Supporting His Holiness, The 14th Dalai Lama, and The Government Of Tibet In Exile - This is A Portal To The Understanding Of Buddhism!
When I am asked if I am a Buddhist, I normally respond, “I try to be, but most the time I fail!”
I'll clarify something before we move along. Buddha advised those that sought his insight, "Not to believe his teachings or any other's teachings, out of blind faith, but to example all teachings carefully before accepting what you, as an individual, believe.
I practice Tibetan Buddhism, which is not a religion as most people label religions, but instead, it is a science of the mind, with a goal to help all sentient beings (all things in our world whom can can feel pain and happiness), to lead a better and more responsible life.
Here is a quote about Buddhism, from Albert Einstein - "Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in the cosmic religion for the future: It transcends a personal God, avoids dogma and theology; it covers both the natural and the spiritual, and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity". With that said, my response to those questioning my Buddhist beliefs, is related to the question, "Are you too proud or too humble?".
Buddhists teachers might say that the path to spiritual fulfillment lies in knowing how to build a healthy ego while at the same time developing a part of oneself completely foreign to the ego.
If I were asked if I work toward this goal each day, my honest answer would have to be, "Well yes and no".
Then I hear the inevitable responses, “Isn’t Buddha the fat man that you rub his belly for good luck?” or “I’m a Christian (or Catholic or Jew ) and we don’t worship graven images!” or "I don't know very much about Buddhism, but isn't it a religion that believes in reincarnation and meditates all the time?" Now that’s a sure sign that Buddhists know more about the world’s other great religions, than the world’s other great religions know about Buddhism.
The Aescetic Buddha
For example, here is a picture of the Buddha, as an ascetic, just prior to him finding the answer to the question he sought to answer.
Obviously, and I'm sorry to destroy the impression of "the fat man whom you rub his stomach for luck", but as you can see, he was not exactly, a man with a “fat” belly, in fact he was a well built man who was trained to be an accomplished warrior. As we proceed, we will explain The Ascetic Buddha, but for now, simply remember, as Buddha did, that in life, if we occasionally discover that we are on the wrong path to the truth, it is logiscal to stop, re-evaluate the direction you are headed in, and start in another direction that might provide us the outcome we are seeking, because, to continue on the obvious wrong path, will not provide us the truth you are seeking, which is a reasonable thing to do when you recognize you are following the wrong path.
But wait a minute, was that decision logically based or religiously based?
First clue, the adventure ahead, is not at all what many people perceive. However, when engaged with someone who makes comments like those above to me, rather than getting into a long dissertation, I usually reply, “That’s great, keep it up!”, or "Wow, aren't you special!". Buddhism does not proselyze. As a matter of fact, The Dalai Lama continues to encourage people to stay with the religion they are comfortable with. Like many people, I once feared studying other religions and philosophies and other cultures myself, and I would tell people that I was a Chrisian Buddhist, then later as my studies unfolded, I would tell people I was a Buddhist Christian, and still later, I simply became a Buddhist as my curiosity finally got the best of me, as the world grew smaller and globalization occurred.
I realized that Buddhism really didn't require comparison to organized religions.
So with that in mind, let's move forward and discover this man called The Buddha, and begin our insight into Buddhism.
As we proceed it will become obvious that Buddhism challenges us to think in new ways about the nature of the world and the possibility that there might be a path which can lead everyone, who follows the insight Buddha discovered and taught 2500 years ago, to a satisfying and productive human life.
From this point on, you will discover that Buddha, and what is now known as Buddhism, can become an ongoing education, and study of Self-Reliance, and study of Self-Understanding, which can last a lifetime, as we look at this World and Universe, through the eyes of The Buddha.
Who Was Buddha?
Let's begin with the premise that, everyone wants to be happy, healthy, and fulfilled.
But during life, there are always impediments and sometimes, even walls, that prohibit us from enjoying our lives to their fullest potential. Imagine waking one morning and saying to yourself, “The World Is A Sorrowful Place!” After thinking about it for a while, you ask yourself, “I wonder what causes the sorrows of the world?” Your question turns into a curiosity, and you begin to observe the world immediately around you for the answer to the question, but the answer evades you, because although you’ve observed the sorrow of others, you have not endured those sorrows yourself. And then one day you say to yourself, “I must find the answer!”, and you leave everything behind and go into the unfamiliar world you’ve not been before, where you will be surrounded by the sorrow, to see if you will discover sorrow yourself, because without experiencing it, you cannot find the answer to the question, “Why does sorrow occur and what causes it?”. And that leads us to the adventure of a man who sought the answer and found it, the life of The Buddha, who became a Guide and a Teacher, not a God or a direct representative of God.
The Buddha, after discovering the answer to his pressing question, obtained his Enlightenment, and wanted to share the answers he discovered, and in turn, lessen the burden of sorrow for others who had failed to learn the way to living a happier life and freedom from sorrow and fear of death.
The Story Of The Buddha (The Enlightened One)
And so, we begin, The Story Of The Buddha (The Enlightened One), which began with his birth one full moon night, around 560 B.C.E. in Northern India at the foot of the Himalayas; now known as Nepal. King Suddhodana was the ruler of a small, but prosperous Kingdom and the Shakya people.He was married to Queen Mahamaya, who would give birth to their son, who would become a Prince of the Kingdom they ruled.They named him Siddhartha, which meant “A Wish Fulfilled”. In those days in India, there was a hereditary caste system and the only class that was higher in stature than Siddhartha’s noble family, were the Brahmins, the priests. One such Brahman, both wise and a soothsayer, predicted after Siddhartha’s birth, that the boy would rule over all the land, but only if King Suddhodana kept his son from being exposed to the reality of the decay of growing old, and death.And if he did not prohibit Siddhartha from being exposed to both decay and death, Siddhartha would become a great Spiritual Teacher.
But either way, Siddhartha was destined for greatness.
Before we proceed, let’s return briefly to the name Siddhartha, the personal name given the boy, similar to my parents naming me Bill.But in India at that time, his parents carried the name of their clan Gautama, and because his parents ruled over the Shakya Tribe, Siddhartha was also called Shakyamuni, which meant the sage of the Shakya Tribe and also The Recluse, and as we go forward in discovering who this man was and the life of The Buddha, Gautama Buddha. And now we proceed.
Prince Siddhartha
Given the two choices, Siddhartha’s father’s chose to have his son become a famous King, rather than a Spiritual Leader, and therefore Siddhartha was protected and without restraints, kept within the walls of the castle, where he was provided all the pleasures of life as he grew into a man, somewhat similar to living in what we now know as Disneyland or Disneyworld, where everything is pleasant, clean, and free of the outside world of reality.A fantasy land where, the walls surrounding the entry are high, and life is perfect and secure, and there is no poverty, illness, old age, and death. Siddhartha received his education from the best teachers in the kingdom, excelled in mathematics, literature, athletics, and archery.And after winning an athletic event, he won the heart and hand ofYashodhara, which meant The Keeper Of Radiance, and they were married, and received 3 palaces, one for each of the 3 India seasons, hot, cold, and wet, as a gift from his father, King Suddhodana, and Siddhartha continued to live in the fantasy world he had been born into. But that was about to change. Siddhartha had begun to wonder about the world outside the gates of the palaces that he enjoyed unknown reclusive pleasure in.He wanted to adventure out the gates and see what his unknown world was like. His father, aware of the adventure Siddhartha wished to encounter, still in protective mode, insured that everything the Siddhartha encountered beyond the immediate gates of the palaces, was very similar to the fantasy world inside the palaces, prosperity and happiness abounded everywhere he went due to his father’s diligence. However, as life will have it, during one of his excursions which he took with his servant, Siddhartha saw, for the first time in his life, an old grey haired man with a staff in his hand, moving slowly and his servant explained that every one eventually gets old and feeble, a discovery which bothered Siddhartha and he returned to his palace. In yet another venture, Siddhartha saw yet another man lying on the ground, moaning in obvious pain, and when asked, his servant explained that every one gets sick sometimes, and once again he returned to his palace. On each trip outside the walls, upon return from the world of reality, Siddhartha was given more gifts and pleasures by his father that seemed to calm his distress temporarily, until his third time exploration, and this one made him fully aware of the reality of the world.He witnessed for the first time in his life, a death procession, with mourners and the deceased persons family crying and caring on as the lifeless body was carried to it’s final resting place, and his servant explained to him that every one eventually dies and Siddhartha must not be concerned, and that he shouldjust wish for along life and enjoy it as much as possible. This was the shock of a lifetime to Siddhartha, who had always been protected from witnessing the things that he discovered during his brief explorations, old age, sickness, and death.For the first time in his life, he now knew that everyone, his family, his friends, his wife and son, and even himself, would eventually grow old, become ill, and die.He was distressed and wondered to himself, "is there no alternative to old age, illness, and death?". On his 4th trip beyond the palace gates, Siddhartha saw a monk with shaven head, clad in an orange sheet, slowly walking down the road holding an empty bowl.He asked his servant to explain what this man was doing and was told that the monk had renounced the world of reality and had gone into the world alone, to seek spiritual understanding.
In Siddhartha’s mind, he concluded that, yes there was an alternative to old age, illness, and death, and that the monk’s decision to renounce the world of reality and seek spiritual answers, was that road which he now wanted to travel.
As he came to this conclusion though, his wife Yashodhara bore him a son whom they named Rahula, which meant “Chain”, obviously given to his son, because now, even more than before, Siddhartha was faced with his desire to go on a spiritual journey to discover Truth, or to remain chained to the world he had been raised in.
To celebrate the birth of Rahula, King Suddhodana threw a hug celebration for Siddhartha, Yashodhara, and their infant son.The festive occasion, with the most beautiful dancing girls and entertainers, ended as Siddhartha became sleepy and laid down on his pillow and went to sleep.The beautiful dancing girls and entertainers followed suit and laid down and also went to sleep. When Siddhartha awoke a few minutes later, he saw the sleeping dancers, who were, just a few minutes earlier, beautiful and sensuous, now sleeping in awkward positions, snoring, drooling, and grinding their teeth, with facial expressions no longer sensuous.
Reality of this fantasy world he had lived in, once again, and finally came to bear on him and he immediately stood up and made his decision, it was time for him to leave the palace, and to renounce his birthright and title of Prince, his wealth, his pleasures, his mother, father, wife, and newborn child, and go forth on his spiritual journey to discover the answers to the questions that evaded him about disease, decay, and death. He wanted to discover The Meaning Of Life and more importantly, he wanted to be responsible for his own life, no matter where his quest would take him, or what outcome his quest would have.
He had courageously made the decision, to set aside all that he had gained and all that he would have gained in time, and seek, Freedom and Truth.
The Great Departure
Reality of this fantasy world he had lived in, once again, and finally came to bear on him and he immediately stood up and made his decision, it was time for him to leave the palace, and to renounce his birthright and title of Prince, his wealth, his pleasures, his mother, father, wife, and newborn child, and go forth on his spiritual journey to discover the answers to the questions that evaded him about disease, decay, and death. He wanted to discover The Meaning Of Life and more importantly, he wanted to be responsible for his own life, no matter where his quest would take him, or what outcome his quest would have.
He had courageously made the decision, to set aside all that he had gained and all that he would have gained in time, and seek, Freedom and Truth.
Siddhartha’s Quest To Become The Buddha
At the age of 29, Siddhartha cut off his topknot, and upon departure from his palace, Siddhartha’s quest began as an ascetic’s life, begging alone for alms in the street and studied under two hermit masters for periods of time, denouncing their offers to succeed them each after their deaths.During this time he achieved high levels of meditative consciousness. With a group of 5 companions, also in search of Enlightenment, they proceeded to take the austerities to levels of near total deprevation, including food and began to practice self-mortification. After nearly starving himself to death by eating only the equivalent of a few grains of rice per day, his weakness caused him to collapse into a river while bathing and he almost drowned, which led to him re-examining the path he had followed until that time on his quest, which had not brought him the enlightenment that he sought. His direction then changed to extensive periods of meditation where he focused on his breath, breathing in and out (Anapan-sati), and he accepted milk and rice pudding from a village girl, who had been observing him in his emaciated state, and with his energy revitalized, he discovered what Buddhists now call The Middle Way, that is, a path of moderation from the extremes of both self-indulgence and self-mortification.
Then he sat beneath a Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India, and vowed never to arise until he had found the Truth he sought.It was at this time that his 5 companions, believing that he had abandoned his quest, left him alone. It was then that he began meditating for 49 days, and at the age of 35, Siddhartha finally attained the Enlightenment or Truth, that he sought, and touched the earth with one hand, anchoring his discovery to the earth and the nature of living beings.
From that time on, Siddhartha became known at The Buddha or The Awakened One, also sometimes known as Shakyamuni Buddha (The Awakened One of the Shakya Clan). He had sought and found the answer to his question and had become fully awakened to the cause and nature of human suffering, which was ignorance and the four steps needed to eliminate ignorance; which he divided into 4 categories which became known as The Four Noble Truths and with the attainment of liberation, which is possible for any “living thing”, it is called Nirvana. At that time, The Buddha wondered if he should teach the lessons that he had learned, The Dharma, to others.His concern was that human beings were caught up in a world of greed, hatred, and delusion, and they might not be able to understand The Dharma, which was not only subtle and hard to understand for people not ready to consider its insight. He was encouraged by Brahma Sahampati to teach The Dharma to the world, because there were those who would understand.Because of his compassion to all living beings in the Universe, The Buddha agreed to become a teacher, and it was now time for him to form his Sangha, or community of followers of his discovery, Buddhist Monks and Nuns.
The Buddha began his teaching of the Dharma, the answer to the question he sought, by first traveling to Deer Park near Benares in Northern India where he found the five companion aesthetics whom he had previously traveled with. Upon once again meeting The Buddha, all they saw was an ordinary man, now with a well-nourished appearance, and reminded him of the vows he had broken when he discovered The Middle Way.
He responded to them "Austeritites, only confuse the mind. In the exhaustion and mental stupor to which they lead, on can no longer understand the ordinary things of life, still less the truth that lies beyond the senses. I have given up extremes of either luxury or asceticism. I have discovered The Middle Way".
He then gave his first Dharma lesson, the Wheel Of Dharma, to the group, after which they accepted the lessons he had learned and the Buddha and his five followers, formed the first Sangha, the company of Buddhist Monks, and that became known as The Triple Gem, which included The Buddha, the Dharma, and The Sangha, and the first five followers and teachers of Buddha’s Dharma, soon grew to sixty teachers in the first two months, and swelled to 1000 soon after that, and all were dispatched to go into the country side and explain the Dharma to the population. For the next 45 years of his life, The Buddha traveled throughout India and southern Nepal, teaching his doctrine and discipline to a very diverse range of people, including nobles, the poor, murderers, adherents of rival philosophies, and religions, and continued to convert thousands to acceptance of the Dharma.His philosophy or religion was open to all races and classes and had no caste structure which was common in India at that time. And the Sangha spread the Dharma throughout India and Southern Nepal eight months a year, but during the rainy season also known as vassana when the Sangha would retreat to a monestary or large park or a forest, where people would come to them for the lessons of the Dharma. At the age of 80, The Buddha announced that he would soon transition to Parinirvana, the final deathless state, when he would abandon the earthly body. Shortly after this, The Buddha ate his last meal, tainted pork which had been placed in his alm bowl, and soon became violently ill.The Buddha instructed his Sangha that the Nirvana, enlightenment, that had removed him from Samsara, the miseries of life, also overcame illness, and he had made the decision to go forth into the state of Parinirvava at that time, and that he and others who followed the Dharma, would eventually become Tathagatas, practicers of the Dharma who no longer required the necessity of material food, and he instructed his followers to continue to strive for their own enlightenment and Nirvana. The Buddha asked his followers in attendance, if he needed to clarify any doubts or questions they might have and they had none.He instructed his followers to follow no leader, but to follow his teachings, The Dharma, and with the completion of his final words, “All composite things pass away.Strive for your own liberation with diligence!”, at 80 years of age, in the year 483 BCE, The Buddha entered into Parinirvana. He was cremated and his relics, the ashes and remains of the cremation, were placed in Stupas (monuments), some of which remain today in India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
