Buddhism

Buddhism isn't a religion.  It is an applied philosophy.  It was founded by Siddhartha Gautama who through enlightenment became The Buddha and started teaching people how to end suffering and pain in life by living them the eightfold path of Buddhism.  It is a path(middle path) that will help all living things each enlightenment and true happiness which will stop their suffering in life. Life will still be full of suffering and pain but we will be able  to be happy by understanding it, and what causes it, and what to do to live with it in our lives.  Most happiness does not last forever. There are parts of it that we can have always through Buddhism. Buddhism does not endorse an  existence of a soul or a supreme being .  Even Buddha is just a man.  He is no God. 

Buddhists do not pray to him.  We all can become Buddhas and reach the same enlightenment that the Buddha had.  Buddhism teaches that worldly things are not permanent.  We must not cling to them.  This contributes to our sufferings in life if we do cling to them.  Buddhism corrects our views about life and we learn to see it as it really is and to understand it and except it for what it really is. It is not completely pessimistic or optimistic.  The core aim is to help us see things as they really are.  We can not change life but we can change ourselves and our attitudes toward the world.  This will lead to wisdom and happiness.  Buddhism helps us develop self reliance, moral responsibility, tolerance, compassion, wisdom and many other qualities that can enrich our lives and give life meaning and add to our happiness in life.

Buddhism does not believe in a soul so when we are reborn it is not a soul moving to a new body in a new life. It is the life force from the past life that enters a new body.  This life force we are all part of.  We take what we learned with it to a new body and also the karma from past lives to it.  It is like ripples on water.  There is no conflict between Buddhism and Science.  Buddhists believe parts of Buddhism has been proven by science.  Buddhism is a strong faith and it is still growing today.  Buddha did not believe it would last this long. It is about 2,500 years old.  Buddhism teaches that we are all responsible for our own actions and that dedication and self discipline and wise judgement are keys to reaching our highest goals in life. It teaches to care for the sick and distressed among us.  We must all try to develop the qualities of the Buddha by experiencing it in life by learning the nature of humanity and suffering and the true nature of things.  Things like contentment, freedom of enjoyment, and being good are parts of happiness we can have even in pain and suffering times. Buddha is our guide and Dharma is our path and Sangha is our traveling companions on our journey to enlightenment.  These qualities are precious like a gem.  That is why they are called the Triple Gem. A Buddhist meditates on the Four Immeasurables which are Loving Kindness, Compassion, Appreciative Joy, and  Equanimity. The happiness of one depends on the happiness of all.  This includes our enemies.  When we meditate it is for all things not just for us. To become a Buddha we must take refuge in the Triple Gem.  We do this by repeating to a image of Buddha or a monk these lines; I go to the Buddha for Refuge.  I go to the Dharma for refuge.  I go to the Sangha for refuge.

Buddhists do not believe in a reward and punishment system that comes from a Supreme Being.  They believe what you reap you have sown and you are sown what you reap.  It is a circle of cause and effect with no 1st cause and life has no beginning or 1st cause.  Present actions in combination with past actions condition the future for each of us.  The law of Karma explains suffering and pain and the mysteries of fate, inequalities of man, infant prodigies, ignorance and cravings and much more in life.  We are all an indefinite number of states of being and this earthly life is just one episode among many others. Someone can be a murderer in one life time and a saint in another one.  Buddhism teaches us how to approach our responsibilities in society, and our families , and on contemporary issues in life.  It influences the everyday life of people who practice it.  Buddhists have symbols and a Iconography.  There are the eight Auspicious symbols and Dharma wheels, a symbol of a lotus, Malas, a prayer wheel, symbolic gestures of the hands, foot prints of the buddha, ritual mandalas, and bells, a Buddhist flag, seed syllable and a Vojras and others.

Buddhists are concerned with technologies, globalization, and the environment.  Many are vegetarians but some do eat meat.  The Buddha said women can be enlightened too.  They can be nuns too.  Like other religions they are discriminated against in Buddhism but this is due to societies and things that were added after Buddha died.  The new teachers teach them that they should work on being able to come back as men.  I disagree with this. I do not believe the Buddha meant for this to be the practice in Buddhism.  I believe women can be born LLamas.  This is something I do not like about Buddhism or most religions that men control.  In nature worshipping religions women are able to be priestess too.  Women are close to nature because they can give birth.  They are very in tune with it and the life force is neither male or female. It can live in both bodies once it enters them but it is sex less. We are all one and for that reason I believe we should have the same levels in all religions.

Enlightenment is Nirvana.  You have to experience it to understand it. It can not be explained very well. You know it when you get it!  It is supreme happiness and perfect wisdom.  It has no form and is uncreated.

You can not measure it or really explain it to others.  It is beyond the earth or Sun or Moon.  It is beyond fire, water or air.  It is freedom from conflict and selfishness and eradication of cravings, hatred, and delusions.  You have no ill will, ignorance, or desire. It is bliss. You can get it in this life time or some other one.  It is in your reach in any life time to find it.  I learned so much from this Buddhist class and I did research beyond the class. I am still learning about it.  I hope my paper does not come across as ramblings. It is hard to know where to start or stop and what to say about Buddhism next for me. I could write a book about what I have learned so far about it.  The class was interesting and I enjoyed it.  I am taking Spirit Quest now.

It is about Spirituality which I believe you can have with Buddhism and any religion or belief system as well.  Buddha delivered a lot of discourses to lay people about their responsibilities to family and society. In one called the Sigalovada Sutta he defines ideal relationships in the family and society.

They are based on reciprocal responsibilities between people.  By Honoring the six directions of east, south, north, west, above , and below we can honor the six kind of relationships we have also. By doing this we can achieve harmony, security, and prosperity both in our families and society.

It is a ritual where you bow to these six areas or relationships.  East is parents, south is teacher, west is spouse, north is friend, above is spiritual teacher, and below is employee. 

Suffering cannot be avoided in life. It is physical and Mental. It comes in all forms like happiness. We suffer from birth,old age,sickness and death as well as from loss of loved ones through separation and death.

We suffer when our needs and wants are not met.  We feel uncomfortable around unpleasant people or people we do not like. We suffer in various degrees.  We have suffering from desires we can not satisfy.  The list is endless.  After Buddha's experience as a prince and traveling monk he realized that we all have one thing in common and that is we see that life is full of suffering and even all the kinds of happiness we also experience does not last for ever.  The Four Truths teach us a lot  about suffering and what causes it and how to cease our suffering by following the eightfold  path.  Also by not clinging to things and viewing life right. Intention is important in Buddhism and right livihood and concentration too.  I learned about the life of Buddha as a Prince and monk and as the Buddha after enlightenment.I learned about his interactions with his contemporaries and his disciples. I learned that the Jataka tales are stories that buddha taught with. I learned about meditation and positions, and insight meditations.I learned about sitting and walking meditations. I learned about Loving Kindness meditations. I learned Buddhism history and timelines, and Monastic life style and Pilgimage and the spread of Buddhism. I learned about different types of Buddhism and the four holy sites, and festivals of Buddhism, and early disciples of Buddhism. I learned about Buddhist Holidays and dress in different countries. I learned that there are different rules for monks and nuns and lay people.  That there are different kinds of Buddhists. I am a provisional Buddhist right now.  Buddhists do not lie, steal, or gossip ,or say hurtful things even if they are true.  They do not kill and they do not exploit animals or work in jobs where they slaughter animals or buther them.  Buddhists believe we come back in higher and lower forms and that animals are people too.  The Tipitaka was written in 83 BCE at Sri Lanka in Pali language and Sinhala Script and is 11 times bigger then the Bible. It is a documented record of Buddhism. 

The eightfold path teaches us to have the right view and to understand wholesome deeds,unwholesome deeds, and comprehend the laws of Karma.  It teaches us about right intentions such as non-greed, non-hatred, and non-delusion.  We learn right speech like abstaining from false speech, malicious speech, harsh speech, and idle chatter.  It teaches right action like not killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct.  We learn right livelihood by not making a living by doing wrong and corrupt things.  Right Effort is important.  This means awakening zeal for abandoning of unwholesome states, and arising and susstaning of wholesome states.  It teaches Right mindfulness.  The four foundations of mindfulness are contemplation on body, feeling, mind, and mind objects.  We learn right Concentration by abandoning the five hindrances of lust, ill will, sloth-torpor, worry-agitation, and doubt through jhanas.  Satipattana is the four foundations.  You do not have to read the whole Tipitaka from beginning to end to understand the Four Noble Truths.  Each chapter is a sutra(synopsis), which Buddha would use to explain the Four Noble Truths to his audiences under different circumstances.  The purpose of attainment of enlightenment is to attain final liberation called Nibbana from the life death cycle.  The birth,enlightenment, and parinirvana which is death with no rebirth took place on the day of the full moon during the month of May.  It was declared Buddha Day by the United Nations.  Buddha was born in 623 BC in Napal. He was a Prince and his father was a King.  He gave up being a King to be the Buddha and live a middle life rather than a rich life.  He had compassion and hated seeing people and animals suffer.  His name means wish fulfilled. His name was Siddhartha Gautama.  He lived a sheltered life until he left the Place.

Suffering cannot be avoided in life. It is physical and Mental. It comes in all forms like happiness. We suffer from birth,old age,sickness and death as well as from loss of loved ones through separation and death.

We suffer when our needs and wants are not met.  We feel uncomfortable around unpleasant people or people we do not like. We suffer in various degrees.  We have suffering from desires we can not satisfy.  The list is endless.  After Buddha's experience as a prince and traveling monk he realized that we all have one thing in common and that is we see that life is full of suffering and even all the kinds of happiness we also experience does not last for ever.  The Four Truths teach us a lot  about suffering and what causes it and how to cease our suffering by following the eightfold  path.  Also by not clinging to things and viewing life right. Intention is important in Buddhism and right livihood and concentration too.  I learned about the life of Buddha as a Prince and monk and as the Buddha after enlightenment.I learned about his interactions with his contemporaries and his disciples. I learned that the Jataka tales are stories that buddha taught with. I learned about meditation and positions, and insight meditations.I learned about sitting and walking meditations. I learned about Loving Kindness meditations. I learned Buddhism history and timelines, and Monastic life style and Pilgimage and the spread of Buddhism. I learned about different types of Buddhism and the four holy sites, and festivals of Buddhism, and early disciples of Buddhism. I learned about Buddhist Holidays and dress in different countries. I learned that there are different rules for monks and nuns and lay people.  That there are different kinds of Buddhists. I am a provisional Buddhist right now.  Buddhists do not lie, steal, or gossip ,or say hurtful things even if they are true.  They do not kill and they do not exploit animals or work in jobs where they slaughter animals or buther them.  Buddhists believe we come back in higher and lower forms and that animals are people too.  The Tipitaka was written in 83 BCE at Sri Lanka in Pali language and Sinhala Script and is 11 times bigger then the Bible. It is a documented record of Buddhism. 

Rev. Deidre K. Hays

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