Buddhism
Buddhism is an extremely old
religion, around 2,500 years in fact. It is host to around 300 million followers
worldwide. It originated from Northern India, and circles around the Buddha and
the path to enlightenment. The path to enlightenment can be viewed as a way of
life where one must lead a moral life, be mindful of their actions, and develop
wisdom and understanding. A Basic Buddhism Guide) Enlightenment it’s self is
called “Nirvana”. Nirvana is known as the ultimate happiness where all greed
and hate is abolished. The Buddha was the only one to reach Nirvana in his
lifetime and returned to Earth to preach the principles of Buddhism until his
death at the age of 80. The Ninian smart aspects of religion “Religious
teaching and doctrine” and “Sacred Stories, Sacred Symbols, and Rituals” apply
nicely to Buddhism.
The religious teachings of Buddhism start
with the Buddha. The Buddha was known as
the enlightened one due to him becoming enlightened. Afterwards he thought
others the path to become enlightened themselves and to understand the truth of
the world around them. Buddhists also believe that the universe is populated
with other Buddha’s and deities that assist in following the path to enlightenment.
They do this by helping us realize that the reason why humans suffer is because
of the fact that humans covet things that do not give lasting happiness. (Buddhist
Beliefs) Overall their beliefs can be summarized in four truths. Their first
belief is that life is suffering. All
the negative experiences in life including pain, age, disease, death and
loneliness are all part of being alive. Only through the teachings of the Buddha
can you escape these things. Their second belief is that all suffering is
caused by human cravings. We suffer because we expect others to conform to our
expectations. Therefore rather that constantly struggling with our desires we
should let go of our cravings. Their third truth is that suffering can be
overcome, therefore happiness can be obtained in the end. If we give up our
desires we can eventually become free. Their fourth truth is that there is a
path called the “Noble 8-fold Path” that helps followers of Buddha to attain a
state without suffering.
(A Basic Buddhism Guide)
Buddhism has many stories. One major story
would be the story of “The Lost Son”. The story tells of a widower who loved
his so. One day Bandits came to his village and burned it down, as well as
kidnapping his son. When the man found the burnt corpse of a five year old boy
he assumed it was his son and held a funeral. One day the boy escaped from his
captors and came back to the village. The man could not believe that this was
his son and shooed him away. They never say each other again. This story
illustrates the point that if we truly believe something to be true, we may
overlook the truth right in front of our eyes. (Buddhist Stories) This shows
that Buddhism is deeply rooted in its stories as they are good ways to teach
people how to live their lives.
Buddhism is host to many different
symbols, all with special meanings behind them. For example. The Swastika. This
symbol has been victim to much controversy over its use by the Nazi party of World
War II Germany. In Buddhism though, it is a simple of good fortune, as well as Buddha’s
footprints and heart. It is said to contain the whole mind of Buddha and is
frequently embedded in depictions of him. Another symbol for Buddhism would be
the lotus flower. The lotus flower signifies the grown of a soul from the
primeval mud of materialism, through the waters of experience, into the
sunshine of enlightenment. In a way this symbol is extremely beautiful, not
just in its image, but also in its symbolism. (Buddhist Symbols)
All in all, you can obviously see
that Buddhism is a wonderful religion that carries with it a very good message,
and in fact has been doing so for a very long time. It is worth studying in
detail, regardless of whether or not you play on following it.
