Origins and Where Buddhists Live.
The Buddhist "religion" originally started from The Great Buddha or a man by the name of Siddhartha Guatama in Nepal, India. Guatama was born into a family of royalty where he discovered that all his possessions did not lead to happiness and left his family palace to find a path to end suffering which Buddhists now call The Middle Way, meaning a path to end self-indulgence. Buddha then traveled and found a way to end suffering which he called The Four Noble Truths, which was the beginning of Buddhism. However the religion has quickly declined almost to the point of extinction due to the fact of Hinduism and it's belief of many deities, 330 million estimated which battles with the beliefs of Buddhists and God. Many of the modern day Buddhists have split into two separate major groups. One is Theravada who live in Southeast Asia. The other is the Mahayana's who live in East Asia. The transition into Asia and surrounding countries were caused by Mauryan emperor by the name of Ashoka who quickly spread the Buddhists beliefs because of his power in India.
- Basic Beliefs
Buddhism is just like any other Religion that includes traditions and beliefs to live by. Buddhists follow a certain path of life left to them by The Great Buddha to make sure that all Buddhists live to the fullest and enjoy their life, these teachings are called Dharma. Buddhists are divided into 2 sections the Theravada and the Mahayana both of which have different traditions but follow the basic teachings of Buddha such as excepting of the Eightfold Path and the Four Noble Truths as ways to end suffering, end Reincarnation, and reach the final point called Nirvana. However they both share differences such as Theravada believing in no deities but Mahayana believing in "Divine Beings" taking the form of celestial Buddha's such as The Laughing Buddha. Buddhists also follow a set of precepts that include but,are not limited to, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not lie, Do not abuse sex, and Do not consume alcohol or drugs. Like all teachings of The Great Buddha the 5 Precepts are guidelines but not truly commandments like Christianity and Judaism. These are the true things that make Buddhism a truly different religion then any religion in the world today.
- The Eightfold Path
The Eightfold Path refers to a teaching of Buddha as to how people can
achieve freedom from the cycle of Reincarnation andtruly reach Nirvana.
The Eightfold Path includes-
-Panna or wisdom that can help free the mind of negativity, these include
1) Samma Ditthi- Right Understanding of the Four Noble Truths
2) Samma Sankappa- Right thinking.
- Sila or Virtue and mortality of deeds or actions, these include
3) Samma vaca- Right speech: which include no lying or gossiping and criticisms
4) Samma kammanta- Right conduct by following the Five Precepts
5) Samma ajiva- Right livelihood; supporting yourself while not hurting others physically
-Samadhi or Concentration of the body and mind as one, these include
6) Samma vayama Right Effort- promote good thoughts; conquer evil thoughts
7) Samma sati Right Mindfulness- Become aware of your body and your mind
8) Samma samadhi Right Concentration- Meditate to achieve a higher state of consciousness such as yoga
-Panna or wisdom that can help free the mind of negativity, these include
1) Samma Ditthi- Right Understanding of the Four Noble Truths
2) Samma Sankappa- Right thinking.
- Sila or Virtue and mortality of deeds or actions, these include
3) Samma vaca- Right speech: which include no lying or gossiping and criticisms
4) Samma kammanta- Right conduct by following the Five Precepts
5) Samma ajiva- Right livelihood; supporting yourself while not hurting others physically
-Samadhi or Concentration of the body and mind as one, these include
6) Samma vayama Right Effort- promote good thoughts; conquer evil thoughts
7) Samma sati Right Mindfulness- Become aware of your body and your mind
8) Samma samadhi Right Concentration- Meditate to achieve a higher state of consciousness such as yoga
- The 4 Noble Truths of Buddhism
The 4 noble truths refer to the teaching of Buddha that proclaims about human suffering and the need to end it to lead to a fulfilling life. They may be defined as the following-
1) Dukkha- Suffering exists everywhere and can cause sadness and physical pain.
2) Samudaya- There is always a cause for suffering which includes anger and forms of sensual desires.
3) Nirodha- It is possible to end suffering through Nirvana which completely frees the mind of all desires and cravings.
4) Magga- In order to end suffering the reach Nirvana, one must follow the Eightfold Path.
1) Dukkha- Suffering exists everywhere and can cause sadness and physical pain.
2) Samudaya- There is always a cause for suffering which includes anger and forms of sensual desires.
3) Nirodha- It is possible to end suffering through Nirvana which completely frees the mind of all desires and cravings.
4) Magga- In order to end suffering the reach Nirvana, one must follow the Eightfold Path.
