Introduction
Religious practices play a significant role in uniting community members and expressing their shared beliefs. Buddhism is one of the world’s largest religions. It originated around 2500 years ago. The religion is commonly practiced in India and is anchored on the belief in the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. Like other religions, Buddhism has symbols that represent essential aspects of Buddha’s teachings, known as the Dharma. The shared beliefs and teachings of the Buddha unite believers in Buddhism.
Buddhist Symbols
Similar to other world religions, Buddhism employs symbols that represent Buddha’s teachings, known as Dharma. The Dharma wheel, the Indian lotus, the three jewels, and the Bodhi tree are four symbols that have the most essential meanings to Buddhists. “The Dharma wheel is one of the ancient symbols built between 304 and 232 BC”. The symbol appears in early Buddhist sites, including Sanchi and Bharhut. The wheel was viewed as a depiction of Buddha himself.
In contemporary Buddhism, the Dharma wheel has a similar meaning to that in ancient Buddhism, but from different perspectives. Mirkamal and Raschmann said, “The Dharma wheel is associated with Vishnu, the god of preservation.” Today, Buddhists use the Dharma wheel to encompass all that the Buddha taught. Buddhists view the Buddha as a person who revolutionized their history by “turning the wheel”. While Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha is its spiritual teacher and founder.
Life of Siddhartha Gautama
Description
Siddhartha Gautama was the supreme spiritual teacher of Buddhism and an ancient Indian prince. “Famously known as Buddha, he lived in the 6th century BCE.” Siddhartha Gautama founded Buddhism, whose philosophies are based on his teachings.
“The Buddha taught this for the first time at Sarnath’s Deer Park, near Varanasi”. He taught the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, which are the core beliefs of the religion. Therefore, as the founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama impacted the religion by providing it with core teachings and principles.
Key Events
Compared to the supreme spiritual teachers of other religions, Siddhartha Gautama experienced pivotal life events. The Great Renunciation describes when he was born into a wealthy family, but renounced his royal life to become a wandering ascetic. The Enlightenment period was when he attained enlightenment at the age of 35, after six years of intense meditation. The First Sermon describes the occasion when the Buddha gave his first teaching at Sarnath, near Varanasi, after attaining enlightenment. The Buddhists hold the three events in high regard, as they mark the origin of their religion.
Commemorating the Events
Buddhists commemorate the three significant life events of Siddhartha Gautama in various ways. The Great Renunciation is remembered and celebrated by detaching oneself from worldly desires, a key principle of Buddhism. The enlightenment is celebrated as the Buddha Jayanti festival and is marked by praying, meditating, and offering sacrifices to the Buddha. On the other hand, the First Sermon is commemorated by Buddhists by listening to the Dharma teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. The three events are key and of great significance to a Buddhist.
Beliefs and Practices
Religious beliefs and practices include rituals, sermons, and venerations. Similar to religions such as Christianity and Islam, Buddhism is characterized by various beliefs and practices. The core Buddhists’ practices and beliefs are based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. The teachings were orally passed from one generation to another over the centuries. However, in later years, various Buddhist groups committed their teachings to writing. The Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path are central beliefs and practices of Buddhism.
The Four Noble Truths
All Life Is Suffering
“All life is suffering” is the first of the Four Noble Truths believed in by Buddhists. The belief asserts that life inherently involves suffering and dissatisfaction. Buddhists believe that suffering is inevitable at some point in life. Therefore, regardless of how rich a person is, they will experience suffering and dissatisfaction. The suffering, Dukka, manifests itself in various forms, including physical and emotional pains.
The Cause of Suffering Is Desire
Suffering among the Buddhists is believed to be caused by desires, samudaya. According to the Buddha, desire is an individual’s intense craving and attachment towards things or experiences in life. When people desire things that they cannot have, they experience suffering, which can be emotional. Similarly, the human desire to cling to something they will inevitably lose exacerbates their pain. Negative actions such as killing and stealing can cause pain to others. Negative mental states such as ignorance and hatred are also identified as the causes of suffering.
To End Desire Is to End Suffering
Samudaya identifies desires as the cause of suffering, and the pain can be removed by controlling them. “To end desire is to end suffering” is the third noble truth that requires Buddhists to eliminate their attachments and cravings for the things they cannot have. Moreover, the teaching requires the Buddhists to let go of things they will inevitably lose. For instance, people will lose wealth at one point in their lives. Letting go of desires and negative actions is key to happiness among Buddhists.
To End Desire, One Must Follow the Noble Eightfold Path
Ending desires among Buddhists is not easy, but it conforms to magga. According to the teachings of the Buddha, the Noble Eightfold Path helps believers develop wisdom, ethical conduct, and mental discipline. Consequently, they end desires, adverse actions, and mental states regardless of strength. Magga includes practising the proper understanding, intention, speech, action, livelihood, mindfulness, and concentration. Therefore, magga helps Buddhists who have desires that cause suffering.
The Noble Eightfold Path
The ultimate goal of Buddhism is to achieve nirvana, a state of nothingness and liberation from suffering. The Noble Eightfold Path presents the eight basic actions and steps a typical Buddhist must go through to end their desires and get liberated from suffering. Each Noble Eightfold Path serves a different function crucial in achieving nirvana.
The first path is the proper understanding, which emphasizes the need to comprehend the nature of reality and the causes of suffering. “When one has to be in the peaceful or stressless ways of living, one has to understand what the Four Noble truths mean and how he/ she can lead the life of the Eightfold path.” According to Buddhism, a clear understanding of the Four Noble Truths helps one cultivate a sense of wisdom and inner peace.
The second path is proper thought or intention, which involves positive attitudes towards oneself and others. “Wholesome thoughts and positive attitudes help overcome negative emotions and mental states, including greed and hatred”. The third path is right speech, involving speaking the truth in a kind and helpful manner. Buddhists believe that the right speech helps build positive and friendly relationships with others. The fourth path is proper conduct, which involves behaving morally and ethically. The Buddha requires the Buddhists to exercise the Five Precepts: not harming, stealing, engaging in sexual misconduct, lying, and consuming intoxicants to promote a more peaceful society.
The fifth path is right livelihood, which requires Buddhists to earn a living honestly and ethically. The Buddhists believe that exercising the fifth path helps them to avoid harming others and develop a sense of inner integrity. The sixth path is right effort and requires the Buddhists to exercise positive qualities such as compassion and wisdom through sustained efforts. “Right effort is the practice of doing away with unwholesome mental states and cultivating wholesome ones.” Exercising the right effort helps in overcoming negative habits and behaviors.
The seventh path, right mindfulness, allows Buddhists to develop a clear and focused awareness of the present moment. Inner calm and clarity are achieved by exercising mindfulness. The last path is right concentration, which is achieved through meditation. Deep levels of concentration overcome distraction and mental agitation.
Conclusion
Buddhism ranks among the world’s major religions and is distinguished by its distinctive beliefs and practices. It is based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, who was a prince but let go of wealth. Buddhism is associated with the Dharma wheel, which is symbolically important to the religion. The Dharma wheel represents the Buddha’s act of revolutionizing Buddhism. Buddhism is associated with commemorations, beliefs, and practices like other world religions.
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