Buddhism Beliefs

Basic Buddhism Beliefs

Which are the Basic Beliefs of Buddhism? Buddhism is a remarkable religious tradition, not only because it is the fourth-largest religion in the world, but also because it has concepts and beliefs that make it unique and distinct from all the other religions.

The Buddha inherited from his background some religious beliefs. These beliefs come from the Indian ancient tradition. They are:

  • The Doctrine of Reincarnation: I think most of you know what I'm talking about here. Human beings don't live just one life, but cycle around again and again, life after life, death after death, in a process of death and rebirth. Indian civilization view reincarnation not as a single life, or two or three lives strung together, but see it on a time scale that involves millions and millions of lifetimes. They see it as a burden, as a problem to be solved. This is known in India as Samsara.
  • The Law of Karma: In India, the word Karma simply means "action". The cycle of death and rebirth, the cycle of Samsara, is driven by an inexorable law: What you do now, will produce some result in a future life. You have to find some way to work with this law in order to permit some positive solution to the problem of Samsara.
  • The Realms of Rebirth: Where Karma can lead you? Six realms are considered into which you can be born. You can be born as a god, as a demigod or a lesser category of gods sometimes referred as demons, as a human being, as a ghost, as an animal, or as a spirit in hell. Yes, hell. It is a place where you can really be punished for the bad actions you have done.

Tradition of Buddhism Beliefs

Buddhists believe in the teachings of the Buddha, the Awakened One. The traditional summary of the teaching is given in four categories, the so called Four Noble Truths:

  1. The Truth of Suffering (Dukkha)
  2. The Arising of Suffering (Samudaya)
  3. The Cessation of Suffering (Nirodha)
  4. The Truth of the Way (Marga) that leads to the cessation of suffering.

If you understand the first Truth of Suffering, you understand all of the Four Noble Truths by implication. The truth of suffering is expressed in the simple claim that All is Suffering. All the things in human experience cause suffering.

The second Truth of The Arising of Suffering says that suffering arises essentially from ignorance. From that ignorance comes desire or craving. And then, out of that craving or desire comes reincarnation. Ignorance leads to desire, desire leads to birth. If you want to stop rebirth, what you have to do then is to remove ignorance. Somehow chip away at that basic misconception that people have about the world, and as a result, diminish desire.

The third Truth of the Cessation of Suffering is the famous Nirvana. Nirvana means literally to blow out. You might say that Nirvana is the cessation, is the extinction of "self" that wanders constantly from one life to the next. What's so great about this? You must remember that the process of reincarnation is a burden for Buddhists and Indian religious people in general. They see it as a really serious problem, and Nirvana is the final solution.

Buddhism Beliefs

Buddhists also see Nirvana as freedom from ignorance and the perfection of a human being. When the Buddha achieved Nirvana, he didn't just stayed there enjoying his enlightenment, he went on to tell the secret of how to reach it to other people. During his life, the Buddha showed how people should be with his own example.

How do you achieve Nirvana? The fourth Noble Truth of way tell us how. The Path of Nirvana is often divided in eight categories, The Noble Eightfold Path. It includes the concept of right understanding, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration.

The Path becomes a little bit more clear if we take these eight categories and reduce them or group them together into three. Sila, or moral conduct. Samadhi, mental concentration. And Panna, or wisdom.

Well, but, what a Buddhist has to do to achieve Nirvana? First of all, you should abide basic rules of moral conduct. Why? Because otherwise you might end up coming back as a worm or a mosquito in a future life. It is very difficult to try to achieve Nirvana if you are a mosquito.

Which are the rules? No killing, no stealing, no lying, no abuse of sex and not drinking intoxicants. Pretty simple. This applies to lay people as well to monks. Monks observe other precepts and regulations, as you might expect. These rules form the Sila or moral conduct.

The next Buddhist practice is mental concentration. The term here is Samadhi, to concentrate the mind. Maybe you think that meditation is the most fundamental thing that Buddhists do, and that's certainly true in many parts of the Buddhist tradition.

What you try to do is to situate yourself very stably, keep your back straight, and then just breath. Concentrate your attention as much as you can on that place where your breathing centers. With this you allow your thoughts in your head to simply drain out of your mind. It is a way to stop all of those distractions and all of that negative tendencies that tie you to the experience of death and rebirth.

Finally, and the most important thing you should do in Buddhism, is to cultivate wisdom. To try to know the nature of the world and to know where it is going, so you can become detached from it and begin the process that leads to Nirvana.

"Not to do any evil, to cultivate good, and to purify one's mind. This is the teaching of the Buddha."

To do good and to avoid evil. Every religion teaches you that. That last bit is what makes Buddhism unique: "To purify one's mind." That's the Buddha speaking. You've got to find some way to purify the mind of ignorance and desire. Then you can really strike the root of the issues of evil and good. This is the teaching of the Buddha of Buddhism Beliefs.

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Tibetan Buddhism Beliefs

Tibetan Buddhism Beliefs History

The Tibet Religion has made a great effect on the history, culture and life of Tibetan people for thousands of years. Almost people are faithful to it. Religion is very important to the Tibetans with everything being centered around it. Education (although there wasn't a formal educational system) as well as anything cultural or intellectual, was based on religious beliefs, with the leaders in the government being Buddhist monks. Their oldest religion is Bon, and after that the Buddhism spreads. Nowadays, most of the people in Tibet are Lamaists. Tibet's religion is a blend of the Bon and the Buddhism.

The Bon

Bon, the short name of Bonpo, is also known as "Black Religion" since the followers all wear black head-wear. The Bon makes a great effect on the development of the Buddhism in history and nowadays. Overshadowed by the prevailing Tibetan Buddhism, Bon is the indigenous religion of Tibet and originated in about the 5th century BC. Bon is full of mystery and has stirred the curiosity of many researchers and secular people despite it being overshadowed by the popular Tibetan Buddhism.

Tibetan Buddhism Beliefs Regions

Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India. It is the state religion of Bhutan. It is also practiced in Mongolia and parts of Russia (Kalmykia, Buryatia, and Tuva) and Northeast China.

Tibetan Buddhism Beliefs

A Tibetan diaspora(a term used to refer to the communities of Tibetan people living outside Tibet) has spread Tibetan Buddhism to many Western countries, where the tradition has gained popularity. Among its prominent exponents is the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. The number of its adherents is estimated to be between ten and twenty million.

Tibetan Buddhism combines the essential teachings of Mahayana Buddhism with Tantric and Shamanic, and material from ancient Tibetan religion, Bon. Most of the Tibetan population observes Tibetan Buddhism, which has evolved into four divisions:

-- Nyingma(pa),"the Ancient Ones". This is the oldest, and its original order was founded by Padmasambhava. The Nyingmapa lamas wear red robes and hats, so it is also known as the Red Sect. Its lamas may marry and usually live in small groups. The sect retains many more of the Bon features than the other sects. Nyingmapa lamas believe that the mind is pure and that by cultivating one's being in such a way as to reject all outside influences, it is possible to become as one with Buddha.

-- Kagyu(pa), "Lineage of the (Buddha's) Word". This is an oral tradition which is very much concerned with the experiential dimension of meditation. Its doctrines are unique and stress a combination of the practice of quasi-qigong and Buddhist satori. Kagyu(pa) is also known as White sect. Its most famous exponent was Milarepa, an 11th century mystic.

-- Sakya(pa), "Grey Earth". This school very much represents the scholarly tradition. Headed by the Sakya Trizin, this tradition was founded by Khon Konchog Gyalpo, a disciple of the great translator Drokmi Lotsawa and traces its lineage to the Indian master Virupa. A renowned exponent, Sakya Pandita 1182-1251CE was the great grandson of Khon Konchog Gyalpo.

-- Gelug(pa), "Way of Virtue". Gelugpa is the order of Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama and is also called the Yellow Sect. It was founded by Tsong Khapa, a great Buddhist reformer, in 1407. It absorbed Kahdampa and carried on Atisha's tradition. It stresses strict discipline and study of the scriptures. Its successful reform made it dominant in Tibet after the 17th century of Tibetan Buddhism Beliefs.

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Mahayana Buddhism Beliefs

Mahayana Buddhism Beliefs Meaning

What are the beliefs and practices of Mahayana Buddhism? What does Mahayana mean? Where and when did it emerge? The Mahayana is a reform movement that made a radical change in the way people enacted the Buddhist ideal. It changes the style, the tone and the content of Buddhist practice in profound ways, only a few centuries after the lifetime of the Buddha.

Mahayana Buddhism Beliefs History

We call this movement the "Mahayana", or the "Great Vehicle". The Mahayana movement emerged in the Indian Buddhist community around the beginning of the Common Era. Eventually, the Mahayana spread to China, Tibet, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. Of course there are many varieties of Mahayana Buddhism.

Mahayana is a name that is used to distinguish itself from what it saw as the Buddhism that came before. Mahayana texts refer to themselves as a great vehicle, in contrast to what they call the Hinayana, or lesser vehicle, that preceded it.

The best place for us to look in an scriptural source for an account of the contrast between the Mahayana and the Hinayana is the Lotus Sutra. This is a text we will refer to quite often in our study of Buddhism in China and Japan. The key passage in the Lotus Sutra that talks about the Mahayana is a passage that is known as the "Parable of the Burning House".

The story goes something like this. There is a father who lives in a large house with a large number of children. When the father was outside, the house catches on fire. He looks up at the house, the children are playing and are not aware of the fact that the house is on fire. The father looks up at the children and says: "Kids, come out of the house! All is burning!" The kids say: "Why? We are having such a great time here. Why should we come out?" The fathers says: "I've got cards here for you to play with. If you come out of the house, you can play with these." The children, excited by this, come running out of the house. They go to look for the cards the father offered them and then he says: "Well, it's great that you're outside, but I don't have those cards. I've got an even greater card: a vehicle. So, hop on and take it for a ride".

Mahayana Buddhism Beliefs

The text begins to offer some commentary about the story. It obviously makes the connection that you expected it would make. It says that the Buddha is like this father. The little cards that he first promised were those lesser vehicles that were preached before the coming of the Mahayana. They were meant to lure the people who were caught in the burning house of Samsara out, in order to receive the real teaching the Buddha has to offer them.

What's that real teaching? It's the Mahayana. This is the real teaching that the Buddha offers the children.

To learn more about this tradition, and also about Buddhist teachings, beliefs and practices, you might be interested in the site by author Pablo Antuna.

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Theravada Buddhism Beliefs

Theravada Buddhism Beliefs Meaning

What does Theravada mean? What are their beliefs and practices? Where did it emerge? The word "Theravada" simply means the "Doctrine of the Elders". It is the oldest surviving Buddhist school. This tradition represents, quite deliberately, a conservative option. It maintains today many aspects of the Buddhist tradition that were practiced in India during the early centuries after the death of the Buddha.

Theravada Buddhism Beliefs History

Many of the sects that formed in the early stages of Buddhist history are really historical objects at this point. We can study them or we can read about them in texts, but we can't meet them on the street. They don't represent the Buddhist tradition today. One of these early sects, however, is still active today. This is the Theravada tradition. The word "Theravada" simply means the "Doctrine of the Elders". It is in its designation a conservative tradition.

Theravada practitioners number over by 100 million worldwide. It is the predominant religion in most of South East Asia (Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Burma). In the recent decades, Westerners began to show interest in the Theravada tradition. It also took root in the Buddhist revival in India.

The Theravada accepts the Pali Canon as their authoritative scriptures. The Pali Canon reflects the practices and beliefs of the early followers of the Buddha. So, to understand the Theravada, you simply have to know the basic beliefs of Buddhism. I talk about them in another articles in my site.

Theravada Buddhism Beliefs

If you want to continue with this overview of Buddhism, you might be interested in this site by author Pablo Antuna.

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Zen Buddhism Beliefs

Zen Buddhism Beliefs of Different Forms

Zen is a part of Mahayana Buddhism, referred to as "Chan" in Chinese. There are different forms of meditation emphasized by Zen, one being "zazen." The goal is the attainment of awakening, or becoming enlightened. It focuses less on theoretical knowledge but the actual experience through meditation and dharma practices.

The establishment of Zen is credited to Bodhidharma. The first documented school of Zen Buddhism in China was built in the 7th century. Zen spread from China to several places such as Vietnam, Korea, and Japan.

Zen emphasizes that all awoken beings have Buddha-Nature and that Buddha-Nature is nothing other than the nature of the mind. The objective of Zen practice is to become enlightened through meditation. Guided meditation is an alternative that can also relieve the symptoms of stress.

Zen Buddhism Beliefs Teachings

Zen is mainly known for the monk who once used to be an Indian prince, Bodhidharma. He settled in the kingdom of Wei with his two disciples Daoyu and Huike. His teachings became known as Chan not too long after he moved to China. Right before Bodhidharma passed away; and he asked Huike to take his place and continue to teach people about Zen practices.

While surviving several decades in a cave, Bodhidharma spent his time staring at the cavern walls, meditating. He took a three year trip to China and arrived in 520 C.E. The meaning of this journey was to spread Buddhism to Asia. He saw that China had already established Buddhism beliefs but they were very different.

Bodhidharma spent his time in China trying to change people's views on Buddhism because of their wrong view on the religion. While he was there he met Emperor Wu of Liang, who had a high interest in Buddhism and spent a lot of public wealth on funding Buddhist monasteries in China.

Much of Zen history comes from mythology. Scholars believe that Zen was used in yogic practices such as kammatthana and kasina. Kammatthana is the consideration of objects and kasina is the total fixation of the mind.

Buddhism was first introduced into China when Taoist faiths and Taoism in general were brought in. Buddhist scriptures were translated into Chinese using Taoism.

Zen Buddhism Beliefs

When Zen is explained in words it often gets misrepresented because there really aren't any words to describe it. In the beginning, Zen only applied to Mahayana and Lankavatara sutras.

There are many basic concepts of Zen that come directly from Mahayana Buddhism. Both share a grand amount of ideas coming from many different sutras, including a part of the famed Lotus Sutra.

Zen has a lot of literature pertaining to it and is used while practicing or teaching this form of Buddhist meditation. Some texts about Zen date back to the ninth century. These are mostly koans and the Shobogenzo of Dogen Zenji.

It is usual to do Zen practices at least once per day, as well as, take long periods of time and is recommended to be practiced with a group. Although there's a lot of labor involved, most find it to be worth the time spent because of the stress relief, reduction in the physical effects of stress, and the improved health and wellness after each session.

An important part of Zen practice is having a teacher or guide. Dharma following the Dharma Transmission is also very important when learning about this type of meditation. Dharma, the "guide students in meditation," should follow the notion of Dharma Transmission, which is the line of authority.

To simplify things, the basic meaning is to obey your master, teacher, or whoever's commanding the Zen practice. By following this rule, you will end up benefiting yourself by getting more out of the time you spend performing Zen meditation, mindfulness meditation, or any other form of spiritual meditation of Zen Buddhism Beliefs.

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