buddhism

introduction

Whenever an individual would think about Buddhism, the usual thoughts would be worshipping to a Buddha as their god, as well as the Christians worship for Christ, Muslims praise Allah, but in reality, Buddhists relies on following the teachings of Buddha in order to achieve the enlightenment of one’s life. It teaches the cycle of a human, of its life condition, in which a human being experiences two different aspects in a cycle – pleasure and pain. Moreover, Buddhism is identified as a religion, but for some scholars, it should be classified as a philosophical system as it discusses about the nature of mind of a person despite of its beliefs and ritual practices. Siddharta Gautama is said to be their so called “Buddha”, also called as Buddha Sakyamuni, in which they respect the most in the religion or dharma, Buddhism. He is believed to be “the enlightened one”, “the one who knows”, or “the awakened one”. The said religion believes that it builds the Buddhas life experiences of being enlightened 2,500 years ago.

Buddhism is a tradition that focuses on personal spiritual development. Buddhists strive for a deep insight into the true nature of life and do not worship gods or deities. Siddharta Gautama is said to be their so called “Buddha”. He is believed to be “the enlightened one”, “the one who knows”, or “the awakened one”.

Buddha’s teachings are continuously taught, it is recorded documents that’s preserved by his followers, and it is called their “canon”. In which it is divided into three separate canons. These contains commentaries, codes of conduct, and stories about the Buddha and its followers. It also contains intercations of Buddha and its disciples called as suttas or sutras in Sanskrit. The oldest canon is called the Pali Canon also called as Tipitaka, that literally means “the three baskets”, and authoritative writings adopted by the school named Theraveda. The three common canons were of each three major schools that recognizes their own set of writings. These three major schools are

Theraveda, Mahayana, and Vajrayana.

The name means 'the doctrine of the elders' - the elders being the senior Buddhist monks.

This school of Buddhism believes that it has remained closest to the original teachings of the Buddha. However, it does not over-emphasise the status of these teachings in a fundamentalist way - they are seen as tools to help people understand the truth, and not as having merit of their own.

The Mahayana and Vajrayana school

also had its own set of authoritative writings. The Mahayana School produced its own set of writing that was almost similar to the Pali Canon, but had its difference with its additional body of literature from other sources. But one major difference is the usage of Sanskrit that may mean that it was intended for a larger, broader audience.

Beliefs

The Four Noble Truths

contain the essence of the Buddha's teachings. It was these four principles that the Buddha came to understand during his meditation under the bodhi tree.

The truth of suffering (Dukkha)
The truth of the origin of suffering (Samudāya)
The truth of the cessation of suffering (Nirodha)
The truth of the path to the cessation of suffering (Magga)

Karma

is a concept encountered in several Eastern religions, although having different meanings. Teachings about karma explain that our past actions affect us, either positively or negatively, and that our present actions will affect us in the future.

People

Dalai Lama

is the head monk of Tibetan Buddhism and traditionally has been responsible for the governing of Tibet, until the Chinese government took control in 1959. Before 1959, his official residence was Potala Palace in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.

Noble Eightfold Path

in which it contains the summarized Buddha’s Middle Way. The Middle Way refers to “what leads to knowledge and liberation from suffering”. The Noble Eightfold Path is based on improving the three important dimensions of a person.