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BUDDHISM BASICS
Historical Overview: Buddhism is a religion with millions of followers who
seek spiritual enlightenment. It is an ancient tradition that began in northeast
India and dates back to 560 B.C.E. when it was founded by Siddhartha Gautama,
who later became known as the Buddha or "Enlightened One." His
teachings of Dharma and the Four Noble Truths are the essence of Buddhism. Over
the centuries, Buddhism has been embraced by many Asian cultures—from the
Mahayana Buddhists of China and Korea to the Delai Lama and the Buddhists of
Tibet and today, has a growing Western following. Buddhism teaches pacifism and
nonviolence, philosophies that have shaped the destinies where Buddhism has
predominated and has made it an enduring and influential world religion.
Time Line:
560 B.C.E.—Birth of Siddhartha Gautama in northeast India, the founder of the Buddhist faith.
200 B.C.E.—100 C.E.—Mahayana Buddhism develops as a major Buddhist sect and spreads from India to China, Korea, Japan and southeast Asia. It is believed to have been founded by Nagarjuna.
300-400 C.E.—The very influential Lotus Sutra texts were written in Sanskrit and later translated into Chinese.
C550 C.E.—Buddhism arrives in Japan.
C1222-1282 C.E.—The Japanese monk Nicherin promotes Buddhist reform based on the Lotus Sutra.
C1250 C.E.—Eisai, a Japanese Buddhist monk, brings the Ch’an Buddhist tradition from China to Japan, where it becomes the foundation of the Samurai tradition and Zen Buddhism
Vocabulary:
Buddha: Means "Enlightened One" or "Awakened." This title is given to Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism.
Dharma:--The orthodox belief of Buddhism which must be known in order to be enlightened. It is the sublime religious truth.
Nirvana: The ultimate state of freedom from the cycle of birth and rebirth by achieving selflessness through the understanding that all reality is one.
Samsara: The cycle of birth and rebirth based upon one’s karma; also known as reincarnation or transmigration of souls.
Four Noble Truths: Achieved through meditation, these are the four main tenants of Buddhism: (1) life brings suffering, (2) the desire for pleasure, power and immortality are the roots of suffering, (3) suffering ceases when desiring ends; and (4) desire ends via the Noble Eightfold Path of right views, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, awareness and concentration.
Karma: The cosmic principle of cause and effect, which rewards human goodness and punishes human evil through the transmigration of souls into better or lesser situations of rebirth.
Selflessness: Achieved through Buddhist meditation, it allows people to serve others and concentrate on the true perception of reality, an understanding that there are no boundaries between one’s self and the reality of the universe.
Mahayana: A major sect of Buddhism founded by Nagarjuna and means the great or universal path of salvation. It used a new body of scriptures called Sutras (Lotus, Heart and Diamond). Open to all, one can achieve enlightenment at any stage in the cycle of birth and rebirth.
Mantra: In Sanskrit, the "sacred utterance," which is a sound or group of sounds used to focus the mind in meditation on the inner realities.
Koans: Riddles used bys some Zen practitioners to help students break through their perceptions into the true reality in an act of sudden enlightenment.