Valerie Peters 3-23-14 World Religions

Buddhism
Buddhism started because of a man named Sidhartha Gautama. Most everything we know about him is through stories passed down because his life was not documented. He was a prince who lived in luxury. Only after he became aware of the world and its vices did he take the time to meditate and go on his spiritual journey which led to his development of Buddhism and the teachings therein. Sidharthas father was a wealthy land owner so Sidhartha was raised in a lavish lifestyle where anything he could have wanted could be at his fingertips. He would have elaborate food, clothes and a number of dancing girls for his entertainment. The palace he grew up in was secluded, so he was very ignorant to life outside of the palace. Some say his father arranged that to protect him or shield him from the negative things of the world. Sidhartha grew older, married and bore a son. One day he decided to step outside the palace and visit one of the neighboring towns. It was what he saw after that that changed his life. Sidhartha saw what is referred to as the four sights. The first was a sickly person. This was something he had never seen before in his life of secluded luxury. After witnessing sickness

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he saw an elderly individual. Having always been around youth in his lifestyle, he had no idea that everyone, including himself would one day get old and weary. He then came across a corpse. Death was a new concept as well. He was dismayed at these new concepts and upset with all the suffering that was so abundant in the world. His last sight he saw was an ascetic: one who wants to get rid of suffering by living a simple life. Or one who seeks happiness rather than temporal pleasure. 1 It was the sight of this ascetic that inspired him to renounce everything and embark on his spiritual journey. He went and sought guidance from 3 teachers and learned yoga and meditation. This did not bring him peace. He spent the next 6 years torturing himself. His body had deteriorated and he almost died. If it were not for the 5 ascetics helping him, he would have perished. He sat to meditate underneath an Bodhi tree. He was there for 49 days when he realized that people are driven by desire, and it is that reason why there is suffering. Buddhas Teachings The Middle path is one of Buddhas teachings. This is a path between self -indulgence and self-mortification. The three characteristics of this middle path is Impermanence, suffering, and the fact that there is no soul. Buddha believes that you have to be concerned with the now, which is why he rejects the idea that Jainism practices of an eternal soul. Buddha believes that you are responsible for changing yourself to fit the world. This is also referred to as the path of moderation.

Fisher, Mary Pat. Living Religions. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1999. Print.

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Buddha rejects both the ideas of eternalism - that life goes on and on, and nihilism - that once youre dead, youre dead. He taught that all a person has are what he referred to as the 5 aggregates. These include: form, sensation, perception, mental formation, and consciousness. All of which could not exist on their own. The four noble truths is also a widely known part of Buddhas teachings. These summarize what Buddha had come to understand and teach after his meditation. The first truth is suffering. This one portrays the concept that once you are born, there will be sickness. There will be aging, and there will be death. Just the fact that you are alive means that you are going to suffer. The second noble truth is Origin. This truth explains the reason for suffering. The logic behind this is: suffering arises from excessive desire. Those who are continuously wanting will continuously be suffering. The third truth is labeled Cessation. Simply put, this means that since the cause of suffering is desire, suffering will end when desire ceases. Lastly, the 4th noble truth is called the eightfold path. How one should live their life. Eightfold Path The eightfold path is also referred to as the middle path. This path, as mentioned before, is a teaching on how an individual should rightly be living their life. It is composed of: right view, right thought, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. Buddha learned the ways of self-indulgence and selfmortification and rejected both. The eightfold path is sort of in between the two. Rather like a happy medium. Since Buddha believes that we are the ones who are responsible for our own self change, this path is designed to provide a guideline for the most effective way to do that. If one were to follow this path, they would find a lifestyle of moderation. There would be no need
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to indulge in and want for the more lavish things in life just as there would be no need to bring harm to your body or torture it by resorting to giving in to the absolute minimum amounts of food and shelter. The eightfold path is away for one to peacefully live and better their life simply and happily. Buddha lived to be about 80 years old. He passed his teachings along and even had a king send out Buddhist missionaries to spread these teachings across the land. Many monks who followed his teachings helped to pass it along. Although most of what we know of Sidhartha is through stories, they have been continued to be passed along and his teachings have been kept alive. A few things have been changed here and there, as people evolve, so does religion. But Buddhism had grown to be quite abundant and is still practiced today by many.

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Works Cited
Fisher, Mary Pat. Living Religions. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1999. Print.

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