Origins of Buddhism
Origins of BuddhismToday's Western religions revolve around a central God that is one and the same for all of the followers of that religion. For instance, a Catholic goes to Church and prays to the same God as the person sitting beside them. There are many Eastern religions where that is not the case. Buddhism, one of the world's oldest religions, is one such instance. Buddhism, in fact, stresses a more individual approach to spirituality. In 563 B.C., in India, a man named Siddartha Guatama was born into the ruling family of the Sakya people. Because of his elevated position in society he was forced to live a life of seclusion. When he was twenty-nine years old, he ventured out into the world and was confronted with the reality of suffering and death in the world. The next day he left his wife and son to search for a way to put an end to human suffering. After six years of living ascetically, he realized that the path to success and enlightenment was neither of the extremes of vast material possessions or the lack thereof , but a balance between the two. He called this the Middle Way. By the time he was thirty-five, Siddartha had achieved true enlightenment and earned the title Buddha(awakened one). He was the fourth man recorded to have done so, but is credited with the creation of the Buddhist religion. Today Buddhism is one of the most commonly practiced Eastern religions. It is also one of the most misunderstood. Its characteristics are simple and strive only for spiritual enlightenment. The critical element of Buddhism is what Buddha called the Four Noble Truths. The First Noble Truth as related by Buddha is that suffering is unavoidable and universal to all beings. It is suffering that teaches us the lessons we need to learn to become enlightened. The Second Noble Truth reveals the root of that suffering; desire. Desires for things such as sex, wealth and power are what blind us to the true nature of reality. The Third Noble Truth is the way in which we alleviate suffering. By clearing oneself of desire, one can reach a state of mind known as Nirvana. The Fourth Noble Truth is knowing the path taken by Buddha himself, the Middle Way.The Middle Way has come to be known as the Noble Eightfold Path. The Noble Eightfold Path is the means to achieve liberation from suffering through eight factors that must be taken into account when living one's life. They are right understanding, right thoughts, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. Right understanding is the knowledge of Buddha and his teachings as well as the understanding of oneself as one really is. Right thoughts are the proper motives of our actions, that is to think only...
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