Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gotama, who realized that non-attachment is the way to escape suffering. The Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path are the teachings that lead to Nirvana. There are two main types of Buddhism, Theravāda and Mahāyāna. Buddhism is nonreligious and compatible with other religions. The Dalai Lama is a respected leader in Buddhism.
Buddhism is a religion developed by Siddhartha Gotama, sometimes Siddartha Gautama, who was born around 566 BC in Lumbini, in present-day Nepal. After living a life of privilege, and then abandoning it for a life of asceticism, Siddhartha enlightened, or awakened, to the idea that the only way to escape suffering in life is through the practice of deliberate non-attachment . Today, that initial meditation has led to the practice of Buddhism in approximately 100% of the world’s population.
The awakening of Siddhartha, or as it has been renamed, the awakening of the Buddha evolved into the teachings of the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. Although there are several recognized variants of Buddhism today, most believe in the Truths and the Path as the way to receive Nirvana, a state of bliss on earth.
The first truth is that life is made up of suffering, physical and mental. The second is that we have pain on earth because we are attached to the world or despise the world. Wanting more and more, we will continue to suffer more. Thus the second truth realizes that by detaching ourselves from the cycle of wanting and craving, we free ourselves from suffering.
The third truth is that true happiness is possible on earth according to the degree to which we can detach ourselves from wanting worldly things. If we give up “wanting”, we can reach Nirvana. Finally, the fourth truth is that the Noble Eightfold Path is the path towards attaining this detachment and thus attaining Nirvana.
The eightfold path involves the following:
Right understanding means that we understand suffering in the proper context and know through the eightfold path that we can end it.
Right thinking frees the Buddhist from bad thoughts towards others.
Right speech frees our tongue from lies or evil comments.
Right action means any action that involves stealing, killing or harming another, or being unchaste.
Right livelihood means refraining from work that would create more pain for others. In some cases, this means never producing weapons. A Buddhist could not write for a gossip magazine, as that would contradict right speech. The work performed should help and not hurt others.
Proper effort is the mental energy applied to follow the other guidelines of the path.
Right mindfulness focuses on seeing the world clearly, untainted by desires or cravings. Right awareness is achieved through contemplation of the body, feelings and state of mind.
Right concentration focuses on developing concentration through meditation.
Schools of Buddhism focus on or orient themselves towards one or more tenets and often follow several teachers or Bodhisattvas who came after Siddhartha. Trying to describe such different schools would be like listing all versions of Christianity. It can be said that there are two main types of Buddhism, Theravāda and Mahāyāna. Theravāda is mainly practiced in Southeast Asia. The focus tends to be on achieving proper effort and concentration while developing the mind. Through meditation people can become holy like Siddhartha, even if they will never attain the holiness of the Buddha.
Mahāyāna tends to focus on more priestly pursuits and is mostly found in northeast Asia. It is often called Tibetan Buddhism, but it is also the source of Zen Buddhism. Both Tibetan Buddhism and Zen seem more readily accepted in the Western world than Theravāda.
Some call Buddhism nonreligious because it doesn’t focus on a god, but rather a way of life. People may worship Buddha or Siddhartha, but they don’t pray or plead. Buddhist statues are meant for contemplation and inspiration, rather than places to pray. In some ways Buddhism is quite compatible with the practice of other religions. Much of Christ’s teaching centers on many of the same concepts, yet Buddhists oppose mortification of the flesh.
Although most Buddhists live in Asia, there is much interest in the West regarding the philosophy of Buddhism. Many recognize the well-known actor Richard Gere as a Mahāyāna Buddhist who follows the Tibetan school. This Tibetan tradition is linked to the current Dalai Lama, whose teachings are respected by virtually all practitioners of Buddhism. His ongoing crusade for non-violence and his life in exile since the Chinese occupation of Tibet have made him a world leader.
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