Buddhism

We explain what Buddhism is and how it emerged. Also, its main beliefs and the history of its founder.

What is Buddhism?

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy of Indian and non-theistic origin (which does not propose the existence of any God). It is based on traditional Indian dharmic teachings and, especially, on the methods of seeking enlightenment proposed by the ascetic and mendicant preacher Siddharta Gautama (c. 563-483 BC), nicknamed “The Buddha” or “The Awakened One.” ”.

With more than 500 million followers in the world especially in East and Southeast Asia, Buddhism is understood as a method of aspiring to transcendence, which is why it is considered more of a philosophical doctrine than an organized religion.

Buddhism is characterized by seeking the nirvanaa spiritual state of peace and freedom that is achieved by overcoming the dukkha (suffering) and samsara (cyclical existence of the individual consisting of birth, death and rebirth). For this, its followers rely on spiritual techniques, such as meditation, through which they pursue calm and contemplation and seek liberation within the individual and not in the external environment.

There are three main traditions within Buddhism which vary according to their interpretation of the path to liberation proposed by the Buddhist method. These traditions or schools are the basis of modern Buddhism in different parts of the world and are: Buddhism TheravadaBuddhism Mahayana and Buddhism Vajrayana.

See also: Lotus flower

Main beliefs of Buddhism

The three great ideals on which Buddhist doctrine is based are the “Three Jewels”, in which every follower trusts, finds refuge and to which he feels linked. These are:

• The Buddha understood as the ideal of illumination.
• He Dharma which is the Buddhist doctrine.
• The Sangha, which is the spiritual community.

The main beliefs of Buddhism are:

• Buddhism does not recognize any God or supreme deity, but instead focuses on achieving spiritual enlightenment, that is, the state of nirvanathrough which the human being accesses infinite peace and wisdom.
• The path to enlightenment must be made by one's own hand, through meditation, wisdom and morality, and one must evade desire and avoid selfishness, self-indulgence and suffering.
• Souls are immersed in an eternal cycle of death and reincarnation (samsara), from which the individual can only escape through spiritual enlightenment.
• The laws of karma They maintain that every positive intentional action generates positive consequences and vice versa.

The path to enlightenment consists of the Four Noble Truths discovered by Buddha, which are:

• The suffering (dukkha) exists and is universal, since life is imperfect.
• Suffering has its origin in desire (trsna).
• Suffering can be extinguished when its cause ceases, that is, when desire is extinguished and desire is embraced. nirvana.
• There is a Noble Eightfold Path (eight steps) to extinguish suffering and achieve nirvana. This path is formed by wisdom, conduct and concentration, including: right vision, right intention, right speech, right behavior, right livelihood, right effort, right consciousness and right meditation.

History of Buddhism

Buddhism bases its principles on the teachings proclaimed, after his spiritual awakening, by the Indian ascetic and preacher Siddharta Gautama (better known as Buddha). Siddhartha was born in the 5th century BC. C. within an aristocratic family in the ancient republic of Sakia, and upon seeing the suffering that the people were experiencing, he abandoned his social status and privileges to lead a life dedicated to meditation and asceticism, until the day when he finally found the path to spiritual awakening.

Opposing the traditional brahmanical practices of India, Gautama Buddha preached his methods based on mindfulness, ethical training and meditation dhyanato a growing community of followers.

Buddhism as a religion began to exist between the 5th and 4th centuries BC. c and spread throughout India. However, unlike theistic religions, Buddhism did not propose the deification of Buddha, nor his kinship with God, but instead proposed the methods and beliefs of Gautama as the path to spiritual enlightenment.

Buddhism flourished under numerous empires in India between the 4th and 11th centuries and, during that period of time, its four main aspects developed: Madhyamaka, Yogacara, Tathagatagarbha and Pramana. Thanks to its local success, Buddhism soon spread throughout Sri Lanka and Central Asia.

However, Beginning in the 10th century, Buddhism began a slow decline in favor of Hinduism and soon lost much of its traditional territory in Asia. Beginning in the 19th century, Buddhism began to penetrate the West, where it found a large number of followers, especially in the 20th century.

Reincarnation in Buddhism

According to Buddhist doctrine, Human beings are in a constant state of existential suffering whose origin is longing, desire or attachment.

This state of eternal suffering is called samsara and it happens because all souls are trapped in the eternal wheel of reincarnations. After physical death, souls ascend to higher forms of existence or descend to cruder and more basic forms, depending on their moral and spiritual behavior in life.

The only way to interrupt this eternal circuit of suffering is to reach the nirvana. For Buddhism, the nirvana It is achieved through spiritual enlightenment practices that allow the individual to leave suffering and desire behind, and escape reincarnation to find infinite peace.

Symbols and books of Buddhism

One of the most representative symbols of Buddhism is the “wheel of dharma.” (dharma chakra), which has the shape of a maritime rudder and is one of the symbols of the dharmathat is, of law or religion, both in Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. The eight points of the wheel symbolize the eightfold path proposed by Buddha.

Like many other religions, Buddhism is the result of a strong oral tradition since Buddha's words were transmitted by his followers orally, and not through writings. Unlike theistic religions, there is no single canon of fundamental texts in Buddhism and its traditions, nor consensus regarding how surviving texts should be interpreted. However, the Theravada Buddhist side, for example, takes the Pali Canon as its main canon (Pali Tipitaka). For its part, the Chinese Buddhist canon covers more than 2,000 texts and the Tibetan canon more than 1,100 texts signed by Buddha.

Continue with: Karma

References

• “Buddhism” in National Geographic.
• “The Buddhist core values” at UNHCR.
• “The temptation of Buddhism, a religion without God” in El País.
• “Vesak Day” at the UN.
• “The four noble truths and the noble eightfold path” at the Triratna Buddhist Center.