Buddhism
Siddhartha Gautama (also spelt Siddhattha Gotama) was born into a royal family in the 5th century BCE in Lumbini, Nepal. He grew up in a very privileged environment, shielded from contact with people who were old, poor or infirm. One day however, he asked his charioteer to take him to see life in the city - the suffering he witnessed there led him to begin a spiritual search.
From the age of 29 until he was 35, Gautama studied under various spiritual gurus, but found no satisfaction in their extremes of self mortification. On the night of a full moon, he sat beneath a Bo Tree (now referred to as the Bodhi Tree) and gained "enlightenment" ie he rediscovered the "dharma" (the cosmic law or truth which has always existed).
Beliefs
Buddhists believe in the 4 Noble Truths:
- DUHKHA: all life consists of suffering (unsatisfactoriness)
- SAMUDAYA: suffering is caused by deire
- NIRODHA: the cure of suffering is the elimination of desire
- MARGA: desire can be eliminated by following the 8-fold path
The Eight Fold Path consists of:
- RIGHT UNDERSTANDING - accepting that life is impermanent and suffering
- RIGHT INTENTION - genuinely wishing to break free from desire
- RIGHT SPEECH - exercising control over speech (avoiding lying slander and gossip
- RIGHT ACTION - refraining from what is harmful
ie not harming living beings
not taking what is not given
not indulging in sexual misconduct or misuse of the senses
not using speech to hurt others
not taking drink or drugs which cloud the mind - RIGHT LIVELIHOOD - earning a living in a way which is not harmful to others
- RIGHT EFFORT - exerting a constant attentiveness to lifestyle, avoiding both over striving and sloth
- RIGHT MINDFULNESS - establishing mental discipline through meditation
- RIGHT CONCENTRATION - attaining serenity after meditation
