Religion Buddhism and its philosophy

Buddhism is a world religion, the smallest of the three main faiths. Membership does not depend on the race, nationality or place of residence of its followers. That is why hundreds of millions of its adherents are found not only in all regions of Asia and the Far East, but also in many states on other continents. The essay on the origin and development of Buddhism is no less fascinating than information about Christianity and Islam. The emergence of Buddhism as a religious and philosophical movement dates back to ancient times, but the name itself arose quite recently - in the 19th century, in Europe. Its homeland was India, but in the modern world it is recognized by a huge number of peoples with all kinds of customs. Buddhism is defined by different scholars as:

religion;
philosophy;
ethical teaching;
cultural tradition;
civilization;
science of consciousness.

Let us consider what lies in its essence.

Historical background

If you do not know the basics of Buddhism, you cannot understand the greatest eastern civilizations: India, China, Tibet, Mongolia, which are literally imbued with its philosophy. The emergence of this denomination dates back to the 1st millennium BC. How old Buddhism is was determined in 1956, when UNESCO decided to celebrate the 2,500th anniversary of this teaching. Symbolically, its appearance dates back to 543 BC - the year of Buddha’s entry into parinirvana. Modern research has established that the date of Buddha's death is 486 BC.

As usual, the origin of Buddhism is associated with Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who lived in abundance and splendor, freed by his father from everything bad. The impetus for spiritual change for the king's son was meetings with an old man, a leper, and a funeral procession. They informed Gautama that old age, illness and death are the lot of humanity. Afterwards he met a serene, poor traveler who demanded nothing from fate. This lesson made a deep impression on the prince and made him reflect on the fate of humanity. Secretly leaving the palace, he decided to search for the meaning of life and at the age of 29 he became a hermit.

For 45 years, Buddha propagated his theory, which was the teaching of the four sublime truths. His followers called him Buddha, which means "enlightened, awakened" in Sanskrit. After his death, not a single written treatise remained. Later, other clarified individuals appeared - Buddhas, who made their contribution to the religious formation of civilization. Adherents of certain schools of Buddhism also honor the founders of other teachings as mentors.

Holy books

The main book, like the Bible for Christians, like the Koran for Muslims, for Buddhists is the Tripitaka. It is a collection of scriptures compiled into three different volumes. Hence the name, which translates as “three baskets”.

Vinaya-Pitaka. Describes the rules of behavior of monks within the community, about five hundred rituals performed, gives examples from the life of the Awakened One and interesting parables about some traditions.
Sutra Pitaka. It contains over ten thousand famous sayings of the Teacher and reveals the details of his life.
Abhidharma Pitaka. A section on the theory of philosophy, which systematizes concepts, knowledge, and fundamental principles of Dharma.

Fundamental views

After observing his mind for several years, the Buddha concluded that the source of human torment and sorrow is people themselves: their passion for life, property and finances, their belief in the inviolability and eternity of the soul. This was an experiment in creating a delusion to counteract global changeability. The end of torment (entry into nirvana) and awakening, in which life appears truthful and natural, can be achieved by destroying all attachments and delusions of stability, which is facilitated by the experience of concentration and limitation, observance of the five precepts.

Buddha stated that his theory is not a sacred prophecy, but was acquired by him as a result of meditation and observation of his own soul and other things. The position has not become dogmatic, accepted on faith without criticism, and the effect depends on the follower himself. The Buddha instructed to accept his teachings only through testing on one's own experience, comparing this process with the procedure for a merchant to check the authenticity of gold when buying. He advised accepting his theory only after being convinced of its reliability.

Over the 25 centuries of its existence, Buddhist philosophy has absorbed a lot of different spiritual practices and rituals. Some supporters of Buddhism consider reflection based on meditation to be the main thing, others prefer to engage in useful activities, and still others focus on honoring the Buddha. The dissimilarity in the concepts and ideas of different Buddhist schools obliges us to accept as Buddhism any teaching that traditionally becomes Buddhist and is based on the principles that the Buddha himself established. But the interpretation of concepts in different theories is sometimes strikingly different. Theravada supporters assert the finality of the doctrines, while Mahayana adherents insist on their conditionality; they consider them a transitional stage in the comprehension of the teachings. The same for different teachings is:

biography of Shakyamuni;
acceptance of retribution and transformation (samsara);
4 sublime truths and the eightfold path;
dependent emergence theory.

The interpretation of these components in different schools is also ambiguous. Some Mahayana documents describe these elements only as skillful tools to attract the attention of people with ordinary spiritual potential to Buddhism.

Do Buddhists celebrate New Year?

Toyohara Chikanobu. A mother and daughter walk to a Buddhist temple with other pilgrims to celebrate the New Year. No later than 1912 Claremont Colleges Digital Library
There are many holidays in folk Buddhism - very popular, although very distantly related to religion. One of them is the New Year, which is celebrated differently in different regions. In general, the Buddhist holiday cycle is based on the lunar calendar (everywhere except Japan). One of the main Buddhist holidays itself can be called Vesak, with which in different countries they associate from one to three key events in the life of Buddha Shakyamuni (birth, enlightenment, nirvana). Other holidays are Sangha Day, which commemorates the Buddha's meeting with his disciples, and Dharma Day, which commemorates the Buddha's first sermon. In addition, in Buddhist countries they celebrate the Day of All Dead: the pre-Buddhist cult of ancestors is very stable and plays a huge role.

Concept of God

A few Buddhist schools honor Buddha as God, but other adherents of the teaching see in him their founder, teacher and civilizer. They profess that achieving enlightenment will be possible only through the resources of the Universe. Therefore, Buddhism does not recognize God as the creator, omniscient and omnipotent. Every person is an element of divinity. Buddhists do not have one unchanging God; every enlightened person can receive the title of Buddha. This concept of God distinguishes this denomination from many Western spiritual teachings.

Buddha himself completely denied the idea that there was a creator who created the Earth and life on it. Buddhist meditation specialists generally believe that belief in God serves as an obstacle to the path to nirvana.

Although Buddhism does not recognize God, the teaching includes creatures that are approximately close to the divine essence - devas. But they cannot be understood in the same sense as deities in Western religions. They are tested by sorrows and torments like people, undergoing rebirth in the wheel of samsara. Buddha becomes the wisest in the host of deities, he is called the teacher of the gods. Various teachings of Buddhism have representations likened to deities. God in Buddhist teachings is called by various names:

the creator, or the first principle - the basis of the origin of the world and all living things, which cannot be understood with the help of reason;
Brahmin - a spiritual being who realizes himself after the resurrection;
an ideal identical to absolute reason.

The idea of Buddhism

The goal of Buddhism is to achieve nirvana as a special state of soul. Nirvana is absolute peace and bliss, dissolution in the Universe. The path to nirvana lies through the rejection of excessive comfort and self-knowledge.

Buddha believed that the cause of all human suffering is people themselves, because they are dependent on material wealth. Great desires and negative passions lead to human suffering. A person desires beyond reasonable needs, although for happiness he needs a minimum of material things and a maximum of spirituality.

Minimalism in life is one of the main principles of Buddhism.

There is nothing permanent in the world, everything changes. But material things and comfort create the illusion of permanence, which does not exist in nature. When something goes, something new comes. The world is constantly updating. But attachment to the old does not allow you to receive the new, and gives rise to suffering.

The soul and consciousness of a person must change in the same way as nature changes.

Achieving nirvana is awakening from illusions, the ability to see life as it really is.

What is the practice

Followers of Buddhism strive for liberation from the clouding of the mind that distorts true reality. They try to get rid of negative qualities:

anger,
bitterness,
anxiety,
horror,
lack of education,
lack of culture,
pride,
egocentrism,
laziness,
mistrust,
envy,
greed,
discontent.

The virtue of the doctrine is the cultivation of pure and sublime qualities in its adherents:

humanity,
generosity,
gratitude,
mercy,
sympathy,
diligence,
prudence.

These properties contribute to the gradual mastery of truth and purification of the mind, resulting in a stable sense of well-being. By working on their mind, strengthening, ennobling and making it brighter, Buddhists relieve anxiety, irritation and dissatisfaction, which ultimately lead to trouble, despondency and depression. This is why Buddhism becomes an indispensable condition for enlightenment and the irrevocable release of consciousness. Buddhism is considered a religion of a worldview, not a supernatural one.

Directions of Buddhism

The main directions of Buddhism appeared in ancient times. So far this is:

Hinayana (small vehicle) . The doctrine of this direction states that only monks can achieve enlightenment and nirvana. An ordinary person must devote himself to fulfilling the teachings of the Buddha. For this you need to leave your ordinary life.
Mahayana (great vehicle) . This school of thought believes that nirvana can be achieved by all who follow the teachings of the Buddha. It is also necessary to belong to the Sangha - the Buddhist community.
Vajrayana (diamond chariot). In this direction, it is believed that nirvana can only be achieved by a few who have access to sacred texts and special mantras (spells). Great importance is given to yoga, meditation, and concentration of consciousness.

Morals and ethical standards

The teachings and ethics of Buddhism are based on rules prohibiting harm and requiring a sense of moderation and modesty. These precepts instill in people prudence, thoughtfulness, concentration and moral behavior. Meditation helps the knowledge and development of adaptations of the action of reason and logic between physical, metaphysical and speculative operations. Buddhist theories served as the foundation for many different schools, united by an understanding of the life of the Buddha and his concepts and focused on the multifaceted evolution of man - the rational exploitation of the flesh, words and intellect.

The universality and versatility of Buddhist teachings is based not on religion, but on practice. That is why just a presentation of its essence does not give a complete picture of this confession. The specifics of this religious trend will only be understood in comparison with other ideologies and beliefs. It is possible to comprehend the concept of Buddha only by freeing the energy of consciousness from harsh ethical stereotypes.

Commandments [↑]

As is known, the Torah contains 613 commandments, covering the entire human life cycle. In addition to the commandments of the Torah, there are also laws established by the sages. For any question concerning both law and ethics, you can get an answer based on the Primary Source.

Buddhism answers the question “what is good and what is bad” quite adequately: bad is killing, lying, stealing, committing adultery and using “hell potion” (drugs, alcohol, tobacco). However, this is where the list of prohibitions ends: there are only five commandments in Buddhism. And who gave these commandments, Buddhism does not explain, and cannot explain, since the concept of the Creator of the World is rejected by Buddhism. For them, God is all living things that surround us, the divine essence that manifests itself in man, in animals, and in nature.

Worldwide distribution

The appeal to independence from grief and belief in the activity of the cosmos led to the emergence in the West in the last and century before last of new theories of mentality and worldview based on the concept of Buddhism. Initially, the followers of Buddhist philosophy were immigrants from Asian and Eastern powers, depressed by hidden anxieties. Later, they were joined by an unbelieving population of various persuasions.

Buddhism was considered the official faith in Tibet until China occupied the country in the 1950s. The Dalai Lama, the head of the Buddhists, was also the state leader of the region. As a result of the intervention of the Celestial Empire, he had to emigrate. Having settled in India, he continued to lead his followers from there.

Overseas and in European countries, the teaching became very popular in the form of Zen Buddhism. This trend came from Japan, where it was formed in the 12th century. This movement received recognition after a striking speech by its follower, a Japanese monk, during the Chicago Religious Congress. Since then, Zen Buddhism, along with yoga, has become the most widespread Orientalist theory in the West, which emphasizes the regulation of the mind over the body.

In Zen practices there is no authority of divine texts, prayers and instructions, but increased interest is paid to personal meditation. As in traditional Buddhism, in Zen the mind is known through practice, the highest manifestation of knowledge being enlightenment. The increased attention to Zen Buddhism is explained by the unpretentiousness of this teaching.

Religion or philosophy? [↑]

Buddhism

It is considered the religion of many peoples in Southeast Asia, especially in Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. Buddhism originated in the 6th century BC. in India, and from there it spread to other Asian countries.

Initially, Buddhism did not claim to be called a religion, and in some modern Buddhist movements even now this teaching is philosophical, not religious, if only because it does not touch on the topic of the Divine. Other Buddhist movements over time acquired features of paganism, beginning to cultivate the worship of Buddha. The attitude of Judaism towards paganism is unambiguous and extremely negative. “You shall have no other gods” is the second of the Ten Commandments of Sinai. As for the similarities and differences between Jewish and Buddhist history, philosophy and ethics, comparisons can be made.

Concept and worldview

Buddhist teachings cannot be classified as doctrines whose center is a deity - the creator of the world. This is a philosophy that involves helping to orient a person towards the path of self-improvement and self-knowledge. There is no idea here about the existence of an immortal soul, about the atonement of sins, but it is argued that all a person’s deeds and thoughts come back. And this is not a sacred punishment, but only the result of actions and thoughts that leave imprints on personal karma.

The Buddha's discovery was that human life is a sorrow and that all creation is changeable and short-lived. Sorrows are formed due to desire. You can avoid suffering only through renunciation of passions. The goal of followers of Buddhist teachings is nirvana - a position the achievement of which allows passions to fade away, as a result of which a sense of pleasure and independence awakens. This goal can be achieved by following the eightfold path of deliverance.

Buddhist teachings are very universal and notable for the fact that they are not based on faith. This is a philosophical theory. A significant component of it is practice. Buddhism is too complex to describe briefly. When comparing this teaching with other world religions and ideologies, all its specific originality is revealed. This teaching can be accepted only if the consciousness is freed from ethical patterns.

Do Buddhists have temples?

Ernst Hein. Buddhist temple in Kyoto. Second half of the 19th century Pixels
The most famous Buddhist religious building is the stupa. Initially, stupas were built as reliquaries in which the remains of Buddha Shakyamuni were kept and venerated, and later - in memory of important events. There are several varieties of stupas, and their architectural appearance largely depends on regional traditions: they can be hemispherical, square stepped or pagoda-shaped. To earn good karma, Buddhists practice ritual circumambulation of the stupa.

There are also temples that are even more architecturally diverse. It is believed that the three treasures of Buddhism are concentrated in them - the Buddha (his statues and other images), the dharma embodied in the texts of the Buddhist canon, and the sangha, represented by the monks living at the temple or monastery.

Introduction

The philosophy of Buddhism is a system of rationally based ideas about the world, man and knowledge, developed within the framework of various directions and schools of Buddhism. A distinctive feature of Buddhism is its ethical and practical orientation. From the very beginning, Buddhism opposed not only the importance of external forms of religious life and especially ritual, but also abstract and dogmatic aspirations, characteristic, in particular, of the Brahmanical Vedic tradition. The central problem in Buddhism was the problem of individual existence.

Buddhism is based on the Buddha's preaching of the Four Noble Truths. The entire structure of Buddhism is devoted to the explanation and development of these propositions, and especially the concept of personal autonomy contained in them.

The moral ideal of Buddhism is presented as absolute non-harm to others (ahinsa), resulting from general gentleness, kindness and a sense of complete satisfaction. In the intellectual sphere of Buddhism, the distinction between sensory and rational forms of knowledge is abolished and the practice of so-called contemplative meditation is established, the result of which is the experience of the fullness of being in complete self-absorption.

The question of the perception of Buddhism in Russia is also of undeniable relevance. This is due to the growing interest in the problem of dialogue of cultures in recent decades. The globalization of modern life and culture, the awareness of other values makes us look differently at the interaction of cultures and civilizations.

Selfishness is the cause of all suffering

Buddhism teaches that all suffering comes from the false concept of Self. Yes, the existence of a separate Self is just another concept created in the mind. And it is this I, which in Western psychology is called the Ego, that suffers.

Any suffering can only stem from a person’s attachment to himself, his ego and selfishness.

What a Buddhist Master does is destroy this false Ego, freeing the student from suffering. And this is usually painful and scary. But it's effective.

Probably one of the most famous practices for getting rid of egoism is tonglen. To perform it, you need to imagine a familiar person in front of you and with each breath mentally draw into yourself, into the solar plexus area, all his suffering and pain in the form of a black cloud. And with every exhalation, give all your happiness and all the best that you have or that you would like to have. Imagine your close friend (if you are a woman) and mentally give her everything you want for yourself: a lot of money, a better man, talented children, etc. And take away all her suffering for yourself. It is even more effective to do this practice with your enemies.

Practice tonglen twice a day in the morning and evening for 5-10 minutes for 3 weeks. And you will see the result.

The practice of tonglen is something that will give you positive imprints in your mind, which after some time will come to you in the form of what you gave up and gave to another person.