that there is the cessation of suffering.
+ And the fourth and final Noble Truth, the Buddha teached about the way to free from suffering, it is known as the Noble Eightfold Path, and only this leads to enlightenment.
In Buddhism, everything sentient beings will continually lives, dies and is reborn. This is the cycle of life. But to be born as a human is a rare chance that Buddhists believe should not be wasted. But, if one archieves enlightenment in their life, when they die, not reborn again. They achieve Nirvana, the sate of enternal bliss, free from suffering, death, and rebirth.
The commandment of Buddhism are quite simple, Morality, Concentration and Wisdom. As well, Buddhists are taught not to indulge in acts of desire. If one practices these tenets, they may reach understanding for themselves, and may finally become enlightened.
The Buddha also taugth of Karma, A universal law which is that all your good actions combined with bad in your previous life equate to how your new form will be. The worse your karma, the worse your next life, but the better the karma, the better life you will get.
Buddhists believe that there was no creator, and that the universe in whatever form it may be is impermanent. Some Buddhists reject the idea of gods altogether, but even the Buddhists who do accept the realm of the gods, claim that they are no more wiser than humans, simply a different realm, and they have suffering as well. There is no supreme god in Buddhism, and can be described by some as even non-theistic. Some question whether Buddhism is even a religion itself. Many describe it as a philosophy, simply a way of life. It does not focus on faith, or belief, it focuses on truth.
The Buddha spent 45 years after His enlightenment traveling everywhere, preaching the truth, and saving sentient beings.
Buddism is one of the first world religions, and is practiced by around many million people around the world nowaday, it is a religion where the path to serenity and understanding lies in the mind of each and every one of us.
Compiled by Phap Luu Home
