Basic ideas of Buddhism. Myths and misconceptions

It originated in the middle of the first millennium BC in northern India as a movement in opposition to the dominant Brahmanism at that time. In the middle of the 6th century. BC. Indian society was experiencing a socio-economic and cultural crisis. The clan organization and traditional ties were disintegrating, and class relations were emerging. At this time, there were a large number of wandering ascetics in India, they offered their vision of the world. Their opposition to the existing order aroused the sympathy of the people. Among the teachings of this kind was Buddhism, which gained the greatest influence in.

Most researchers believe that the founder of Buddhism was real. He was the son of the head of the tribe Shakyev, born in 560g. BC. in northeast India. Tradition says that the Indian prince Siddhartha Gautama after a carefree and happy youth, he acutely felt the frailty and hopelessness of life, the horror of the idea of ​​​​an endless series of reincarnations. He left home in order to communicate with the sages to find the answer to the question: how can a person be freed from suffering. The prince traveled for seven years and one day, when he was sitting under a tree, Bodhi, inspiration descended on him. He found the answer to his question. Name Buddha means "enlightened one". Shocked by his discovery, he sat under this tree for several days, and then went down to the valley, to the people to whom he began to preach a new teaching. He preached his first sermon in Benares. At first, five of his former students joined him, who left him when he abandoned asceticism. Subsequently, he gained many followers. His ideas were close to many. For 40 years he preached in North and Central India.

Truths of Buddhism

The main truths discovered by the Buddha were as follows.

A person's entire life is suffering. This truth is based on the recognition of the impermanence and transitory nature of all things. Everything arises to be destroyed. Existence is devoid of substance, it devours itself, which is why in Buddhism it is designated as a flame. And only sorrow and suffering can be taken out of the flame.

The cause of suffering is our desire. Suffering arises because man is attached to life, he craves existence. Since existence is filled with sorrow, suffering will exist as long as a person craves life.

To get rid of suffering, you need to get rid of desire. This is only possible as a result of achieving nirvana, which in Buddhism is understood as the extinction of passions, the cessation of thirst. Isn't this at the same time the cessation of life? Buddhism avoids answering this question directly. Only negative judgments are made about nirvana: it is neither desire nor consciousness, neither life nor death. This is a state in which one is freed from the transmigration of souls. In later Buddhism, nirvana is understood as bliss consisting of freedom and spirituality.

To get rid of desire, one must follow the eightfold path of salvation. It is the definition of these steps on the path to nirvana that is fundamental in the teachings of the Buddha, which are called middle way, allowing you to avoid two extremes: indulging in sensual pleasures and torturing the flesh. This teaching is called the eightfold path of salvation because it indicates eight states, mastering which a person can achieve purification of the mind, tranquility and intuition.

These are the states:

• correct understanding: One should believe the Buddha that the world is full of sorrow and suffering;
• correct intentions: you should firmly determine your path, limit your passions and aspirations;
• correct speech: you should watch your words so that they do not lead to evil - speech should be truthful and benevolent;
• right actions: one should avoid unvirtuous actions, restrain oneself and perform good deeds;
• correct lifestyle: one should lead a worthy life without causing harm to living things;
• right efforts: you should monitor the direction of your thoughts, drive away everything evil and tune in to the good;
• right thoughts: it should be understood that evil is from our flesh;
• correct concentration: one should constantly and patiently train, achieve the ability to concentrate, contemplate, and go deeper in search of truth.

The first two steps mean the achievement of wisdom or prajna. The next three are moral behavior - sewed And finally, the last three are mental discipline or samadha.

However, these states cannot be understood as steps on a ladder that a person masters gradually. Everything is interconnected here. Moral behavior is necessary to achieve wisdom, and without mental discipline we cannot develop moral behavior. He who acts compassionately is wise; he who acts wisely is compassionate. Such behavior is impossible without mental discipline.

In general, we can say that Buddhism brought to personal aspect, which was not previously in the Eastern worldview: the assertion that salvation is possible only through personal determination and willingness to act in a certain direction. In addition, in Buddhism it is quite clearly visible the idea of ​​the need for compassion to all living beings - an idea most fully embodied in Mahayana Buddhism.

Main directions of Buddhism

The early Buddhists were just one of many competing heterodox sects at the time, but their influence grew over time. Buddhism was supported primarily by the urban population: rulers, warriors, who saw in it an opportunity to get rid of the supremacy of the Brahmans.

The first followers of the Buddha gathered in some secluded place during the rainy season and, while waiting out this period, formed a small community. Those who joined the community usually renounced all property. They were called bhikkhus, which means "beggar". They shaved their heads, dressed in rags, mostly yellow, and had with them only the bare necessities: three pieces of clothing (upper, lower and cassock), a razor, a needle, a belt, a sieve to strain the water, selecting insects from it (ahimsa) , toothpick, begging cup. They spent most of their time wandering, collecting alms. They could only eat food before noon and only vegetarian food. In a cave, in an abandoned building, bhikkhus lived through the rainy season, talking on pious topics and practicing self-improvement. Dead bhikkhus were usually buried near their habitats. Subsequently, stupa monuments (dome-shaped crypt structures with a tightly walled up entrance) were erected at their burial sites. Various structures were built around these stupas. Later, monasteries arose near these places. The rules of monastic life were taking shape. When the Buddha was alive, he himself explained all the complex issues of doctrine. After his death, the oral tradition continued for a long time.

Soon after the Buddha's death, his followers convened the first Buddhist council to canonize the teachings. The purpose of this council, which took place in the city Rajagrih, was to develop the text of the Buddha's message. However, not everyone agreed with the decisions made at this council. In 380 BC. the second council was convened in Vaishali in order to resolve any disagreements that have arisen.

Buddhism reached its peak during the reign of the Emperor Ashoka(III century BC), thanks to whose efforts Buddhism became the official state ideology and spread beyond India. Ashoka did a lot for the Buddhist faith. He erected 84 thousand stupas. During his reign, the third council was held in the city Pataliputra, on which the text of the sacred books of Buddhism was approved, compiling Tipitaka(or Tripitaka), and a decision was made to send missionaries to all parts of the country, right up to Ceylon. Ashoka sent his son to Ceylon, where he became an apostle, converting many thousands of people to Buddhism and building many monasteries. It is here that the southern canon of the Buddhist Church is established - Hinayana, which is also called Theravada(teaching of the elders). Hinayana means "small vehicle or narrow path of salvation."

In the middle of the last century BC. in northwestern India, Scythian rulers created the Kushan kingdom, whose ruler was Kanishka, a devout Buddhist and patron of Buddhism. Kanishka convened the fourth council towards the end of the 1st century. AD in the city Kashmir. The Council formulated and approved the main provisions of a new movement in Buddhism, called Mahayana -"great chariot or wide circle of salvation." Mahayana Buddhism developed by famous Indian Buddhist Nagarajuna, made many changes to classical teaching.

The features of the main directions of Buddhism are as follows (see table).

Main directions of Buddhism

Buddhism originated and flourished significantly in India, but by the end of the 1st millennium AD. it is losing its position here and is being replaced by Hinduism, which is more familiar to the inhabitants of India. There are several reasons that led to this outcome:

• the development of Hinduism, which inherited the traditional values ​​of Brahmanism and modernized it;
• enmity between different directions of Buddhism, which often led to open struggle;
• A decisive blow to Buddhism was dealt by the Arabs, who conquered many Indian territories in the 7th-8th centuries. and brought Islam with them.

Buddhism, having spread to many countries in East Asia, became a world religion that retains its influence to this day.

Sacred literature and ideas about the structure of the world

The teachings of Buddhism are presented in a number of canonical collections, the central place among which is occupied by the Pali canon “Tipitaka” or “Tripitaka”, which means “three baskets”. Buddhist texts were originally written on palm leaves, which were placed in baskets. The canon is written in the language Pali. In pronunciation, Pali is related to Sanskrit as Italian is to Latin. The canon consists of three parts.

1. Vinaya Pitaka, contains ethical teaching, as well as information about discipline and ceremony; this includes 227 rules by which monks must live;
2. Sutta Pitaka, contains the teachings of the Buddha and popular Buddhist literature including " Dhammapadu", which means "the path of truth" (an anthology of Buddhist parables), and " Jataka» - a collection of stories about the previous lives of Buddha;
3. Abhidhamma Pitaka, contains metaphysical ideas of Buddhism, philosophical texts that set out the Buddhist understanding of life.

The listed books from all areas of Buddhism are especially recognized as Hinayana. Other branches of Buddhism have their own sacred sources.

Mahayana followers consider their sacred book "Prajnaparalshta sutra"(teachings on perfect wisdom). It is considered a revelation of the Buddha himself. Because it was extremely difficult to understand, the Buddha's contemporaries deposited it in the Palace of the Serpents in the middle world, and when the time was right to reveal these teachings to people, the great Buddhist thinker Nagarajuna brought them back to the world of men.

The Mahayana sacred books are written in Sanskrit. They include mythological and philosophical subjects. Separate parts of these books are Diamond Sutra, Heart Sutra And Lotus Sutra.

An important feature of the Mahayana sacred books is that Siddharha Gautama is not considered the only Buddha: there were others before him and there will be others after him. Of great importance is the doctrine developed in these books about the bodhisattva (body - enlightened, sattva - essence) - a being who is ready to transition to nirvana, but delays this transition in order to help others. The most revered is the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara.

The cosmology of Buddhism is of great interest, since it underlies all views on life. According to the basic principles of Buddhism, the Universe has a multi-layered structure. In the center of the earthly world, which is cylindrical disk, there is a mountain Meru. She's surrounded seven concentric ring-shaped seas and the same number of circles of mountains separating the seas. Outside the last mountain range is sea, which is accessible to people's eyes. They lie on it four world islands. In the bowels of the earth are hellish caves. Rising above the ground six heavens, which are home to 100,000 thousand gods (the pantheon of Buddhism includes all the gods of Brahmanism, as well as the gods of other peoples). The gods have conference hall, where they gather on the eighth day of the lunar month, and also amusement park. Buddha is considered the main god, but he is not the creator of the world, the world exists next to him, he is as eternal as Buddha. Gods are born and die at will.

Above these six skies - 20 skies of Brahma; The higher the celestial sphere, the easier and more spiritual life is in it. In the last four, which are called brahmaloka, there are no longer any images and no rebirths; here the blessed are already tasting nirvana. The rest of the world is called kamaloka. Everything together forms the universe. There are an infinite number of such universes.

The infinite number of universes is understood not only in a geographical sense, but also in a historical sense. Universes are born and die. The lifetime of the universe is called kalpa. Against this backdrop of endless generation and destruction, the drama of life plays out.

However, the teaching of Buddhism evades any metaphysical statement; it does not speak of infinity, nor of finitude, nor of eternity, nor of non-eternity, nor of being, nor of non-existence. Buddhism speaks of forms, causes, images - all this is united by the concept samsara, cycle of incarnations. Samsara includes all things that arise and disappear, it is the result of past states and the cause of future actions arising according to the law of dhamma. Dhamma- this is a moral law, the norm by which images are created; samsara is the form in which the law is realized. Dhamma is not a physical principle of causality, but a moral world order, a principle of retribution. Dhamma and samsara are closely related, but they can only be understood in conjunction with the basic concept of Buddhism and the Indian worldview in general - the concept of karma. Karma means specific implementation of the law, retribution or reward for specific affairs.

An important concept in Buddhism is the concept "apshan". It is usually translated into Russian as “individual soul.” But Buddhism does not know the soul in the European sense. Atman means the totality of states of consciousness. There are many states of consciousness called scandas or dharma, but it is impossible to detect a carrier of these states that would exist on its own. The totality of skandhas leads to a certain action, from which karma grows. Skandas disintegrate at death, but karma continues to live and leads to new existences. Karma does not die and leads to the transmigration of the soul. continues to exist not because of the immortality of the soul, but because of the indestructibility of his deeds. Karma is thus understood as something material from which everything living and moving arises. At the same time, karma is understood as something subjective, since it is created by the individuals themselves. So samsara is the form, the embodiment of karma; Dhamma is a law that reveals itself through karma. Conversely, karma is formed from samsara, which then affects subsequent samsara. This is where the dhamma manifests itself. Freeing yourself from karma and avoiding further incarnations is possible only by achieving nirvana, about which Buddhism also does not say anything definite. This is not life, but also not death, not desire and not consciousness. Nirvana can be understood as a state of desirelessness, as complete peace. From this understanding of the world and human existence flow the four truths discovered by the Buddha.

Buddhist community. Holidays and rituals

Followers of Buddhism call their teaching Triratnoy or Tiratnoy(triple treasure), referring to the Buddha, the dhamma (teaching) and the sangha (community). Initially, the Buddhist community was a group of mendicant monks, bhikkhus. After the death of the Buddha, there was no head of the community. The unification of monks is carried out only on the basis of the word of the Buddha, his teachings. There is no centralization of the hierarchy in Buddhism, with the exception of the natural hierarchy - by seniority. Communities living in the neighborhood could unite, the monks acted together, but not on command. Monasteries were gradually formed. The community united within the monastery was called sangha. Sometimes the word “sangha” meant Buddhists of one region or an entire country.

At first, everyone was accepted into the sangha, then some restrictions were introduced, criminals, slaves, and minors without parental consent were no longer accepted. Teenagers often became novices; they learned to read and write, studied sacred texts, and received a considerable education for that time. Anyone who entered the sangha during his stay in the monastery had to renounce everything that connected him with the world - family, caste, property - and take upon himself five vows: do not kill, do not steal, do not lie, do not commit adultery, do not get drunk; he also had to shave his hair and put on monastic robes. However, at any moment the monk could leave the monastery, he was not condemned for this, and he could be on friendly terms with the community.

Those monks who decided to devote their entire lives to religion underwent an initiation ceremony. The novice was subjected to a severe examination, testing his spirit and will. Acceptance into the sangha as a monk came with additional duties and vows: do not sing or dance; do not sleep on comfortable beds; do not eat at inappropriate times; do not acquire; Do not eat things that have a strong smell or intense color. In addition, there were a large number of minor prohibitions and restrictions. Twice a month - on the new moon and on the full moon - the monks gathered for mutual confessions. The uninitiated, women and laymen were not allowed to attend these meetings. Depending on the severity of the sin, sanctions were also applied, most often expressed in the form of voluntary repentance. Four cardinal sins entailed banishment forever: carnal intercourse; murder; theft and falsely claiming that someone has superhuman strength and the dignity of an arhat.

Arhat - this is the ideal of Buddhism. This is the name given to those saints or sages who have liberated themselves from samsara and will go to nirvana after death. An Arhat is one who has done everything he had to do: he has destroyed desire, the desire for self-fulfillment, ignorance, and wrong views.

There were also women's monasteries. They were organized in the same way as the men's monasteries, but all the main ceremonies were performed by monks from the nearest monastery.

The monk's robe is extremely simple. He had three pieces of clothing: an undergarment, an outer robe and a cassock, the color of which is yellow in the south and red in the north. He could not take money under any circumstances, he should not even ask for food, and the laity themselves had to serve it only to the monk who appeared on the threshold. Monks who had renounced the world entered the houses of ordinary people every day, for whom the appearance of a monk was a living sermon and an invitation to a higher life. For insulting the monks, the laity were punished by not accepting alms from them, turning over the alms bowl. If the rejected layman was thus reconciled with the community, then his gifts were again accepted. The layman always remained for the monk a being of a lower nature.

The monks had no real manifestations of cult. They did not serve the gods; on the contrary, they believed that the gods should serve them because they were saints. The monks did not engage in any work other than daily begging. Their activities consisted of spiritual exercises, meditation, reading and copying sacred books, and performing or participating in rituals.

Buddhist rites include the already described penitential meetings, to which only monks are allowed. However, there are many rituals in which lay people also participate. Buddhists adopted the custom of celebrating a day of rest four times a month. This holiday was named uposatha, something like Saturday for Jews, Sunday for Christians. On these days, the monks taught the laity and explained the scriptures.

In Buddhism, there are a large number of holidays and rituals, the central theme of which is the figure of the Buddha - the most important events of his life, his teaching and the monastic community organized by him. In each country, these holidays are celebrated differently depending on the characteristics of the national culture. All Buddhist holidays are celebrated according to the lunar calendar, and most of the most important holidays occur on full moon days, since it was believed that the full moon has the magical property of indicating to a person the need for diligence and promising liberation.

Vesok

This holiday is dedicated to three important events in the life of the Buddha: the birthday, the day of enlightenment and the day of passing into nirvana - and is the most important of all Buddhist holidays. It is celebrated on the full moon day of the second month of the Indian calendar, which falls at the end of May - beginning of June of the Gregorian calendar.

On the days of the holiday, solemn prayers are held in all monasteries and processions and processions are organized. Temples are decorated with garlands of flowers and paper lanterns - they symbolize the enlightenment that came to the world with the teachings of Buddha. On temple grounds, oil lamps are also placed around sacred trees and stupas. The monks read prayers all night and tell believers stories from the life of the Buddha and his disciples. Lay people also meditate in the temple and listen to the instructions of the monks throughout the night. The ban on agricultural work and other activities that may harm small living creatures is observed especially carefully. After the end of the festive prayer service, the laity arrange a rich meal for members of the monastic community and present them with gifts. A characteristic ritual of the holiday is washing Buddha statues with sweetened water or tea and showering them with flowers.

In Lamaism, this holiday is the strictest ritual day of the calendar, when you cannot eat meat and lamps are lit everywhere. On this day, it is customary to walk around stupas, temples and other Buddhist shrines in a clockwise direction, spreading out along the ground. Many vow to observe strict fasting and remain silent for seven days.

Vassa

Vassa(from the name of the month in Pali) - solitude during the rainy season. The preaching activities and the entire life of the Buddha and his disciples were associated with constant wanderings and wanderings. During the rainy season, which began at the end of June and ended at the beginning of September, travel was impossible. According to legend, it was during the rainy season that Buddha first retired with his disciples in Deer Grove (Sarnath). Therefore, already during the time of the first monastic communities, the custom was established to stop during the rainy season in some secluded place and spend this time in prayer and meditation. Soon this custom became a mandatory rule of monastic life and was observed by all branches of Buddhism. During this period, the monks do not leave their monastery and engage in deeper meditation practice and comprehension of Buddhist teachings. During this period, the usual communication between monks and laity is reduced.

In the countries of Southeast Asia, lay people often take monastic vows during the rainy season and for three months lead the same lifestyle as monks. During this period, marriages are prohibited. At the end of the period of solitude, the monks confess to each other their sins and ask for forgiveness from their fellow community members. Over the next month, contacts and communication between monks and laity are gradually restored.

Festival of Lights

This holiday marks the end of monastic retreat and is celebrated on the full moon of the ninth month of the lunar calendar (October - according to the Gregorian calendar). The holiday continues for a month. In temples and monasteries, rituals are held to mark the holiday, as well as the leaving of the community of those who joined it during the rainy season. On the night of the full moon, everything is illuminated with lights, for which candles, paper lanterns, and electric lamps are used. They say that the fires are lit to illuminate the path of the Buddha, inviting him to descend from heaven after he preached a sermon to his mother. In some monasteries, a statue of Buddha is removed from its pedestal and carried through the streets, symbolizing the descent of Buddha to earth.

These days, it is customary to visit relatives, go to each other’s houses to pay respects and give small gifts. The holiday ends with a ceremony kathina(from Sanskrit - clothing), which consists in the fact that the laity gives clothes to members of the community. One robe is solemnly presented to the head of the monastery, who then gives it to the monk recognized as the most virtuous in the monastery. The name of the ceremony comes from the way the clothes were made. Pieces of fabric were stretched over a frame and then sewn together. This frame was called kathina. Another meaning of the word kathina is “difficult,” which refers to the difficulty of being a disciple of the Buddha.

The Kathin ceremony has become the only ceremony in which lay people are involved.

There are many sacred places of worship in Buddhism. It is believed that Buddha himself designated the following cities as places of pilgrimage: where he was born - Kapilawatta; where he achieved the highest enlightenment - Gaia; where he first preached - Benares; where he entered nirvana - Kusinagara.

Hello, dear readers – seekers of knowledge and truth!

One of the most mysterious religions that reveals the secret of the Eastern soul is Buddhism. We want to introduce you to her and tell you as much as possible about her.

Where and when did Buddhist philosophy originate, what is its history, what are the main ideas, how does it differ from other religions of the world - you will find the answers to all these questions in today's article. You will also learn who Buddha is, what Buddhist monks do, and how to become a Buddhist.

Well, let's begin.

What is Buddhism

The Buddhist religion, like Islam and Christianity, is considered a world religion. In other words, its principles are followed by people all over the world, without belonging to a particular nationality or country.

The word “Buddhism” arose only in the 19th century - this is how Europeans dubbed the Eastern religion. The adherents themselves call it “dharma” or “bodhidharma,” which means “the teaching of awakening.” From this point of view, Buddhism is often called not a religion, but a teaching , philosophy, tradition.

Historical sources claim that it arose two and a half thousand years ago - in the 500-600s BC. The founder is considered to be Shakyamuni Buddha. It was he who called his teaching “dharma”, which can be understood as “truth”, “nature”, “consciousness”.

Buddha is highly revered, but at the same time he is not God, not the Creator. He is the Great Teacher who revealed the truth to people, suggestedpathgaining freedom.

Who is Buddha

In 560 BC, in the northeast of India, in the territory of the modern state of Bihar, a son was born to the ruler of the Shakya family. He was named Siddhartha Gautama.

The boy grew up in a palace in luxury, did not know troubles, but at the same time was very gifted and kind. When he grew up, he fell in love with a beautiful girl and married her. Soon they had an heir.

When Siddhartha was 29 years old, he went outside the palace. Something terrible pierced his heart - in one walk he saw a sick man, an old man and a funeral. On this day he realized how great the suffering of people was.

This thought haunted Siddhartha, and he was determined to find the truth and save people from endless hardships and hardships. Then he left his wife, child, father and subjects and went on a journey.

He spent six years wandering. During this time, Siddhartha communicated with many sages, tried different techniques, led an ascetic lifestyle to the point of self-denial, but did not come to anything.

Almost in despair, he sat down under a tree and began to meditate, pray, and meditate again. So he spent 49 days and finally experienced a state that is now called enlightenment - a feeling of complete clarity and understanding, absolute joy and a bright mind. He found the truth of existence, and this very tree was called the “Bodhi tree.”

Siddhartha seemed to become a different person. He headed into the valley, where he met people who wanted to follow him, listening to the speeches of the young man, which contained the truth. So Prince Siddhartha Gautama became Buddha Shakyamuni - the Awakened One of the Shakya family.

For many years, Buddha preached and shared his teachings with his followers, who grew in number. Together they comprehended the dharma and engaged in spiritual meditation.

Already a very old man, Buddha went into parinirvana - into the final nirvana, leaving our world and getting rid of suffering. And his teachings, 25 centuries later, are still spreading across our planet.

Development of the doctrine

Having appeared in Ancient India and spreading throughout the East, Buddhist thought has witnessed many events throughout its existence and endured various vicissitudes of history: the emergence of Hinduism in India, the raids of the Aryans, oppression by Muslims, the establishment of the powerful Mughal Empire, modern times with its globalization.

However, the dharma continues to spread throughout the world - today there are about 500 million adherents.

This is mainly, of course, the south, southeast Asia and the Far Eastern regions: Thai, Bhutanese, Vietnamese, Chinese (especially Tibetan), Japanese, Cambodian, Laotian, Korean, Sri Lankan, Myanmar, Nepalese, Mongolian territories.

In India, whichisthe birthplace of Buddhism, with the spread of Hinduism the teaching lost itsmeaning– here it is professed by less than one percent of the total population.

Some national republics in Russia also traditionally adhere to Buddhist views: Kalmykia, Tuva, Buryatia, and part of the Altai regions. Bypassing them, thought moves deeper and deeper to the West: to Moscow, St. Petersburg, to European countries and to the American continent.

Main postulates

The main ideas of Buddhist teaching come down to three concepts:

• - the wheel of rebirth, a series of reincarnations, during which people and all living beings after death are reincarnated in a new world, incarnating in another body.
• Karma is the rule of cause and effect. According to him, all our actions - good or bad - will be reflected in the future and lead to consequences. Good thoughts and actions will entail favorable consequences. Having committed any crime, a person will certainly feel the consequences of karma. Its effect extends to subsequent incarnations - if you behave with dignity by the standards of Buddhism, in a future life you can be reborn in higher worlds.
• – the goal of any Buddhist, a state of liberation from suffering, when a person manages to escape from the wheel of samsara. You can achieve nirvana through constant spiritual growth, meditation, reflection, and getting rid of attachments to the benefits of humanity.

In addition, there is the concept of “dukkha”. It is identified with negative feelings: fear, pain, dissatisfaction, anger, anxiety, greed - generally speaking, this is suffering. Associated with the concept of dukha are the Four Noble Truths, which are considered the basis of the Buddhist path:

1. There is dukkha - suffering.
2. Every suffering has a cause, which is expressed in attachment, dependence.
3. There is a path that eliminates suffering and leads to nirvana.
4. This trail is .

The Eightfold Path assumes the correct:

• understanding - awareness that there is suffering and attachment in life;
• intentions – the desire to overcome suffering by taking the true path and overcoming one’s own vices;
• speech – maintaining the purity of words;
• actions - actions that bring only good;
• lifestyle - habits that correspond to the behavior of a Buddhist;
• effort - the desire to achieve truth, sow goodness and renounce evil;
• thoughts – purity of thoughts, rejection of coarse, greedy, lustful ideas;
• concentration – focus on results, constant spiritual work.

The stages of the Eightfold Path need to be comprehended not one by one, but all together, as a complex - they are inextricably linked with each other and lead to liberation.

We see that the stages of the Eightfold Path help to comprehend wisdom, cultivate moral behavior and train the mind. The Buddha bequeathed that in observing these fundamentals there is no need to rush to extremes from complete asceticism to a life satiated with luxury, one must find the “golden mean” - this rule Shakyamuni called the Middle Way.

It is impossible to achieve nirvana without constant spiritual purification, meditation practices and observance of the main commandments. The latter prescribe:

1. Not causing harm or acts of violence to other living beings is the so-called rule of ahimsa.
2. Do not steal or appropriate someone else's property.
3. Don't commit adultery.
4. Don't lie to anyone.
5. Do not consume alcohol, drugs or other intoxicating substances.

The sacred scriptures in Buddhist philosophy are called sutras. Different sutras are revered in different directions, but the essence of the dharma is fully expounded in the Pali canon, which is called the Tripitaka.

Tripitaka consists of several volumes:

• Vinaya Pitaka - includes rules of behavior, order of ceremonies, a set of rules for monks;
• Sutta Pitaka - conveys the main points of the Buddha's teachings;
• Abhidharma Pitaka - expounds the texts of Buddhism that reflect the idea of ​​​​life.

The uniqueness of dharma

Buddhism as a religion is unique in its own way because it has many differences from other religions. It incorporated features of both religion and philosophy. That is why it is more correct to call Buddhism a religious-philosophical teaching.

Buddhist teachings differ from other faiths in many ways:

• the Creator, the One God or several gods do not stand in the center;
• there is no concept of the universe - no one created it and no one controls it;
• the number of worlds is infinite;
• there are no sins and their atonement - there is only karma, which is considered the law of life;
• there are no unconditional dogmatic rules;
• Buddha bequeathed that there can be no blind faith - all truths should be passed through oneself and verified by one’s own experience;
• the teachings of the Buddha do not consider themselves the only true ones - Buddhists can simultaneously accept another religion without violating the rules of dharma;
• the teaching does not relieve one from “God’s punishment”, which exists in other faiths - it leads to knowledge of one’s own nature and spiritual development.

Unlike Hinduism, which is also based on the laws of karma, samsara, and rebirth, Buddhist philosophy considers all people equal, regardless of their position in society and origin - in contrast to this in Hinduism, varnas and.

However, Buddhist philosophy, spreading to more and more new lands, poured into different movements and took on different forms. Each school acquired its own characteristics, and some directions became more like a religion, for example Tibetan Buddhism.

In this case, the Buddha is deified: offerings are made to him, altars are built, statues are made, images similar to icons are made. A pantheon of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas appears - enlightened ones who help other people find liberation.

There are more and more temples, which are also called datsans, khurals, vats, and monasteries. Monks in special attire, services in temples, holidays, meditations with reading mantras, rituals - in some areas all the components of the religious movement can be traced. Thus, Buddhism is a philosophy and a religion at the same time - it all depends on the school of dharma.

How to become a Buddhist

“Buddhists are not born, they are made” - you can adapt a well-known expression. Indeed, one cannot become a Buddhist only by being born into a Buddhist family - one must consciously choose the teaching as a guiding star in life, or, as followers of the dharma say, “take refuge.”

Three jewels are taken for refuge:

• Buddha is the Great Teacher Buddha Shakyamuni or another Awakened One;
• Dharma - the Teachings of the Buddha, his principles, commandments, truths, paths, dogmas;
• Sangha is a Buddhist community that lives according to the laws of dharma.

To achieve the main jewels, you need to give up three poisons:

• ignorance, blindness to the nature of existence and all things;
• desires, egoism, passions, lusts;
• anger and anger.

On the path of truth, a Buddhist equips himself with special methods:

• studying the Dharma - a mentor, teacher or guru should help with this to suggest a list of texts for study, answer questions, and point you on the right path;
• reflection on teaching - independent work, analysis of texts, comparing them with oneself and with real life;
• practice - meditation, yogic practices, as well as the application of the basics of dharma in everyday life.

By choosing the path of dharma and observing the main rules, followers of the Buddha come closer to understanding themselves, the world around them, and liberation from suffering.

Buddhist monks

The first Buddhist monk was the founder of the teaching himself - Buddha Shakyamuni. In his lifestyle and appearance, he was somewhat similar to the ascetic sages who belonged to the early religious movements and wandered across the eastern expanses.

Following the Buddha, other monks appeared from among his disciples and introduced the dharma to the laity. Buddhist monasticism still exists - many have probably seen them in films, photographs or even in person, dressed in orange-red clothes.

Today's monks do not lead a hermit life - they usually settle in a monastery as a whole community and closely interact with lay people - Buddhists who lead a familiar modern life. The monks preach the dharma to the laity, teach them spiritual life, and the laity gives them clothes, food, and shelter in case of accidents.

Male monks are called bhikkhus, and female monks are called bhikkhunis. They live under strict laws and restrictions, which may vary depending on the direction of Buddhist thought and the scriptures that prescribe the rules of monastic life.

The life of monks can also be different due to climate and nature. For example, monks who live in the Tibetan highlands or the Mongolian steppes may have more items of clothing. And in monasteries that are located far from the settlements of the laity and therefore cannot accept alms from them, there may be their own kitchen, where the monks prepare food for themselves.

Schools

Over time, Buddhist thought spread throughout Asia and further to the West. In each area, it was superimposed on the mentality of the local population, religious beliefs that took root there before the advent of Buddhism, so there are many of its directions.

The three main schools of Buddhist philosophy are:

1. Hinayana – Small Vehicle

In modern times, the name more often used is the teaching of the elders. It is considered the oldest and most orthodox school. Distributed in the southeast Asian region, it is often called “Southern Buddhism.”

Countries: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam.

Theravada has the following characteristics:

• Only a monk can achieve nirvana by following strict dogmas.
• Liberation depends only on the person himself, on his actions - no one can help him.
• There is no pantheon of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
• There is no hell and heaven - there is only samsara and the way out of it is nirvana.
• There are no rituals, sculptures, icon painting, or worship of them.

2. – Great chariot

It is less conservative than Hinayana. Considered "Northern Buddhism" due to its geography.

Countries: Japan, China, South Korea, northern regions of India.

Distinctive features:

• Both a monk and a layman can achieve nirvana.
• Buddhas and bodhisattvas can help people with this.
• The saints line up in a pantheon.
• Their images and sculptures appear.
• Offerings are made to them, rituals, services, holidays are held, and prayers are held.
• There is a peculiar concept of heaven and hell - beings with good karma in the next life are incarnated on the higher, heavenly planets, with bad karma - in the lower, hellish worlds.

3. – Diamond Chariot

It appeared as an offshoot from Mahayana. Also known as Tantric Buddhism.

Countries: Tibetan part of China, Nepal, Mongolia, Buddhist republics of Russia - Buryatia, Tuva, Kalmykia.

Peculiarities:

• focus on self-awareness;
• the great importance of the teacher, the guru - he is revered and worshiped;
• meditative and yogic practices;
• reading mantras;
• various rituals, holidays, services.

The main teacher in Tibetan Buddhism is the Dalai Lama.

Each of the listed schools may have several more branches. Buddhism is also familiar with areas that do not belong to any of the main schools.

Branches that trace elements of the Buddha's teachings, but which do not belong to traditional schools, are combined under the name "neo-Buddhism." Most often they are common in “non-Buddhist” countries of Europe and America.

A very popular direction in the West now is . However, it has been practiced for many centuries in Japanese, Korean and especially Chinese territories - here it is called “chan”.

Japanese Zen Buddhist monk

The main features of Zen Buddhism include:

• rejection of religious rituals, ceremonies, paraphernalia, pantheon of saints;
• lack of sacred sutras, sermons;
• the goal is to discover the nature of the Buddha with his compassion and mercy.

This goal can be achieved through the practice of contemplation. It is performed in padmasana - lotus position. By closing their eyes, Zen adherents focus only on their own breathing, detach themselves from what is happening around them and, as it were, look inside themselves.

Conclusion

Thank you very much for your attention, dear readers! We hope that today you learned a lot of new things, got acquainted with the amazing philosophy of Buddhism and opened the door to the still unknown world of the East.

Of course, it is impossible to tell everything about dharma in one article, because even a hundred books could not do this. But we still want to continue to reveal Eastern wisdom with you.

May truth, curiosity and kindness accompany you on the path of life. If you liked the article, leave comments, share with friends, join us - subscribe to the blog, and we will search for the truth together.

Probably everyone has questions, the answers to which are not so easy to find. Many people think about the spiritual beginning and begin to look for a path to awareness of their existence. One of the oldest religious faiths, Buddhism, helps in such searches, teaches us to comprehend wisdom and improve our own spirituality.

What kind of religion is this

It is difficult to answer briefly what Buddhism is, since this postulate is more reminiscent of a philosophical teaching. One of the fundamental provisions is the assertion that only impermanence is constant.. To put it simply, in our world the only thing that is constant is the continuous cycle of everything: events, birth and death.

It is believed that the world arose on its own. And our life is, in essence, a search for the reasons for our appearance and awareness for which we appeared. If we talk about religion briefly, then Buddhism and its path are moral and spiritual, the awareness that all life is suffering: birth, growing up, attachments and achievements, fear of losing what has been achieved.

The ultimate goal is enlightenment, the achievement of supreme bliss, that is, “nirvana.” The enlightened one is independent of any concepts, he has comprehended his physical, mental, mind and spirit.

Origins of Buddhism

In the north of India, in the town of Lumbini, a boy, Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 BC, according to other sources - 1027-948 BC), was born into the royal family. At the age of 29, thinking about the meaning of life, Siddhatrha left the palace and accepted asceticism. Realizing that severe asceticism and exhausting practices would not provide answers, Gautama decided to cleanse through deep healing.

By the age of 35, he achieved enlightenment, becoming the Buddha and teacher to his followers. The founder of Buddhism, Gautama, lived until he was eighty years old, preaching and enlightening. It is noteworthy that Buddhists accept enlightened people of other religions, such as Jesus and Mohammed, as teachers.

Separately about monks

The community of Buddhist monks is considered the most ancient religious community. The lifestyle of monks does not imply complete withdrawal from the world; many of them actively participate in worldly life.

They usually travel in small groups, staying close to lay people who share their faith, since it is monasticism that is entrusted with the mission of preservation, enlightenment in the faith, instruction and dissemination of the teachings of Gautama. It is noteworthy that after making the decision to devote their lives to monasticism, initiates are not required to completely break with their family.

The task of the monks is to show by their example the correct way of life, to study religion, to improve themselves morally and spiritually, and also to preserve religious writings, the sacred book of Buddhism - the Tripitaka.

Did you know? Contrary to the existing opinion that only men are monks in Buddhism, there were also women among them, they were called bhikkhunis. A classic example of this is the mother of Gautama Mahaprajapati, whom he himself elevated to monastic rank.

Basics of teaching

Unlike other religions, Buddhism is more about philosophy than about mysticism or blind faith. The main ideas of Buddhism are based on the “four noble truths”. Let's look briefly at each of them.

The Truth about Suffering (Duhkha)

The truth about suffering is that it is continuous: we are born from suffering, we experience it throughout our lives, constantly returning our thoughts to some problems, having achieved something, we are afraid of losing, suffering again about this.

We suffer in search of correction of the actions of the past, we feel guilty for our misdeeds. Constant worries, fear, fear of inevitable old age and death, dissatisfaction, disappointment - this is the cycle of suffering. Awareness of yourself in this cycle is the first step towards the truth.

On the cause of suffering (trishna)

Following the path of self-awareness, we begin to look for the cause of constant dissatisfaction. At the same time, everything and actions lend themselves to scrupulous analysis, as a result we come to the conclusion that life is a constant struggle with suffering. Striving for something and getting what he wants, a person begins to desire even more, and so on in a circle. That is, the primary source of our suffering is the insatiable thirst for more and more new achievements.

On the cessation of suffering (nirodha)

Rotating in the cycle of struggle with their own dissatisfaction, many mistakenly believe that they can get rid of suffering by defeating their ego. However, this path leads to self-destruction. You can come to an understanding of the path without suffering only by stopping the struggle with it.

By letting go of negative thoughts (anger, envy, hatred that destroy the mind and soul), and starting to look for piety within ourselves, we can look at our struggle from a distance. At the same time, an understanding of the true goal comes - the cessation of the struggle is moral cleansing, the renunciation of ungodly thoughts and desires.

Truth about the path (marga)

It is important to correctly understand the true path to enlightenment. Buddha called it the “middle path,” that is, self-development and spiritual purification without fanaticism. Some of his students misunderstood the truth about the path: they saw it in complete renunciation of desires and needs, in self-torture, and in meditative practice, instead of calm concentration, they tried to bring themselves to.

This is fundamentally wrong: even Buddha needed food and clothing in order to have strength for further preaching. He taught to look for a path between severe asceticism and a life of pleasure, without extremes. On the path of enlightenment, meditative practice plays an important role: in this case, concentration is mostly aimed at gaining mental balance and observing the flow of one’s thoughts in the present moment.

By learning to analyze your actions here and now, you can avoid repeating any mistakes in the future. Full awareness of one’s “I” and the ability to step beyond the ego lead to awareness of the true path.

Did you know? There are unusual Buddha statues in the hills east of Monywa in Myanmar. Both are hollow inside, open to everyone, and inside there are images of events related to the development of religion. One of the statues rises 132 meters, the second, depicting Buddha in a reclining position, has a length of 90 meters.

What Buddhists Believe: Stages of the Buddhist Path

Followers of the Buddha's teachings believe that every person appeared on this earth for a reason; each of us, with each of our appearances (reincarnation), has a chance to clear karma and achieve special grace - “nirvana” (liberation from rebirth, a state of blissful peace). To do this, you need to realize the truth and free your mind from delusions.

Wisdom (prajna)

Wisdom lies in the determination to follow the teachings, the awareness of truths, the exercise of self-discipline, the renunciation of desires. This is seeing the situation through the prism of doubt and accepting oneself and the surrounding reality as they are.

Comprehension of wisdom lies in contrasting one’s “I”, intuitive insight through meditation, and overcoming delusions. This is one of the foundations of the teaching, which consists in comprehending reality, unclouded by worldly prejudices. The word itself in Sanskrit means “superknowledge”: “pra” - highest, “jna” - knowledge.

Morals (shilā)

Morality - maintaining a healthy lifestyle: renunciation of violence in any form, trafficking in weapons, drugs, people, abuse. This is compliance with moral and ethical standards: purity of speech, without the use of swear words, without gossip, lies, or rude attitude towards one’s neighbor.

Concentrations (samadhi)

Samadhi in Sanskrit means unification, completion, perfection. Mastering methods of concentration, realizing oneself not as an individual, but in merging with the higher cosmic mind. Such an enlightened state is achieved through meditation, calming one’s consciousness and contemplation; ultimately, enlightenment leads to perfect consciousness, that is, to nirvana.

About the currents of Buddhism

Over the entire history of the teaching, many schools and branches from the classical perception have formed; at the moment, there are three main currents, and we’ll talk about them. Essentially, these are three paths to knowledge that the Buddha conveyed to his disciples using different methods, in different interpretations, but they all lead to the same goal.

Hinayana

Hinayana is the oldest school that claims to accurately transmit the teachings of its founder, Buddha Shakyamuni (in the world - Gautama), based on the teacher’s first sermons about the four truths. Followers draw the main tenets of their faith from the most authoritative (according to them) sources - the Tripitaka, sacred texts compiled after Shakyamuni passed into nirvana.

Of all the eighteen schools of Hinayana, today there is "Theravada", which practices more meditative studies than the philosophy of teaching. The goal of Hinayana followers is to escape from all worldly things through strict renunciation, achieve enlightenment like the Buddha, and leave the cycle of samsara, going into a state of bliss.

Important! The key difference between Hinayana and Mahayana: in the first, Buddha is a real person who has achieved enlightenment, in the second, he is a metaphysical manifestation.

Mahayana and Vajrayana

The Mahayana movement is associated with Shakyamuni's disciple Nagarjuna. In this direction, the Hinayana theory is rethought and supplemented. This trend has become widespread in Japan, China and Tibet. The theoretical basis is the sutras, the written form of spiritual revelations, according to the practitioners of Shakyamuni himself.

However, the teacher himself is perceived as a metaphysical manifestation of nature, primordial matter. The sutras claim that the teacher has not left samsara and cannot leave it, since a part of him is in each of us.

Basics of Vajrayana - . The direction itself, together with the practice of Mahayana, uses various rituals and ceremonies, reading to strengthen the personality and its spiritual growth, and self-awareness. Tantrics most revered Padmasambhava, the founder of the tantric movement in Tibet.

How to become a Buddhist

For a person interested in teaching, there are several recommendations:

• Before becoming a Buddhist, read the relevant literature; ignorance of terminology and theory will not allow you to immerse yourself in the teachings completely.
• You need to decide on the direction and choose the school that suits you.
• Study the traditions of the chosen movement, meditative practices and basic tenets.

To become part of a religious teaching, you must go through the eightfold path of realizing the truth, which consists of eight stages:

1. Understanding that is achieved by reflecting on the truth of existence.
2. Determination, which is expressed in renunciation of all things.
3. This stage is to achieve speech in which there are no lies or swear words.
4. At this stage, a person learns to do only good deeds.
5. At this stage, a person comes to an understanding of true life.
6. At this stage, a person comes to the realization of a true thought.
7. At this stage, a person must achieve complete detachment from everything external.
8. At this stage, a person achieves enlightenment after going through all the previous stages.

Having passed this path, a person learns the philosophy of teaching and becomes familiar with it. Beginners are advised to seek guidance and some clarification from a teacher, this could be a wandering monk.

Important!Please note that several meetings will not give the result you expect: the teacher will not be able to answer all the questions. To do this, you need to live side by side with him for a long time, perhaps years.

The main work on yourself is to renounce everything negative; you need to apply in life everything that you read about in sacred texts. Give up bad habits, do not show violence, rudeness, foul language, help people without expecting anything in return. Only self-purification, self-improvement and morality will lead you to an understanding of the teaching itself and its foundations.

Official recognition of you as a true follower can be achieved through a personal meeting with the Lama. Only he will decide whether you are ready to follow the teaching.

Buddhism: differences from other religions

Buddhism does not recognize one god, the creator of all things; the teaching is based on the fact that everyone has a divine beginning, everyone can become enlightened and achieve nirvana. Buddha is a teacher.

The path of enlightenment, unlike world religions, lies in self-improvement and the achievement of morality and ethics, and not in blind faith. A living religion recognizes and has recognized science, smoothly adapting to it, recognizes the existence of other worlds and dimensions, while considering the Earth a blessed place from where, by purifying karma and achieving enlightenment, one can get to nirvana.

Sacred texts are not an indisputable authority, but only guidance and instruction on the path to truth. The search for answers and awareness of wisdom lies through self-knowledge, and not unquestioning submission to the tenets of faith. That is, faith itself is based, first of all, on experience.

Unlike Christianity, Islam and Judaism, Buddhists do not accept the idea of ​​absolute sin. From the point of view of teaching, sin is a personal error that can be corrected in subsequent reincarnations. That is, there is no strict definition of “hell” and “heaven”, because there is no morality in nature. Every mistake is correctable and, as a result, any person, through reincarnation, can clear karma, that is, repay his debt to the Universal Mind.

In Judaism, Islam or Christianity, the only salvation is God. In Buddhism, salvation depends on oneself, understanding one’s nature, following moral and ethical standards, abstaining from negative manifestations of one’s ego, and self-improvement. There are differences in monasticism: instead of complete thoughtless submission to the abbot, monks make decisions as a community, the community leader is also chosen collectively. Of course, respect should be shown to elders and experienced people. In the community also, unlike Christian ones, there are no titles or ranks.

It is impossible to learn everything about Buddhism right away; teaching and improvement take years. You can be imbued with the truths of the teaching only by completely devoting yourself to this religion.

Hello, dear readers!

Today in our article we will talk about what Buddhism is and give a brief description of this religion.

Buddhism is one of the main world religions along with Christianity and Islam. There are about 500 million “pure” Buddhists in the world who profess only Buddhism. However, this religion does not prohibit adherence to any other faith. Recently, Buddhism has been very popular in the Western world, many people come to the desire to join it. Perhaps the peacefulness and tranquility of this religion plays no small role in this.

Story

First, let's find out where and how this religious and philosophical movement appeared.

Buddhism originated in the 6th century BC. in India. From India, Buddhism spread to other Asian countries. The more popular it became, the more branches it formed.

The founder of Buddhism was Prince Gautama Siddhartha. He was born into a rich family, and his life was full of luxury and fun.

According to legend, at the age of 29, the prince had an epiphany: he realized that he was wasting his life. Deciding to leave his previous existence, he becomes an ascetic. For the next six years, Gautama was a hermit: he wandered and practiced yoga.

Legend has it that at the age of over 30, having achieved spiritual enlightenment, the prince began to be called , which means “enlightened one.” He sat under a tree and meditated for 49 days, after which his mind became detached and bright. He realized a state of joy and peace.

Later, the Buddha's disciples called this tree "", or the tree of enlightenment. Buddha had many followers. His disciples came to him, listened to his speeches about the teachings, or dharma, listened to his sermons, and meditated in order to also become enlightened.

Buddhism says that anyone can become enlightened by achieving high awareness of their soul.

Basic concepts in Buddhism

Since in Buddhism there are many philosophical concepts that reflect the essence of this Eastern ideology, let's dwell on the main ideas and analyze their meanings.

One of the main views is the concept. Samsara- this is the wheel of earthly reincarnations of all living beings. In the process of this life cycle, the soul must “grow”. Samsara depends entirely on your past actions, your karma.

- these are your past accomplishments, noble and not so noble. For example, you can reincarnate into higher forms: a warrior, a human or a deity, or you can reincarnate into lower forms: an animal, a hungry ghost or a resident of hell, i.e. karma directly depends on your actions. Worthy deeds entail reincarnation into higher species. The end result of samsara is nirvana.

Nirvana- this is a state of enlightenment, awareness, the highest spiritual being. Nirvana frees us from karma.

- This is the teaching of Buddha. Dharma is the maintenance of world order by all living beings. Everyone has their own path and must follow it in accordance with ethical standards. Since Buddhism is a very peaceful religion, this aspect is incredibly important: do not harm another.

Sangha is a community of Buddhists who adhere to the rules and laws of the Buddha's teachings.

Buddhism is based on four noble truths:

1. Life is suffering. We all suffer, experience anger, anger, fear.
2. Suffering has its causes: envy, greed, lust.
3. Suffering can be stopped.
4. The path to nirvana will help you escape from suffering.

The goal of Buddhism is to escape from this suffering. Stop experiencing negative feelings and emotions, get rid of various addictions. According to the Buddha, the true path, which is also the path to the state of nirvana, is the middle one, it is located between excesses and asceticism. This path is called in Buddhism. You need to go through it in order to become a noble, conscious person.

Stages of the Eightfold Path

1. Correct understanding, worldview. Our actions are the result of our thoughts and conclusions. Wrong actions that bring us pain rather than joy are the result of wrong thoughts, so we need to develop awareness and monitor our thoughts and actions.
2. Correct aspirations and desires. You need to limit your selfishness and everything that causes pain. Live in peace with all living beings.
3. Correct speech. Do not use foul language, avoid gossip and evil expressions!
4. Correct actions and deeds. Do not harm the world and all living things, do not commit violence.
5. The right way of life. Right actions will lead to a righteous lifestyle: without lies, intrigue, deception.
6. The right effort. Focus on the good, monitor your thoughts, get away from the negative image of consciousness.
7. Correct thinking. It comes from right effort.
8. Correct concentration. To achieve calmness and abandon disturbing emotions, you need to be conscious and focused.

The concept of God in Buddhism

As we have already seen, Buddhism is a very unusual ideology for our mentality. Since in any religion one of the main concepts is the concept of God, let's figure out what this means in Buddhism.

In Buddhism, God is all living things that surround us, a divine essence that manifests itself in humans, animals, and nature. Unlike other religions, there is no humanization of God. God is everything around us.

This religion or even spiritual teaching focuses on the psychological state of a person, his spiritual growth, rather than on ritual or symbolic actions, during which we honor the main deity. Here you yourself can achieve a divine state by working on yourself.

Directions of Buddhism

Buddhism is divided into three main branches, which we will talk about now:

1. Hinayana (Theravada), or Small Vehicle, is southern Buddhism, widespread in southeast Asia: Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam. It is considered the earliest school of this religious teaching. The essence of Theravada is individual spiritual enlightenment, i.e. one must complete the eightfold path, become liberated from suffering, and therefore achieve nirvana.
2. , or Great Vehicle - Northern Buddhism. It became widespread in northern India, China, and Japan. Arose as a opposition to orthodox Theravada. From the Mahayana point of view, Theravada is a rather selfish teaching, because... provides a path to enlightenment for an individual. Mahayana preaches helping others achieve a state of awareness, divinity. Anyone who chooses this path can achieve Buddhahood and can count on help.
3. , or Tantric Buddhism formed within the Mahayana. It is practiced in the Himalayan countries, Mongolia, Kalmykia, and Tibet. The ways to achieve enlightened consciousness in Vajrayana are: yoga, meditation, recitation of mantras and worship of the teacher. Without the help of a guru, it is impossible to begin your path of awareness and practice.

Conclusion

So, dear readers, today we talked about what is included in the concept of Buddhism, about its principles and essence, and got acquainted with this teaching. I hope that getting to know him was interesting and useful for you.

Write comments, share your thoughts and subscribe to blog updates to receive new articles in your email.

All the best to you and see you again!

Buddhism, along with Islam and Christianity, is considered a world religion. This means that it is not defined by the ethnicity of its followers. It can be confessed to any person, regardless of his race, nationality and place of residence. In this article we will briefly look at the main ideas of Buddhism.

A summary of the ideas and philosophy of Buddhism

Briefly about the history of Buddhism

Buddhism is one of the most ancient religions in the world. Its origin occurred in contrast to the then dominant Brahmanism in the middle of the first millennium BC in the northern part. In the philosophy of Ancient India, Buddhism occupied and occupies a key place, closely intertwined with it.

If we briefly consider the emergence of Buddhism, then, according to a certain category of scientists, this phenomenon was facilitated by certain changes in the life of the Indian people. Around the middle of the 6th century BC. Indian society was hit by a cultural and economic crisis.

Those tribal and traditional ties that existed before this time began to gradually undergo changes. It is very important that it was during that period that the formation of class relations took place. Many ascetics appeared, wandering across the expanses of India, who formed their own vision of the world, which they shared with other people. Thus, in the confrontation with the foundations of that time, Buddhism also appeared, earning recognition among the people.

A large number of scholars believe that the founder of Buddhism was a real person named Siddhartha Gautama , known as Buddha Shakyamuni . He was born in 560 BC. in the wealthy family of the king of the Shakya tribe. Since childhood, he knew neither disappointment nor need, and was surrounded by limitless luxury. And so Siddhartha lived through his youth, ignorant of the existence of illness, old age and death.

The real shock for him was that one day, while walking outside the palace, he encountered an old man, a sick man and a funeral procession. This influenced him so much that at the age of 29 he joins a group of wandering hermits. So he begins the search for the truth of existence. Gautama tries to understand the nature of human troubles and tries to find ways to eliminate them. Realizing that an endless series of reincarnations was inevitable if he did not get rid of suffering, he tried to find answers to his questions from the sages.

After spending 6 years traveling, he tested different techniques, practiced yoga, but came to the conclusion that enlightenment could not be achieved using these methods. He considered reflection and prayer to be effective methods. It was while he was spending time meditating under the Bodhi tree that he experienced enlightenment, through which he found the answer to his question.

After his discovery, he spent a few more days at the site of the sudden insight, and then went to the valley. And they began to call him Buddha (“enlightened one”). There he began to preach the doctrine to people. The very first sermon took place in Benares.

Basic concepts and ideas of Buddhism

One of the main goals of Buddhism is the path to Nirvana. Nirvana is a state of awareness of one’s soul, achieved through self-denial, rejection of comfortable conditions of the external environment. Buddha, after spending a long time in meditation and deep reflection, mastered the method of controlling his own consciousness. In the process, he came to the conclusion that people are very attached to worldly goods and are overly concerned about the opinions of other people. Because of this, the human soul not only does not develop, but also degrades. Having achieved nirvana, you can lose this addiction.

The essential four truths that underlie Buddhism:

1. There is the concept of dukkha (suffering, anger, fear, self-flagellation and other negatively colored experiences). Every person is influenced by dukkha to a greater or lesser extent.
2. Dukkha always has a reason that contributes to the emergence of addiction - greed, vanity, lust, etc.
3. You can get rid of addiction and suffering.
4. You can completely free yourself from dukkha thanks to the path leading to nirvana.

Buddha was of the opinion that it is necessary to adhere to the “middle path,” that is, every person must find the “golden” mean between a wealthy, satiated with luxury, and an ascetic way of life, devoid of all the benefits of humanity.

There are three main treasures in Buddhism:

1. Buddha - this can be either the creator of the teaching himself or his follower who has achieved enlightenment.
2. Dharma is the teaching itself, its foundations and principles, and what it can give to its followers.
3. Sangha is a community of Buddhists who adhere to the laws of this religious teaching.

To achieve all three jewels, Buddhists resort to fighting three poisons:

• detachment from the truth of being and ignorance;
• desires and passions that contribute to suffering;
• incontinence, anger, inability to accept anything here and now.

According to the ideas of Buddhism, every person experiences both physical and mental suffering. Illness, death and even birth are suffering. But this state is unnatural, so you need to get rid of it.

Briefly about the philosophy of Buddhism

This teaching cannot be called only a religion, at the center of which is God, who created the world. Buddhism is a philosophy, the principles of which we will briefly consider below. The teaching involves helping to direct a person on the path of self-development and self-awareness.

In Buddhism there is no idea that there is an eternal soul that atones for sins. However, everything a person does and in what way will find its imprint - it will definitely return to him. This is not divine punishment. These are the consequences of all actions and thoughts that leave traces on your own karma.

Buddhism has the basic truths revealed by Buddha:

1. Human life is suffering. All things are impermanent and transitory. Having arisen, everything must be destroyed. Existence itself is symbolized in Buddhism as a flame consuming itself, but fire can only bring suffering.
2. Suffering arises from desires. Man is so attached to the material aspects of existence that he craves for life. The greater this desire, the more he will suffer.
3. Getting rid of suffering is possible only through getting rid of desires. Nirvana is a state, having reached which a person experiences the extinction of passions and thirst. Thanks to nirvana, a feeling of bliss arises, freedom from the transmigration of souls.
4. To achieve the goal of getting rid of desire, one must resort to the eightfold path of salvation. It is this path that is called the “middle”, which allows one to get rid of suffering by rejecting extremes, which consists of something between the torture of the flesh and the indulgence of physical pleasures.

The Eightfold Path of Salvation includes:

• correct understanding - the most important thing to do is to realize that the world is full of suffering and sorrow;
• correct intentions - you need to take the path of limiting your passions and aspirations, the fundamental basis of which is human egoism;
• correct speech - it should bring good, so you should watch your words (so that they do not exude evil);
• right actions - one should do good deeds, refrain from unvirtuous actions;
• the right way of life - only a worthy way of life that does not harm all living things can bring a person closer to getting rid of suffering;
• correct efforts - you need to tune in to goodness, drive away all evil from yourself, carefully monitoring the course of your thoughts;
• correct thoughts - the most important evil comes from our own flesh, by getting rid of the desires of which we can get rid of suffering;
• correct concentration - the eightfold path requires constant training and concentration.

The first two stages are called prajna and involve the stage of achieving wisdom. The next three are the regulation of morality and correct behavior (sila). The remaining three steps represent mental discipline (samadha).

Directions of Buddhism

The very first who supported the teachings of the Buddha began to gather in a secluded place while the rains were falling. Since they refused any property, they were called bhikshas - “beggars.” They shaved their heads, dressed in rags (mostly yellow) and moved from place to place.

Their life was unusually ascetic. When it rained, they hid in caves. They were usually buried where they lived, and a stupa (domed-shaped crypt building) was built on the site of their graves. Their entrances were made tightly walled up and buildings for various purposes were built around the stupas.

After the death of the Buddha, a convocation of his followers took place, who canonized the teaching. But the period of greatest flowering of Buddhism can be considered the reign of Emperor Ashoka - the 3rd century. BC.

You can select three main philosophical schools of Buddhism , formed in different periods of the doctrine’s existence:

1. Hinayana. The main ideal of the direction is considered to be a monk - only he can get rid of reincarnation. There is no pantheon of saints who could intercede for a person, there are no rituals, the concept of hell and heaven, cult sculptures, icons. Everything that happens to a person is the result of his actions, thoughts and lifestyle.
2. Mahayana. Even a layman (if he is pious, of course), can achieve salvation just like a monk. The institution of bodhisattvas appears, who are saints who help people on the path of their salvation. The concept of heaven, a pantheon of saints, images of Buddhas and bodhisattvas also appear.
3. Vajrayana. It is a tantric teaching based on the principles of self-control and meditation.

So, the main idea of ​​Buddhism is that human life is suffering and one must strive to get rid of it. This teaching continues to confidently spread across the planet, winning more and more supporters.

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