Buddhism emerged from India over 2500 years ago and developed into one of the most respectable religions and ways of life. Historians credit Siddhartha Gautama (564-484 BCE) for founding the Buddhist philosophy/religion. It is often said that Buddhism is less about upholding a set of religious beliefs and more about action/practice. Just like Jainism: belief in a Creator/God does not play any part in Buddhism. The teaching of Siddhartha Gautama who is referred to as Buddha ('enlightened person') is based on his own observations in life. The following historical background about Buddha is essential to understanding Buddhism:

"He was born into a noble family of the Shakya clan in what is now Nepal, married and had a son, then, at the age of twenty-nine, left home and entered the state of homelessness, which meant abandoning all family and social ties. Seeking spiritual liberation, he first turned to ascetic teachers but, finding asceticism to be spiritually unrewarding, turned to meditation. At the age of thirty-five he spent forty-nine days under a tree (now known as the Bodhi tree) in the village of Gaya (now Bodh-Gaya) and realised complete enlightenment. At first he remained silent about his experience, since he felt it impossible to communicate it to others, but eventually, at the request of would-be followers, he began to teach".[1]

After the death of Buddha his teachings started to spread through out south East Asia and eventually around the world. Buddhists do not regard Buddha as a god rather a teacher who showed the ways to enlightenment.

Four Noble Truths
Buddhism is often described as a religion of the middle path avoiding the extremes of sensuality and asceticism. The very foundation of Buddhism is based on what is known as the Four Noble Truths which is an acknowledgement and analysis of human suffering. They are as following:

• The truth about suffering
• The truth about the causes of suffering
• The truth about the end of suffering
• The truth about the path that leads to freedom from suffering

The following comments expound on the above truths.

"According to this analysis life itself is painful, everything is painful. All pain, of whatever kind, is caused by craving, lust, desire. The very desire of life will cause future suffering by bringing on a further life. So a way out must be sought that leads to cessation of life, and this is expounded in the system of mental and moral discipline called the Noble (Aryan) Eightfold Path".[2]

Since craving/lust/attachment is the root cause of all human suffering "[t]he Fourth Nobel Truth speaks of the 'therapy' for human predicament: What should we do in order to gain liberation from 'thirst', attachment and the resulting suffering?"[3]

Noble Eightfold Path
Buddhism prescribed an eightfold path to end human suffering and to achieve enlightenment. They are typically categorized as following:

• Prajna: Right View and Right Resolve(insight or wisdom)
• Sila: Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood(morality or ethics)
• Samadhi: Right Effort, Right Concentration, Right Ecstasy (meditation or concentration).

The above three stages are interconnected and therefore equally important. Scholars of Buddhism often explain that the way we live our lives is the result of the way we perceive life. It follows that to live a morally upright life one must first perceive life as such. In order to fully develop ones understanding of the true essence of life one must first work towards making moral virtues flow from the heart through meditation. Once such virtues flow from the heart, proper perception of life is formed which leads one to live a morally upright life. Through his teachings which are collectively called Dhamma(meaning truth) in Pali "Buddha appeals to man to be noble, pure, and charitable not in order to please any Supreme Being, but in order to be true to the highest in himself."[4]

The above three phases of physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual development enables one to achieve the ultimate goal in Buddhism which is called Nibbana.

Nibbana(Nirvana in Sanskrit)
Just like Hindus and Jains the Buddhists also believe in Karma(principle of cause and effect) and re-incarnation. Once someone reached the state of Nibbana one has freed oneself from the all human limitations, suffering and hence the cycle of re-birth. The essence of Nibbana is illustrated below:

"Nibbana is the result of the cessation of craving, of selfish desires. It may also be defined as the extinction of lust, hatred, and ignorance. The Pali word Nibbana is formed of ni and vana.Ni is a negative particle and vana means craving or selfish desire. Nibbana therefore literally means the absence of craving".[5]

Since human life is full of pain and suffering, the cycle of re-birth perpetuates and compounds this suffering. Freedom from the cycle of re-birth is freedom from human suffering and pain.

Buddhist Scriptures
Buddha spoke the Pali language in which the Buddhist scriptures were written. According to the historical accounts the text of the scriptures were written on long and narrow leaves. These leaves were then sewn at the edges in order to group them together and then stored in baskets. The following illustrates the canonical Buddhist scriptures:

"The doctrinal aspect of the Buddha's Teachings has been preserved in the Pali scriptures called Tipitaka, which means the Three Baskets of the Canon. In English translation, they would fill more than a dozen large volumes. The Three Baskets are known as the Basket of Discipline (Vinaya Pitaka), the Basket of Discourses (Sutta Pitaka), and the Basket of Ultimate Things (Abhidhamma Pitaka").[6]

Buddhism and tolerance
Through out history the Buddhists have always been respectful and tolerant towards the people of other faiths be they polytheistic, monotheistic, or atheistic. One of the reasons is that Buddhism does not claim to exclusively hold the key to enlightenment or salvation. Buddhists also admit that any moral, religious or philosophical system could be true "provided only that it is capable of leading men at least part way toward their final goal."[7]

 References

1. Billington, Ray. Religion without God. Routledge. London. 2002. Page 67.
2. Parrinder, E. G. Harrap, George G. What World Religions Teach. London. 1963. Page 48.
3. Schmidt-Leukel, Perry. Understanding Buddhism. Dunedin Academic Press. Edinburgh. 2006. Page 38.
4. Morgan, Kenneth W.(editor). The Path of the Buddha: Buddhism Interpreted by Buddhists. Ronald Press. New York. 1956. Page 67.
5. ibid 111.
6. ibid. 68
7. ibid 369.
   

“Through life’s rush
never forget compassion”