Buddhist Question?

Question

With keeping the event that changed Siddhartha Gautma's life in mind, how does it realte to Buddhist teachings about the end of suffering and the path that leads to it?

Please help me because I am totally lost. = (

Answer 1

Maybe you can find your answer in this chapter from A Ready Defense by Josh McDowell.

The Buddha


Buddhism, unlike Hinduism, can point to a specific founder. However, in Buddhism, like so many other religions, fanciful stories arose concerning events in the life of the founder, Siddhartha Gautama (fifth century B.C.).



The Buddha, or "enlightened one," was born about 560 B.C. in northeastern India. His family name was Gautama, his given name was Siddhartha. Siddhartha was the son of a rajah, or ruler. His mother died when he was just a week old and Siddhartha was cared for by his mother's sister, who was also the rajah's second wife. There was supposedly a prophecy

given at the time of his birth by a sage at his father's court.



The prophecy said that the child would be a great king if he stayed at home, but if he decided to leave home, he would become a savior for mankind. This bothered his father, for he wanted his son to succeed him as king. Therefore, to keep him at home, his father surrounded him with wealth and pleasures and kept all painful and ugly things out of his sight.



Siddhartha eventually married and had a son but was still confined to the palace and its pleasures. One day he informed his father that he wished to see the world. This excursion would forever change his life, for it was during this journey that he saw "the four passing sights."



Although his father ordered the streets to be cleansed and decorated and all elderly or infirmed people to stay inside, there were those who did not get the message. The first troubling sight Siddhartha saw was that of a decrepit old man. When Siddhartha asked what happened to this man, he was told that the man was old, as everyone someday would become.



Later, he met a sick man and was told that all people were liable to be sick and suffer pain like that individual.



He then saw a funeral procession with a corpse on its way to cremation, the followers weeping bitterly. When he asked what that meant, the prince was informed that it was the way of life, for sooner or later both prince and pauper would have to die.



The last sight was that of a monk begging for his food. The tranquil look on the beggar's face convinced Siddhartha that this type of life was for him. Immediately he left his family and the palace in search of enlightenment. The night he left his home to seek enlightenment became known as the Great Renunciation.



The former prince, now a beggar, spent his time wandering from place to place seeking wisdom. Unsatisfied by the truths taught in the Hindu scriptures, he became discouraged but continued on his quest. He tried asceticism but this gave him no peace. The fateful day in his life came while he was meditating beneath a fig tree.



Deep in meditation, he reached the highest degree of God-consciousness, known as nirvana. He supposedly stayed under the fig tree for seven days. After that, the fig tree was called the bodhi, or the bo tree, the tree of wisdom. The truths he learned he would now impart to the world, no longer as Siddhartha Gautama, but as the Buddha, the enlightened one.



When the Buddha emerged from his experience under the bo tree, he met with five monks who had been his companions. It was to these monks that the Buddha began his teaching ministry with the sermon at Benares. The sermon contained the following:



These two extremes, monks, are not to be practiced by one who has gone forth from the world. What are the two? That conjoined with the passions and luxury, which is low, vulgar, common, ignoble, and useless; and that conjoined with self-torture, which is painful, ignoble, and useless. Avoiding these two extremes the Blessed One has gained the enlightenment of the Middle Path, which produces insight and knowledge, and leads to calm, to higher knowledge, enlightenment, nirvana.



And what, monks, is the Middle Path . . . ? It is the noble Eightfold Path: namely, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.



After the sermon at Benares, the Buddha started to spread his teachings to the people of India. The Indian people, disillusioned with Hinduism, listened intently to this new doctrine. By the time of Buddha's death, at age 80, his teachings had become a strong force in India.



Some time after his death, the Buddha was deified by some of his followers, even though veneration of the Buddha is against the basic teachings of Buddha himself.

Answer 2

Siddartha Gautma grew up as a prince in India. His father didn't want him to see all the suffering that went on in the world. The father went to great lengths to do this, keeping Siddartha within the palace, not letting him see any suffering to the extent that before Siddartha walked into a room, servants made certain that the flowers were fresh, so that the prince would not see that they ever died.

For three nights, Siddartha sneaked out of the palace with a servant. All three nights, Siddartha saw various forms of suffering--People who were old, people who were poor beggars, people who had died.

Siddartha wanted to find a way to make the suffering stop. His final solution was that if one could stop one's desires, suffering would end. In Siddartha's view, suffering was caused by having desire.

That is the Reader's Digest Condensed Version. If you want to find out more, there are lots and lots of books and plenty of websites to further your education.

Have a nice day.

Answer 3

When Buddha went on his "quest" for enlightenment he tried everything in the outside world to find it. He gave up his possessions, his home, his wife and children, and he fasted hoping that would all lead him there. What he learned is that he instead caused more suffering and that the path that leads one to enlightenment is not external, but internal.

Answer 4

Meditation is the answer. You have the answer in you, the noise or dream of the world has just covered it over. The teachings are also good.

Answer 5

Please help me because I am totally lost. = (

YES YOU ARE if you're following Buddism

Answer 6

After having gone out of his fortress of solitude, and protection three times to view the world, he saw much suffering, and vowed that he'd find a way to help mankind to end its suffering, to acquire peace of mind, and happiness. It is a path which no one, not even a god could walk for us, for we alone are responsible for our own personal peace of mind, and happiness, not another person, or a god. Through Insight Meditation he discovered the Noble Eightfold Path, the Way/Path to end suffering {to acquire Peace of Mind, and Happiness).

*Please Patiently read this. *Thank You.

Short, brief introduction:

*Buddhists do not convert, or evangelize, but respect the free will of others, while sharing information with people who sincerely ask questions {as you have just done).

The Principles of Buddhism are contained within the Four Noble Truths {the 4th Truth is the means to end dissatisfaction - sufferings in life which is: The Noble Eightfold Path.

Right/Wise {Skillful) View[Understanding]:
The Four Noble Truths:
1. The truth about suffering/dissatisfaction is that it exists. Life is suffering. Birth, aging, sickness and dying is suffering. Dukkha, in Pali, actually means much more than the english term suffering: it means something deeper than pain and misery, it refers to a basic unsatisfactoriness running through our lives. Sometimes this unsatisfactoriness errupts into the open as sorrow, grief, disappointments or despair, but usually it hovers over our awareness as a vague unlocalized sense that things are never quite perfect, fully adequate to our expectations of what they should be. It even appears that in our inner reactions to disagreeable situations and events: in the sorrow, pain, self-righteousness, arrogance, anger, hatred, frustrations are fear aroused by painful separations, by unpleasant encounters, and by the failure to always get what we want, we experience suffering/dissatisfaction = {Dukkha).
2. Our reaching into the world of dreams, our desire to fulfill what cannot be fulfilled is what brings us our suffering.
3. Only when we have broken the mirrors of illusion can we end our suffering, and
4. The Eight-Fold Path can help us to break our habits of suffering.
When we are able to recognize suffering as it enters our lives, see that our own unwholesome desires have brought us this pain, and understand that letting go of this desire can bring us peace then we have attained Right {Skillful) View/Understanding.

Right/Wise {Skillful) Thoughts[Intentions]:
Reality grows in the garden of the mind. Our world is the fruit of our thoughts that sprout from the seeds of ideas. We must therefore be discerning gardeners, looking carefully at what ideas we allow to take root within the mind. We must be able to recognize which ideas and thoughts are born of desire and which carry the seeds of desire that causes our suffering.
The seeds of suffering that take root within the mind are those of greed, ill-will, hostility, denigration, dominance, envy, jealousy, hypocrisy, fraud, obstinacy, presumption, conceit, arrogance, vanity and negligence. These are known as the 15 Unwholesome Defilements, and their are 6 methods for removing such negative defilements from the mind:
1. Restraining:
Restrain from what pleases the senses but bears poison.
2. Using:
Use all that we are, all that we have, all there is to cultivate peace.
3. Patiently Tolerating:
Patiently tolerate all adversity, and never abandon our gardens to the wild.
4. Avoiding:
Avoid all that is impure and spoils the soil of the mind. Tend only to what is pure and that which nurtures the pure.
5. Destroying:
Remove the unwholesome mental, spiritual and emotional defilements by destroying them from the root.
6. Developing:
Never cease to develop our skills of peacefulness.

Right/Wise {Skillful) Speech:
We are often judged by our words. Long after we leave this world, our words shall remain. Words can often be sharper than the blade of the sword, bringing harm to the spirit of a person which can cause wounds that are deeper and last longer than that of a dagger. Therefore, we must choose our words carefully. We need to learn the 4 methods of speech that bring peace to our lives and the lives of those who surround us.
1. Words of Honesty:
Speaking without truth can be a means to our end and to the end of others. Therefore, honesty is always the best policy.
2. Words of Kindness:
Speaking words of kindness, we will never be the cause that divides hearts or puts brother against brother. “We become peacemakers.” Our words are cherished and valued and shall bring peacefulness to ourselves and to those surrounding us.
3. Words that are Nurturing:
Words that comfort rather than harm the heart, shall travel to the heart, and bring long lasting peace.
4. Words that are Worthy:
Speaking only what is worthy and valuable for the moment, our words will always be found sweet to the ears of others and shall always be considered in a peaceful manner. Words of gossip, untruth, and selfishness do not return to us with peace. The worth of our words is measured by how much they improve the silence.

Right/Wise {Skillful} Action:
All of our lives we have been instructed to do the right thing. Often we are perplexed with what is the right thing. Ultimately, we must decide for ourselves what is right- but often our judgment is clouded by our unwholesome defilements of our mind. While upon the Eight-Fold path, we must remember that our aim is to end our suffering. All we do, comes back to us in one way or another, eventually. What may be the right thing for the moment may not be the right thing for the next. Although this moment is the only one that exists, we must not fail to realize that within this moment- the past, present and future are contained. The truly right does not change from moment to moment. Look deep within your own heart, and you will know what is right.
The Golden Rule IS “Do No Harm"
The following code of conduct is to be practiced in life:
1. Respect life. All Life is Sacred. Do not harm, and Do Not Kill any living thing.
2. Earn all that you have.
3. Control all your desires, rather than allowing your desires to control you.

Right/Wise {Skillful) Livelihood:
Often when one begins practicing the ways of Peace, a time comes when lifestyle must be evaluated. In this life, we have the opportunity to liberate ourselves from the cycle of suffering and find peace. We also have the opportunity to help others break free. Does one's way of life support or hinder the ways of Peace? Only the heart knows.

Right/Wise {Skillful) Effort
The path is not an easy one. Our habits of suffering are strong, and deeply imprinted in our way of life. It is difficult to maneuver peacefully in a world of chaos. Many of the things that we know we must let go of are things that we have held dearly for we have fought fiercely to obtain them. Our very own self- identity may have been formed with great personal sacrifice. Discipline and diligence is key to persevering on the path. Therefore, our decision to take up the path to liberation must be firm, and executed with right effort. When we have realized the truth of suffering, and are willing to seek liberation with the same tenacity as a drowning man struggles for a breath, then right effort has been attained.

Right/Wise {Skillful) Mindfulness:
Being mindful of our thoughts and the heart of matters can help us to overcome suffering with understanding. When sitting, laying or moving, being mindful of the following four frames of references help us achieve great understanding, and can even help us unlock the secrets that are within our hearts.
1. The Body:
Paying attention to our physical being can help us direct the mind away from the distractions of the world. Focusing on our breath, our movements, our actions, our components, and on the sheer miracle of our physical existence we can arrive at calmness and clarity.
2. Feelings:
Paying attention to our external and internal feelings, observing their rise and fall, can help us realize their origination, development and decline. Understanding the nature of our feelings can help us let go and break our habits of clinging.
3. Mind:
Turning the mind upon itself, observing our thoughts objectively, can help us realize the origination and aim of our thoughts, as well as our attitudes and true intentions. With this understanding, we can understand the nature of the mind and overcome our thought habits of suffering.
4. Mental Qualities:
Paying attention to our mental state of mind can help us recognize the five hindrances of our mentality (sensual desire, ill-will, laziness, anxiety and doubt).Objectively observing their origination, development and decline, can help us realize how we can overcome them. By observing the origination, the components, the development, and the decline of things in regard to these frames of reference, we can find a deep understanding in the nature of ourselves, and to know our own hearts is to know the hearts of others.

Right/Wise {Skillful) Concentration:
{Insight meditation, and Samatha meditation are the primary methods).
As we sail through life, the winds of desire push us toward the Ocean of Suffering. But the skillful stand firm in virtue at the helm, directing the rudder of the mind toward peace. Single-minded concentration on the path to Peace - The Eight-Fold Path is right concentration. It is picking yourself up when you stumble and continuing onward. It is recognizing why you have fallen astray. It is recognizing when you are about to fall. It is continuing upon the path without hesitation or doubt. It is never ceasing to develop our skill in this way.

Sources/References: "The Middle Length Discourse of Siddharthe Gautama {The Buddha)", The Mulalapariyaya, Sabbasava, Sammaditthi, Satipatthana, Vitakkasanthana, Abhaya, Mahacattarisaka, and The Bhaddekaratta Suttas of the Majjhima Nikaya.

With Metta {Loving-kindness & Friendship) !