Buddhism started in India 2500 years ago and founded by Siddhartha Gautama
and the title was Buddha, “the enlightened”. Siddhartha was
a son of a prince. He was predicted to be either profane or spiritual
prince and if he would be a spiritual prince he should live a poor and
itinerant life.
Father wanted to spare him the later fate and tried therefore to bring
him up to profane prince by all means increasing the son’s bodily
part at expense of the spiritual one.
He draw his son away from all unpleasant impressions let him have a protected
growth behind the palace walls and tried to give him a delusion that the
world only hold the pleasant things. He married with Yashodara who was
a cousin of Siddhartha.
But Siddhartha took four excursions and in spite of father’s efforts
to draw him from life’s dark sides he saw a sick person, a corpse
and a friar with beggar-bowl. When he returned home after the fourth trip
he had a message that his son was born.
Already the same night he said farewell to Yashodara and started a new
life as ascetic (asceticism - training to be perfect). He was six years
learning with ascetic Brahman. At times his every day meal only was one
corn of rice. He had five admirable disciples. But not had either the
absolute contrast to the pleasure, asceticism, showed to be the right
way to the release of the temptation that Siddhartha seeks. Instead he
realizes the middle way between the extremes. This middle way has its
expression in “the four noble truths” about suffering or dukkha
and “the eightfold way”. He has now become “the enlightened”,
Buddha.
Buddha is tempted by Evil Mara to choice the release for his own part
, but is persuaded by God to remain in life and spread its faith. He gets
many disciples, establish a monastic order with his son Rahula as monk
and gradually and rather reluctantly a nunnery with his wife Yashodara
as nun.
Among his disciples there is a Judas figure, Devadatta, who constant try
to damage Buddha, but these efforts always fail. The favourite disciple
Ananda is often represented. At about 80 years age dies Buddha of food
poisoning.
The aim is to find the way to Nirvana, the blessed state, and thus become
free from suffering by confessing the four truths.
The truth about suffering, the truth of self centred wishes and desires
– the threefold truth. The fundamental idea is that the thirst for
the life desires with everything that belongs to life is the cause of
suffering. The truth of the stop suffering by coming to the end of threefold
thirst which happen by destroying the desires The truth of the way to
stop the unsatisfactory – the eightfold way. The noble eightfold
way is a name of the life style that puts out the source of suffering,
the thirst to life and thus leads to Nirvana. The included eight virtues
can be divided in three main parts. Wisdom/knowledge, The right insight – to have confidence
for the Buddhism – the right thought – to be free from desire
and pleasure. Ethics – the right speech – to not speak
ill about other, spread lies or use hard word. The right acting in life
– not to kill or to steal
The right profession or life supporting – not to work anything that
damage others Meditation: the right strive – always try to do
the right and fight against the evil. The right consciousness –
always be focusing and conscious of one’s feelings and thoughts
the right concentration – to meditate in a right way
The five ethics rules within Buddhism are.
You should not kill any living creature
You should not take anything that is not given to you
You should not misuse your sexuality
You should not lie
You should not drink alcohol or use drugs.
There are two sides within Buddhism, Theravada – the eldest faith
– the origin faith that is largest in southern countries like Sri
Lanka, Thailand and Burma. Mahayana – the large salvation way –
they are principally on north that is Nepal, Tibet, China, Korea and Japan.
A number of the practising of Buddhism is difficult to determine, at a
guess between 200 millions and one milliard
The Buddhism holy Scripture is Tipitaka – the three baskets –
and consist of the three Scripture parts.
There are no rules how a marriage shall be shaped. The most important
is that the partners come to an agreement and that they do not hurt each
other or the third part.
The promises you give shall of course be kept and the unfaithfulness makes
at least one part sick at heart and should be avoided. As the important
is that the partners get on well with each other. Buddhism think it is
not any ethics difference between marriage and common law partnership.
That is to the couple decide what kind relation they want to have to the
state. Most important is that they have a good relation with each other.
Marriage is like any other agreement subject to notice. Do the both partners
come to on agreement the divorce is fully possible. If only one partner
wants to divorce it demands a good reason.
Buddhism thinks that if a human being shall develop one needs many experiences.
The sexual experience includes in this. There are no demands for the temperance
before marriage. The more the Buddhist practice proceeds with a person
reduce one’s need even the sexual. The Buddhist who have proceed
a very long way choice often celibacy.
The important in a sexual relation is equality, openness and non-violence.
A Buddhist shall train to love everybody why a partner is no exception.
It is however important not to mix love with desire.
