With a focus on compassion, goodwill and enlightenment, it’s no wonder that so many individuals subscribe to Buddhist teachings. Those who follow Buddhism are leading lives of moral uprightness with a genuine desire to make the world a better place. They aspire to be beings who are conscious of not only themselves, but also of the realities of the world. They come to terms with the maladies of life in order to achieve true contentedness. For those of you who want to scratch the surface of Buddhism, we at ENTITY, with the help of the For Dummies website, have provided a short summary of some of the basic principles of Buddhism.
Buddha is not considered a god; rather, he is an example of a role model who reached enlightenment. The first true Buddha was Siddhartha Gautama, a royal and especially indulgent member of his caste. When material objects and privilege no longer satisfied him, he left to attempt to gain a greater understanding of the world. When he returned, he renounced his title and became a monk. In his journey, he achieved the understanding that now shapes the religion of Buddhism.
Suffering exists. There is no such thing as a life or a world without pain. Perfection does not exist, and it never will.
The reason for unhappiness is simply that humans do not accept that life is full of suffering. You must accept the existence of hardships.
You don’t have to suffer. By letting go of your desire for perfection, you can achieve enlightenment in your life.
End of suffering. Once you give up your notions of desire and realize that your unquenchable desires are the cause of your difficulty to be happy, you will reach nirvana. To reach nirvana, you must follow the eightfold path to enlightenment.
The eightfold path consists of:
Right View: Attaining a universal, rather than individualistic, way of seeing things. You are understanding of the nature of reality and accept it.
Right Intention: Freeing yourself of personal emotions or viewpoints and acting from love and compassion.
Right Speech: Attained only when you deliver ideas solely through non-harmful and honest communication.
Right Action: Living a life where you don’t objectify or exploit others.
Right Livelihood: Supporting yourself by means that are ethical and do not exploit others.
Right Effort: Using your time and energy toward actions that support the overall well-being of the world.
Right Mindfulness: Developing an awareness of the world, others, and yourself.
Right Concentration: Focusing on your goal in life, and then letting that goal become part of who you are. It represents the creation of a truly genuine desire to uphold compassionate ideals within yourself.
As with all religions, there are actions that are explicitly frowned upon by Buddhists. They are divided into three categories: body, speech and mind. In body, one must not kill, steal or take part in sexual misconduct. In speech, one must not lie, manipulate others, speak ill of others or partake in gossip. In mind, one must combat cravings, distraction from the ideals and delusion of one’s understanding of self and world.
Within your life and past lives, you build up a store of good and bad karma. This karma determines whether or not you can move up in your next life. There are six different realms in which you can be reborn. Once you achieve nirvana, your cycle of rebirth ends.
Though there are many other ideals and tenets of Buddhism, we hope that our summary suffices to give you an accurate overall view of Buddhism as a base. If your interest is sparked, continue on down the peaceful road of Buddhism.
