Siddhartha Sharma

s/o
Sanjay Sharma

LLOYD LAW COLLEGE

B.A.L.L.B. 1st year section-D

December 30, 2022

BUDDHISM

ABSTRACT

Buddhism is one of the world's largest religions and originated 2,500 years ago in India. Buddhists
believe that the human life is one of suffering, and that meditation, spiritual and physical labor, and
good behavior are the ways to achieve enlightenment, or nirvana.

INTRODUCTION

Buddhism is one of the world’s major religions. It originated in India in 563–483 B.C.E. with
Siddhartha Gautama, and over the next millennia it spread across Asia and the rest of the world.
Buddhists believe that human life is a cycle of suffering and rebirth, but that if one achieves a state of
enlightenment (nirvana), it is possible to escape this cycle forever. Siddhartha Gautama was the first
person to reach this state of enlightenment and was, and is still today, known as the Buddha.
Buddhists do not believe in any kind of deity or god, although there are supernatural figures who can
help or hinder people on the path towards enlightenment.

STORY OF BUDDHA

The Buddha, or Siddhartha Gautama, was born around 567 B.C.E., in a small kingdom just below the
Himalayan foothills. His father was a chief of the Shakya clan. It is said that twelve years before his
birth the brahmins prophesied that he would become either a universal monarch or a great sage. To
prevent him from becoming an ascetic, his father kept him within the confines of the palace.
Gautama grew up in princely luxury, shielded from the outside world, entertained by dancing girls,
instructed by brahmins, and trained in archery, swordsmanship, wrestling, swimming, and running.
When he came of age he married Gopa, who gave birth to a son.

Something—something as persistent as his own shadow—drew him into the world beyond the castle
walls. There, in the streets of Kapilavastu, he encountered three simple things: a sick man, an old
man, and a corpse being carried to the burning grounds. Nothing in his life of ease had prepared him
for this experience. When his charioteer told him that all beings are subject to sickness, old age, and
death, he could not rest.
As he returned to the palace, he passed a wandering ascetic walking peacefully along the road,
wearing the robe and carrying the single bowl of a sadhu. He then resolved to leave the palace in
search of the answer to the problem of suffering. After bidding his wife and child a silent farewell
without waking them, he rode to the edge of the forest. There, he cut his long hair with his sword and
exchanged his fine clothes for the simple robes of an ascetic.

With these actions Siddhartha Gautama joined a whole class of men who had dropped out of Indian
society to find liberation. There were a variety of methods and teachers, and Gautama investigated
many—atheists, materialists, idealists, and dialecticians.

THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

The Four Noble Truths are a contingency plan for dealing with the suffering humanity faces --
suffering of a physical kind or mental

1.All existence is dukkha. The word dukkha has been variously translated as ‘suffering’, ‘anguish’,
‘pain’, or ‘unsatisfactoriness’. The Buddha’s insight was that our lives are a struggle, and we do not
find ultimate happiness or satisfaction in anything we experience. This is the problem of existence.

2. The cause of dukkha is craving. The natural human tendency is to blame our difficulties on
things outside ourselves. But the Buddha says that their actual root is to be found in the mind itself.
In particular our tendency to grasp at things (or alternatively to push them away) places us
fundamentally at odds with the way life really is.

3. The cessation of dukkha comes with the cessation of craving. As we are the ultimate cause of our
difficulties, we are also the solution. We cannot change the things that happen to us, but we can
change our responses.
4. There is a path that leads from dukkha. Although the Buddha throws responsibility back on to
the individual he also taught methods through which we can change ourselves, for example the
Noble Eight fold Path.

THE EIGHTFOLD PATH

The Eight fold Path is part of the fourth noble truth which is the path that leads to the end of
suffering. Buddha taught that the way to achieve enlightenment and to minimize human suffering
was to live an ethical life. Each path as designated by the term “right” meaning ethical or moral

Right View or Right Understanding: Insight into the true nature of reality

Right Intention: The unselfish desire to realize enlightenment

Right Speech: Using speech compassionately

Right Action: Using ethical conduct to manifest compassion

Right Livelihood: Making a living through ethical and non harmful means

Right Effort: Cultivating wholesome qualities and releasing unwholesome qualities

Right Concentration: Meditation or some other dedicated, concentrated practice

SCHOOLS OF BUDDHISM

Vajrayana

Vajrayana, the Diamond School, originally exclusive to Tibet , emphasizes the permanence of the
Buddha’s teachings as symbolized by the vajra , a ritual implement used for ceremonies, employs
Tantra (techniques to reach enlightenment quickly) and focuses mainly on lay practitioners.

Mahayana

Mahayana uses Sanskrit as its main language, and monastic and lay followers work for the liberation
of all sentient beings, making compassion and insight (wisdom) its central doctrines.

Theravada

Theravada is the only remaining school from the Early Buddhist period. Its central texts are in Pali
(Pãli Canon), the spoken language of the Buddha; and its exclusively monastic devotees strive to
become enlightened for their own liberation

Why are Buddha's teachings important?

Buddhism encourages its people to avoid self-indulgence but also self-denial. Buddha's most
important teachings, known as The Four Noble Truths, are essential to understanding the religion.
Buddhists embrace the concepts of karma (the law of cause and effect) and reincarnation (the
continuous cycle of rebirth

CONCLUSION

Buddhism is based on absolute freedom and true equality; it is rational, liberal, objective, concrete,
complete, positive, pragmatic and applicable at all levels.It has assumed a great variety of social and
ritual forms as it has spread throughout Asia and (in recent decades) the world.

REFERENCES

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-fscj-worldreligions/chapter/three-schools-of-buddhism/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/buddhism

https://www.learnreligions.com/the-eightfold-path-450067

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Buddhism