The Path
of
Buddhism
                                                           		Buddha                                                         
The Four Noble Truths            The Eightfold Path


Buddhism has almost as many variations in thought and practice as Christianity. When writing this short overview on Buddhism, the task seemed almost overwhelming. Suffice it to say that this discourse on Buddhism is very limited and if you have the desire to learn more, you may find other websites on the internet that go into much more detail.

The links above outline two of the basics of Buddhist philosophy and will help one to realize the timeless teachings of the Buddha in one's own life.

BENEFITS of Practicing Buddhism
The religion is based on the teaching of Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as The Buddha, who lived approximately 557 B.C. to 477 B.C. The word "Buddha" means a Supremely Enlightened One or Fully Awakened One (also a Tathagata) who has won the realization of the True Permanent Absolute Reality, the Ultimate Truth.

Siddhartha Gautama was born a prince in a kingdom around what is now the border area between India and Nepal. At the age of 29, desiring to know the path that leads to the ending of all impermanence and anguish, to ensuring his permanent well-being, he renounced everything of the world, becoming a homeless ascetic, vowing to find the way to True Ultimate Reality.

He was a Bohdisattva, which is one who goes through an intense period of development and practice in order to attain the realization of Perfect Wisdom, Total Supreme Enlightenment, Buddhahood.

At the age of 35, by way of total focus of his entire being on this single goal, he accomplished his purpose and attained the realization of Perfect Wisdom. He found the answer that lead to the complete cessation of all impermanence and anguish, that lead to reaching the other shore that is Permanent True Reality – Nirvana. He then began to teach, instruct and guide others who similarly were seeking Wisdom and Enlightenment. It is the teaching of The Buddha that is the foundation of Buddhism.

In fundamental Buddhism, the emphasis is on seeing Truth, on knowing it, and on understanding it. The emphasis is not on blind faith. The teaching of Buddhism is on "come and see" but never on come and believe. Buddhism is rational and requires personal effort, stating that by only one's own efforts can Perfect Wisdom be realized. Each individual is responsible for his or her own emancipation from anguish and suffering.

Buddhism allows each individual to study and observe Truth internally and requires no blind faith before acceptance. Buddhism advocates no dogmas, no creeds, no rites, no ceremonies, no sacrifices, no penances, all of which must usually be accepted on blind faith. Buddhism is not a system of faith and worship but rather it is merely a Path to Supreme Enlightenment.

The Buddha referred to his teaching as simply a raft to leave this shore of suffering and impermanence, and to get to the other shore of bliss and safety, True Permanent Reality, Nirvana. Upon realization of Nirvana, the raft is no longer needed.

The Buddha referred to his teaching as the Middle Path, called this because it avoids the extremes of both self-indulgence in the world and the self-mortification of strict asceticism. The path he taught incorporates both intellectual progress plus spiritual progress with practice that reflects compassion, morality, wisdom and concentration while at the same time seeing and understanding the world of existence as it truly is.

Buddhism is the path of escape for those seeking the permanent end here and now of all anguish. And what exactly is anguish? Anguish is birth, suffering, pain, sorrow, sickness, disease, old age, decay, death, grief, despair, poverty, evil, lamentations, woe, tribulations, misfortune, war, insanity, hunger, unfulfilled wants, unfulfilled basic needs, association with the unwanted, disassociation from the wanted, and is what is unstable and uncontrollable. Buddhism is for those who have come to see that what has been created is impermanent; and that whatever is impermanent is inherently ill. No permanent bliss or happiness is to be found in what is impermanent, only pain and peril.

The aim of living the path of the doctrine of Buddhism is to plunge into Nirvana. It has Nirvana as its goal. Nirvana is its ending. True Reality realized. The Uncreated, the Unborn, the permanent bliss of Nirvana. The Eightfold Noble Path of Buddhism is the means to this end. Eight activities – a very specific course of actions – that must be simultaneously developed to realize the goal, Nirvana.

According to Buddhism, any "Being" that does not resolve to attain Self-Enlightenment and True Reality will continue to "reform" these constructed fabricated realities of sense desire, form and formlessness. Continuous future rebirth will be and each "life" will be good or bad, happiness or unhappiness, pleasure or pain, or a combination of the two, all according to the good or evil past deeds done of act, speech and thought, with mind being the forerunner of all manifestations of constructed realities and created fabricated individual entity within such conditioned, made states of existence.

In short, a pendulum of rebirth, going back and forth continuously between hells, heavens and the physical universe, until the self of each "Being" decides to make an end of all manifesting, an end to living vicariously through constructions of artificial realities, to make an escape from what has been created, from what has become a tangled decayed, putrid manifested mass of suffering, pain and anguish perpetuated by craving, hatred, lust, delusion, illusion and ignorance.

Some Pictures of Statues and Monuments to the Buddha:

www.bodyandsoulcenter.com