All Sects Of Buddhism By Sakayumi Buddha

Buddhism is not about God or Gods, it doesn't supply a hypothesis about what may occur in after death, nor does it express perspectives about creation; it is situated in the realm of day by day living. Furthermore, Buddhism is largely associated with the condition of being awaken by the nature of humanity. As the fourth-largest religion in the world, Buddhism has proven to be both influential and significant. While most religions have profound theoretical foundations that they are built upon, and while most individuals within such religions have faith that the theory is true, Buddhism does not address theories; nor does it agree or disagree with any religion, but rather acknowledges religion as a means to live in a positive manner. This religion is about not only living a peaceful life but also about enlightening a person through the regaining of wisdom and grace from within. The purpose of this paper is to examine the depth of Buddhism through Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and karma.

Meditation is very difficult to describe and can only truly be explained once experienced. It is the practice of mental concentration leading ultimately through a sequence of stages to the final goal of spiritual freedom, nirvana. The purpose of Buddhist meditation is to free ourselves from the delusion and thereby put an end to both ignorance and craving. The Buddhists describe the culminating trance-like state as transient; final Nirvana requires the insight of wisdom. The exercises that are meant to develop wisdom involve meditation on the true nature of reality or the conditioned and unconditioned elements that make up all phenomena. The goal of meditation is to develop a concept in the mind.

Buddha is the main founder of Buddhism; an awakening sage. According to most biographical narratives, the legends that sprouted around Buddha conception, birth, life and death are extraordinary. Although Buddha whole existence can be seen as a phenomenon, I chose to write this reflection paper on Buddha conception and birth.

Mindfulness is another way of meditation. Meditation was used to seek to improve one’s psychological or physical health, or spiritual growth. (Brantley, 2007). The history of Mindfulness comes from Buddhism and his search for enlightenment and a foundation of the four noble truths. The Buddha teaching focus on the four noble truths which consist of knowing suffering exists, there is a cause of suffering, there is cessation of suffering and there is a path that leads to the cessation of suffering. (Van Gordon, 2015). The four noble truths were not only there to represent the Buddha’s experiential understanding of suffering, but also to express the truth (Van Gordon, 2015). Studies of Buddhism and the Four Noble Truths teach us that there is always going to be suffering in our life but to find ways to overcome suffering (Tsering, 2005).

Buddhism originated in the early Fifth century BCE, from the teachings of Siddhartha Buddha (Fisher, 2005). Plagued by the desire to help end human suffering, Buddha reached a state of pure enlightenment showing him the way to end earthly suffering. Through meditation, people can control the desires of their human nature. By gaining control of our desires we can end our suffering. He taught his wisdom to all that wanted to learn. After his death, three main forms of Buddhism emerged; there was the Theravada’s, the Mahayana’s, and the Zen Buddhists (Fisher, 2005). For the sake of this report, the local Buddhist

“Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Suffering follows an evil thought as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draw it. Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Joy follows a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves.” (Siddhartha Guatamma) This is one of the many wise words spoken from the kindhearted Buddha. After my brief study of Buddhism I feel that these words, as well as my experience, have opened up my heart to a better understanding of the power within me. I think it is fascinating to really comprehend that it is us alone through our mindset and habit that essentially can control how we chose to live out our days on Earth. This teaching and the story of Buddha begins with the son of a king named Siddhartha Gautama which lays the basic foundation of Buddhism. While growing up and being raised to be the next king, Siddhartha, was never exposed to religion nor human suffering. He lived this sheltered life until he was 29 years old when he finally ventured passed his palace walls only to become exposed to the poverty and disease of the people living beyond the walls that shielded him for so long. After his experience he became fixated on escaping the world of suffering. Through the study of different religions, teachings, and passages he discovered meditation which he practiced for six

It took him six years, but one morning Siddhartha awoke from a night of fighting an inner battle and had an “Awakening”. He began sharing his message of awakening which includes a middle path between extremes and self-denial and self-indulgence and finding truth and reality through self-introspection. His followers called him “the Buddha” which means “the Enlightened One” (Bickel and Jantz). His teachings included Four Noble Truths: Life is all about suffering, the cause of suffering is our desire and greed, there is a way to overcome our desire and greed, and lastly the path to happiness and relief of suffering is an eight step process. There are three qualities to maintain this enlightened status: wisdom, mental discipline and ethical conduct. Unlike most Western religions, there are not a lot of rules and regulations in the Buddhist religion, however there are three fundamental principles upon which the religion is based. Buddha which is the finding the path of enlightenment and teaching it to others, dharma described as the true ways of things and sangha which is a community of monks, nuns and laypeople who practice and promote the dharma. The central religious practice for Buddhists is the intense dedication to meditation. Meditation is the process of understanding the nature of reality, obtaining dharma and awakening

There are many different definitions and views of Buddhism and many of these views and definitions vary from each other. A quick internet search reveals all the different definitions of Buddhism and some of them may not even be correct or have a scholarly perspective. A five minute Google search reveals one definition which we will take a look at:

In the practice of Buddhism meditation is the primary means of purifying ones soul and letting go of all worldly desires. Elimination of the desire to cling to works of the world such as judgments, possessions or pleasure by gaining wisdom serves to free the mind and gives one sense of peace. It is the clinging that limits the ability to be at peace. Buddhist who has obtained enlightenment are free from the endless cycle of birth and rebirth and have transcended. It is thru the process of this intense meditation that the ultimate goal of Buddhism can be reach, the achievement of Nirvana.

Movement and Mediation Movement is present in religions, philosophies, and mythologies throughout the world. There is something inherently human in movement as it serves as a way of understanding how to interact with the world. Meditation, dance, and pilgrimage are all spiritual experiences associated with movement. Meditation is a common practice in world religions though it takes different forms.

The life of Siddhartha Gautama has captivated millions of people around the world. Millions of humans practice and try to live a life free of possessions and free of distractions from the materialistic plane of existence we call society. In essence, a popular belief about life becomes mainstream and therefore a new religion is created. I would argue that Buddhism is merely a way of approaching life from an uncharacteristic perspective. Therefore, I am suggesting that the Buddha created a philosophy and deserves a place among the great fathers of human thought such as Aristotle, Plato, and many others. Where Buddhism differentiates from the three major religions of the world, is the amazing techniques that Buddhists pursue every day to optimize their inner thinking within. The philosophies of Buddhism and new research in the scientific community surrounding techniques done by its followers, has created a growing interest in the way of life, especially in western culture. Going along, we will explore what makes this so.

The Buddhist monk sat cross-legged on a mountain top, inhaling and  exhaling while focusing his mind. He was trying to reach the state of enlightenment discovered by the religion's founder Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha's early life greatly affected and influenced the beliefs and values found in the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold path, and the Dhammapada. Precisely his early life in the palace affected the second noble truth,  his four journeys impacted the first noble truth, and his experiences influenced the Dhammapada.

Buddhism is extremely rich, so much so that it is necessary constantly to remain aware of the tension between its great variety of historical manifestations and the tendency to simplify it doctrinally.

Although the Four Nobel Truths are great concepts of Buddhism there are many other aspects that make up Buddhism. Daily practice of meditation helps develop one's sense of awareness, to grow, and develops compassion and loving kindness (Buddhanet). Following the laws of Karma and following right speech are also integral to Buddhism.

In the United States there are over four million buddhists, one thousand temples, study groups, or Buddhists associations (Monroe 108). This number has come from just one man searching to find happiness and eventually enlightenment. Buddha’s story is how buddhism became a religion all over the world. It teaches a peaceful manner, reveals the key to happiness for the mind, and eliminates the desire in life. Not just the history of buddhism is important, but how it has spread through the world and what it looks like today.