Buddhism in a nutshell

1.1	Who is Lord Buddha?
	The Buddha was born around 567 B.C.E., in a kingdom below the Himalayan foothills. He is one of the most important Asian thinkers and spiritual masters of all time, and he contributed to many areas of philosophy, including epistemology, metaphysics and ethics. The Buddha’s teaching formed the foundation for Buddhist philosophy, initially developed in South Asia, then later in the rest of Asia. Buddhism has historically been most prominent in East and Southeast Asia, but its influence is growing throughout the West. It is said that twelve years before his birth the Brahmins prophesied that he would become either a universal monarch or a great sage. To prevent him from becoming an ascetic, his father kept him within the confines of the palace. Gautama grew up in princely luxury, shielded from the outside world, entertained by dancing girls, instructed by brahmins, and trained in archery, swordsmanship, wrestling, swimming, and running. When he came of age he married Gopa, who gave birth to a son. He had, as we might say today, everything. And yet, it was not enough. Something as persistent as his shadow drew him into the world beyond the castle walls. There, in the streets of Kapilavastu, he encountered three simple things: a sick man, an old man, and a corpse being carried to the burning grounds. Nothing in his life of ease had prepared him for this experience. When his charioteer told him that all beings are subject to sickness, old age, and death, he could not rest. As he returned to the palace, he passed a wandering ascetic walking peacefully along the road, wearing a robe and carrying the single bowl of a sadhu. He then resolved to leave the palace in search of the answer to the problem of suffering. After bidding his wife and child a silent farewell without waking them, he rode to the edge of the forest. There, he cut his long hair with his sword and exchanged his fine clothes for the simple robes of an ascetic. With these actions, Siddhartha Gautama joined a whole class of men who had dropped out of Indian society to find liberation. There were various methods and teachers, and Gautama investigated many atheists, materialists, idealists, and dialecticians. The deep forest and the teeming marketplace were alive with the sounds of thousands of arguments and opinions, unlike in our time. Gautama finally settled down to work with two teachers. From Alara Kalama, who had three hundred disciples, he learned how to discipline his mind to enter the sphere of nothingness. But even though Alara Kalama asked him to remain and teach as an equal, he recognised that this was not liberation, and left. Next Siddhartha learned how to enter the concentration of mind which is neither consciousness nor unconsciousness from Udraka Ramaputra. But neither was this liberation and Siddhartha left his second teacher. For six years Siddhartha along with five companions practiced austerities and concentration. He drove himself mercilessly, eating only a single grain of rice a day, pitting mind against body. His ribs stuck through his wasted flesh and he seemed more dead than alive. Here, Siddhartha realised that his years of living as an ascetic had been in vain. He understood that extreme practices, whether the luxurious life he once led in the palace or the harsh self-denial of asceticism, did not solve suffering. This insight led him to consider that the true path might lie in a balanced approach, avoiding both extremes. At that time, a young woman named Sujata passed by and offered Siddhartha a bowl of milk, which became his first full meal in six years. He began to eat and then sat under a fig tree, firmly deciding, 'I will not rise from this spot until I have attained enlightenment. Immediately after attaining enlightenment, the Buddha gave sermons on the Fourfold Truth and the Eightfold Path. After that, during the next 40 years, Cesare began to travel to the valleys of northern India, preaching to others the understanding he had achieved. His monks, who started a monk order known as the Sangha, later spread the Buddha's teachings all over India as well as Asia and the world. At the age of 80, the Buddha passed away in Kusinara. Before his passing, he asked the Sangha if they had any questions or if there was anything in his teachings that needed clarification. He gave his final advice to the monks, instructing them to rely on the Dharma and practice ethical self-discipline. He said, "All things are impermanent and do not last. Strive diligently for your liberation. After offering the same advice, he lay on his right side and peacefully passed away.
1.2	Who are the Buddhas?
	We talked about who the Buddha was, but what does it mean to attain enlightenment? In simple terms, a Buddha is someone who has attained complete wisdom. A Buddha is a supreme being who has awakened from a deep state of ignorance. This is not the kind of deep sleep we experience after a long night of partying, but the deep sleep of confusion that envelops us at every moment of our lives. It refers to the deep sleep associated with the confusion about our existence and the true nature of all things. Buddhas are neither deities nor creators. Like all beings, Buddhas begin life by experiencing confusion, suffering, and various challenges. However, by progressively following a path grounded in kindness and wisdom, and diligently cultivating these positive qualities, one can achieve the possibility of attaining enlightenment. Buddhas possess three primary qualities, one of which is wisdom. As Buddhas are free from mental obstructions, they possess a complete and precise understanding of all things, particularly how to best assist others. Kindness is another essential quality of Buddhas. With their profound wisdom and recognition of our interconnectedness, Buddhas can extend help to all beings with immense compassion. Without the guidance of compassion, wisdom alone may lead to personal intellectual achievement, but it may not contribute positively to society. Kindness is the attribute that channels wisdom for the greater good. This is why Buddhas cultivate kindness as a fundamental quality, fostering a profound connection with all beings. Abilities constitute the third main quality of Buddhas. With profound wisdom to alleviate suffering and a deep commitment to assisting others, Buddhas possess the genuine power to benefit beings. They guide others towards enlightenment by teaching the path through various virtuous practices. Buddhas recognize that just as they wish to avoid suffering, no sentient being desires to endure a life of hardship. Consequently, Buddhas are dedicated to a mission that extends beyond their well-being, encompassing all sentient beings throughout the universe. They demonstrate the same compassion and care for others as they do for themselves. They articulate a solution for the cessation of all suffering, known as prajna, which refers to the pure mind's capacity to accurately discern between reality and illusion. Through this wisdom, individuals can ultimately liberate themselves from all forms of negativity, including confusion, selfishness, and adverse emotions. Consequently, we can attain the state of complete Buddhas and experience profound inner peace. Buddhas serve as ideal teachers, possessing a profound understanding of how to assist others through their virtuous methods. The compassionate Buddhas are always prepared to guide individuals along the correct path. Like Siddhartha, we often remain unaware of the nature of worldly suffering. Ageing, illness, and death are inevitable experiences for all individuals, regardless of efforts to evade or deny them. By confronting and comprehending the realities of suffering, as exemplified in the life of the Buddha, we are encouraged to recognize that we, too, can overcome the various disappointments we encounter throughout life. The life and teachings of the Buddha serve as a reminder that we must diligently strive to manage our sinful tendencies and confusion to contribute positively to the welfare of all beings.

Buddhism arose in northeastern India sometime between the late 6th century and the early 4th century BC, a period of great social change and intense religious activity.
Spreading from India to Central and Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan, Buddhism has played a central role in the spiritual, cultural, and social life of Asia, and, beginning in the 20th century, it spread to the West.
Buddhism, like many of the sects that developed in northeastern India at the time, was constituted by the presence of a charismatic teacher, by the teachings this leader promulgated, and by a community of adherents that was often made up of renunciant members and lay supporters.

Gotama was born the son of an Indian king on the border of modern Nepal 623 years before Christ. The wise men of the kingdom foresaw that he would become either an emperor or a Buddha, and his father, wanting him to be an emperor, kept him utterly secluded from all unpleasant things, so that he might not become wise by seeing life. But the gods knew that Gotama must become the Buddha, and so they visited Earth in various forms to let him see them. On three successive days, while on his way to the royal park, Gotama saw an old man, a sick man, and a corpse, and thus he learned that men all men must suffer and die. On the fourth day, he saw a monk; from this, he understood that to learn the way of overcoming man's universal sorrow he must give up worldly pleasures. Accordingly, in his twenty-ninth year, he renounced his kingdom and became an ascetic.

Gotama wandered about the countryside, a seeker after truth and peace. He approached many a distinguished teacher of his day, but none could give him what he sought. He strenuously practised all the severe austerities of monkish life, hoping to attain Nirvana. Eventually, his delicate body was reduced almost to a skeleton. But the more he tormented his body the further away he was from his goal. Realizing the futility of self-mortification, he finally decided to follow a different course, avoiding the extremes of pain and indulgence. The new path which he discovered was the Middle Way, the Eightfold Path, which subsequently became part of his teaching. By following this path his wisdom grew into its fullest power, and he became the Buddha. As a man Prince Gotama, by his own will, love, and wisdom, attained Buddhahood the highest possible state of perfection and he taught his followers to believe that they might do the same. Any man, within himself, possesses the power to make himself good, wise, and happy.

All the teachings of the Buddha can be summed up in one word: Dhamma. It means truth, that which is. It also means law, the law which exists in a man's own heart and mind. It is the principle of righteousness. Therefore the Buddha appeals to man to be noble, pure, and charitable not to please any Supreme Deity, but to be true to the highest in himself. Dhamma, this law of righteousness, exists not only in a man's heart and mind, it exists in the universe.

All the universe is an embodiment and revelation of Dhamma. When the moon rises and sets, the rains come, the crops grow, and the seasons change, it, is because of Dhamma, for Dhamma is the law of the universe which makes matter act in the ways revealed by our studies of natural science.

If a man lives by Dhamma, he will escape misery and come to Nirvana, the final release from all suffering. It is not by any kind of prayer, nor by any ceremonies, nor by any appeal to a God, that a man will discover the Dhamma which will lead him to his goal. He will discover it in only one way by developing his character. This development comes only through control of the mind and purification of emotions. Until a man stills the storm in his heart, until he extends his loving-kindness to all beings, he will not be able to take even the first step toward his goal. Thus Buddhism is not a religion at all, in the sense in which the word is commonly understood. It is not a system of faith or worship. In Buddhism, there is no such thing as belief in a body of dogma which must be taken on faith, such as belief in a Supreme Being, a creator of the universe, the reality of an immortal soul, a personal saviour, or archangels who are supposed to carry out the will of the Supreme Deity. Buddhism begins as a search for truth. The Buddha taught that we should believe only that which is true in the light of our own experience, that which conforms to reason and is conducive to the highest good and welfare of all beings. Men must rely on themselves. Even though he may “take refuge in Buddha,” the expression used when a man pledges himself to live a righteous life, he must not fall victim to blind faith that the Buddha can save him. The Buddha can point out the path, but he cannot walk it for us.

In Theravada Buddhism, nirvana (Sanskrit; nibbana in Pali) is the ultimate goal of spiritual practice: enlightenment and the end of suffering.
Nirvana translates as “extinction” and symbolizes the extinguishing of the fires of greed, hatred, and ignorance, and often represents the cessation of birth and death.
The term was used by the historical Buddha in his first talk after attaining enlightenment, “Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Dharma,” and indeed, the Third Noble Truth, the truth of cessation, is a reference to the ultimate cessation of mental and/or physical suffering, also known as dukkha.

Nibbana is the ultimate good news of Theravada Buddhism: it means complete liberation. Naturally, people want to know about the nature of Nibbana, but from the Theravada standpoint, knowing how a person is transformed in attaining Nibbana is more important than understanding what it is.

When a person is thirsty, what’s important about water is not its chemical properties, but that it quenches thirst. Similarly, for someone who is suffering, what’s important about Nibbana is not so much its nature but that its attainment extinguishes suffering.

Nibbana literally mean “to go out”-like a fire- and “to cool.” Applied to the mind, it refers to extinguishing the fevers of greed, hate, and delusion, the three roots of suffering. The Buddha’s choice of this term was intimately tied to the imagery of his famous Fire Sermon. Here he said: “Everything is on fire; the eyes are on fire; sights are on fire; visual perception is on fire..; the ears are on fire..; the nose is on fire..; the tongue is on fire..; the body is on fire. . . ; the mind is on fire…. They are on fire with greed, hate, and delusion” (from the Mahavagga of the Theravada Vinaya).

Nibbana is the end of samsara. Contrary to a popular misunderstanding, neither nibbana nor samsara is a place. In attaining Nibbana we don’t escape from one location to another. For the Buddha, samsara is the process by which clinging gives rise to suffering which, in turn, gives rise to further clinging. He understood that this self-perpetuating process continues over lifetimes as the “fuel” for rebirth, just as the fire from one burning house is carried to a neighbouring house by the wind. Nibbana is what is realized when the clinging of greed, hate, and delusion is brought to an end.

Some later Buddhist traditions equate to nirvana and samsara. However, they likely attribute very different meanings to these words than those understood by the earliest Buddhist tradition. In Theravada teachings, samsara cannot be Nibbana any more than a clenched fist can be an open hand, any more than burning an ember in your fist can be the same as letting it go. For the Buddha, Nibbana had quite positive associations-after all, it is a simile for ultimate freedom and awakening. At times he used other similes to describe this state: “the blissful, the secure, the pure, the island, the shelter, the harbour, the refuge, the ultimate.”

According to the Buddha, Kamma is one of the universal laws that determine the state of existence of all sentient beings. There are four other natural laws (Niyamas) that govern universal processes. Therefore everything that happens in the world is not due to kamma.

Any kind of intentional action, whether mental, verbal or physical is regarded as Kamma. Inherent in kamma is the potentiality of producing its due effect, which operates in its field without the intervention of any external, independent ruling agency. Kamma produces results (Kamma vipaka) which the doer has to experience. This is a reaction under the natural law of cause and effect. Buddhism does not support the view that kamma is a law of 'moral justice' or 'reward and punishment', as there is no external agency that metes out justice. Neither it is to be regarded as 'sin', as sin is regarded as the breaking of God's commandments. The Buddha said that it is only the actions that are performed with intention (volition) are regarded as kamma.

Kamma may be categorised as wholesome, skilful (kusala) or unwholesome, unskilful (akusala) or neutral. It follows that wholesome kamma will produce a beneficial result and unwholesome kamma will produce a negative or detrimental effect on the doer of the deed. Neutral kamma will not produce an effect. A kammic act is complete when intention, action and a result take place. For example, a person may think about causing injury to someone. He or she may then act through the body to carry out the task. If there was only the intention, but no injury took place, there would be less kamma generated. In general, any intentional action through the body, speech or mind, which does harm to oneself and to others will be unwholesome kamma. Similarly, any intentional action that produces a beneficial effect would produce wholesome kamma.

The result of a particular kammic action may manifest at any time, either in the present or a future life, when the appropriate conditions are present. Kamma operates in a complex and dynamic manner, the result of one action changing due to subsequent actions. The result of an unwholesome kamma may be lessened or neutralised altogether by a wholesome kamma. Similarly, the result of an intense unwholesome kamma may manifest although the person affected normally leads a virtuous life. Therefore it is more appropriate to talk in terms of the probability of a kamma vipaka (result). Only particular types of serious Kamma (Annantariya kamma) such as harming a Buddha, killing an arahant (virtuous person), killing a parent will produce inescapable and detrimental results.

Only a Buddha has the wisdom to fully comprehend and predict the complex outcome of kamma. The ancient texts describe some of the probable consequences of unwholesome kamma as follows:

Killing: shortness of life, ill health, frequent grief due to separation from loved ones, frequent fear.
Stealing: poverty, misery, disappointment, dependent livelihood.
Sexual misconduct: having many enemies, union with undesirable husbands and wives, birth as a eunuch.
Lying: being subject to abusive speech and vilification, untrustworthiness, and a smelly mouth.

The ultimate goal of a Buddhist should not be to acquire wholesome kamma to be reborn in a better life, but to engage in activities that lead to the complete cessation of suffering, the realisation of Nibbana.

	The Eightfold Path, in Buddhism, is an early formulation of the path to enlightenment. The idea of the Eightfold Path appears in what is regarded as the first sermon of the founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, which he delivered after his enlightenment. In brief, the eight elements of the path are correct view correct intention correct speech correct action correct livelihood correct effort correct mindfulness correct concentration, single-mindedness The Buddhist eightfold path, known as the Noble Eightfold Path, is the specific instructions the Buddha gave as part four of the Four Noble Truths. The first noble truth taught us that unenlightened life is destined to be disappointing. Truths two and three gave us hope. We are the cause of our suffering, and we have the power to end it. The fourth noble truth teaches that the cause of the end of suffering is adherence to the eightfold path. These Abhidharma. This path is described as noble because it’s followed by those who are noble, or wise. In other words, these are the actions of people who are free from their suffering. Follow their example, and you can become enlightened too. Living ethically, practising meditation, and developing the wisdom to see things as they truly exist are the basics of Buddhism. Why? Because doing these things leads to a calmer, more emotionally stable, peaceful and happier life. By acting by the noble eightfold path, we generate the merit and good karma that leads us to a better rebirth in the next life. If we have trouble believing in past and future lives, that’s ok, we can still understand the consequences. Acting nobly leads to positive consequences while doing the opposite is certain to lead to negative ones. By following the eightfold path, we stop causing our suffering.
1	Right View
	To practice the right view is to remember that our actions have consequences. Because karma exists we benefit from living in a way that minimizes harm. This is the basis of the four noble truths. Our actions can prevent future unnecessary pain. If we truly believed this and practised, we would be far more mindful of every act of body, speech and mind.
2	Right Intention
	The right intention is the commitment to foster this moment-to-moment mindfulness of thought. Speaking and acting in beneficial ways begins with a calm, present and stable state of mind. Right intention is also the practice of clarifying our why. We intend to follow the eightfold path not to benefit the illusory separate self but do so in the service of love and compassion.
3	Right Speech
	Right view and noble intention guide us to cease speaking in harmful ways. We refrain from lying and do our best to communicate clearly. We avoid speaking in divisive ways. We refrain from harsh or abusive speech and avoid idle speech, remaining silent unless we have something useful to say.
4	Right Action
	The right action is to cease harming others with our bodies, too. We refrain from killing other living beings, stealing, or harming others with our sexual behaviour. Instead, we actively support life, practice giving and respect the relationships and boundaries of others.
5	Right Livelihood
	Most of us spend a large portion of our lives in pursuit of livelihood. Right livelihood is the commitment to ethical business practice. Traditionally, this meant not earning a living by selling weapons, other people, meat, alcohol or poison. If our role at work entails cheating, deceiving, being dishonest or behaving in harmful ways, we’re not practising the right livelihood.
6	Right Effort
	The right effort addresses the qualities of mind we must cultivate to remain vigilant along the path. It’s not enough to stop behaving in harmful or unhelpful ways. Instead, we should persistently nurture skilful, beneficial behaviours. This includes being mindful of the classic five hindrances and actively working to overcome them. The obstacles to meditation are summarized into two: agitation and dullness – right effort is finding a balance between these two extremes.
7	Right Mindfulness
	Up until this point, we’ve lived without considering the right view, right intention, right speech and the rest. We’re not in the habit of watching our thoughts, speech and actions. By training in the right mindfulness, we avoid slipping into habitual behaviours that cause harm. We can begin by learning how to mindfully observe our breath.
8	Right Concentration
	Having applied right effort and trained in mindfulness, we enter a state of right concentration. In this state we have successfully withdrawn from the distractions which keep us in an unskillful and unbeneficial state of mind. We rest, single-pointedly, in a state of awareness meditation. In this state, we experience the bliss that arises having freed ourselves from our pain.

Paticcasamuppāda is a belief that is essential in fully understanding the Dhamma.
This is because it leads to the realisation, or deep understanding, of the Three Marks of Existence, also known as the Three Universal Truths.
This is the belief that everything that is in existence exists because other things are in existence. Therefore, everything is interconnected, and everything affects everyone.
Paticcasamupada also relates to the principle of conditionality. This means that everything, whether mental or physical, exists and occurs because of the presence of certain conditions. Everything is dependent on other things.

Paþicca means because of, or dependent upon. Samuppāda “arising or origination.” Paþicca samuppāda, therefore, literally means “dependent-arising” or “dependent origination.” It must be borne in mind that paṭicca samuppāda, is only a discourse on the process of birth and death and not a theory of the ultimate origin of life. It deals with the cause of rebirth and suffering, but it does not in the least attempt to show the evolution of the world from primordial matter.

Ignorance (avijjā) is the first link or cause of the wheel of life. It clouds all right understanding. Dependent on ignorance of the Four Noble Truths arise activities (saṃkhāra) both moral and immoral. The activities, whether good or bad rooted in ignorance which must necessarily have their due effects only tend to prolong life’s wandering. Nevertheless, good actions are essential to get rid of the ills of life. Dependent on activities arise rebirth consciousness. (viññāṇa). This links the past with the present. Simultaneous. with the arising of rebirth-consciousness there come into being mind and body (nāmarūpa). The six senses (salāyatana) are the inevitable consequences, of mind and body. Because of the six senses, contact (phassa) sets in. Contact leads to feeling (vedanā). These five, viz., consciousness, mind and matter, six senses, contact and feeling are the effects of past actions and are called the passive side of life. Dependent on feeling arises craving (taóhá). Craving results in grasping (upádána). Grasping is the cause of kamma (bhava) which in its turn, conditions future birth (játi). Birth is the inevitable cause of old age and death (jará-maraóa). If on account of cause, the effect comes to be, then if the cause ceases, the effect also must cease. The reverse order of the paþicca samuppáda will make the matter clear.

Old age and death are possible in, and with, a psychophysical organism. Such an organism must be born; therefore it pre-supposes birth. But birth is the inevitable result of past deeds or Kamma. Kamma is conditioned by grasping which is due to craving. Such craving can appear only where feeling exists. Feeling is the outcome of contact between the senses and objects. Therefore it presupposes organs of senses which cannot exist without mind and body. Where there is a mind there is consciousness. It is the result of past good and evil. The acquisition of good and evil is due to ignorance of things as they truly are. The whole formula may be summed up thus:

Dependent on ignorance arise activities (moral and immoral)
Dependent on activities arises consciousness (rebirth consciousness)
Dependent on consciousness arise mind and matter.
Dependent on mind and matter arise the six spheres of sense.
Dependent on the six spheres of sense arises contact.
Dependent on contact arise feelings.
Dependent on feeling arises craving.
Dependent on craving arises in grasping
Dependent on grasping arise actions (kamma)
Dependent on actions arises rebirth
Dependent on birth arise decay, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair.

Thus does the entire aggregate of suffering arise. The first two of these twelve pertain to the past, the middle eight to the present, and the last two to the future.

Concepts in Buddhism and learn Buddhism

Learn Buddhism

Buddhism

In a Nutshell

In a Nutshell

Buddhism

Buddhism

Learn Buddhism

Concepts in Buddhism and learn Buddhism

Buddhism

Learn Buddhism

Chapter .01 Lord Buddha

Chapter .02 Buddhism

Chapter .03 Nibbana

Chapter .04 Kamma

Chapter .05 Eightfold Path

Chapter .06 Dependant Origination