April 8, 2022. On this day, Buddhists celebrate the commemoration of the birth of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, thought to have lived in India from 563 B.C. to 483 B.C. Known as Siddhartha Gautama in his youth, at age 19 he was a royal heir in India.
His palace life was removed from the everyday life of common people, and when he discovered how people suffered outside the palace walls, he was deeply disturbed and decided to discover how to overcome human suffering. To find solutions to human suffering became Siddhartha Gautama’s life purpose.
At the age of 29, Siddhartha secretly left the palace and became a wandering ascetic. He sought the best spiritual teachers of his day and practiced the extreme forms of asceticism that they advocated as the means to realize the ultimate reality of life. After following their teachings for almost six years, and being very weak from fasting, Siddhartha realized that their path was too extreme.
According to the legend, he seated himself under the “Bodhi” (a pipal) tree and promised not to rise until he had attained the supreme enlightenment. He entered a profound meditation and finally reached Nirvana, the highest level of enlightenment, becoming a Buddha at the age of 35.
For the next forty-five years, the Buddha and his disciples went from place to place in India spreading the Dharma, his teachings. Their compassion knew no bounds, they helped everyone along the way – beggars, kings, and slaves. At night, they would sleep where they were; when hungry they would ask for a little food.
Wherever the Buddha went, he won the hearts of the people because he dealt with their true feelings. He advised them not to accept his words on blind faith, but to decide for themselves whether his teachings are right or wrong, and only then follow them.
BASIC TEACHINGS OF THE BUDDHA
THE THREE UNIVERSAL TRUTHS:
1. Nothing is lost in the universe
“The first truth is that nothing is lost in the universe. Matter turns into energy, energy turns into matter. A dead leaf turns into soil. A seed sprouts and becomes a new plant. Old solar systems disintegrate and turn into cosmic rays. We are born of our parents, our children are born of us.
We are the same as plants, as trees, as other people, as the rain that falls. We consist of that which is around us, we are the same as everything. If we destroy something around us, we destroy ourselves. If we cheat another, we cheat ourselves.”
2. Everything Changes
“The second universal truth of the Buddha is that everything is continuously changing. Life is like a river flowing on and on, ever-changing. Sometimes it flows slowly and sometimes swiftly. It is smooth and gentle in some places, but later on, snags and rocks crop up out of nowhere. As soon as we think we are safe, something unexpected happens.
Once dinosaurs, mammoths, and saber-toothed tigers roamed this earth. They all died out, yet this was not the end of life. Other life forms like smaller mammals appeared, and eventually humans, too. Now we can even see the Earth from space and understand the changes that have taken place on this planet. Our ideas about life also change. People once believed that the world was flat, but now we know that it is round.”
3. Law of Cause and Effect
The third universal truth explained by the Buddha is “that there is continuous changes due to the law of cause and effect”.
The law of cause and effect is known as karma. Nothing ever happens to us unless we deserve it. We receive exactly what we earn, whether it is good or bad. We are the way we are now due to the things we have done in the past. Our thoughts and actions determine the kind of life we can have. If we do good things, in the future good things will happen to us. If we do bad things, in the future bad things will happen to us. Every moment we create new karma by what we say, do, and think. If we understand this, we do not need to fear karma. It becomes our friend. It teaches us to create a bright future”. (from “Following the Buddha’s Footsteps”.
FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS:
According to Buddhism, there are “four noble truths”:
(1) existence is suffering – There is Suffering. Suffering is common to all;
(2) this suffering is caused by human craving, in other words, We are the cause of our suffering;
(3) there is a cessation of the suffering, by stopping doing what causes suffering;
(4) Path to end Suffering – Everyone can be enlightened – nirvana can be achieved, in this or future lives, through the “eightfold path” of right views, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.
The Lotus Sūtra
During the final eight years of his life, Gautama Buddha expounded his ultimate teachings that were later compiled as the Lotus Sutra. “The Lotus Sutra is unique among the teachings of Buddhism because it affirms that attainment of enlightenment is possible for all people without distinction of race, social standing, or education.” (from “The Winning Life: An Introduction to Buddhist Practice”).
Gautama Buddha died at age 80, telling his followers to continue working for their spiritual liberation. For most of its followers, Buddhism remains as an empowering philosophy rather than a religion. Today, there are an estimated 350 million people in 100 nations who adhere to Buddhist beliefs and practices.
Sources of information: Encyclopedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com); Wikipeadia.org (https://en.wikipedia.org/, The Winning Life: An Introduction to Buddhist Practice; “Following the Buddha’s Steps” – ( http://online.sfsu.edu/rone/Buddhism/footsteps.htm)
