What Is Buddhism ?
The Buddhist Society of Western Australia
Introduction
For more than 2,500 years, the religion we know today asBuddhism has been the primary inspiration behind many successful civilizations, the sourceof great cultural achievements and a lasting and meaningful guide to the very purpose oflife for millions of people. Today, large numbers of men and women from diversebackgrounds throughout our world are following the Teachings of the Buddha. So who was theBuddha and what are His Teachings ?
The Buddha
The man who was to become the Buddha was born SiddhatthaGotama around 2,600 years ago as a Prince of a small territory near what is now theIndian-Nepalese border. Though he was raised in splendid comfort, enjoying aristocraticstatus, no amount of material pleasure could satisify the enquiring and philosophic natureof the young man. At the age of 29 he left palace and family to search for a deepermeaning in the secluded forests and remote mountains of North-East India. He studied underthe wisest religious teachers and philosophers of his time, learning all they had tooffer, but he found it was not enough. He then struggled alone with the path of self-mortification, taking that practice to the extremes of asceticism, but still to no avail.
Then, at the age of 35, on the full moon night of May, hesat beneath the branches of what is now known as the Bodhi Tree, in a secluded grove bythe banks of the river Neranjara, and developed his mind in deep but luminous, tranquilmeditation. Using the extraordinary clarity of such a mind with its sharp penetrativepower generated by states of deep inner stillness, he turned his attention to investigateupon the hidden meanings of mind, universe and life. Thus he gained the supremeEnlightenment experience and from that time on he was known as the Buddha. HisEnlightenment consisted of the most profound and all-embracing insight into the nature ofmind and all phenomena. This Enlightenment was not a revelation from some divine being,but a discovery made by Himself and based on the deepest level of meditation and theclearest experience of the mind. It meant that He was no longer subject to craving,ill-will and delusion but was free from their shackles, having attained the completeending of all forms of inner suffering and acquired unshakeable peace.
The Teachings of the Buddha
Having realized the goal of Perfect Enlightenment, theBuddha spent the next 45 years teaching a Path which, when diligently followed, will takeanyone regardless of race, class or gender to that same Perfect Enlightenment. TheTeachings about this Path are called the Dhamma, literally meaning "the natureof all things" or "the truth underlying existence". It is beyond the scopeof this pamphlet to present a thorough description of all of these Teachings but thefollowing 7 topics will give you an overview of what the Buddha taught:
1. The way of Inquiry
The Buddha warned strongly against blind faith andencouraged the way of truthful inquiry. In one of His best known sermons, the KalamaSutta, the Buddha pointed out the danger in fashioning one's beliefs merely on thefollowing grounds: on hearsay, on tradition, because many others say it is so, on theauthority of ancient scriptures, on the word of a supernatural being, or out of trust inone's teachers, elders, or priests. Instead one maintains an open mind and thoroughlyinvestigates one's own experience of life. When one sees for oneself that a particularview agrees with both experience and reason, and leads to the happiness of one and all,then one should accept that view and live up to it !
This principle, of course, applies to the Buddha's ownTeachings. They should be considered and inquired into using the clarity of mind born ofmeditation. Only when one sees these Teachings for oneself in the experience of insight,do these Teachings become one's Truth and give blissful liberation.
The traveller on the way of inquiry needs the practice oftolerance. Tolerance does not mean that one embraces every idea or view but means onedoesn't get angry at what one can't accept.
Further along the journey, what one once disagreed withmight later be seen to be true. So in the spirit of tolerant inquiry, here are some moreof the basic Teachings as the Buddha gave them.
2. The Four Noble Truths
The main Teaching of the Buddha focuses not onphilosophical speculations about a Creator God or the origin of the universe, nor on aheaven world ever after. The Teaching, instead, is centred on the down-to- earth realityof human suffering and the urgent need to find lasting relief from all forms ofdiscontent. The Buddha gave the simile of a man shot by a poison-tipped arrow who, beforehe would call a doctor to treat him, demanded to know first who shot the arrow and wherethe arrow was made and of what and by whom and when and where . . . this foolish man wouldsurely die before his questions could be well answered. In the same way, the Buddha said,the urgent need of our existence is to find lasting relief from recurrent suffering whichrobs us of happiness and leaves us in strife.
Philosophical speculations are of secondary importanceand, anyway, they are best left until after one has well trained the mind in meditation tothe stage where one has the ability to examine the matter clearly and find the Truth foroneself.
Thus, the central Teaching of the Buddha, around which allother teachings revolve is the Four Noble Truths :
1. That all forms of being, human and otherwise, areafflicted with suffering.
2. That the cause of this suffering is Craving, born of the illusion of a soul (see below,note 7).
3. That this suffering has a lasting end in the Experience of Enlightenment (Nibbana)which is the complete letting go of the illusion of soul and all consequent desire andaversion.
4. That this peaceful and blissful Enlightenment is achieved through a gradual training, aPath which is called the Middle Way or the Eightfold Path.
It would be mistaken to label this Teaching as 'pessimistic'on the grounds that it begins by centring on suffering. Rather, Buddhism is 'realistic'in that it unflinchingly faces up to the truth of life's many sufferings and it is 'optimistic'in that it shows a final end of the problem of suffering - Nibbana, Enlightenmentin this very life ! Those who have achieved this ultimate peace are the inspiring exampleswho demonstrate once and for all that Buddhism is far from pessimistic, but it is aPath to true Happiness.
3. The Middle Way orEightfold Path
The Way to end all suffering is called the Middle Waybecause it avoids the two extremes of sensual indulgence and self-mortification. Only whenthe body is in reasonable comfort but not over-indulged has the mind the clarity andstrength to meditate deeply and discover the Truth. This Middle Way consists of thediligent cultivation of Virtue, Meditation and Wisdom, which is explained in more detailas the Noble Eightfold Path.
1. Right Understanding,
2. Right Thought,
3. Right Speech,
4. Right Action,
5. Right Livelihood,
6. Right Effort,
7. Right Mindfulness,
8. Right Concentration.
Right Speech, Action and Livelihood constitute thetraining in Virtue or Morality. For a practising Buddhist it consists of maintainingthe five Buddhist Precepts, which are to refrain from :
1. Deliberately causing the death of any living being ;
2. Intentionally taking for one's own the property of another ;
3. Sexual misconduct, in particular adultery ;
4. Lying and breaking promises ;
5. Drinking alcohol or taking stupefying drugs which lead to lack of mindfulness.
Right Effort, Mindfulness and Concentration refer to thepractice of Meditation, which purifies the mind through the experience of blissful statesof inner stillness and empowers the mind to penetrate the meaning of life through profoundmoments of insight.
Right Understanding and Thought are the manifestation ofBuddha-Wisdom which ends all suffering, transforms the personality and producesunshakeable serenity and tireless compassion.
According to the Buddha, without perfecting the practiceof Virtue it is impossible to perfect Meditation, and without perfecting Meditation it isimpossible to arrive at Enlightenment Wisdom. Thus the Buddhist Path is a Gradual Path, aMiddle Way consisting of Virtue, Meditation and Wisdom as explained in the NobleEightfold Path leading to happiness and liberation.
4. Kamma
Kamma means 'action'. The Law of Kamma means that thereare inescapable results of our actions. There are deeds of body, speech or mind that leadto others' harm, one's own harm, or to the harm of both. Such deeds are called bad (or'unwholesome') kamma. They are usually motivated by greed, hatred or delusion. Becausethey bring painful results, they should not be done.
There are also deeds of body, speech or mind that lead toothers' well being, one's own well being, or to the well being of both. Such deeds arecalled good (or 'wholesome') kamma. They are usually motivated by generosity, compassionor wisdom. Because they bring happy results, they should be done as often as possible.
Thus much of what one experiences is the result of one'sown previous kamma. When misfortune occurs, instead of blaming someone else, one can lookfor any fault in one's own past conduct. If a fault is found, the experience of itsconsequences will make one more careful in the future. When happiness occurs, instead oftaking it for granted, one can look to see if it is the result of good kamma. If so, theexperience of its pleasant results will encourage more good kamma in the future.
The Buddha pointed out that no being whatsoever, divine orotherwise, has any power to stop the consequences of good and bad kamma. The fact that onereaps just what one sows gives to the Buddhist a greater incentive to avoid all forms ofbad kamma while doing as much good kamma as possible.
Though one cannot escape the results of bad kamma, one canlessen their effect. A spoon of salt mixed in a glass of pure water makes the whole verysalty, whereas the same spoon of salt mixed in a freshwater lake hardly changes the tasteof the water. Similarly, the result of a bad kamma in a person habitually doing only asmall amount of good kamma is painful indeed, whereas the result of the same bad kamma ina person habitually doing a great deal of good kamma is only mildly felt.
This natural Law of Kamma becomes the force behind, andreason for, the practice of morality and compassion in our society.
5. Rebirth
The Buddha remembered clearly many of His past lives. Eventoday, many Buddhist monks, nuns and others also remember their past lives. Such a strongmemory is a result of deep meditation. For those who remember their past life, Rebirth isan established fact which puts this life in a meaningful perspective.
The Law of Kamma can only be understood in the frameworkof many lifetimes, because it sometimes takes this long for Kamma to bear its fruit. ThusKamma and Rebirth offer a plausible explanation to the obvious inequalities of birth; whysome are born into great wealth whereas others are born into pathetic poverty; why somechildren enter this world healthy and full-limbed whereas others enter deformed anddiseased... The fruits of bad Kamma are not regarded as a punishment for evil deeds but aslessons from which to learn, for example, how much better to learn about the need forgenerosity than to be reborn among the poor!
Rebirth takes place not only within this human realm. TheBuddha pointed out that the realm of human beings is but one among many. There are manyseparate heavenly realms and grim lower realms, too, realms of the animals and realms ofthe ghosts. Not only can human beings go to any of these realms in the next life, but wecan come from any of these realms into our present life. This explains a common objectionagainst Rebirth that argues "How can there be Rebirth when there are 10 times as manypeople alive today than there were 50 years ago?" The answer is that people alivetoday have come from many different realms.
Understanding that we can come and go between thesedifferent realms, gives us more respect and compassion for the beings in these realms. Itis unlikely, for example, that one would exploit animals when one has seen the link ofRebirth that connects them with us.
6. No Creator God
The Buddha pointed out that no God or priest nor any otherkind of being has the power to interfere in the working out of someone else's Kamma.Buddhism, therefore, teaches the individual to take full responsibility for themselves.For example, if you want to be wealthy then be trustworthy, diligent and frugal, or if youwant to live in a heaven realm then always be kind to others. There is no God to askfavours from, or to put it another way, there is no corruption possible in the workings of Kamma.
Do Buddhists believe that a Supreme Being created theuniverse? Buddhists would first ask which universe do you mean? This present universe,from the moment of the 'big bang' up to now, is but one among countless millions inBuddhist cosmology. The Buddha gave an estimate of the age of a single universe-cycle ofaround 37,000 million years which is quite plausible when compared to modern astrophysics.After one universe- cycle ends another begins, again and again, according to impersonallaw. A Creator God is redundant in this scheme.
No being is a Supreme Saviour, according to the Buddha,because whether God, human, animal or whatever, all are subject to the Law of Kamma. Eventhe Buddha had no power to save. He could only point out the Truth so that the wise couldsee it for themselves. Everyone must take responsibility for their own future well being,and it is dangerous to give that responsibility to another.
7. The Illusion of Soul
The Buddha taught that there is no soul, no essential andpermanent core to a living being. Instead, that which we call a 'living being', human orother, can be seen to be but a temporary coming together of many activities and parts -when complete it is called a 'living being', but after the parts separate and theactivities cease it is not called a 'living being' anymore. Like an advanced computerassembled of many parts and activities, only when it is complete and performs coherenttasks is it called a 'computer', but after the parts are disconnected and the activitiescease it is no longer called a 'computer'. No essential permanent core can be found whichwe can truly call 'the computer', just so, no essential permanent core can be found whichwe can call 'the soul'.
Yet Rebirth still occurs without a soul. Consider thissimile: on a Buddhist shrine one candle, burnt low, is about to expire. A monk takes a newcandle and lights it from the old. The old candle dies, the new candle burns bright. Whatwent across from the old candle to the new ? There was a causal link but no thing wentacross ! In the same way, there was a causal link between your previous life and yourpresent life, but no soul has gone across.
Indeed, the illusion of a soul is said by the Buddha to bethe root cause of all human suffering. The illusion of 'soul' manifests as the 'Ego'. Thenatural unstoppable function of the Ego is to control. Big Egos want to control the world,average Egos try to control their immediate surroundings of home, family and workplace,and almost all Egos strive to control what they take to be their own body and mind. Suchcontrol manifests as desire and aversion, it results in a lack of both inner peace andouter harmony. It is this Ego that seeks to acquire possessions, manipulate others andexploit the environment. Its aim is its own happiness but it invariably producessuffering. It craves for satisfaction but it experiences discontent. Such deep- rootedsuffering cannot come to an end until one sees, through deep and powerful meditation, thatthe idea 'me and mine' is no more than a mirage.
These seven topics are a sample of what the Buddha taught.Now, to complete this brief sketch of Buddhism, let's look at how these Teachings arepractised today.
Types of Buddhism
One could say that there is only one type of Buddhism andthat is the huge collection of Teachings that were spoken by the Buddha. The originalTeachings are found in the 'Pali Canon', the ancient scripture of TheravadaBuddhism, which is widely accepted as the oldest reliable record of the Buddha'swords. Theravada Buddhism is the dominant religion in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodiaand Laos.
Between 100 to 200 years after the passing away of theBuddha, the Sangha (the monastic community) split over the political question of 'Who runsthe Sangha ?' A controversy over some monastic rules was decided by a committee of Arahats(fully Enlightened monks or nuns) against the views of the majority of monks. Thedisgruntled majority resented what they saw as the excessive influence of the small numberof Arahats in monastery affairs. From then on, over a period of several decades, thedisaffected majority partially succeeded in lowering the exalted status of the Arahat andraising in its place the ideal of the Bodhisattva (an unenlightened being training to be aBuddha). Previously unknown scriptures, supposedly spoken by the Buddha and hidden in thedragon world, then appeared giving a philosophical justification for the superiority ofthe Bodhisattva over the allegedly 'selfish' Arahat. This group of monks and nuns werefirst known as the 'Maha Sangha', meaning 'the great (part) of the monastic community'.Later, after impressive development, they called themselves the 'Mahayana',the 'Greater Vehicle' while quite disparagingly calling the older Theravada 'Hinayana',the 'Inferior Vehicle'. Mahayana still retains most of the original teachings of theBuddha (in the Chinese scriptures these are known as the 'Agama' and in the Tibetanversion as the 'Kangyur') but these core teachings were mostly overwhelmed by layers ofexpansive interpretations and wholly new ideas. The Mahayana of China, still vibrant inTaiwan, reflects an earlier phase of this development, the Mahayana of Vietnam, Korea andJapan (mostly Zen) is a later development, and the Mahayana of Tibet and Mongolia is amuch later development still.
Buddhism's relevance to the world today
Today, Buddhism continues to gain ever wider acceptance inmany lands far beyond its original home. Here in Australia, many Australians through theirown careful choice are adopting Buddhism's peaceful, compassionate and responsible ways.
The Buddhist Teaching of the Law of Kamma offers oursociety a just and incorruptible foundation and reason for the practice of a moral life.It is easy to see how a wider embracing of the Law of Kamma would lead any country towardsa stronger, more caring and virtuous society.
The Teaching of Rebirth places this present short lifetimeof ours in a broader perspective, giving more meaning to the vital events of birth anddeath. The understanding of Rebirth removes so much of the tragedy and grief surroundingdeath and turns one's attention to the quality of a lifetime, rather than its mere length.
From the very beginning, the practice of meditation hasbeen at the very heart of the Buddhist Way. Today, meditation grows increasingly popularas the proven benefits to both mental and physical well being become more widely known.When stress is shown to be such a major cause of human suffering, the quieting practice ofmeditation becomes ever more valued.
Today's world is too small and vulnerable to live angryand alone, thus the need for tolerance, love and compassion is so very important. Thesequalities of mind, essential for happiness are formally developed in Buddhist meditationand then diligently put into practice in everyday life.
Forgiveness and gentle tolerance, harmlessness andpeaceful compassion are well known trademarks of Buddhism, they are given freely andbroadly to all kinds of beings, including animals of course, and also, most importantly,to oneself. There is no place for dwelling in guilt or self-hatred in Buddhism, not even aplace for feeling guilty about feeling guilty!
Teachings and practices such as these are what bring aboutqualities of gentle kindness and unshakeable serenity, identified with the Buddhistreligion for 25 centuries and sorely needed in today's world. In all its long history, nowar has ever been fought in the name of Buddhism. It is this peace and this tolerance,growing out of a profound yet reasonable philosophy, which makes Buddhism so vitallyrelevant to today's world.
Buddhist Society ofWestern Australia
Dhammaloka Buddhist Centre
18 Nanson Way - Nollamara. WA 6061
AUSTRALIA - Tel. (61-8) 9345 1711