เนื้อความTopic: Lord Buddha's teachings
Lord Buddhawas born in the year 566 B.C. in the Lumbini garden of Kapilavastu. He lost his mother within a week of his birth. Siddhartha was brought up by his aunt and step mother Prajapati Gautami. Then Siddhartha was known as Gautama after the name of his aunt Gautami.
Education:
The text “Lalitavistara” throws light about the education of Gautama. He became proficient in swordsmanship, horse-riding and archery and other princely qualities.
Marriage:
From his childhood Gautama showed a meditative bent of mind. All sorts of opportunities were provided to him to lead a life of comfort and pleasure. He was brought up in luxurious surroundings so that he would remain cheerful all through the day. Observing a great indifference to worldliness in his son, Suddhodhana married him at the age of sixteen, to a beautiful princess Yasodhara, (laughter of the Sakya noble Dandapani. At the age of twenty-nine, a son was born to him and he was named Rahul. But the married life did not interest him.
However, he was agitated by the fundamental questions of life. He was moved by the misery which people suffered in the world and looked for solution. Popular traditions represented how Gautama was horrified at the sight of an old man, a diseased person and a dead body, and an ascetic.
These four sights made him realize the hollowness of worldly pleasure. He was perturbed by the fundamental problems of life. He was attracted by the saintly appearance of the ascetic and left his home, wife, and son in a sudden fit of renunciation in 573 B.C. at the age of twenty-nine, as a wandering ascetic in search of truth. Buddhist texts describe this incident as the “Great Renunciation”.
He wandered from place to place in search of truth. He learnt Sankya philosophy from Alarkalam at Vaisali. From Vaisali he went to Rajagriha. There he learnt the art of meditation from Rudraka Ramaputra. But this meditation or yoga could not quench his thirst for knowledge.
Then he proceeded to Uruvila near Gaya and began to practise rigorous penance for long six years. But he realized that penance was not the proper path that would give him perfect truth. So he decided to take food. He accepted milk offered to him by a young milk-maid named Sujata. One day he took a bath in the river Niranjana and sat under a pipal tree at Bodhgaya.
After forty-nine days enlightenment dawned on him. He attained supreme knowledge and insight. This is known as the “Great Enlightenment” and since then he came to be known as the “Buddha” or the “Enlightened one” or “Tathagat”. The Pipal tree under which he attained wisdom came to be known as the “Bodhi Tree”. Then the place of his meditation was famous as “Bodhagaya”.
Turning the Wheel of Law:
For seven days he remained in a blissful mood for his enlightenment. He decided to spread it for the interest of the suffering humanity. He proceeded to the Deer Park near Saranath in the vicinity of Varanasi where he delivered his first sermen to five learned Brahmanas. The Buddhist literatures described it as “Turning the Wheel of Law” or “Dharma Chakra Pravartana.”
Missionary Activity of Buddha:
For the next forty-five years he undertook long journeys and preached his message far and wide. From Saranath he went to Banaras and converted a number of people to Buddhism. From Banaras he went to Rajagriha and converted to his creed many illustrious persons like King Bimbisara, prince Ajatasatru, Sariputta, and Maidglyana etc.
He visited many places like Gaya, Nalanda, Pataliputra etc. He also went to Kosala where Brahmanism had a strong foothold. King Prasenjit of Kosala embraced Buddhism. One of his queen Malika and his two sisters Soma and Sakula became his disciples. There Buddha stayed at Jetavana monastery which a rich disciple Anathapindika had purchased for him at a high price.
Buddha also visited Kapilavastu and converted his parents, son, and relatives to his creed. The famous courtesan of Vaisali, Amrapalli was converted to his faith. At Vaisali, Buddha gave his consent to the formation of the order of nuns (Bhikshunis). He did not achieve much success in the Malla and Vatsa country. He did not visit Avanti Desa. He did not discriminate between the rich and poor, high and low, man and woman.
Preaching and delivering sermons for long forty-five years he passed away at the age of eighty, at Kusinara, modern Kasia in the Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh in a fullmoon day of Vaisakha in 487 B.C. The Buddhist texts describe this incident as “Mahaparinirvana”.
Teachings of Buddha:
The earliest available source of Buddha’s teachings is the Pali Suttapitaka consisting of five Nickayar. Buddha was a reformer who took note of the realities of life.
Four Noble Truths:
The path he suggested is a code of practical ethics which has a rational outlook. Buddhism was more social than religious. It advocated for social equality. In his time Buddha did not involve himself in the controversies regarding ‘atman’ (soul) and “Brahma”. He was more concerned to worldly problems.
The Four Noble Truths:
He preached his followers the four “Noble Truths” (Chatvari Arya Satyani) viz:
(1) That the world is full of suffering
(2) That there are causes of suffering like thirst, desire, attachment etc. which lead to worldly existence,
(3) That the suffering can be stopped by the destruction of thirst, desire etc.
(4) That the way leads to the destruction of suffering.
Eight-Fold Path:
After describing the chain of causes that lead to suffering, Buddha suggested the Eight-fold path (Arya Ashtanga Marg) as the means of deliverance from these sufferings viz.
(1) Right speech
(2) Right action
(3) Right means of livelihood
(4) Right exertion
(5) Right mindedness
(6) Right meditation
(7) Right resolution
(8) Right view.
The first three practices lead to Sila or physical control, the second three lead to Samadhi or mental control, the last two lead to Prajna or development of inner sight.
Middle Path:
The Eight-fold path is known as middle path. It lies between two extremes, namely, the life of ease and luxury and life of severe asceticism. According to Buddha, this middle path ultimately leads to final bliss or ‘Nirvana’. ‘Nirvana’ literally means “blowing out” or the end of carving or desire or trishna for existence in all its forms.
It is a tranquil state to be realized by a person who is free from all carving or desire. It is deliverance or freedom from rebirth, Nirvana is an eternal state of peace or bliss which is free from sorrow and desire (Asoka), decay (akshya), disease (abyadhi) and from birth and death (amrita).
Buddha also prescribed a code of conduct for his followers.
These are called the ‘Ten Principles”, consisting of:
(1) Do not commit violence
(2) Do not steal
(3) Do not involve in corrupt practices
(4) Do not tell a lie
(5) Do not use intoxicants
(6) Do not use comfortable bed
(7) Do not attend dance and music
(8) Do not take food irregularly
(9) Do not accept gifts or covet other’s property,
(10) Do not save money.
By following these ten principles, one can lead a moral life.
Law of Karma:
Buddha laid great stress on the Law of Karma and its working and the transmigration of souls. According to him the condition of man in this life and the next depends upon his own actions. Man is the maker of his own destiny not any god or gods. One can never escape the consequences of his deeds. If a man does good deeds in this life, he will be reborn in a higher life, and so on till he attains nitvana. Evil deeds are sure to be punished. We are born again and again to reap the fruit of our Karmas. This is the law of Karma.
Ahimsa or Nonviolence:
One of the important tenants of Buddha’s teaching is Ahimsa. Non-violence towards life is more important than good deeds. He advised that one should not kill or injure others either man or animal. People were discouraged from hunting or killing of animals. He condemned animal sacrifice and meat-eating. Though Buddha attached great importance to non-violence, he permitted his followers to take meat when no other food is available to keep them alive.
God:
Buddha neither accepts nor rejects the existence of God. When he was questioned about the existence of God, he either maintained silence or remarked that Gods or gods were also under the eternal law of Karma. He kept himself away from any theoretical discussion about God. He was only concerned with the deliverance of man from suffering.
Opposition to Vedas:
The Buddha opposed the authority of Vedas. He also denied the utility of Vedic and complex Brahmanical practices and rituals for the purpose of salvation. He criticized the Brahmanical supremacy.
Opposition to Caste System:
The Buddha opposed Varna order or caste system. According to him a man is to be judged not by virtue of his birth but by his qualities. In his eyes all castes are equal. He won the support of the lower orders because of his opposition to caste system.
The Buddhist Church:
The Samgha or the Buddhist Church was equally important like the Buddha and his doctrines. The membership of the Buddhist Church was open to all persons irrespective of any class or caste distinctions, above fifteen years of age, provided they did not suffer from leprosy and other diseases. Women were also admitted.A person to the Sangha seeking ordination as a monk had to choose a preceptor and obtain the consent of the assembly of monks. The convert was formally ordained after receiving the consent. He had to take the oath of allegiance to the head of the Sangha.
The oath was:
“Buddham sharanam gachhami”
(I take refuge in the Buddha)
“Dharamam sharanam gachhami”
(I take refuge in Dharma)
Sangham sharanam gachhami”
(I take refuge in Sangha)
The convert was admitted to lower ordination or “Pravrajya” and then he had to practise stern morality, rigorous austerity for 10 years, then he was admitted to higher ordination or “Upasam