Buddhism

is a major global religion with a complex history and system of beliefs.

The following is intended only to introduce Buddhism's history and

fundamental tenets, and by no means covers the religion exhaustively. To

learn more about Buddhism, please look through our Web Resources section

for other in-depth, online sources of information.

Siddhartha Gautama: The BuddhaBuddha Statue

Historians estimate that the founder of Buddhism,

Siddhartha Gautama, lived from 566(?) to 480(?) B.C. The son of an Indian

warrior-king, Gautama led an extravagant life through early adulthood,

reveling in the privileges of his social caste. But when he bored of the

indulgences of royal life, Gautama wandered into the world in search of

understanding. After encountering an old man, an ill man, a corpse and an

ascetic, Gautama was convinced that suffering lay at the end of all

existence. He renounced his princely title and became a monk, depriving

himself of worldly possessions in the hope of comprehending the truth of the world around him. The

culmination of his search came while meditating beneath a tree, where he

finally understood how to be free from suffering, and ultimately, to

achieve salvation. Following this epiphany, Gautama was known as the

Buddha, meaning the "Enlightened One." The Buddha spent the

remainder of his life journeying about India, teaching others what he had

come to understand.

The Four Noble Truths

Four Noble Truths

The Four Noble Truths comprise the essence of

Buddha's teachings, though they leave much left unexplained. They are the

truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the

end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of

suffering. More simply put, suffering exists; it has a cause; it has an

end; and it has a cause to bring about its end. The notion of suffering is

not intended to convey a negative world view, but rather, a pragmatic

perspective that deals with the world as it is, and attempts to rectify

it. The concept of pleasure is not denied, but acknowledged as fleeting.

Pursuit of pleasure can only continue what is ultimately an unquenchable

thirst. The same logic belies an understanding of happiness. In the end,

only aging, sickness, and death are certain and unavoidable.

The Four Noble Truths are a contingency plan for

dealing with the suffering humanity faces -- suffering of a physical kind,

or of a mental nature. The First Truth identifies the presence of

suffering. The Second Truth, on the other hand, seeks to determine the

cause of suffering. In Buddhism, desire and ignorance lie at the root of

suffering. By desire, Buddhists refer to craving pleasure, material goods,

and immortality, all of which are wants that can never be satisfied. As a

result, desiring them can only bring suffering. Ignorance, in comparison,

relates to not seeing the world as it actually is. Without the capacity

for mental concentration and insight, Buddhism explains, one's mind is

left undeveloped, unable to grasp the true nature of things. Vices, such

as greed, envy, hatred and anger, derive from this ignorance.

The Third Noble Truth, the truth of the end of

suffering, has dual meaning, suggesting either the end of suffering in

this life, on earth, or in the spiritual life, through achieving Nirvana.

When one has achieved Nirvana, which is a transcendent state free from

suffering and our worldly cycle of birth and rebirth, spiritual

enlightenment has been reached. The Fourth Noble truth charts the method

for attaining the end of suffering, known to Buddhists as the Noble

Eightfold Path. The steps of the Noble Eightfold Path are Right

Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right

Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration.

Moreover, there are three themes into which the Path is divided: good

moral conduct (Understanding, Thought, Speech); meditation and mental

development (Action, Livelihood, Effort), and wisdom or insight

(Mindfulness and Concentration).

KarmaKarma

Contrary to what is accepted in contemporary

society, the Buddhist interpretation of karma does not refer to

preordained fate. Karma refers to good or bad actions a person takes

during her lifetime. Good actions, which involve either the absence of bad

actions, or actual positive acts, such as generosity, righteousness, and

meditation, bring about happiness in the long run. Bad actions, such as

lying, stealing or killing, bring about unhappiness in the long run. The

weight that actions carry is determined by five conditions: frequent,

repetitive action; determined, intentional action; action performed

without regret; action against extraordinary persons; and action toward

those who have helped one in the past. Finally, there is also neutral

karma, which derives from acts such as breathing, eating or sleeping.

Neutral karma has no benefits or costs.

The Cycle of Rebirth

Karma plays out in the Buddhism cycle of rebirth.

There are six separate planes into which any living being can be reborn --

three fortunate realms, and three unfortunate realms. Those with

favorable, positive karma are reborn into one of the fortunate realms: the

realm of demigods, the realm of gods, and the realm of men. While the

demigods and gods enjoy gratification unknown to men, they also suffer

unceasing jealousy and envy. The realm of man is considered the highest

realm of rebirth. Humanity lacks some of the extravagances of the demigods

and gods, but is also free from their relentless conflict. Similarly,

while inhabitants of the three unfortunate realms -- of animals, ghosts

and hell -- suffer untold suffering, the suffering of the realm of man is

far less.

The realm of man also offers one other aspect

lacking in the other five planes, an opportunity to achieve enlightenment,

or Nirvana. Given the sheer number of living things, to be born human is

to Buddhists a precious chance at spiritual bliss, a rarity that one

should not forsake.
Basics of Buddhism - PBS