A lot of the myths and other stories are based on the history of Buddhism. The start of Buddhism dates back to 580 BC, when Buddha Siddhartha Gautama was born in the Lumbini, Southern Nepal. When Siddhartha was only a few days old, it is said that a holy man prophesied over the newborn prince. It was foretold that Siddhartha would either be a great ruler, taking over his father role or a great spiritual teacher. His father, the king preferred the first outcome and prepared his son accordingly for this. He raised his son in great luxury and shielded him from any knowledge of human suffering or religion. At the age of 29, the prince still was had little experience outside the castle wall. He was oblivious to the realities of old age, sickness and death. Overcome with curiosity, one day the prince asked a charioteer to take him on a ride though the countryside. While on these journeys ‘’he was shocked by the sight of an aged man, then a sick man, and then a corpse. The stark realities of old age, disease, and death seized and sickened the prince.’’ (Barbara O’Brien,2019). He then saw a wandering ascetic. The ascetic was someone who renounced the world and sought release from the fear of suffering and death. These encounters would be known as the Four Passing Sights in Buddhism. The prince went back to live in the palace for awhile but all the goods and luxuries that used to give him pleasure now seemed grotesque. That night he shaved his head and put on a beggar’s robe. He then began his quest for enlightenment.
He began his quest by searching for renowned teachers. They taught Siddhartha about many religious philosophies as well as how to meditate. After he had learned al that they had to teach his questions and doubts still remained. His companions left him when he accepted a bowl of rice milk from a young girl because they thought that Siddhartha had given up his quest. Siddhartha sat next to a scared fig tree (Ficus religiosa) known as the Bodhi tree. It was there he meditated. The struggle with his mind came to be a battle with Mara. Mara brought vast armies to attack Siddhartha who sat still, untouched by them. Maras most beautiful daughter was brought to try and seduce him, but this still failed. Mara finally claimed that the seat of enlightenment was rightfully his, that his spiritual accomplishments were greater than Siddhartha’s Mara challenged Siddharth and he touched the earth and the earth roared ‘’ I bear your witness!’’ Mara then disappeared. Siddhartha realised enlightenment and became a Buddha.
Buddha was reluctant to teach at first because what he had realised could not be communicated with words. Only through clarity of mind and discipline would delusions go away and one could experience the Great Reality. Those who listened without that direct experience would be stuck inn conceptualisations and would misunderstand anything he said. Still, compassion had persuaded him to attempt to teach others what he had realised. After enlightenment, he went to deer park in Isipatana. He found the five companions that had abandoned him and preached his first sermon. This sermon is Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta and it centres around the Four Noble Truths. The buddha prescribed a path of practice that people could follow and can realise enlightenment for themselves. He devoted himself to teaching hundreds of followers. Buddha eventually became reunited with his father and his family he left behind. His wife, Yasodhara, became a disciple and a nun. His son, Rahula, became a novice monk at the age of seven and spent the rest of his life following his father. When Buddha was 80, he entered Parinirvana, leaving his physical body. By doing this he left the endless cycle of death and rebirth.
The ethical principles and moral codes came from Gautama Buddha. These include the Five Percept’s /virtues and the Noble Eightfold path to enlightenment. Buddha viewed that Right Speech as abstinence from deception, lying, idle chatter and slander. Buddha said in a positive way, that he advocated speaking but when necessary, with honesty, mindfulness and loving-kindness. The emphasis of this is to behave so as not to harm living beings physically, spiritually or emotionally. A Buddhist lives by these ethical and moral codes as part of everyday lives.
The fundamental beliefs and philosophical principles of Buddhism are that all our suffering stems as a result of an undisciplined mind; this untamed mind comes about because of negative emotions like jealousy, hatred and ignorance. For a Buddhist monk, regardless of whether they follow the Fundamental vehicle, Theravada, negative emotions are and will always be an obstacle that monks will have to clear their mind of, ‘’And it is only by applying methods for training the mind that these negative emotions can be dispelled and eliminated’’(Dr Michael Loughnane). Therefore, Buddhist teachings and writings we find such an extensive explanation of the mind and its different process and functions for getting rid of negative emotions. The methods needed to get rid of these negative emotions must be developed from within. ‘’There is no alternative. They cannot be removed by some external technique, like a surgical operation’’ (ibid).
The unavoidable truth for Buddha is that everyone who needed to face the journey to enlightenment was that all life is unsatisfactory, dukkha, beset with longing/unhappiness/trouble /unfulfilled desire. There are 5 Skandhas, that together constitute the human individual: Rupa (form); Samjna (perception); Vedana (feelings); and Vijnana (Consciousness). Through Samsara, these are cleansed so that eventually, through the right practice and meditation the person will become free.
Whatever road of Buddhism one follows, the aim of a Buddhists life is to become free of the cycle of Samsura and reach Nirvana. This can only be accomplished by achieving enlightenment (Bodhi) through meditation. The core beliefs and values provide followers with the teachings and when these teachings are applied to someone’s own lifestyle in a very practical manner in order to attain Nirvana. The values of karma and metta play a major role int the lives of followers to create good karma and escape samsara. The basic and simplest obligation is to realise that all life is suffering and the only way that you can overcome this is to accept the truth and employ every possible means to surmount it. “If a man lives a pure life…and has conquered greed, nothing can limit his happiness and freedom”. Buddha
The eightfold path is represented on the dharma wheel, eight spokes each represent a phase in the eightfold path. This wheel shows the elimination of the repeated cycle of being born and dying and lack of samsara. You can stop it through the acceptance and practice of the Buddhist doctrine.
The vajra consist of 3,5 or 9 spokes. There are peaceful and wrathful vajras and they are normally seen with a bell. Together they represent male and female aspects. The bell is held in the right hand and this represents the female principles. It is associated with emptiness, wisdom and nirvana. The vajra is held in the left hand and represents male principles. Its associated with compassion and skill and is regarded as indestructible and has the power to cut through ignorance.
The swastika has been a symbol that has been intensely charged as it was adapted to represent an extremely violent and hateful movement by the Nazis. Despite this, in India the word means “good fortune.” Many scholars believe that it represents the Sun and cycle of life, while Buddhists see it as a representation of Buddha’s path. Many suttas were written with this symbol at the beginning.
The early texts in Buddhism describes a gathering of five hundred arhats for the soul purpose of standardising the Buddha’s teachings after his death. It wasn’t for centuries later that the Buddhist texts were recorded. The earliest texts in Buddhism have preserved the teachings of the Buddha in a form that reflects oral transmission.
Today in Buddhism, the Buddhist canon is not a uniform collection because many different schools and sects have emerged over the time since the first canonical collection was formed. There is a Pali canon, which is the earliest of the canons, which consist of the Tripitaka. The Tripitaka contains 2184 total sacred tales and writings to help guide Buddhist communities. It is divided into three baskets. out theguidelines and rules on how to live a monastic life. The second basket is about discourse. It contains a collection of Buddha’s sermons and teachings. The third basket is known as the Special Teachings which contains a collection of short writings/scriptures about the Buddha. There is a Buddhist canon in Chinese, which is also accepted in Japan and contains the Tripitakan, the Mahayana sutras and some other texts. There is a Tibetan canon that consist of the Tripitaka, Tantric texts and the Mahayana sutras. Each one of these canons exists in a different version. This depends on the particular sect of Buddhism to which the collection belongs and the time it was created.
Westerners have kept alive Buddhism in Australia. Buddhism has increased greatly in Australia since the early 1970s and has returned to some of its strength through immigration from Asia. Buddhism is similar in strength to Islam in Australia, now forming a significant part of the religious mosaic. Buddhism is an important part of identity for many immigrants to Australia. As they seek to try and preserve some of their heritage, Buddhism provides the backdrop, the colour and in some instances the organisational structure. Some of the Buddhist societies in Australia have been organised to provide care, social support, or even assistance for disadvantaged people. Buddhism has shown much flexibility as its been absorbed into many cultures in Asia. Thus, as it enters Australia it comes with variety of culture. There is little in common practice in Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions. The number of Buddhism in Australia has grown rapidly as more immigrant’s influx into Australia from predominantly Buddhist countries. Some Buddhist practices have been difficult to set up in Australia. With Buddhists widely spread, it isn’t possible for monks to walk around the streets to be given food on a daily basis like it would be in many Asian countries. Nor does the Australian education system make it easy for people to spend a couple of months in a Buddhist monastery or just living as a monk. Some have found that their religious perception has been weakened. There are some indications however that Buddhism is adapting to Australia. Many have explored Buddhism through teaching programs and courses. Since the world is chaotic many, have turned to meditation as people seek peace.