It originated in the middle of the first millennium BC in the north of India as a current that was opposed to the prevailing Brahmanism at that time. In the middle of the VI century. BC. Indian society was going through a socio-economic and cultural crisis. The tribal organization and traditional ties disintegrated, and class relations were formed. At that time, there were a large number of wandering ascetics in India, they offered their vision of the world. Their opposition to the existing order aroused the sympathy of the people. Among the teachings of this kind was Buddhism, which gained the greatest influence in.
Most researchers believe that the founder of Buddhism was real. He was the son of the head of the tribe Shakiev, born in 560g. BC. in northeast India. Tradition says that the Indian prince Siddhartha Gautama after a carefree and happy youth, he acutely felt the frailty and hopelessness of life, the horror of the idea of an endless series of reincarnations. He left home in order to communicate with the sages to find the answer to the question: how can a person be freed from suffering. The prince traveled for seven years, and one day, when he was sitting under a tree bodhi, illumination dawned on him. He found the answer to his question. Name Buddha means "enlightened". Shocked by his discovery, he sat under this tree for several days, and then went down to the valley to the people to whom he began to preach a new doctrine. He delivered his first sermon in Benares. At first, he was joined by five of his former students, who left him when he abandoned asceticism. Subsequently, he had many followers. His ideas were close to many. For 40 years he preached in North and Central India.
Truths of Buddhism
The basic truths discovered by the Buddha were as follows.
The whole life of man is suffering. This truth is based on the recognition of the impermanence and transience of all things. Everything arises to be annihilated. Existence is devoid of substance, it devours itself, which is why in Buddhism it is designated as a flame. And only grief and suffering can be endured from the flame.
The cause of suffering is our desire. Suffering arises because man is attached to life, he craves existence. Because existence is filled with sorrow, suffering will exist as long as one lusts for life.
To get rid of suffering, you have to get rid of desire. This is possible only as a result of achieving nirvana, which in Buddhism is understood as the extinction of passions, the cessation of thirst. Is it not at the same time the cessation of life? Buddhism avoids a direct answer to this question. Only negative judgments are expressed about nirvana: it is not desire and not consciousness, not life and not death. This is a state in which one is freed from the transmigration of souls. In later Buddhism, nirvana is understood as bliss, consisting in freedom and spiritualization.
To get rid of desire, one must follow the eightfold path of salvation. It is the definition of these steps on the path to nirvana that is the main one in the teachings of the Buddha, which is called middle way that avoids the two extremes of indulgence in sensual pleasures and the torture of the flesh. This teaching is called the Eightfold Path of Salvation because it indicates eight states by mastering which a person can achieve purification of the mind, calmness and intuition.
These are the states:
- correct understanding: one should believe the Buddha that the world is full of sorrow and suffering;
- right intentions: you should firmly determine your path, limit your passions and aspirations;
- correct speech: you should watch your words so that they do not lead to evil - speech should be truthful and benevolent;
- right actions: one should avoid non-virtuous deeds, restrain oneself and do good deeds;
- right way of life: one should lead a worthy life, without harming the living;
- right effort: you should follow the direction of your thoughts, drive away all evil and tune in to good;
- right thoughts: it should be understood that evil is from our flesh;
- proper focus: one should constantly and patiently train, achieve the ability to concentrate, contemplate, go deep in search of truth.
The first two steps signify the attainment of wisdom or prajna. The next three are moral behavior - sewed. And finally, the last three are the discipline of the mind or samadha.
However, these states cannot be understood as rungs of a ladder that a person masters gradually. Everything is connected here. Moral conduct is necessary to achieve wisdom, and without mental discipline we cannot develop moral conduct. Wise is he who acts compassionately; compassionate is he who acts wisely. Such behavior is impossible without the discipline of the mind.
On the whole, it can be said that Buddhism brought to personal aspect, which was not previously in the Eastern worldview: the assertion that salvation is possible only through personal determination and willingness to act in a certain direction. In addition, Buddhism clearly shows idea of the need for compassion to all living beings - an idea most fully embodied in Mahayana Buddhism.
Main branches of Buddhism
The early Buddhists were only one of many heterodox sects competing at the time, but their influence increased over time. Buddhism was supported primarily by the urban population: rulers, warriors, who saw in it an opportunity to get rid of the supremacy of the Brahmins.
The first followers of the Buddha gathered in some secluded place during the rainy season and, waiting for this period, formed a small community. Those who joined the community usually renounced all property. They were called bhikshu which means "beggar". They shaved their heads, dressed in rags, mostly yellow, and had only the bare necessities with them: three pieces of clothing (top, bottom and cassock), a razor, a needle, a belt, a sieve to filter water, choosing insects from it (ahimsa) , toothpick, begging cup. Most of the time they spent wandering, collecting alms. They could only eat until noon and only vegetarian. In the cave, in an abandoned building, the bhikkhus lived through the rainy season, conversing on pious topics and practicing self-improvement. Near their habitats, the dead bhikkhus were usually buried. Subsequently, monuments-stupas (dome-shaped structures-crypts with a tightly walled entrance) were erected at their burial sites. Various structures were built around these stupas. Later, monasteries arose near these places. The charter of monastic life was formed. When the Buddha was alive, he himself explained all the complex issues of the teaching. After his death, the oral tradition continued for a long time.
Shortly after the death of the Buddha, his followers convened the first Buddhist council to canonize the teachings. The purpose of this cathedral, which took place in the city Rajagrih, was to work out the text of the message of the Buddha. However, not everyone agreed with the decisions taken at this council. In 380 BC a second council was called in Vaishali in order to resolve any disagreements.
Buddhism flourished during the reign of the emperor Ashoka(III century BC), thanks to the efforts of which Buddhism became the official state ideology and went beyond the borders of India. Ashoka did a lot for the Buddhist faith. He erected 84 thousand stupas. During his reign, the third council was held in the city Pataliputra, which approved the text of the sacred books of Buddhism, which amounted to tipitaka(or Tripitaka), and a decision was made to send missionaries to all parts of the country, up to Ceylon. Ashoka sent his son to Ceylon, where he became an apostle, converting many thousands of people to Buddhism and building many monasteries. It is here that the southern canon of the Buddhist church is affirmed - Hinayana, which is also called Theravada(the teaching of the elders). Hinayana means "small vehicle or narrow path of salvation."
In the middle of the last century BC. in the north-west of India, the Scythian rulers created the Kushan kingdom, the ruler of which was Kanishka, an ardent Buddhist and patron of Buddhism. Kanishka convened a fourth council towards the end of the 1st century. AD in the town Kashmir. The Council formulated and approved the main provisions of a new trend in Buddhism, called mahayana -"great chariot or wide circle of salvation." Mahayana Buddhism developed by famous Indian Buddhist Nagarajuna, made many changes to the classical doctrine.
Features of the main directions of Buddhism are as follows (see table).
Main branches of Buddhism
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Hinayana |
Mahayana |
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Buddhism originated and flourished in India, but by the end of the 1st millennium AD. it loses its positions here and is supplanted by Hinduism, which is more familiar to the inhabitants of India. There are several reasons that led to this outcome:
- the development of Hinduism, which inherited the traditional values of Brahmanism and modernized it;
- enmity between different branches of Buddhism, which often led to open struggle;
- a decisive blow to Buddhism was dealt by the Arabs, who conquered many Indian territories in the 7th-8th centuries. and brought Islam with them.
Buddhism, having spread in many countries of East Asia, has become a world religion that retains its influence to this day.
Sacred literature and ideas about the structure of the world
The teachings of Buddhism are expounded in a number of canonical collections, the central place among which is occupied by the Pali canon "Tipitaka" or "Tripitaka", which means "three baskets". Buddhist texts were originally written on palm leaves, which were placed in baskets. The canon is written in the language Pali. In terms of pronunciation, Pali is related to Sanskrit in the same way that Italian is related to Latin. The canon is in three parts.
- Vinaya Pitaka, contains ethical teaching, as well as information about discipline and ceremonial; this includes 227 rules by which monks must live;
- Sutta Pitaka, contains the teachings of the Buddha and popular Buddhist literature including " Dhammapada", which means "the path of truth" (an anthology of Buddhist parables), and " Jataku» - a collection of stories about the previous lives of the Buddha;
- Abidhamma Pitaka, contains the metaphysical representations of Buddhism, philosophical texts that outline the Buddhist understanding of life.
The listed books from all branches of Buddhism are especially recognized by the Hinayana. Other branches of Buddhism have their own sacred sources.
Mahayana followers consider their sacred book "Prajnaparalshta Sutra(teachings on perfect wisdom). It is considered the revelation of the Buddha himself. Due to the extreme difficulty of understanding, the Buddha's contemporaries deposited it in the Serpent Palace in the middle world, and when the time was right to reveal these teachings to people, the great Buddhist thinker Nagarajuna brought them back to the world of people.
The sacred books of the Mahayana are written in Sanskrit. They include mythological and philosophical subjects. Parts of these books are Diamond Sutra, Heart Sutra and Lotus Sutra.
An important feature of the Mahayana sacred books is that Siddtarha Gautama is not considered the only Buddha: there were others before him and there will be others after him. Of great importance is the teaching developed in these books about the bodhisattva (body - enlightened, sattva - essence) - a being who is already ready to pass into nirvana, but delays this transition in order to help others. The most revered is the bodysattva Avalokitesvara.
Of great interest is the cosmology of Buddhism, since it underlies all views of life. According to the basic provisions of Buddhism, the universe has a multi-layered structure. In the center of the earthly world, which is cylindrical disk, there is a mountain Meru. She is surrounded seven concentric ring-shaped seas and as many circles of mountains dividing the seas. Outside the last mountain range is sea which is visible to people. On it lie four world islands. In the bowels of the earth are hell caves. They rise above the earth six heavens, on which 100,000 thousand gods live (the pantheon of Buddhism includes all the gods of Brahmanism, as well as the gods of other peoples). The gods have conference hall where they gather on the eighth day of the lunar month, and amusement park. Buddha is considered the main god, but he is not the creator of the world, the world exists next to him, he is as eternal as Buddha. Gods are born and die at will.
Above these six heavens - 20 heavens of Brahma; the higher the celestial sphere, the easier and more spiritual life in it. The last four, which are called brahmaloka, there are no more images and no rebirths, here the blessed already taste nirvana. The rest of the world is called kamaloka. All together form the totality of the universe. There are an infinite number of such universes.
The infinite set of universes is understood not only in the geographical, but also in the historical sense. Universes are born and die. The lifetime of the universe is called kalpa. Against this backdrop of endless creation and destruction, the drama of life is played out.
However, the teaching of Buddhism deviates from any metaphysical assertion, it does not speak of infinity, nor of finiteness, nor of eternity, nor of non-eternity, nor of being, nor of non-being. Buddhism speaks of forms, causes, images - all this is united by the concept samsara, cycle of incarnations. Samsara includes all objects that arise and disappear; it is the result of former states and the cause of future actions that arise according to the law of dhamma. Dhamma- this is a moral law, a norm according to which images are created; samsara is the form in which the law is realized. Dhamma is not a physical principle of causality, but a moral world order, a principle of retribution. Dhamma and samsara are closely related, but they can be understood only in conjunction with the basic concept of Buddhism and the Indian worldview in general - the concept of karma. Karma means specific the embodiment of the law, retribution or reward for concrete affairs.
An important concept in Buddhism is the concept "apshan". It is usually translated into Russian as "individual soul". But Buddhism does not know the soul in the European sense. Atman means the totality of states of consciousness. There are many states of consciousness called scandas or dharma, but it is impossible to find the carrier of these states, which would exist by itself. The combination of skandhas leads to a certain act, from which karma grows. Skandas disintegrate at death, but karma continues to live and leads to new existences. Karma does not die and leads to the transmigration of the soul. continues to exist not because of the immortality of the soul, but because of the indestructibility of his deeds. Karma is thus understood as something material from which everything living and moving arises. At the same time, karma is understood as something subjective, since it is created by the individuals themselves. So, samsara is a form, an embodiment of karma; dhamma is a law that comes to light by itself through karma. Conversely, karma is formed from samsara, which then affects subsequent samsara. This is where dhamma comes into play. To get rid of karma, to avoid further incarnations is possible only by achieving nirvana, about which Buddhism also does not say anything definite. It is not life, but not death, not desire and not consciousness. Nirvana can be understood as a state of desirelessness, as complete peace. From this understanding of the world and human existence flow the four truths discovered by the Buddha.
Buddhist community. Holidays and rituals
The followers of Buddhism call their teaching Triratnaya or Tiratnaya(triple treasure), referring to the Buddha, dhamma (teaching) and sangha (community). Initially, the Buddhist community was a group of mendicant monks, bhikkhus. After the death of the Buddha, there was no head of the community. The unification of monks is carried out only on the basis of the word of the Buddha, his teachings. There is no centralization of the hierarchy in Buddhism, with the exception of a natural hierarchy - by seniority. Communities living in the neighborhood could unite, the monks acted together, but not on command. Gradually, the formation of monasteries took place. The community united within the monastery was called sangha. Sometimes the word "sangha" denoted the Buddhists of one region or an entire country.
At first, everyone was accepted into the sangha, then some restrictions were introduced, they stopped accepting criminals, slaves, minors without the consent of their parents. Teenagers often became novices, they learned to read and write, studied sacred texts, and received a considerable education for that time. Those who entered the sangha for the duration of their stay in the monastery had to renounce everything that connected them with the world - family, caste, property - and take five vows: don't kill, don't steal, don't lie, don't commit adultery, don't get drunk; he was also required to shave off his hair and put on monastic robes. However, at any moment the monk could leave the monastery, he was not condemned for this, and he could be on friendly terms with the community.
Those monks who decided to devote their entire lives to religion underwent the rite of passage. The novice was subjected to a severe test, testing his spirit and will. Acceptance into the sangha as a monk imposed additional obligations and vows: do not sing or dance; do not sleep in comfortable beds; do not eat at the wrong time; do not acquire; do not use things that have a strong smell or intense color. In addition, there were a large number of minor prohibitions and restrictions. Twice a month - on the new moon and on the full moon - the monks gathered for mutual confessions. The uninitiated, women and laity were not allowed to these meetings. Depending on the severity of the sin, sanctions were also applied, most often expressed in the form of voluntary repentance. Four major sins entailed exile forever: carnal copulation; murder; stealing and falsely claiming that someone has superhuman strength and the dignity of an arhat.
Arhat - this is the ideal of Buddhism. This is the name of those saints or sages who have freed themselves from samsara and after death will go to nirvana. An Arhat is one who has done everything he had to do: destroyed desire, the desire for self-fulfillment, ignorance, wrong views in himself.
There were also women's monasteries. They were organized in the same way as the men's, but all the main ceremonies were performed by monks from the nearest monastery.
The monk's attire is extremely simple. He had three garments: an undergarment, an outer garment, and a cassock, the color of which is yellow in the south and red in the north. He could not take money in any case, he did not even have to ask for food, and the laity themselves had to serve it only to the monk who appeared on the threshold. The monks, who had renounced the world, every day went into the homes of ordinary people, for whom the appearance of a monk was a living sermon and an invitation to a higher life. For insulting the monks, the laity was punished by not accepting alms from them by overturning the alms bowl. If in this way a rejected layman was reconciled with the community, then his gifts were again accepted. The layman has always remained for the monk a being of a lower nature.
The monks had no real manifestations of the cult. They did not serve the gods; on the contrary, they believed that the gods should serve them, since they are saints. The monks were not engaged in any work, except for daily going for alms. Their occupations consisted of spiritual exercises, meditation, reading and copying of sacred books, performing or participating in rituals.
The Buddhist rites include the penitential assemblies already described, to which only monks are allowed. However, there are many rites in which the laity also participate. Buddhists adopted the custom of celebrating the day of rest four times a month. This holiday is called uposatha, something like Saturday for Jews, Sunday for Christians. These days the monks taught the laity and explained the scripture.
In Buddhism, there are a large number of holidays and rituals, the central theme of which is the figure of Buddha - the most important events of his life, his teachings and the monastic community organized by him. In each country, these holidays are celebrated in different ways, depending on the characteristics of the national culture. All Buddhist holidays are celebrated according to the lunar calendar, and most of the most important holidays fall on full moon days, since it was believed that the full moon has a magical property to indicate to a person the need for diligence and promise liberation.
Vesok
This holiday is dedicated to three important events in the life of the Buddha: the birthday, the day of enlightenment and the day of passing into nirvana - and is the most important of all Buddhist holidays. It is celebrated on the full moon day of the second month of the Indian calendar, which falls at the end of May - beginning of June of the Gregorian calendar.
On the days of the holiday, solemn prayers are held in all monasteries and processions and processions are arranged. The temples are decorated with flower garlands and paper lanterns - they symbolize the enlightenment that came to the world with the teachings of the Buddha. On the territory of temples, oil lamps are also placed around sacred trees and stupas. The monks read prayers all night and tell believers stories from the life of the Buddha and his disciples. Lay people also meditate in the temple and listen to the instructions of the monks throughout the night. The ban on agricultural work and other activities that can harm small living creatures is especially carefully observed. After the end of the festive prayer service, the laity arrange a plentiful meal for the members of the monastic community and present them with gifts. A characteristic rite of the holiday is the washing of Buddha statues with sweetened water or tea and showering them with flowers.
In Lamaism, this holiday is the most strict ritual day of the calendar, when you can not eat meat and lamps are lit everywhere. On this day, it is customary to circumambulate stupas, temples and other Buddhist shrines clockwise, spreading out on the ground. Many vow to keep a strict fast and remain silent for seven days.
Vassa
Vassa(from the name of the month in the Pali language) - seclusion during the rainy season. The preaching activity and the whole life of the Buddha and his disciples was associated with constant wanderings and wanderings. During the rainy season, which began at the end of June and ended at the beginning of September, travel was not possible. According to legend, it was during the rainy season that the Buddha first retired with his disciples in Deer Grove (Sarnath). Therefore, already in the days of the first monastic communities, the custom was established to stop during the rainy season in some solitary place and spend this time in prayer and meditation. Soon this custom became an obligatory rule of monastic life and was observed by all branches of Buddhism. During this period, the monks do not leave their monastery and engage in a deeper practice of meditation and comprehension of Buddhist teachings. During this period, the usual communication of monks with the laity is reduced.
In the countries of Southeast Asia, the laity themselves often take monastic vows during the rainy season and for three months lead the same way of life as the monks. During this period, marriages are prohibited. At the end of the period of seclusion, the monks confess their sins to each other and ask for forgiveness from their brothers in the community. Over the next month, contacts and communication between the monks and the laity are gradually restored.
Festival of Lights
This holiday marks the end of monastic retreat and is celebrated on the full moon of the ninth month of the lunar calendar (October - according to the Gregorian calendar). The holiday continues for a month. In temples and monasteries, rituals are held to mark the holiday, as well as the exit from the community of those who joined it during the rainy season. On the night of the full moon, everything is illuminated by lights, for which candles, paper lanterns, and electric lamps are used. It is said that the lights are lit to light the way for Budce, inviting him to descend from heaven after he delivered a sermon to his mother. In some monasteries, the statue of Buddha is removed from the pedestal and carried through the streets, symbolizing the descent of the Buddha to earth.
These days it is customary to visit relatives, visit each other to pay their respects and make small gifts. The celebration ends with a ceremony kathina(from Sanskrit - clothes), which consists in the fact that the laity give clothes to members of the community. One robe is solemnly presented to the head of the monastery, who then passes it on to the monk who is recognized as the most virtuous in the monastery. The name of the ceremony comes from the way the clothes were made. Pieces of fabric were stretched over the frame, and then sewn together. This frame was called kathina. Another meaning of the word kathina is "difficult", meaning the difficulty of being a disciple of the Buddha.
The kathina rite has become the only ceremony in which the laity are involved.
There are many sacred places of worship in Buddhism. It is believed that the Buddha himself identified cities as places of pilgrimage: where he was born - Capilawatta; where he reached the highest enlightenment - Gaia; where he first preached Benares; where he entered nirvana - Kushinagara.
Buddhism is the oldest of the three world religions. It was formed in the 6th - 5th centuries BC in ancient India on the basis of the centuries-old religious and philosophical tradition of Indian culture (Vedism, Brahmanism), creating canonical literature and numerous religious institutions that are unique in scale and diversity. Ancient India was a country of deep religious and philosophical thought. Indian religious thinkers characterized Buddhism with three main features (trilakshana) that distinguish it from other religions: recognition of the impermanence of the world (anitya); the absence of an eternal soul (anatta) and the definition of life as suffering (duhka).
The broad interpretation of the philosophical provisions of Buddhism contributed to its assimilation with various local cultures, religions and ideologies. This allowed Buddhism to penetrate into all spheres of public life - from religious practice and art to political and economic | theories, from the philosophy of power to the norms of everyday behavior. For this reason, Buddhism can be considered both as a religion, and as a philosophy, and as an ideology, and as a cultural complex, and as a way of life.
Long before the advent of Buddhism, India had original religious teachings, cultures and traditions. Complex social relations and a high urban culture, which included both writing and developed forms of art, existed here simultaneously with such ancient centers of world culture as Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt, surpassing the latter in a number of respects. The Religious Tradition of Ancient India Goes Back to the Vedas Vedism, or the Vedic religion, already contains features characteristic of later Indian religions (Brahmanism), including Buddhism.
These include the idea that all living things are interconnected in time by constant transitions from one bodily state to another (transmigration of souls or reincarnation), the doctrine of karma as a force that determines the form of these transitions. The Vedic religion already reflected the class stratification of society. She consecrated the inequality of people, declaring that the division of people into varnas (castes in ancient India) was established by the highest deity - Brahma. Social injustice was justified by the doctrine of karma - by the fact that all the misfortunes of a person are to blame for the deeds committed by him in previous rebirths.
The emergence of Buddhism is associated with the basic values of the early general Hindu culture, many of which he adopted and developed. These basic ideas (concepts) of the entire Indo-Buddhist culture include: the concepts of karma, samsara, atman and moksha (nirvana). According to all Indian teachings (Brahmanism, Buddhism, Jainism), the empirical existence of living beings is governed by the law of karma, that is, the law of cause and effect relations extended to the spheres of being. The very word "karma" means "deed", "action". All forms of being inevitably pass from one existence to another, and the very nature of karmically conditioned births and deaths considers the dominance of suffering as a fundamental characteristic of existence.
This beginningless and endless alternation of births and deaths, the circulation of living beings under the influence of the law of karma, which regulates good and bad forms of birth, is called samsara in Sanskrit.
Although the law of karma has been accepted by all religious and philosophical teachings of India since the early Upanishads, there are some differences in its interpretation. Thus, Buddhism, which rejects the idea of God, tends to view the functioning of the karmic principle in terms of an impersonal and objective law.
But one can get rid of the sufferings of samsara, be freed. And this liberation is considered the highest religious value and the goal of Indian teachings. Different traditions characterize the nature of liberation in different ways, but it was Buddhism that offered the world the most attractive teaching about overcoming suffering and achieving liberation (nirvana).
The founder of Buddhism and the geography of distribution.
The biographies of the founder of Buddhism were compiled several centuries later and report that he was born into the royal family of the Shakya tribe in the foothills of the Himalayas (the town of Lumbini in the south of modern Nepal) and received the name Siddhartha (in Pali Siddhattha, lit.: Achieving the goal, Successful) Gautama (from the clan Shakiev). His father's name was Shuddhodana (in Pali - Suddhodana, lit. "having rice"), his mother was Maya (Illusion). The prince lived in the palaces of the capital of the Shakyas Kapilavastu (in Pali - Kapilavatghu) until the age of 29, managed to marry the princess Yashodhara (“Keeper of Glory”), and their son Rahula (“Grasping on the fly”) was born to them. On the streets of the capital Siddhartha met an old man, a leper, a funeral procession and a hermit. These four meetings had a huge impact on the prince, who lived without worries and anxieties. He decides to give up the right to reign, leaves his family and goes into hermitage under his family name Gautama. In the abode of ascetics, Gautama spent six years studying spiritual sciences and asceticism, he surpassed his teachers in knowledge and abilities, after which he began his own search for liberation, the peak of which was Enlightenment (bodhi).
With the acquisition of the gift of Enlightenment, he knew that existence is suffering, an endless series of births and deaths of each being, but it can be got rid of; he remembered all his previous births as a bodhisattva (a being striving for Enlightenment), became Omniscient and learned that he had achieved liberation (moksha) from the chain of births (samsara), that he was in this world only out of compassion (karuna) for beings, preaching the truths revealed to him and the Middle Path of salvation, which lies between the extremes of pleasure and self-torture, which marches undesired into the world of peace, nirvana (literally: “non-breathing”). It is after Enlightenment that Shakyamuni becomes the Buddha, the Enlightened One.
This event took place near the town of Gaya (in the modern Indian state of Bihar). For the next 45 years of his life, the Buddha preached the Law, the Dharma, established by him in the state of Enlightenment. All these years, the Buddha and his disciples walked (almost in a circle) through the cities of six states in the middle reaches of the Ganges valley. He gave his first sermon in Sarnath near Varanasi, and his last in Kushinagar. Places of birth, Enlightenment, first and last sermons - these are the four shrines most revered by all Buddhists in the world. The Buddha did not leave behind a successor, but declared such a Law, which everyone has the right to follow by virtue of their own understanding. Already in the early texts of the Law, the doctrine of the Buddha is formed, according to which Buddhas are a special kind of beings, different from people, gods, supergods, etc. Before Shakyamuni, there were already at least six Buddhas (one of the Pali monuments has 24 Buddhas), and after him, Maitreya Buddha (“He who is Love”) is expected.
In the future, the doctrine of the Buddha has received significant development. For example, in the Mahayana (one of the currents of Buddhism), the Buddha is the highest principle of the unity of all things, he is everywhere, always and in everything, including each of the countless beings who, as a result of gaining the Law and spiritual perfection in many births, at the end eventually become buddhas. At the same time, the Buddha is the whole universe, which is considered as the Body of the Buddha (buddha-kaya) or the Body of the Law (dharma-kaya). Any kind of multiplicity is only an illusion (maya) of the One. Later, teachings are developed on the celestial countries of the five buddhas, which can be reached in sessions of higher meditation.
During the following centuries after the death of the Buddha, his teachings spread widely in India. The king of the Mauryan Empire, Ashoka (268 - 231 BC), declared himself the patron and protector of Buddhism. Since that time, Buddhism began to spread to neighboring countries. The teachings of the Buddha began to take on some coherent theoretical outlines. The dogma about the “three jewels” spread (the first jewel was the Buddha, the second was his teaching, and the third was the religious community that preserves and strengthens the teaching), ideas were formed about the forms and means of transmitting sacred knowledge (among which preference was given to transmission from teacher to student), a system of views on issues of asceticism and spiritual assistance took shape and the figure of a bodhisattva, an enlightened one, who, however, is in no hurry to taste the quiet bliss of nirvana, came to the fore and out of compassion helps people who, like all other living beings, are in the world of suffering, to gain a salvation that perhaps few of them can achieve on their own.
The highest flourishing of the Buddhist culture of India belongs to the first centuries of our era. Around the 7th century, Buddhism was almost completely absorbed by the Hindu religious and cultural complex, becoming part of it, and by the 13th century, Buddhism as an independent confession in India completely disappeared. At the same time, Buddhism had a significant impact on the formation of the Hindu cult organization and practice, and the Buddha in Hinduism became the embodiment of the deity Brahma.
Buddhism reached its greatest flourishing after spreading in the countries adjacent to India. As a result of its interaction with local religious and cultural-ideological traditions, regional forms of Buddhism developed. Having gone beyond the borders of India, Buddhism asserted its status as a world religion, and at the same time, the process of involution began to take place in it: peculiar national forms of Buddhism appeared, associated with its interaction with traditional cults common in one or another eastern country: Thai, Chinese, Japanese , Tibetan, Mongolian, Buryat variants and other forms of Buddhism. Formed as a religious and philosophical doctrine in India, Buddhism created a huge canonical and commentary literature, a rich and varied cult practice, and religious institutions. Having gone beyond the borders of India, he everywhere formed his own special national forms, which differ significantly from each other. At the same time, they are united by the general provisions of dogmatics and cult practice, which are characteristic both for Buddhism in general and for its main directions: Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana. In most of the states in which Buddhism became widespread, at certain periods of history it was the state religion and contributed to the formation of socio-political and economic institutions. As a world religion, Buddhism, as it integrates into the culture of the countries of its distribution, has itself become a part of the culture, national psychology, and way of life of the peoples who profess it. All this allows us to consider Buddhism as a religious-philosophical and socio-cultural complex, makes it possible to approach it as a religion, and as a philosophy, and as a psychology (Buddhism, first of all, is focused on changing human consciousness).
Hello, dear readers - seekers of knowledge and truth!
As you know, knowledge of any subject begins with the study of its foundations. Therefore, today we suggest that you talk briefly about the main ideas of Buddhism: learn the most important thing about this storehouse of wisdom, go back two and a half thousand years ago, get to know Shakyamuni Buddha and study the main provisions of his philosophical heritage.
Also, this article will tell about the fundamental truths, precepts, scriptures and mark the boundaries between different schools of Buddhism.
A bit of history
The concept of "Buddhism" was introduced not by adherents of this movement, but by European figures about two centuries ago.
Today, Buddhism is known on all continents. He is especially revered in Asian countries, in the Far East. But Buddhists, who number nearly half a billion people, also live in Western countries.
There are Buddhist communities in many major European cities. Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, China, Japan, Russia - this is not the whole list of countries where Shakyamuni's legacy is revered.
Key Ideas
It is important to understand that Buddhism is not a religion in the usual sense, but rather a philosophy, a tradition, a system of views on life, the main goal of which is to achieve enlightenment.
There is no God here whose origin is transcendent and whose worship is meek. Buddha is not God, he is a man who managed to reach nirvana, and he tells his students his way.
The emphasis is on the fact that a person himself must have the desire to change, understand the nature of this world, clear the mind of vain thoughts, indulge in deep reflection, achieve harmonious relations with the outside world, get rid of passions, desires and be saved. This is called nirvana - complete liberation from suffering.
Nirvana can be achieved by observing strict ethical precepts, constant meditation, reciting mantras, modest, ascetic behavior, as well as with the support of various bodhisattvas and buddhas - beings who have already achieved Enlightenment.
Nirvana ends the rotation of the wheel of samsara - a series of rebirths. Buddhists do not doubt the idea of reincarnation, and in fact in every life people are born, get sick, die, which in itself is suffering. Coming out, you can get rid of it forever.
An important concept of the Buddhist tradition, known to many, is. Any of our actions, feelings and even thoughts is reflected in the future. They, good or destructive, will leave a karmic imprint and will inevitably lead to consequences.
The laws of cause and effect are inextricably linked with this view. Shakyamuni taught that everything has conditions of appearance and entails certain consequences.
The Buddha said, “A good cause produces a good result. Bad cause, bad result. My cause is my result."
Philosophy defines core values:
- Buddha is a great teacher, and also everyone who has reached the truth by his path is called a buddha;
- - doctrine, its provisions, concepts;
- Sangha is a Buddhist community that teaches the correct following of rules and immutable principles.
On the path to liberation, one must learn to resist difficulties, to brush aside the so-called "three poisons":
- ignorance, departure from the truth;
- indulgence of passions and bodily desires;
- angry, intemperate behavior.
The Buddhist tradition adheres to the main ideas:
- four noble truths;
- five commandments;
- middle way;
Truths
Shakyamuni told his disciples four noble truths:
- there is a lot of suffering in the world - dukkha;
- they have a cause behind them - desires;
- there is a way to get rid of suffering;
- this path leads to nirvana.
Commandments
- do not harm living beings, do not kill them;
- do not steal;
- dont lie;
- do not commit adultery;
- do not use intoxicants.
middle way
The Buddha bequeathed to descendants to adhere to the "middle way". This means that one should not rush to extremes from a life consisting entirely of pleasures to complete asceticism, which can harm a person. It is necessary to find a golden mean that will contribute to spiritual and physical development.
Eightfold Path
You need to go through eight stages on the road to self-improvement, the main reward in which will be the highest step - nirvana. All steps are important, they interact, so it is important to point in the right direction:
- understanding, vision of the world;
- thoughts, intentions;
- the words;
- deeds;
- Lifestyle;
- efforts, efforts;
- attention, mental and sensory control;
- concentration, which is achieved by meditation.
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 grouped 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 curious parables about some traditions.
- Sutra-pitaka. Keeps in itself over ten thousand famous sayings of the Teacher, reveals the details of his life.
- Abhidharma-pitaka. A section on the theory of philosophy, which systematizes the concepts, knowledge, fundamental principles of Dharma.
Schools
The Buddhist view over the centuries has spread far beyond the borders of the homeland, drawing thousands of adherents with it. It transformed, changed, flowed from one form to another. The basis of Buddhism remains intact, but still some views on the world order may differ from one direction to another.
In one of them, for example, the personalities of the Buddha are worshiped and deified by bodhisattvas, while in another, no authority other than one's own heart may be recognized. According to one school, only monks who have accepted asceticism can become a Buddhist, the other accepts into its ranks everyone who believes sincerely.
There can be a lot of such examples, therefore it is customary to divide the main currents, which, in turn, are divided into smaller directions.
Theravada
The most ancient school that appeared shortly after Shakyamuni's parinirvana. It is considered the most strict, conservative. According to Theravadins, only a monk can achieve nirvana.
There are no special rituals, a pantheon of saints, images in the form of sculptures. Everything is based on the actions, thoughts and correct behavior of a person.
Mahayana
A school that gives hope even to lay people to break out of the circle of rebirths, which means suffering, and achieve Awakening. It is also known as the "Great Chariot".
This direction represents the images of saints - bodhisattvas, buddhas, so that they help believers in such a difficult matter.
Vajrayana
Known to many also as the "Diamond Chariot", it puts tantra at the center of dharma - the art of self-development, healing through various practices, meditation, self-control, self-awareness.
In our time, the geography of Buddhism is incredibly wide, there are several classifications of its currents, and in their enumeration, many call the average figure eighteen. Among them are Tibetan schools, for example, Gelug, Kagyu, Nyingma, as well as Japanese Shingon, Zen , Neo-Buddhism and many other offshoots.
Conclusion
Thank you very much for your attention, dear readers! The Buddhist world is amazing, we are just starting to discover it. Share this article on social networks, and we will search for the truth together.
The oldest of the world religions is Buddhism. Buddhism arose in the VI-V centuries. BC e. in North India. Siddhartha Gautama is considered the founder of Buddhism. The main provisions of Buddhism are set forth in the "sacred" book - the so-called Tripitaka. Arising, in all likelihood, as one of the sects of Brahminism, Buddhism adopted a number of provisions from this religion, in particular the teachings of karma and samsara. At the same time, Buddhism criticized caste system and banned the sacrifices practiced by Brahmanism. The Buddhist religion teaches that life in all its manifestations is a chain of suffering, deliverance from which can be achieved by righteous people in nirvana - complete non-existence. Buddhism began to be divided into sects quite early. The religion split into two directions - Theravada and Mahayana.Theravada, or Hinayana (small vehicle), which arose in Eastern India, preaches the "narrow path of salvation." According to this teaching, nirvana can only be achieved by a narrow circle of people - monasticism. Theravada is closer in character to the early schools of Buddhism and much more resolutely demands the renunciation of all worldly things. It is characteristic that in Theravada the Buddha does not yet act as a god, but as a man of exceptional moral purity, a great teacher who showed other people the path to salvation.
The Mahayana (great vehicle) promises a “broad path of salvation.” According to this teaching, not only a monk, but also a layman can achieve nirvana.
Buddhism is the oldest world religion. Buddhism has become a world religion due to the spread to the countries of South, Southeast, Central Asia and the Far East. Buddhism currently has about 700 million followers.
Formulating your teaching. The Buddha relied on the Brahmin tradition familiar to all Indians. He uses in his teaching the principle of rebirth (samsara), the ideas of retribution (karma), the righteous path (dharma).
The Buddha's teaching says: "Just as a master who makes a bow and arrow whittles an arrow and makes it straight, so an intelligent person corrects his soul." A person who can keep his soul from thirst, from anger and from all evils, can find true peace.
These attitudes of the Buddha were formulated in the form of four main provisions of his creed:
1. The essence of life is suffering.
2. The cause of suffering is desire and attachment.
3. To get rid of suffering, it is necessary to uproot desires and attachments.
4. To do this, it is necessary to lead a virtuous life according to the laws of correct behavior and moral knowledge (the so-called eightfold path, which will be discussed a little later) leading to enlightenment and through it to nirvana.
According to Buddhist teaching, people are not alone on the path to enlightenment, the Buddha helps them in this, as well as bodhisattvas - beings who have to take the last step to achieve nirvana, but who do not consciously take it to help people find peace. However, the main thing on this path must be done by the person himself. Enlightenment and nirvana is achieved at the cost of one's own efforts. To do this, a person must travel the path along the "eightfold road." What are the main milestones of this path:
1. Correct views, i.e., views based on "noble truths." Correct determination, that is, readiness for a feat in the name of truth.
3. Correct speech, that is, benevolent, sincere, truthful.
4. Right conduct, i.e., not doing evil.
5. The right way of life, i.e. peaceful, honest, clean.
6. Right effort, i.e. self-education and self-control.
7. Right attention, i.e., active vigilance of consciousness.
8. Correct concentration, i.e., correct methods of contemplation and meditation.
Man in Buddhism
Buddhism is older than Christianity for at least 500, and Islam for 1,300 years. This religion is characterized by a special view of man. In Buddhism, not the relationship between God and man, but the inner world and the problems of man himself are put at the head.
Buddhism speaks of countless worlds inhabited by a wide variety of creatures. And in our world, people are not alone - they are one of the six classes of intelligent (conscious) beings. And they all suffer. The inhabitants of hell endure unbearable pain from heat, cold and torture. Insatiable spirits suffer from constant hunger and thirst, animals - from their own stupidity, fear and oppression by people. Demons spend their time in continuous struggle, overwhelmed by envy and jealousy. The gods, who in Buddhism constitute a separate, numerous class, despite their power and longevity, also experience suffering.
All living beings die and are born again, and a new birth, more or less favorable, is due to karma - the general result of actions in the current and previous lives. The constant cycle of birth and death is called samsara in Buddhism. The human birth among all others is the most conducive to attaining liberation. Humans do not suffer as much as ghosts or animals, and are not as carefree as deities. Human existence provides enough incentives and real opportunities to engage in spiritual practice.
At the same time, Buddhism emphasizes that any living beings are equally worthy of compassion, since they experience torment and in one of their lives you can find yourself in the position of any of them. Everyone can achieve enlightenment because they have Buddha nature. In other words, Buddhism does not elevate a person at the expense of belittling other beings. Fair and merciful treatment of all forms of life is a unique feature of this ancient religion.
Another important point in the Buddhist teaching about man is the denial of the existence of the soul as a single, indivisible and permanent entity. A person, according to Buddhist concepts, is a stream of consciousness, consisting of dharm- separate appearing and disappearing "particles, the vibration of which leads to suffering.
Much attention is paid to the development of compassion for all living things. One of the most authoritative practices, originating in India, was developed in Tibet and was called "tonglen" (literally "give and take"). Those who perform tonglen take into themselves, absorb the suffering and illness of all living beings, and in return give them love and warmth of the heart. Comprehension of human nature in its relationship with the environment gave impetus to the development of various systems of Buddhist yoga and Tibetan medicine.
24. The main directions of Buddhism. Buddhism in Russia, in the North Caucasus