"It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you"- "BUDDHA"

REASONS FOR ORIGIN OF BUDDHISM:

1. SOCIAL:

• A Brahmin centered, caste based, hierarchical set up was prevalent in the society. 

• The authority to interpret the scriptures was vested with the Brahmin. 

• Temples, which were the centres of social life, were controlled by them. 

• Laws of pollution were strictly imposed upon the people of the lower caste.

• Tribes and Dravidians were out of the caste structure. 

      2. ECONOMIC:

• Agriculture and cattle rearing were the main source of wealth and livelihood for the people. 

• Brahmins found out ways and means to exploit the lower sections in the society. Kings were made to perform yagas, yajnas, and digvijayas through which the Brahmins benefited a lot.

• The ordinary people had to contribute a major portion of their income to the kings, Brahmins,and temples. 

    
   3. RELIGIOUS:

• Mode of worship, rituals, and religious ceremonies were interpreted by the Brahmins to suit their interest. 

• The Vedas, Aranyakas, Mimamsas and Upanishads were written to perpetuate the hegemony of the Brahmins. 

• Metaphysical speculations were at their zenith, which was the prerogative of the educated class. 

• Exploitation by the higher castes and the suffering of the ordinary people continued unabated. 

• It was a time of two extremes: the Vedic, Upanisadic belief in the "Absolute" supported by sacrifices, rituals (yajnas) and the materialistic philosophy of the Charvaka. 

WHAT BUDDHA DID?

• Buddha avoided and negated the extremes, and at the same time integrated the positive elements of these two systems. 
• He negated the existence of the soul and the Absolute, but he accepted the belief in the law of karma and the possibility of attaining liberation. 
• His main concern was the welfare of the ordinary people.
• Though Buddha himself wrote nothing, the early writings were in the Pali and Sanskrit languages

•  Buddhist scripture is known as Tripitaka (Sanskrit) or Tipitaka (Pali), Three Baskets or Three Traditions. They are vinaya (Disciple), Sutta (Discourse), and Abhidhamma (Doctrinal Elaboration)
• Buddha was not interested in speculative or theoretical analysis of phenomena, but he was concerned about finding out practical solutions to problems in life.
• The influence of the early Upanishads is clear in the teachings of Buddha. Compassion and love were the predominant characteristics of Buddha. 
• Charity was the basis of the Buddhist religion. Buddhist spirituality has four stages ahimsa (not harming), maitre (loving kindness), dana (giving), and karuna (compassion). 

WHO WAS BUDDHA?

• Buddhism was founded by Gautama Buddha.
• Buddha was born as Prince Siddhartha at Lumbini near Kapilavastu (in present Nepal) in 566 BC.
• He was the son of Suddhodhana and Mahamaya. Suddhodhana was the chief of the Sakya clan. Due to this, Buddha was also known as ‘Sakyamuni’.
• His mother died either giving birth to him or after seven days. Siddhartha was brought up by his maternal aunt, Prajapati Gautami. This gave him the name ‘Gautama’.
• He was married to Yashodhara and had a son, Rahula.
• He left his home at the age of 29 to become an ascetic. This event is called Mahabhishkramana.
• The idea of renunciation occurred to the Buddha after he saw four different states of man – sick man, old man, corpse and ascetic.
• Buddha wandered for seven years and at the age of 35 attained enlightenment at Uruvela while meditating under a banyan tree on the banks of the river Niranjana. This tree came to be known as ‘Bodhi tree’ and the place became Bodh Gaya (in Bihar).
• He gave his first sermon at Sarnath near Varanasi. This event is called Dharmachakra Pravartana/ Dhammachakkappavattana.
• He died in 483 BC under a Sal tree in Kushinagar (in UP). This event is called the Mahaparinirvana.
• The term ‘Buddha’ means ‘enlightened one’.
• Important contemporaries of Buddha were Mahavira Jaina, Kings Prasenjit, Bimbisara and Ajatasatru.

BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY:

1. FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS:

• Dukkha: there is ‘Suffering’ in the world

• Samudaya: the arising or origin of ‘Suffering’

• Nirodha: the cessation of ‘Suffering’

• Magga: there is a path leading to the end of ‘Suffering’

The concept of dukkha can be understood from three aspects:

• Dukkha as ordinary suffering (dukkha-dukkha): birth, sickness, old age, death, separation from the beloved, grief, distress, etc.

• Dukkha as produced by change (viparinama-dukkha): vicissitudes in life, a happy or a pleasant feeling that will change sooner or later and then produces pain, suffering or unhappiness.

• Dukkha as conditioned states (samkhara-dukkha): A being or an individual has five aggregates of attachments.

THE DOCTRINE OF NO SOUL (ANATTA)

• Most of the religions pre-suppose the existence of a soul. Buddhism is unique in denying the existence of a soul or atman. The ideal of ego or self is with the aim of self protection and self preservation. These are basically selfish desires.

 THE CONCEPT OF GOD

• The concept of Buddhism refutes the idea of a God who throws the sinners into everlasting torments. In fact, the Buddhists believe in the existence of an enlightened being, who vows to save all sentient beings from their sufferings.

• The concept of enlightenment is principally concerned with developing a method to escape from the illusions of the materialistic world. 

• Almost all the sects of Buddhism do not believe in the myth of God. Indeed some of the early Indian Mahayana philosophers denounced God-worship in terms which are even stronger than those expressed in the Theravada literature.

THE EIGHTFOLD PATH IN BUDDHISM:

The eight-fold path is the practical application of the four noble truths. They

are also closely connected to the fourth noble truth as a means to destroy

suffering. Following are components of the eight-fold path of Buddhism.

• Right View (Samyak-dristi): It consists of the grasp and acceptance of the four noble truths, rejection of the fault doctrines, and avoidance of immorality resulting from covetousness, lying, violence, etc.

• Right Aspirations (Samyka-sankalpa): It implies thought on renunciation, thought on friendship and good will, and thoughts on non-harming.

• Right Speech (Samyak-vac): It inspires one to speak truth primarily, and to speak gentle and soothing words for the benefit and wellbeing of others. It also promulgates one to avoid falsehood, slander, harsh words and gossip.

• Right Conduct (Samyak-karma): The Buddha intends by right conduct the practice of five moral vows namely, non-violence (ahimsa), truthfulness (satya), non-stealing (asteya)

• Right Livelihood (Samyag ajiva): It consists of the avoidance of a luxurious life and the acceptance of occupations which do not involve cruelty and injury to other living beings. The Buddha exhorts to avoid occupations like sale of alcohol, making and selling weapons, profession of the soldier, butcher, fisherman, etc.

• Right Effort (Samyak vyayama): It includes the effort to avoid the rise of evil and false ideas in the mind, the effort to overcome evil and evil tendencies, the effort to acquire positive values like attention, energy, tranquility, equanimity, and concentration, and the effort to maintain the right conditions for a meritorious life.

• Right Awareness (Samyak-Smrti): It represents the awareness of the body (breathing positions, movements, impurities of the body, etc.), awareness of sensations (attentive to the feelings of oneself and of the other), awareness of thought and the awareness of the internal functions of the mind.

• Right Concentration (Samyak-Samadhi): The practice of one pointed contemplation leads the seeker to go beyond all sensations of pain and pleasure, and finally to full enlightenment. 

REBIRTH DOCTRINE:

• The rebirth doctrine in Buddhism, sometimes referred to as reincarnation or metempsychosis, asserts that rebirth does not necessarily take place as another human being, but as an existence in one of the six Gati (realms) called Bhavachakra. 

• The six realms of rebirth include Deva (heavenly), Asura (demigod), Manusya (human), Tiryak (animals), Preta (ghosts), and Naraka (resident of hell). 

• Rebirth, as stated by various Buddhist traditions, is determined by karma, with good realms favored by Kushala (good karma), while a rebirth in evil realms is a consequence of Akushala (bad karma). 

• The cycle of rebirth is determined by karma, literally "action". In the Buddhist tradition, karma refers to actions driven by intention (cetanā), a deed done deliberately through body, speech or mind, which leads to future consequences. The Nibbedhika Sutta, Anguttara Nikaya. 

• "Intention (cetana) I tell you, is kamma. Intending, one does kamma by way of body, speech, & intellect" -"BUDDHA"

• Nirvana is the ultimate goal of Buddhist teaching, much of traditional Buddhist practice has been centered on gaining merit and merit transfer, whereby one gains rebirth in the good realms and avoids rebirth in the evil realms.

"The aim of philosophy is to ultimately lead man to find the meaning of his life and existence. It is true to its core in the case of the philosophy of Buddhism. The four noble truths that Buddha proposes touch the very existence of humans, which leads one to understanding the sufferings and miseries of life, and to go beyond to attain nirvana, a perfect state of happiness and bliss. The eightfold path of Buddhism is moreover a daily guide for everyone to lead a virtuous life".