Where Did Rubbing the Fat Guy's Belly Come From?
Glad you asked, Buddhism was established somewhere between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE in India. It quickly spread into Asia where and inexorable decline in the practice began in India. Buddhism has risen to a current 7% of the world's population practicing it, making it the world's 4th most popular religion. But is Buddhism a religion? Most religions revolve around a creator or higher power; however, Buddhism does not. Buddhist schools are goal oriented towards self liberation. There are many different paths that Buddhism follows, which also makes it stand out from other religions. In one path, known as Theravada, one's goal is to achieve Nirvana, total enlightenment, to escape the cycle of rebirth. In another path called Mahayana, things are quite the opposite. One's goal is to follow bodhisattva, which is staying in the eternal cycle of rebirth to help other reach their enlightenment. One main aspect of Buddhism is The Four Truths. The Four Truths consist of: Dukkha, Saṃsāra, Dukkha (again), and Nirvana.
Dukkha is considered a central characteristic in this life and loosely translates to "incapable of satisfying." It is more commonly, but incorrectly, translated to "suffering." It does not refer to literal suffering, but to the unsatisfactory nature of temporary states, including pleasant,
but temporary, experiences.
Saṃsāra translates to "wandering," or "world." It refers to rebirth and "the cycle of all life, matter, and existence." The only thing to disrupt Samsāra is Nirvana, which breaks the cycle of rebirth. Rebirth is a fundamental belief of Buddhism, as the different paths of the religion revolve around it.
Nirvana, not the band of course, is the belief that when one reaches total enlightenment they are liberated from the cycle of suffering and rebirth.
Another core belief of Buddhism is Karma. “What goes around
comes around,” I am sure we have been told that at least once in our lives by
somebody “old and wise.” However, this concept is more complex in Buddhism.
Karma exists from the seed of good or bad thought, not the actual bad or good
action itself. Karma is the reciprocation of nature to a deed committed by any
person. Karma is believed to restore
balance to nature and is not always negative as the connotation of the word
leads one to believe. Karma, as above stated, is enacted by the thought, or “seed,”
of a negative or positive thought or idea. Karma would really be a bitch if it
happened to everyone who made an honest mistake with good intentions. If a
person was to think about harming another, than karma would reciprocate a bad
action unto the thinker of the harm. Thoughts are the basis of action and that
is where karma enacts. However, is a person was to think about doing a good
deed, than the universe would do something good to that person. Karma is a core
idea in Buddhism and is arguably one of the more important aspects of it.
Practice of Buddhism occurs most commonly in two forms. The
Middle Way and The Noble Eightfold Path. There are many more paths than this,
but many present Buddhists adopt one of these two.
The Middle Path is the idea of living in the area, “between
the extremes of asceticism and hedonistic sense pleasures.” The Middle Way
finds a medium between the idea of permanent soul, eternalism, and a soul that
does not cycle, annihilationism.
The Noble Eightfold Path is eight interconnected factors
that, when melded together, lead to the cessation of dukkha. The Nobel
Eightfold Path is a fourth of the Four Truths. The eight views of the Nobel
Eightfold Path are: Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right
Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right
Concentration. This path teaches the way of ending cravings, clinging, and
karmatic accumulation, thus, ending the endless cycle of rebirth and suffering.
The beginning of the Buddhist path is the traditional
observation of The Three Jewels. The Three Jewels are : The Buddha (the Gotama,
the Blessed One, the Awakened with true knowledge), The Dharma (the precepts,
the practice, the Four Truths, the Eightfold Path), and The Sangha (order of
monks, the community of Buddha's disciples.) Reciting of the three refugees is
considered a thought that purifies and uplifts the spirit.
Śīla is the set of Buddhist morals. The go as follows: Abstain from killing (Ahimsa), Abstain from
stealing, Abstain from sensual (including sexual) misconduct, Abstain from
lying, Abstain from intoxicants. To commit one of these acts is believed to influence
the ascension to Nirvana, ending the cycle of rebirth, and karmatic influence. Once
one becomes a monk, the new set of morals become: No sexual activity, Abstain from eating at
wrong time (only eat solid food before 12 noon), Abstain from jewelry, perfume,
adornment, entertainment, Abstain from sleeping on high beds. Some Sangha also
include: abstain from dancing and singing, and abstain from accepting money.
Buddhists spend much of their time meditating is a way of
cleansing the soul and finding inner peace. Nirvana cannot be reached without
the practice of meditation, as it has to be observed several times a day.
Meditation is also a way of self-reflection to balance out personal karma and understanding
of karmatic outcomes.
Buddhism is an enlightening spiritual path that is open to
anybody who cannot devote themselves to any one religion. I myself have many
Buddhist practices and beliefs and find it to be a satisfying lifestyle all
around.
It's definitely got its appeal, as a way of life that's transformed millions of lives around the world.
ReplyDeleteI hope you, or someone else who's reporting on this subject, will have something to say about Thich Nhat Hanh's "Walking Meditation" - https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjd4v3Ex9PQAhVHPCYKHScUAk8QFgiCATAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FWalking-Meditation-Peace-Every-Endless%2Fdp%2F1591794730&usg=AFQjCNFTTM3EC3diTBYaeWUzbsaotAsw1g&sig2=blsX5uP6IpeJJrkngpLrYQ&bvm=bv.139782543,d.eWE
Also: remember to link to interesting stuff, you have so many terms here that would benefit from being linked and elaborated. Embed a video, drop in an image or two, make it colorful. (You're not the only one who's neglected to do that, so I hope others will read & act on this advicetoo.)
I always thought Buddhism was a good religion /way of life to go by. Although, I never new there were so many ways to go with it. I'll definitely how to research it more!
ReplyDeleteBuddhism is always an interesting religion to follow and research. I really like how you explained the different paths and journeys Buddhists will take to find Nirvana. You could also talk about who or what the Buddha is because a lot of people tend to get that confused. I still tend to.
ReplyDeleteLearning about the Śīla is definitely interesting. A lot of people overlook religion's, other than Christianity's, sets of morals and just assume that there are few rules to follow. Buddhism is definitely an interesting lifestyle well worth looking in to.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to align myself with a "religion" it would probably be Buddhism. I love how it blurs that line though. Is Buddhism not a religion? Or are all religions just philosophies on how to live life? Perhaps, maybe, taken too literally? Idk lol. Good read.
ReplyDelete