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| Buddha |
The history of Buddhism dates back to around 580 BC [1] , which began with the birth of Siddhartha (meaning 'Perfect Fulfilment') Gautama also known as the 'Buddha' (the Enlightened One). Buddhism is based on his teachings and his way of life.
Gautama was born in a very wealthy family near the border of modern India and Nepal. His father, after hearing prophecies of his son becoming a Great Teacher and Holy Man, trapped Buddha in his extravagant palace and forbade him to go outside into the city to lead a religious life of a monk.
Gautama was born in a very wealthy family near the border of modern India and Nepal. His father, after hearing prophecies of his son becoming a Great Teacher and Holy Man, trapped Buddha in his extravagant palace and forbade him to go outside into the city to lead a religious life of a monk.
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| Birth |
Prince Siddhartha grew up in a very loving and happy environment. When he was young, he began to understand the meaning of being 'unhappy'. Despite the King's restrictions, the Prince managed to find a way out of the Palace and went wondering about in the city. This was when he experienced first-hand, the idea of 'suffering'.
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| Suffering |
When he was in the city, he saw an old man leaning almost bent double on a stick. Gautama asked Channa, the man who drove him to the city, what was wrong with the man. Channa said: 'He is old. One day we shall all be like him, broth princes and ordinary people.' On the second visit to the city, he saw another man. The man was lying still on the side of the road. Channa again explained. He said that illness happened to all, a reality that none can escape from. On the third visit, he saw a dead man, decaying on the side of the road. Channa told Gautama that all people would die. On his fourth and last visit, he saw a bald man, carrying a bowl and dressed only in a simple robe. He asked Channa who this man was. Channa replied: 'This is a Holy man, who had given up everything for the cause of truth.' [2]
It was then that the Prince realised that he had to go and search the meaning of life and why there was dukkha (suffering) in the world. The Prince left the palace in search for enlightenment. During his journey, he established the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path (see Principle Beliefs page in this Blog).
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| Four Noble Truths |
The next 45 years of his life were all about reaching Enlightenment. After trying to live life in suffering, Gautama realised that he would not find the truth through life's pleasures nor through denying himself. He realised that the truth lie between the two opposites, which he called the Middle Way. [2]
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| Enlightenment |
Just before his death, Gautama became the 'Buddha', the Enlightened One. Legend goes (according to Buddhists), that he had left the way of the Holy Men and went to a place called Bodh Gaya. He decided to sit under the Bodhi tree, waiting there until he had reached full understanding of the big questions in life. After he was enlightened, he was able to see the reality of the way things were in the world. [2]
Gautama did not envisage himself as establishing a religion. Buddhists have no belief in higher deities, but propose a path towards freedom from suffering, or individual enlightenment, through deep reflection on the nature of existence. This focus on self-redemption makes it qualitatively quite different from other belief systems which base themselves around concepts of divine mercy or grace.
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| Buddhism as a Religion |
The Buddha's teaching (dharma) is the cornerstone of Buddhism. Two hundred years after Gautama's death, a thousand monks worked for 9 months to classify and write down the traditions that had only existed orally. This work, called the Pali Canon, is the foundational teaching text for the Theravadic Buddhists. [3]
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| Pali Canon |
Under pressure from the Hindu growth, the Buddhist presence in India eventually began to decline from about the 7th Century CE. Buddhism flourished in many other parts of Asia. Today it is estimated that there are about 200 million Buddhists living in countries outside of China.
(To further understand Buddhism, go to the Principle Beliefs page and The Sangha and Buddhist Schools page of this Blog.)
Footnotes:
1. Buddhist Temples: Path to Salvation, (-), 'History of Buddhism'. Accessed on July the 7th from: http://www.buddhist-temples.com/history-of-buddhism.html
2. Wood, Cavan, (2002), ‘Living Buddhism’. Heinemann Library.
3. ABC, (2011), 'Buddhism'. Accessed on July the 7th from: http://www.abc.net.au/religion/stories/s796474.htm
