Transcript Buddhism

The founder of Buddhism in this world is Buddha Shakyamuni. He was born as a
royal prince in 624 BC in a place called Lumbini, which was originally in northern
India but is now part of Nepal. 'Shakya' is the name of the royal family into which he
was born, and 'Muni' means 'Able One'. His parents gave him the name Siddhartha
and there were many wonderful predicitions about his future. In his early years he
lived as a prince in his royal palace but when he was 29 years old he retired to the
forest where he followed a spiritual life of meditation. After six years he attained
enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya, India.
The first step on that path is Right Views:
You must accept the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
The second is Right Resolve:
You must renounce the pleasures of the senses; you must harbor no
ill will toward anyone and harm no living creature.
The third is Right Speech:
Do not lie; do not slander or abuse anyone. Do not indulge in idle talk.
The fourth is Right Behavior:
Do not destroy any living creature; take only what is given to you; do
not commit any unlawful sexual act.
The fifth is Right Occupation:
You must earn your livelihood in a way that will harm no one.
The sixth is Right Effort:
You must resolve and strive heroically to prevent any evil qualities
from arising in you and to abandon any evil qualities that you may
possess. Strive to acquire good qualities and encourage those you do
possess to grow, increase, and be perfected.
The seventh is Right Contemplation:
Be observant, strenuous, alert, contemplative, and free of desire and
of sorrow.
The eighth is Right Meditation:
When you have abandoned all sensuous pleasures, all evil qualities,
both joy and sorrow, you must then enter the four degrees of
meditation, which are produced by concentration.
For Buddhism, as in Hinduism, this is the moral law of cause and
effect. People build up karma (both good and bad) as a result of
their actions. This then determines the state of existence to
which one is reborn after birth. In Buddhism, the different levels
can include hells, humans or animals in this world, or one of several
heavens.
The Four Noble Truths
The First Noble Truth is the existence of suffering. Birth is painful and
death is painful; disease and old age are painful. Not having what we desire
is painful and having what we do not desire is also painful.
The Second Noble Truth is the cause of suffering. It is the craving desire
for the pleasures of the senses, which seeks satisfaction; the craving for
happiness and prosperity in this life and in future lives.
The Third Noble Truth is the ending of suffering. To be free of suffering
one must give up, get rid of, extinguish this very craving, so that no passion
and no desire remain.
The Fourth Noble Truth leads to the ending of all pain by way of the
Eightfold Path.
It is the cessation of suffering, the liberation from karma, and therefore the
passing over into another existence. The best way to think about nirvana is that it is
the final goal of Buddhism, and that Enlightenment is the step immediately before
it. Thus one becomes aware of the nature of Ultimate Reality in Enlightenment, and
then one becomes unified with that reality in nirvana. Thus the Buddha, when he
died, passed into Nirvana, having previously attained Enlightenment during his life
and sharing it with humanity, to use their power to help other people.
Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual
development leading to Insight into the true
nature of life. Buddhist practices such as
meditation are means of changing oneself in
order to develop the qualities of awareness,
kindness, and wisdom. The experience
developed within the Buddhist tradition over
thousands of years has created an incomparable
resource for all those who wish to follow a path —
a path which ultimately culminates in
Enlightenment or Buddhahood.
There are five precepts taught by Buddhism that all Buddhists should
follow:
Kill no living thing.
Do not steal.
Do not commit adultery.
Tell no lies.
Do not drink intoxicants or take drugs.
Western term for the religious beliefs and practices of the vast majority
of the people of India. One of the oldest living religions in the world,
Hinduism is unique among the world religions in that it had no single
founder but grew over a period of 4,000 years with the religious and
cultural movements of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is composed
of innumerable sects and has no well-defined ecclesiastical
organization. Its two most general features are the caste system and
acceptance of the Veda as the most sacred scriptures.