Introduction
What is Buddhism? Buddhism is a tradition that focuses on personal spiritual development and the attainment of a deep insight into the true nature of life. Buddhism teaches that all life is interconnected, so compassion is natural and important.1 Buddhism arose as a result of Siddhartha Gautama's quest for Enlightenment.
It was all started by Siddhartha Gautama, who was a prince in Lumbini, Nepal in 2,500 years ago.2 One day, after he grown up, get married and have a child, Siddhartha went outside the royal enclosure where he lived. When he went outside he saw an old man, a sick man, and a corpse for the first time. This greatly disturbed him as he learned that sickness, age, and death were the inevitable fate of human beings. Siddhartha had seen a monk, and he decided this was a sign that he should leave his protected royal life and live as a homeless holy man. He set off on a 6 year journey exploring other religions. Siddhartha's travels showed him much more of the suffering of the world. He searched for a way to escape death, old age and pain by studying with religious men. This didn't provide him with an answer. Siddhartha encountered an Indian ascetic who encouraged him to follow a life of extreme self-denial and discipline. Siddhartha followed this life of extreme asceticism for six years, but this did not satisfy him either, he still had not escaped from the world of suffering. He abandoned the strict lifestyle of self-denial and ascetism, but did not return to the pampered luxury of his early life. Instead, he pursued the Middle Way, which is just what it sounds like; neither luxury nor poverty. One day, he seated beneath the Bodhi tree (the tree of awakening), deeply absorbed in meditation, and reflected on his experience of life, determined to penetrate its truth. He finally achieved Enlightenment and became the Buddha.
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Buddhism began to spread southwards from its place of origin in northern India to Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Indo-China and other South East Asian countries (Theravada Buddhism). It also moved northwards into the Himalayan Kingdoms (Sikkim, Bhutan, and Nepal), Tibet, Mongolia and other parts of Central Asia (Vajrayana Buddhism), and also into China, Korea and Japan (Mahayana Buddhism).3
Buddhism is 2,500 years old. Currently, there are about 376million of adherent all around the world4. In Malaysia, there are about 3.3mil of Buddhist practice Theravada Buddhism.5
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Concept of Buddhism
What does Buddhist believe?6 y y y y y Rebirth (reincarnation) results from attachments (karma) Nirvana is a peaceful, detached state of mind Achieving Nirvana means escape from the cycle of rebirth Buddhism is non-theistic Buddha is not the Buddhist God he is just a revered teacher
Three Jewel of Buddhism7 y Buddha- The teacher. He is the prime source of authority and inspiration. His experiences have shown that there is a way to escape from the world of suffering, and that it can be achieved through ones own efforts. Dharma- the teachings which embodies the essential doctrines of Buddhism (the Four Noble Truths, Kamma, Rebirth, Samsara, Eightfold path) Sangha- The pragmatic realization of the Buddhas thought. It is an institution where there is no hierarchy. The Sangha, or the monastic community of monks and nuns was thus founded by the Buddha, based on this high ideal. The sangha became the central institution of the Buddhists, where the monks and nuns, after vowing themselves into celibacy, devoted their lives to meditation and study, and also teach the laity to achieve Nirvana.
Four noble truth8 1. Life is subject to all kinds of suffering (Dukkha). To live means to suffer. Human nature is not perfect and neither is the world we live in. During our lifetime, we have to face physical suffering such as pain, sickness, injury, tiredness, old age, and eventually death and also psychological suffering like sadness, fear, frustration, disappointment, and depression
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2. This suffering is caused by ignorance which results in desire. The origin of suffering is attachment to transient things and the ignorance thereof. Transient things do not only include the physical objects that surround us, but also ideas. Ignorance is the lack of understanding of how our mind is attached to impermanent things. The reasons for suffering are desire, passion, ardour, pursuit of wealth and prestige, striving for fame and popularity. 3. This suffering can be eliminated by the elimination of desire. Suffering can be overcome through human activity, simply by removing the cause of suffering. Attaining and perfecting dispassion is a process of many levels that ultimately results in the state of Nirvana. Nirvana means freedom from all worries, troubles, complexes, fabrications and ideas. 4. The way to eliminate desire and attachment. There is a path to the end of suffering - a gradual path of self-improvement, which is described in the Eightfold Path. It is the middle way between the two extremes of excessive self-indulgence (hedonism) and excessive selfmortification (asceticism) and it leads to the end of the cycle of rebirth.
Eightfold path9 I. Right Understanding means the knowledge of the Four Noble Truths so that one is able to understand things as they really are. II. Right Thought means developing the noble qualities of love and the aversion to cause hurt to others. III. Right Speech is to abstain from lying, idle-talk, slander and harsh words.
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IV.
Right Action Is to abstain from taking life, taking what is not given, and sexual misconduct.
V.
Right Live hood To avoid any occupation that causes harm to others such as selling intoxicants of any kind, arms, poison and weapons, butchering, slave trafficking, hunting, fishing and money-lending.
VI.
Right Effort Requires assiduous self-discipline to attain full control of the mind so that evil mental states are rejected and wholesome mental states developed.
VII.
Right Mindfulness Means developing full awareness of all actions of the body, speech and mind and to allow nothing to happen heedlessly or mechanically that may turn into an unwholesome act.
VIII.
Right Concentration To attain mental quietude and the wisdom to realise the full significance of the Four Noble Truths.
Conclusion Religion is a guideline that leads us to a successful way in the future. All religion in the world tells us to act in the right and good way when carrying out our daily life. Thus, religion is a very important medium to everyone in this world in achieving their lifes goal.
