What is Buddhism?

The founder of Buddhism, Prince Gautam Buddha was born circa 563 B. C. in the Indian subcontinent. Buddha preached love, non-violence and brotherhood. Buddhism not only shows the empathy for the sufferings of human beings but also for the animals and renounces their killings for any purposes. The Buddhist rituals are simpler and more practical. Buddhists meditate in the temples before the idol of the meditating Buddha for the peace of their mind and salvation of their soul. There is the least intra-religion division in Buddhism. Buddhism does not conflict with the other religions. Hence, the people worldwide are converting to Buddhism at the more rapid than any other religion. Over 95% of a total 6% of Buddhists of the world live in Japan, Burma, Koreas, China, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Nepal. The teachings of Buddhism are philosophical and they are as useful as they were thousands of years ago.

It is said that Gautam Buddha's charioteer once drove him through the town where he happened to see:

- an old man bent with age,

- the suffering of a groaning sick man, and

- the dead body of a man being carried by his crying relatives. These three incidents disturbed him such deeply that he abandoned the palace and his family in search of the causes of human sufferings. After wandering for quite a long time and distance in search of peace; he sat meditating under a banyan tree continuously for seven weeks before he discovered what is known as the "four Noble Truths" which are:

(i) The world and our life are full of sufferings. Birth, aging, sickness, dying etc. are sufferings.

(ii) The world and our life are full of desires. Desires that are not fulfilled bring us sufferings.

(iii) Renunciation of desires is the best way to stop us from suffering.

(iv) The "noble eight-fold paths" can salvage us from our sufferings.

The noble eight-fold paths are:

1. Hold the right views.
2. Have the right aspirations.
3. Use the right speech.
4. Show the right conduct.
5. Pursue the right means of livelihood.
6. Expend the right effort.
7. Maintain the right mindfulness.
8. Exercise the right concentration.

The five precepts that all Buddhist must follow are:

(i) Do not kill any living thing.

(ii) Do not steal.

(iii) Do not commit adultery.

(iv) Do not lie.

(v) Do not drink intoxicants or take drugs.

The sacred books of Buddhism which were originally written in the Pali are "The Tri Pitaka" and "The Jatakas". The Tri Pitaka (three baskets) are in three (Vinay Pitaka, Sutta pitaka, Abhidhamma Pitaka) volumes. "Vinay Pitaka" contains the rules for the monks and the managements of the monasteries; "Sutra Pitaka" contains the Buddha's discourses and Abhidhamma Pitaka has the explanations of the philosophical principles of the Buddhism. The Jatakas explains about Buddha's life and the life in the 3^rd and 4^th century B.C.

Apart from these oldest scriptures there are about other five thousand sacred books like Mahayana (highly regarded in China, Japan and Vietnam) written locally thousands of years ago in Tibetan, Chinese and Vietnamese.