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The History, Philosophy and Practice of Buddhism

The Philosophy of Buddhism

The Four Noble Truths
Dependant Origination
The Eightfold Path
The Three Characteristics of Existence
The Three Jewels and the Five Precepts
Karma and Intention
Rebirth and Nirvana

Rebirth
In the process of becoming enlightened, the Buddha is said to have recognised all his
previous lives. At the same time, he also said that nothing from one life goes on to the next.
Quite a paradox really!

Buddhists understand life as samsara, meaning perpetual wandering, and describe the
transition like a billiard ball hitting another billiard ball. While nothing physical transfers,
the speed and direction of the second ball relate directly to the first. So the term most often
used is rebirth, rather than reincarnation. Reincarnation implies the transfer of an essence, or
a soul, while rebirth follows the law of causality, or dependant origination, where this arises
because of circumstances which happened before.

A primary aim of Buddhism is to break free of the wheel of samsara, and to reach a new
level called Nirvana.

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Nirvana

Nirvana is the most misunderstood term in Buddhism.

Those in the West recognise the term as meaning Heaven, or a Heaven on Earth, or perhaps
a famous rock band.

The Buddha described Nirvana as the ultimate goal, and he reached that state during his
enlightenment. At this point, he chose to teach others so that they might also experience this
realisation, and so when he died, fortyfive years later, he then passed through pari nirvana,
meaning completed nirvana.

Nirvana literally means extinguishing or unbinding. The implication is that it is freedom

from what ever binds you, from the burning passion of desire, jealousy, and ignorance. Once
these are totally overcome, a state of bliss is achieved, and there is no longer the need the
cycle of birth and death. All karmic debts are settled.

The Buddha refused to be drawn on what occurred then, but implied that it was beyond
word and without boundaries. Certainly, he saw it in a much different state than our current
existence, and not a simple parallel to the process of individual rebirth.

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The Philosophy of Buddhism

The Four Noble Truths
Dependant Origination
The Eightfold Path
The Three Characteristics of Existence
The Three Jewels and the Five Precepts
Karma and Intention
Rebirth and Nirvana

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