What is Buddhism?
Buddhism, one of the oldest
faiths in the world, began some
2600 years ago in the Indian continent. The term ‘Buddhism’ is a western
translation of ‘Buddhadhamma’, which simply means the teachings of the Buddha. It is based on 45 years’ teaching by the Buddha. ‘Buddha’ means an enlightened being, who possess three qualities; Purity, Compassion and Wisdom. It also means realizing the truth about the way things really are. One of the most remarkable ideas in Buddhism is that of being ‘open for criticism’. We are invited to test in our own experience its Truths, to find peace, to work toward Enlightenment.
The Buddha’s discussions with critics have been faithfully recorded and passed down. They revealpatient explanations of his discoveries and analysis of his critics’ beliefs.Some people say that Buddhism is not a religion, and some say it is a religion and in some ways it is a way of life. Buddhism encourages freethinking on the basis of universal truth. It is a religion of self-help, inspiring every individual to examine it before putting it into practice. Its ideas and views are compatible with modern science, valuable and robust. Buddhism speaks about the problems and sufferings of life and encourages us to overcome them through individualeffort and realization. It doesn’t rely on superstition or an outside invisible power.
Buddhism believes that everything in the world as commonly perceived is imperfect, unsatisfactory. This can beovercome by following the teaching of the Buddha - by living a moral life and practicing ‘insight meditation’.
The human mind has the ability to watch its own workings! It is called kammatthana, a meditation. There are two kinds of meditation; concentration or calming mind (samatha) and insight meditation. Insight meditation, called vipassana, begins in the simplest way by sitting quietly, attending to a simple sensation such as the air we breathe passing the nostrils.
Distracting thoughts arise spontaneously – bringing the attention back to the breathing has the effect of ‘calming the mind’. Today, Buddhism is practiced by about 500 million people around the world, mostly in China, Bhutan, Myanmar, Cambodia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Sikkim, Singapore, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Taiwan, Tibet, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. It is also rapidly growing in the West. In Britain alone there are over 130,000 Buddhists and about 400 Buddhist organizations. In Germany, Switzerland, USA and Australia also, Buddhism is rapidly growing.
Tiratana; Triple Gem
The main factors of the Buddhism are; the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha, also known as the triple gem (Tiratana). The Buddha is the founder of this dispensation and his teachings are known Dhamma. All the teachings are collected in 'Tipitaka', the three baskets of scriptures. It is a Buddhist scripture recorded in ancient language called 'Pali'. The Sangha means a community of his followers, particularly ordained disciples, who are the heirs of the Dhamma.
Source: Your Questions, My Answers on Buddhism & Experience
by Ven. S.M. Sujano
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Colossal Buddha head, in the Ratnagiri Museum, Orissa state of India.
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