Buddha Essay Research Paper Buddha

Buddha Essay, Research Paper

Buddha & # 8211 ; Buddism Enlightenment Buddhahood ReligionWhat is Buddhism? Buddhism is a way of instruction and pattern. Buddhistpractices such as speculation are agencies of altering oneself inorder to develop the qualities of consciousness, kindness, andwisdom. The experience developed within the Buddhist traditionover 1000s of old ages has created an uncomparable resourcefor all those who wish to follow the way of spiritualdevelopment. Ultimately, the Buddhist way culminates inEnlightenment or Buddhahood. Who was the Buddha? The word Buddha is a rubric non a name. It means onewho is awake in the sense of holding woken up to world. Thetitle was foremost given to a adult male called Siddharta Guatemala, who lived about 2,500 old ages ago in Northern India. When hewas 35 he found Enlightenment whist in profound mediation, after seeking for old ages. In the following 45 old ages of his lifehe spent it going through India learning his manner of life.His instruction is known as Buddha-dharma. Traveling from topographic point to topographic point, the Buddha gained manydisciples. They besides taught of the enlightment, and the chainhas continued on to this present twenty-four hours. The Buddha was non a God, and he made no claim todivinity. There is no construct of a Godhead in Buddhism. He wasa human being who, thought enormous attempts, transformedhimself. The province of Enlightenment which he reached has threemain aspects. It is a province of wisdom, of penetration into the truenature of things. It is besides a beginning or boundless compassion, attesting itself in activity for the benefit of all existences. andit the entire release of all the energies of the head and thebody so they are at the service of the to the full witting head. What Happened After the Buddha s Death? Buddhism died out in India a thousand old ages ago, though ithas late revived. In the last century Buddhism hasemphatically arrived in the West and up to one millionwesterners have become Buddhists. What Does Buddhism Teach? Buddhism sees life as being in procedure of changeless changeand its patterns aim to take advantage of this fact. Itmeans that one can alter for the better. The decisive factorin altering ourselves is the head and Buddhism has developedmany methods for working on the head. Most significantly, Buddhists pattern speculation which is a manner of developing morepositive provinces of head which are characterized by composure, concentration, consciousness, and emotions such as friendliness. How do you go a Buddhist? To go a Buddhist in the full sense means committingoneself to the cardinal thoughts of Buddhism. The Buddhist way isopen to all every bit: work forces and adult females, immature and old, peopleof all nationalities, races and backgrounds. RebirthRebirth in the Six RealmsBuddhism teaches that birth, decease and metempsychosis are partof the go oning procedure of alteration. The is similar to thecontinuous procedure of growing, decay, and replacing of cells

in 1s organic structure. Harmonizing to medical experts, after everyseven old ages, all the cells in one s bo

dy are replaced by newones. At the moment of death, and the body can no longersurvive, the mind is separated from the body. At that time, thecraving for lives causes one to seek a new existence, and thekarma done previously determine the place of one s rebirth. There are six realms which one may be reborn afterdeath. They are the realms of gods, the demigods, humanbeings, animals, hungry ghosts, and the hells. In general, wholesome actions like good conduct, charity,a and mental development, are the cause of rebirth in thehappy realms of gods, demigods, and human beings. On theother hand, unwholesome actions like immoral conduct,miserliness and cruelty cause rebirth in the unhappy realm ofanimals, hungry ghosts and the hells. Of all the six realms, the realm of human beings isconsidered the most desirable. In the realm of human beings,the conditions for attaining Nirvana are better. In general,in the unhappy realms, the suffering of living beings is so intenseand their ignorance so great that they are unable torecognize the Truth and follow the path to attain freedom.Alternatively, living beings in the realms of the gods anddemigods experience so much happiness and have so manydistractions that they do not think of rebirth until it is toolate. Then they may be reborn in one of the lower realmsof suffering. In the realm of human beings, however, peopleexperience both happiness and suffering, and are intelligentenough to recognize the Truth and follow the path to attainfreedom from the cycle of birth and death. Therefore, one isindeed fortunate to be born as a human being, and shouldremember that the principal cause of birth in the realm isGood Conduct. The Cycle of Birth and DeathThe Buddha pointed out that whenever one is reborn,whether as a human being, as an animal, or as a god, non ofthese states of exticence is permanent. The average life spanof the living beings in the six realms of existence differ butnone of them lasts forever. Eventually, rebirth will takeplace. The realm into which one is reborn and one sconditions of rebirth are determined by ones past and presentactions. This is the law of Karma at work. Because of the force of their karma, people are bornare reborn endlessly, in one realm of existence or inanother. The Buddha declared that there is no permanentrest in the cycle of birth and death. It is only when onefollows the Noble Eightfold path taught by the Buddha andeventually attains Nirvana, that one finally becomes freefrom the ceaseless cycle and gains supreme and permanenthappiness. KarmaKarma is the law of moral causation. It is action andreaction in the ethical realm. It is natural law that everyaction produces a certain effect. So if one performswholesome actions, one will experience happiness. on the otherhand, if one performs unwholesome actions, one will experiencesuffering. The is the law of cause and effect at work. Inthis way, the effect of one s past karma determine that natureof one s present situation in life.