Buddhism : In a Nutshell

Gautam Buddha founded Buddhism. His childhood name was Siddhartha. He was born to Mayadevi, the wife of Shudhodhana, the chief of the Shakya clan in Lumbini (now in Nepal). Prince Siddhartha enjoyed all luxuries and comforts of a royal life. He did not know of any misery. He was married to Yashodhara at a young age of 16. A son, Rahul was born to the couple. Thus, Siddhartha lived a happy life until he was 29 years of age.

One day, Siddhartha rode on his chariot to see the world outside the palace. He noticed an old man with a bent back and crippled legs. His charioteer informed him that everyone grows old. Soon, he saw a very ill man writhing in pain. On enquiry, the charioteer told him that the man was ill. He also said that all people fall ill many times and suffer a lot. A little later, Siddhartha saw a group of people carrying a dead man in funeral. He was moved at the sight of grieving people; his charioteer revealed to him that everyone who is born is bound to die.

Three three scenes left Siddhartha sad, restless and thoughtful. He wondered why death, illness and old age could not be overcome. He decided to find the truth. One night, he abandoned his comfortable life, loving wife and affectionate son and walked out of the palace silently.

Siddhartha now took the name of Gautama. He met several holy men and gained consciousness as well as knowledge, but he was not satisfied. He wanted to know the truth. As he lived as an ascetic and practised mental and physical austerity, spiritual peace dawned on him.

During this time, Gautama sat under a peepal tree. It is here that he attained the enlightenment. He was then thirty-five years old. With this, he came to be called the Buddha (or the Enlightened One). The peepal tree, under which he attained this, came to be called the Bodhi tree. It is now located at the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya. The Buddha now started to teach people about the truth of life. He delivered his first sermon at Sarnath.

Gautama Buddha was a follower and preacher of ahimsa (non-violence). He taught that everyone must work to attain Nirvana or salvation. He taught people to live a simple life. He did not believe in animal sacrifices or wasteful rituals. He was not in favour of the caste system and treated everyone as equal. His simple teachings helped to expand Buddhism in India and abroad. The Buddha breathed his last in 483 BC.

Initially, Buddhism spread in the kingdoms of Magadha and Koshala. Even his own father, son, wife and other relatives became his followers. With time, Buddhism became an international religion. The universities at Taxila, Nalanda and Vikramshila were places where scholars and students came from China, Southeast Asia and East Asia to study Buddhism. The kings like Ashoka and Kanishka aided in the spread of Buddhism to Nepal, Tibet, Japan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Indochina, and south-east Asia. This made Buddhism an international faith.

 The Buddha's Teachings

The Buddha's teachings are contained in the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eight-fold Path.

The Four Noble Truths

·         * The world has dukkha (sufferings).

·         * The cause of suffering is tanha (desire).

·        *  We can overcome misery and sorrow by getting rid of desire.

·        *  Desire can be banished by following the Noble Eight-fold Path.

The Noble Eight-fold Path

• Sammadithi (right view)
• Sammasankappo (right motives)
• Sammavaca (right speech)
• Sammakammanto (right action)
• Sammajivo (right means of livelihood)
• Sammavayamo (right effort)
• Sammasati (right thinking)
• Sammasamadhi (right meditation).

Later Buddhism branched out into two sects : Mahayana (the greater vehicle) and Heenayana (the lesser vehicle). The former accepts the Buddha as a God and worships his idols; while the latter accepts him as an ordinary human being who attained Nirvana.

Sacred Texts

The Buddhist thought is compiled in the Tripitikas, divided into three parts : 1. Vinaya Pitaka (the rules for the monks), 2. Sukta Pitaka (the sermons of the Buddha) and 3. Adhidhamma Pitaka (the Buddhist philosophy). The Buddha spread his message only by word of mouth. These texts were written down by his followers later.