Buddhism

Buddhism

This fourth largest religion in the world has around 700 million devotees, found mostly in Southeastern Asia.

Siddhartha Gautama

Though he is commonly referred to by his religious name, this figure, born in 563 BC, became a great spiritual leader, despite him being a Kshatriya, which was the warrior/political ruler caste.

Lumbini

This kingdom near the present-day Nepal-India border was the home of Siddhartha Guatama. His father was its king.

great king or great spiritual leader

Astrologers, after Siddhartha Gautama was born, declared that he would go on to be one of two things. The second possibility greatly angered the king because if Siddhartha ended up going down that path, he wouldn’t be doing his duty as a Kshatriya, instead acting like a Brahmin, which would mess up his karma. What were the options?

mother

The death of an individual with this relation to Siddhartha was kept from him in an effort to avoid him from being exposed to suffering.

fruit

Siddhartha’s father kept a lot of things from his son in an effort to prevent him from going down the spiritual path. He removed symbols of Hinduism so that he wouldn’t be exposed to religion, prevented him from leaving, and made anyone who worked at the palace resign at a certain age because he didn’t want him to see old people. He even beat a servant because this object had aged, simply because he didn’t want his son to know that it decayed, as he felt this fact may hurt his feelings.

leave the palace

Siddhartha wanted to do this when he was a teenager, likely around 17, and despite his dad’s initial resistance, he allowed it on two conditions: he must do this with a servant, and he must do it in a way that his dad had pre-planned. His dad planned to control this activity through the use of an army of servants clearing the way.

first passing sight

This event involved Siddhartha seeing an old man hobbling down the road. He asked his servant what it was, and the servant honestly replied, stating that he was old. The young prince asked if it was because he was poor, to which the servant replied that it was not, and that it happened to everyone, including to Siddhartha eventually. This made him depressed.

second passing sight

This event involved Siddhartha seeing a man disfigured by disease on the ground, moaning. In Buddhism, we are all this man. Siddhartha asked the servant what was wrong with him and asked what he did to deserve that. The servant explained that people just get sick and that it isn’t necessarily a result of bad deeds. This made Siddhartha even more depressed, though he wished to keep going.

third passing sight

This event involved Siddhartha encountering a dead body on logs, prepared for cremation. Siddhartha asked why someone would sleep on logs, which led the servant to say that it was not sleeping, but death. Siddhartha asked what that meant, to which the servant said that he’s gone. He didn’t stop there! He also told him that his mother was dead, and the reason for this was that Siddhartha was born. After this, Siddhartha couldn’t take it anymore and wanted to go home.

fourth passing sight

This event involved Siddhartha seeing an ascetic in the ॐ position, looking peaceful. Siddhartha asked what the guy was doing, and he said that until he was interrupted, he was meditating. Siddhartha assumed that the reason this guy looked so peaceful was because he didn’t know about aging and illness and death, so he decided that he was going to ruin this guy’s day by telling him about those things. The ascetic replied that he was fully aware of all of these things, but stated that he had no reason to be anxious over something he couldn’t control, and this would go on to be a core teaching of Buddhism.

servant

After he returned from his voyage, Siddhartha was very angry with his dad. His father, angry that his son had been exposed to everything he was trying to shield him from, likely executed this individual who accompanied Siddhartha on his journey.

four passing sights

These refer to the significant experiences Siddhartha encountered during his journey, which included seeing an old man, a sick person, a dead body, and an ascetic. These profoundly affected him, leading to his quest for enlightenment and understanding of suffering in life.

If you have what you want, you forget what you need.

This fundamental Buddhist principle can be learnt through the “pleasure overload” that Siddhartha experienced following his journey, in which his father gave him plenty of prostitutes and other things to satisfy his desires, taking his mind off of suffering.

the Great Going Forth

Following his journey, Siddhartha got married and had a son. While rocking his baby, he starts to get sad and remembers the four passing sights. He questions why he brought a child into a world where he is doomed to suffer. In this event, Siddhartha abandons his family, leading to him joining ascetics.

ascetics

Following the Great Going Forth, Siddhartha ran into a group of these and wished to join them, remembering the fourth passing sight. They allowed him to join on the condition that he give up all of his royal privileges and live a life of severe self-denial.

one grain of rice

As an ascetic, Siddhartha survived on this, making him profoundly skinny.

arhats

During his initial time as an ascetic, Siddhartha gained some followers known as these because he became really good at meditation. This word eventually became a general term to refer to followers of the Buddha.

Bodhi Tree

After realizing the failure of his body and that starvation isn’t the ideal way to achieve enlightenment, Siddhartha ran away from his followers and collapsed under this, and he started sobbing, though due to a lack of water, his body couldn’t produce tears. He decides that under this, he will either figure out a way to end suffering or die. The first word of this object means “wisdom.”

nirvana

Buddhist word for enlightenment.

dukkha

Buddhist word for suffering.

three watches of the night

These refer to the various stages of Siddhartha Gautama’s meditation under the Bodhi Tree.

first watch of the night

This event under the Bodhi Tree involved Siddhartha recalling all of his past lives; there was a great variety: rich, poor, powerful, weak, etc., but one thing was consistent: suffering and death.

second watch of the night

This event under the Bodhi Tree involved Siddhartha recalling the past lives of all living things; he realized that everyone and every living thing suffers and dies.

third watch of the night

This event under the Bodhi Tree involved Siddhartha gaining insight into the nature of suffering, death, and the chain of causation, leading to the understanding of the Four Noble Truths. In this stage, he became the Buddha.

Buddha

This term means “awakened one.” There are many of these, though when this word refers to Siddhartha Gautama, it is capitalized. It does not refer to a god.

Four Noble Truths

The central teachings in Buddhism that outline the nature of suffering, its cause, the possibility of cessation, and the path to liberation from suffering.

first noble truth

To live is to suffer.

second noble truth

Suffering is caused by desire.

third noble truth

There is a solution to suffering, though this does not mean you will never experience bad things.

fourth noble truth

The path to ending suffering is following the Eightfold Path.

Eightfold Path

This path to enlightenment must be mastered in order. Buddha said that it will likely take many lifetimes, as it took him many lifetimes. He says that you must master its steps, though it is impossible to perfect them.

first step of the Eightfold Path

Right views. Means you have to accept the Four Noble Truths.

second step of the Eightfold Path

Right intention. It involves abandoning mara in your heart and nurturing what is good.

mara

This Buddhist term refers to evil. It is the voice inside of one’s head that lies to use either about how good we are or how bad we are. Buddha reccommends getting to know this and having a cup of tea with it in order to be able to kick it out. It is impersonal.

third step of the Eightfold Path

Right speech. According to Buddha, there is enough suffering in the world, and we need not contribute more to it with our words. It advocates against lying, arguing that this deprives others of truth. He takes it a step further by arguing against saying anything that isn’t necessary, as when one speaks, he draws attention to himself, which is a distraction.

fourth step of the Eightfold Path

Right conduct. This is the ethical element of Buddhism, which is similar to Jesus’. It involves loving enemies and neighbors. People who have mastered right conduct are like Catholic saints.

fifth step of the Eightfold Path

Right livelihood. This step emphasizes resisting participating in activities that harm or destroy sentient creatures (capable of feeling pain). Buddhists, because of this, tend to be pacifist and vegetarian.

external and internal

Generally, the first through fifth steps of the Eightfold Path tend to deal with this, while the sixth through eighth tend to focus on this.

sixth step of the Eightfold Path

Right effort. This step encourages maintaining control of one’s sense appetite (control over one’s senses). The core idea is that your senses work for you, not the other way around.

seventh step of the Eightfold Path

Right mindfulness. This step encourages maintaining control of one’s mental processes. We are capable of controlling our thoughts. The Buddha encourages these thoughts to not be about things that have happened or maybe will, as this causes anxiety. Instead, he encourages being present.

eighth step of the Eightfold Path

Right meditation. Meditation is the central ritual behavior in Buddhism. This involves a very specific realization: the part of you that selfishly desires attention or loneliness isn’t real. The sooner you stop feeding this ghost, the sooner you achieve nirvana and cease suffering. This step represents the overcoming of one’s ego.

three jewels

The three core pillars that define and anchor the Buddhist path.

first jewel of Buddhism

Buddha. This jewel simply refers to Siddhartha Gautama.

second jewel of Buddhism

Dharma. This jewel refers to the Buddha's teachings.

third jewel of Buddhism

Sangha. This word and this jewel refer to the communities/temples as well as the wider global community of Buddhism. It is used in a similar way, with a similar dual meaning, to the word “Church” in Catholicism.

anatta

This word refers to the Buddhist principle of no-self. It refers to the part of you that is selfish, your ego, which doesn’t exist.

anicca

This Buddhist term refers to the faith’s principle of impermanence.