Buddhism

Historians agree that Buddhism began with the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (si-DAR-tuh GOW-tuh-muh). During his life, Siddhartha became a great teacher and was given the title "buddha" (BOO-duh).

Read about some common Buddhist beliefs.

• • • There were buddhas who lived before Siddhartha, and there will be buddhas who come after him.

    • Human history is divided into periods of time called ages. Each age lasts about 12,000 years. And during each age, a buddha comes to teach people.

    • Siddhartha is often called "the Buddha," instead of just "buddha," because he is the buddha of this age.

Gautama Buddha

Buddhist tradition says there are many buddhas. Siddhartha Gautama is sometimes called "Gautama Buddha," to tell him apart from the others.

Gautama Buddha is often shown sitting with his legs crossed. His head usually has a dome shape at the top symbolizing his religious wisdom. His earlobes are stretched long from having worn heavy jewelry before rejecting his life as rich man.

Who will be the buddha of the next age?

According to some Buddhist traditions, the next buddha to appear will be called Maitreya (my-TRAY-uh). Statues of Maitreya are common and often show him with a big belly and smiling. He is sometimes called the "happy buddha."

A previous buddha

Dipankara (dee-PAN-kara) is another well-known buddha. According to tradition, he lived about 100,000 years ago. Dipankara is often shown holding his hands with one palm facing out and one facing up. Placing his hands like this represents protection and peace.

Siddhartha lived in South Asia and was surrounded by Hindus, or people who practice Hinduism. So, Buddhism shares some characteristics with Hinduism. For example, most Buddhists and Hindus share the belief that when people die, their lives do not end. Instead, they are reborn over and over again. This cycle of rebirth is called samsara. The goal of both Buddhism and Hinduism is to find a way to end samsara.

Why don't Buddhists want to be reborn?

Being reborn over and over again might sound better than dying, but most Hindus and Buddhists believe that life is full of suffering. Members of these religions want to end the cycle of samsara so that they can end their suffering.

Around 500 BCE, Siddhartha Gautama, who became the founder of Buddhism, was born into the warrior varna. Read the following story about Siddhartha's family. Then answer the question below.

One night, a woman named Maya had a dream about a white elephant. She thought that the dream was a sign that she was pregnant with an important child. When Maya gave birth to the child, she felt no pain. Because she gave birth without pain, Maya believed that her baby was special.

After the baby was born, Maya's husband, Suddhodana (sud-HA-dah-nah), asked a holy man to tell the boy's future. The holy man said that the baby would be either a powerful ruler or a great religious leader. The holy man explained that if the baby was protected from suffering, he would become a great king. But if he suffered or saw other people suffering, he would decide to live a religious life. Because of the holy man's prediction, they named the baby Siddhartha, which means "the successful one."

According to tradition, Suddhodana protected his son from suffering.

According to Buddhist tradition, when Siddhartha was 29 years old, he realized for the first time that everyone suffered. During a trip, Siddhartha witnessed four situations. These situations made him realize that people suffer, and they inspired him to become a religious man.

The Great Departure

After seeing people suffer, Siddhartha decided to become a religious man. According to tradition, Siddhartha realized he could not fully devote himself to a religious life while living at home. So, one night he snuck out of his house, leaving his family behind. This event is often called the Great Departure.

One version of the story says that special beings held the hooves of Siddhartha's horse while he rode away. They carried the hooves so that the sound of the horse's footsteps would not wake Siddhartha's family.

After seeing people suffer, Siddhartha decided to live a religious life. He left his home and began studying with different religious teachers. One of his teachers taught meditation.

There are many different ways to meditate, but people often start by sitting quietly and still. Then, they try to clear their minds by focusing on just one thing, such as their breathing.

Do Buddhists still meditate?

Yes! Meditation is still an important part of Buddhism.

Are Buddhists the only people who meditate?

No. Meditation is a common practice in many cultures. Members of other religions that began in South Asia, such as Hinduism and Jainism, also meditate. Some people who practice other religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, meditate too. These different groups meditate in different ways.

There are also many people who meditate for non-religious reasons. Some research shows that meditating is good for people's health.

Why did Siddhartha start fasting?

During Siddhartha's time, many religious people fasted. They thought that they had to suffer physically in order to end the cycle of samsara. According to some stories, at one point Siddhartha was eating only a single grain of rice a day. As a result, he became extremely thin and weak.

Why did Siddhartha stop fasting?

One day, a young woman saw Siddhartha and realized that he was starving. The woman offered Siddhartha food, and he accepted. According to tradition, Siddhartha realized that if he was starving, he could not end the cycle of samsara. If he was hungry, then he would be too distracted by his suffering to achieve his goals.

Most Buddhists believe that when Siddhartha was meditating under the tree, he realized what caused suffering and how to end it. Buddhists call these realizations the Four Noble Truths.

Look at the summary of the Four Noble Truths.

The Truth of Suffering: Life is full of suffering. Because people are reborn after they die, death does not end suffering.

1. The Truth of the Cause of Suffering: Suffering comes from desire. People suffer because they want to avoid pain and experience pleasure in this world.

2. The Truth of Ending Suffering: To end suffering, people must stop the cycle of rebirth. They can stop the cycle of rebirth by ending their desire for worldly pleasures.

3. The Truth of the Eightfold Path: To end the cycle of rebirth and suffering, people must follow the Eightfold Path. The Eightfold Path gives guidelines about how people should live their lives.

Visiting where the Buddha meditated

According to tradition, Siddhartha realized the Four Noble Truths at a site called Bodh Gaya in present-day India. Today, Buddhists from all over the world travel to visit this site. This journey is an important pilgrimage, or religious trip, for many Buddhists.

Many Buddhists believe that this ficus religiosa at Bodh Gaya descended from the tree that Siddhartha meditated under.

The sacred fig tree

According to tradition, Siddhartha began meditating under a specific kind of fig tree. While sitting under the tree, he realized the Four Noble Truths and discovered how to end samsara. Because of what Siddhartha achieved, that type of tree is now known as a ficus religiosa, or sacred fig tree.

The following text gives definitions for several words that are important for understanding Buddhist beliefs. Read the definitions. Then follow the instructions below.

• • • samsara \suhm-SAHR-uh\ noun the cycle of death and rebirth that causes people to suffer

    • enlightenment \en-LIE-tin-ment\ noun the experience of being fully aware and knowledgeable about the universe. This awareness ends the cycle of samsara after a person dies.

    • nirvana \nir-VAH-nuh\ noun what enlightened people experience after they die

What happened to the Buddha after he died?

According to tradition, after the Buddha died, he entered a state of nirvana. Buddhists believe that when most people die, they are reborn into one of six realms, or worlds. We live in the human realm, but there are five other realms of existence, too. Since Siddhartha was enlightened, though, he was not reborn into one of those realms. Instead, he experienced nirvana.

What is nirvana like?

According to tradition, nirvana is what enlightened people experience after they die. But nobody really knows what nirvana is like.

After Siddhartha became enlightened, he spent the rest of his life teaching others about what he had learned. Read the story about the Buddha teaching a student named Sona. Then complete the sentence below.

Sona was frustrated. He worried so much about becoming enlightened that he stopped eating and became very thin. The Buddha knew that Sona played a string instrument called a zither. So, the Buddha decided to teach Sona by talking about music.

The Buddha asked Sona, "Can you play beautiful music on the zither if the strings are too tight?"

Sona replied "No, if the strings are too tight, they will break."

The Buddha then asked, "Can you play the zither if the strings are too loose?"

Sona said, "No, if the strings are too loose, they will make no sound."

The Buddha then asked, "So then what must you do?"

Sona said, "To play the zither, the strings can't be too tight nor too loose."

The Buddha then told Sona, "That is the path that I teach. If you are too worried and strain your mind, you will be like the strings that are too tight. But if you are too relaxed, you will become lazy and will be like the loose strings. You need to find a balance in your life, like you find a balance when playing the zither."

The Middle Way

The Buddha wanted Sona to find a balance in his religious life. The Buddha had lived an easy life growing up, and as an adult he punished his body by fasting. But neither of those paths led to his enlightenment. He did not reach his goal until after he rejected his life of luxury but also took care of his body. This balanced approach is called the Middle Way.

What is a zither?

A zither is a stringed instrument. To play it, the musician places the zither on his or her lap and plucks the strings.

The Buddha led and taught his followers for about 45 years. This painting shows the Buddha and two groups of followers: lay people and a monastic community, or group of monks and nuns.

What is the difference between a monk and a nun?

Women who are members of monastic communities are called nuns. Men who are members are called monks.

According to tradition, at first Buddhist monastic communities were open only to men. But, during his life, the Buddha opened the communities up to women too. So, there have almost always been Buddhist nuns as well as monks.

Around 50 BCE, some monks began writing down the Buddha's teachings. They were worried that the oral tradition of the Buddha's teachings might be forgotten if too many monks died. Because of the famine, many Buddhists were concerned that there would not be enough people left to remember and spread the Buddha's teachings. So, they started to write them down to save them.

After the Buddha's death, members of monastic communities had some success spreading Buddhism in South Asia. But Buddhism spread farther and faster after an emperor named Ashoka (uh-SHOH-kuh) became a Buddhist.

How did Ashoka spread Buddhism?

When Ashoka began spreading Buddhism, he sent people throughout his empire with messages, called edicts (EE-dikts). These edicts were carved into stone pillars and boulders for everyone to see. Ashoka wanted all people to follow certain Buddhist teachings, even if they did not become Buddhists.

Ashoka wanted his subjects to do the following things:

• care for the old and sick

• do no harm to living creatures, a rule that included eating a vegetarian diet, or not eating meat

• be tolerant of other religious groups