The Buddha (B.C. 623- B.C. 543) and Doctrine of Lord Buddha by- Myoma Myint Kywe ၿမိဳ ႔မ ျမင့္ၾကြယ္ มิวม่า มิตร จอย

The Buddha (B.C. 623- B.C. 543) and Doctrine of Lord Buddha

Researched by- Myoma Myint Kywe
ၿမိဳ ႔မ ျမင့္ၾကြယ္
มิวม่า มิตร จอย

 

The Lord Buddha was the founder of Buddhism, began his life as a prince in India. The word "Buddha" can be defined as "the Enlightened One", or "the Awakened One".

The Lord Buddha was born in 623 B.C. in a country called Kapilavatthu in Nepal.  Born in the noble Sakya clan, he was named Siddhattha Gotama. 

He was born at Lumbini Park on the full moon of the sixth lunar month. Deities from all heavenly realms came to welcome him and pay reverence. Even eminent gods like Brahma and Indra were there to express their joy at his birth. Heavenly music filled the air and two showers, one hot and one cold, came down from the sky to bathe the child. The earth trembled and the heavenly beings gave out loud acclaims of joy. 

It is also said that, immediately after his birth, the infant stood firmly on the ground and took seven strides to the north, surrounded by gods and men. A white canopy was held over his head. Having walked the seven steps, he stopped to look around and gave out a fearless utterance known as the 'lion's roar' (sihanada). His proclamation may be translated as follows: 

"Supreme am I in the world and universe;
Greatest am I in the world and universe;
Noblest am I in the world and universe.
This is my last birth,
Never shall I be reborn." 

It is possible that the miracles accompanying the Buddha's birth described in the early commentaries may point to something deeper and more meaningful. 

As a prince of the country, he did not have to face the unsatisfactoriness and sufferings encountered by the common folks. He married his cousin Princess Yasodhara, who bore him a son by the name of Rahula. Life was good and without worries.

He married his cousin Princess Yasodhara, who bore him a son by the name of Rahula. Life was good and without worries.

However, things changed after Prince Siddhattha took a private visit out of the palace and saw the four sights of Sickness, Old Age, Death and a Holy Man. That prompted him to renounce his comfortable life to seek out the truth in order to end the sufferings of common people. At the age of 29, B.C 594, he left his palace quietly in search of the truth. He had studied under ascetic teachers, and tried various methods of self-mortification, but to no avail. 

He found and learned later that extremes (of indulgence versus torture) are not going to work out. After searching for 6 years, for 6 year Gautama strived (make great efforts to achieve) as a hermit, at the age of 35, B.C 588, one day, he sought shelter under a tree, and through intense meditation that he finally attained Enlightenment, and sees things as they really are. Henceforth, he is known as the Lord Buddha. 

The tree under which the Buddha gained Enlightenment has since been known as the Bodhi Tree. The Lord Gautama Buddha gained a flash of insight that he felt gave him an answer to the problem of suffering. He began to share with other the meaning of His enlightenment since B.C 588. 

The Lord Buddha and his disciples travelled vast areas (on foot) throughout India to expound the Dhamma, helping lots of suffering people along the way. His relentless effort lasted for 45 years. The Buddha spent 45 years the four Noble Truth and the Noble Eightfold Path. The Buddha passed into Parinibbana (or passed away in simplified layman's term) at the ripe old age of 80 B.C 543. When Buddha died, his physical death is defined as Parinibbana.
The story of his last days of life is reported in the texts of the Mahaparinibbana Sutta, with touching particulars.

At the age of 80 years, Buddha realized that his death was coming, after having spent the last 45 years of his life preaching his doctrine.

Buddhist Five Main Precepts (PANCA SILA)

The Five Precepts (Pali: pañca-sīlāni; Sanskrit: pañca-śīlāni) constitute the basic Buddhist code of ethics, undertaken by lay followers (Upāsaka and Upāsikā) of the Buddha Gautama in the Theravada (practised mainly Burma, Thailand, Lao, Cambodia, southeast Asia, etc and India, Sri Lanka south Asia, etc) and Mahayana (practised in China, Korea, and Japan) traditions. 

The Five Precepts are commitments to abstain from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and intoxication. Undertaking the five precepts is part of both lay Buddhist initiation and regular lay Buddhist devotional practices. 

They are not formulated as imperatives, but as training rules that laypeople undertake voluntarily to facilitate practice. The following are the five precepts (pañca-sikkhāpada) or five virtues (pañca-sīla) rendered in English and Pali: 

Panati-pata veramani sikkha padam samadiyami
Adinna-dana veramani sikkhi padam samadiyami
Kamesu miccha~cara veramani sikkha padam samadiyami
Musavada veramani sikkha padam samadiyami
Sura meraya-maija-pama~datthana veramani sikkha padam samadiyami 

1. Refrain From Killing
2. Refrain from Stealing
3. Refrain from Sexual Misconduct
4. Refrain from Lying, Slandering, Gossiping and Spreading Rumours
5. Refrain from Taking Intoxicants 

Noble Truth

1: Suffering
Known as Dukkha in Pali, the 1st noble truth can be translated to mean suffering, or (in a seemingly less pessimistic sense) unsatisfactoriness. To say that we encounter suffering every now and then may not be obvious; but then Dukkha encompasses more: unfulfilled wish is also suffering, coming into contact (and being forced to spend long hours) with people we do not like is Dukkha, separated from people we love is Dukkha. Drilling down further, we may come to realize that we do at least now and then come into contact with suffering. Some people could take Dukkha too hard to bear that they resort to ending their lives.
 
2: Cause of Suffering
The cause of all the suffering is craving, or attachment. This is the 2nd noble truth.
 
3: End of Suffering
The 3rd noble truth is the complete end of suffering - Nibbana. This can be achieved when all forms of craving are eradicated.
 
4: Way Leading to the End of Suffering
How to reach the end of suffering? This could be explained by the 4th noble truth - The Noble Eightfold Path. 

The Noble 8-fold Path

The Buddha urged His disciples to do eight things: By avoiding extremes and following the eightfold path, a person could attain Nibbana (Nirvana), a state of freedom from the circle of rebirth.

1. Right Understanding
The understanding of things as they really are; the knowledge of the 4 Noble Truths.

2. Right Thought
Includes benevolent and loving-kindness thoughts, which are the opposites of ill-will and cruelty respectively.

3. Right Speech
Not lying, slandering, using harsh words and engaging in frivolous talks (including meaningless gossiping).

4. Right Action
Refraining from killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct.

5. Right Livelihood
Not having occupation that trades in arms, human beings, life stocks, intoxicating drinks, and poisons.

6. Right Effort
Effort made to eradicate/reduce evil-doings and effort made to promote/enhance good deeds.

7. Right Mindfulness
Being mindful (as opposed to heedlessness/carelessness) of body, mind, etc.

8. Right Concentration
One-pointedness of the mind (as can be seen and achieved in meditation).

Kamma/Karma

Kamma could simply be defined as action. However, it is not any kind of action, but intentional action, including physical action, speech, or thought. So, an intentional evil thought constitutes a Kamma - an unwholesome one. 

Kamma (action) is always discussed in conjunction with Vipaka (fruits, or the reaction). To a farmer, it is reaping what seed that is sowed. To a scientist, an analogy would be cause and effect (e.g. Newton's Law). To sum up, bad Kamma begets bad Vipaka, and good Kamma reaps good results. Thus, Kamma explains many of the inequalities experienced by mankind - why some are born handicapped, etc.

Having mentioned the above, Buddhists believe that Kamma is not a pre-destination for oneself and nothing could be done. Having suffered this life, a person could actively perform more good deeds such that not only others would benefit from the good deeds, but good Kamma could be accumulated, no matter when in the future the good results are reaped-Cannot just sit around and let things to fate; must make constant effort to change for the better for oneself and other sentient beings!

Understanding Kamma is only the first step. One must encourage wholesome Kamma and avoid (if not eliminate) unwholesome Kamma.

At the end of the day, as mentioned in the Dhammapada (verse 165):

By oneself is evil done,
By oneself is one defiled,
By oneself is no evil done,
By oneself is one purified.
Both defilement and purity depend on oneself.
No one is purified by another. 
 

The Sangha

The organization of the Buddha's disciples had come to be known as the Sangha. The Sangha refers to the followship of disciples of the Buddha. Generally, it includes the Buddhist monks and nuns, who had made their commitments to lead a monastic way of life, and to carry on and preserve the teachings and tradition left behind by the Buddha. On a wider scope, Sangha includes the lay disciples. 

The Metta

Metta is a Pali word for loving-kindness (Sanskrit = Maitri). Metta is essential for everyone. Put simply, loving-kindness means wishing all beings be well and happy, and that harm and suffering be away from them. It is a wish, a prayer, and a state of mind. For a Buddhist practising loving-kindness, it is supposed to be universal --> you cannot be wishing your loved ones well and on the other hand wishing your competitors/enemies to go to hell! Some Buddhists practise meditation on loving-kindness. 

According to the Buddha, a person who practises meditation on loving-kindness regularly could see some results, e.g. sleeps peacefully, disturbing dreams do not occur, pleasing to others, etc.

We can start practising loving-kindness too. Some Buddhists recite (verbally or mentally) the following: -
 
May I be free from enmity, disease and grief and may I guard myself happily; As I am, so also may my teachers, parents, intimate, indifferent, and inimical beings be free from enmity, disease and grief, and may they guard themselves happily; 

May all beings be void of enmity, disease and grief, and may they take care of themselves happily; May I be free from envy, may I be free from jealousy. May I be free from malice; may my beloved parents be well and happy; may my loving brothers and sisters be well and happy; may my kind teachers be well and happy; may my dear friends and relatives be well and happy; may my dutiful servants be well and happy; may all the non-friendly be well and happy. 

Practice of Vipassanā

Vipassana meditation differs in the modern Buddhist traditions and in some nonsectarian forms. It includes any meditation technique that cultivates insight including contemplation, introspection, observation of bodily sensations, analytic meditation, and observations about lived experience. Therefore, the term can include a wide variety of meditation techniques across lineages. 

In the Theravāda

Vipassana as practiced in the Theravada includes contemplating Buddhist teachings, including the Four Noble Truths, as well as more experiential forms such as deep body awareness. In the latter forms it is a simple technique which depends on direct experience and observation. It can be related to the three trainings taught by the Buddha as the basis of a spiritual path: adherence to a sīla (Sanskrit: śīla) (abstinence from killing, stealing, lying, sexual misconduct and intoxication), which is not an end in itself but a requirement for the second part, concentration of the mind (samadhi). With this concentrated mind, the third training, in the context of this technique (pannā, Sanskrit prajna), is detached observation of the reality of the mind and body from moment to moment. 

Who is a Bodhisatta (or Bodhisattva in Sanskrit)?

The components of the term explains. Bodhi refers to "enlightenment" and Satta means "devoted to". As such, this term can generally be used to refer to someone who is striving for enlightenment. In a focused sense, a Bodhisatta is someone who will eventually become a Buddha.

A Bodhisatta in the course of helping others, practices the Perfections:-

1. Generosity
2. Morality
3. Renunciation
4. Wisdom
5. Energy
6. Patience
7. Truthfulness
8. Determination
9. Loving-kindness
10. Equanimity

What is the purpose of Buddhists in worshipping and making Buddha images?

Buddhists cast Buddha images and statues as reminders of the Buddha. People of various countries designed national flags to represent each of their own countries which are held as important, worth of respect. Such practice does not imply paying a respect to the cloth or its colour but to the highest national institution. In the same manner, Buddha images and statues also are objects of respect. 

Our respect does not aim only at wood or metal which Buddha images are made of but mainly at the 3 qualities of the Buddha, namely: wisdom, purity, and compassion. A Buddhist paying respect to a Buddha image is away of reminding oneself that one needs to improve one's own wisdom, purity, and compassion in order to follow the Buddha's triple quality at the same time. 

What are the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha?

To be a Buddhist, one is expected primarily to take refuge in the Triple Gem: the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. Buddha means the Enlightened One. Dhamma means Truth realised and taught by the Buddha. Sangha means the Buddha's disciples who behave and practise righteously. The ideal Sangha means those who attain the Four States of Noblehood.

The meaning of the Triple Gem or the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha may be understood in three different levels as follows:

(1)The First Level
The Buddha : the Enlightened One represented by His replica or Buddha image.
Dhamma : Truth realised and taught by the Buddha, represented by Tripitaka or the Buddhist scripture.
Sangha : the Buddha's noble disciples represented by Buddhist bhikkhus (monks) and bhikkhunis (nuns) in general, who have not yet attained the Four States of Noblehood. The Sangha in this level is called Conventional

(2) The Second Level
The Buddha : The Enlightened One, who was formerly Prince Siddhattha of the Sakya clan. He renounced the worldly life in search of Truth and after His Enlightenment established Buddhism.
Dhamma : Truth realised and taught by the Buddha, learned and put into practice by the Buddhists, both ordained and lay people.
Sangha : the Buddha's noble disciples who have attained the Four States of Noblehood.

(3) The Third Level
The Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha become one. The Buddha in this level is identical with Dhamma as it was stated by Him that "One who sees Dhamma sees me; one who seems me sees Dhamma." This shows that Buddhahood is
Dhamma and Dhamma is Buddhahood. The ideal Sangha is the embodiment of the realised Dhamma. 

Is it true that Buddhism is pessimistic?

The belief that Buddhism is pessimistic derives from the misunderstanding of the First Noble Truth which teaches that all sentient beings are subject to the suffering of birth, old age and death, etc. Only when one accepts the truth of this suffering will one begin to investigate the cause of suffering, the cessation of its cause and practice the path leading to its cessation.

In this sense we will see that Buddhism is neither pessimistic nor optimistic; it is rather realistic. 

The Buddha may be compared to a medical doctor who diagnoses that human beings do have a severe disease, but he did not stop there. He pointed out that it can be overcome and further prescribed medicine to remedy it. Buddhism seeks to overcome human suffering. Each individual needs to develop morality, concentration, and wisdom in order to solve the problems of life. Buddhists are taught to face the world in its reality and try to overcome its binding forces and ultimately arrive at spiritual freedom which is known as Nirvana or Nibbana. 

But how wonderful it will be for all those who have arrived in Nirvana or Nibbana, they will be no more sickness, suffering, crying and death. So please study correctly in Samatha Meditation and Vipassana Meditation before it is forever too late.

What are the main doctrinal tenets of Buddhism?

The main doctrinal tenets of Buddhism can be summarised as follows:

(1) To refrain from all evil
(2) To do what is good
(3) To purify the mind

(1) Suffering
(2)The cause of suffering
(3)The cessation of suffering
(4)The way leading to the cessation of suffering

Buddhism in Burma (also known as Myanmar) is predominantly of the Theravada tradition, practised by 89% of the country's population. It is the most religious Buddhist country in terms of the proportion of monks in the population and proportion of income spent on religion. 

Today, most Buddhists are birth certificate Buddhists. There are estimated 1.6 billion of these kinds of Buddhists. The estimates range between 500 million and just over 1.6 billion. Buddhism population is between 400 and 1,500 million including India, China, Japan, Korea, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Lao, Malaysia, Singapore, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and some regions of Russia, etc. Hinduism population is between 828 and 1,000 million, including India, South Asia, Bali, Mauritius, Fiji, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, and among the overseas Indian communities. 

Some people said "Buddhism and Hinduism are two religions or ways of thought that came from the almost same region and share many similar terminology". The meanings of the terms can be different in some ways. Several Indian thinkers consider Buddhism as it existed in India to be a part of the larger Hindu tradition, which they identify as all those practices and religions native to the Indian subcontinent.  

However, there are quite main fundamental differences between both the religions. Hinduism strongly believes in ‘Atman’, the soul and ‘Brahman’, the eternity of self. As per Buddhism, there is NO concept of the self or I and salvation involved in realizing this concept. Hinduism is based on the concept of atman and Brahman whereas Buddhism denies the existence of an eternal soul.

Hindus worship several Gods and goddesses. While Buddha did NOT deny the existence of any God, he preached that it is futile to search or seek something which an individual is not even aware of. Buddhism believes in attaining nirvana through the four noble truths and eightfold path whereas Hinduism believes there are several ways one can reach to God.

The Buddha himself is considered by many Hindus to be an avatar or reincarnation of Vishnu, an important Indian deity. However, according to the Buddha in the Tripitaka, Vishnu was a young deva newly arisen in the deva plane who paid him a visit and spoke verses in praise of the Buddha. Hinduism and Buddhism are brothers in history.

BUT, Buddhism teachings and Hinduism teachings are NOT same. Some of them are little same. BUT the destination and main points: Four Noble Truth, The Noble 8-fold Path, Vipassana meditation are NOT consisted in Hinduism. Those are consisted ONLY in Buddhism in the world. Some topics such as "Karma/Kamma" are same both in Hinduism and Buddhism but the topics become different on ESSENCE.

And Hindus believe in God (Brahma). For Buddhists, they never believe in Gods, creators, redeemers, and saviors. Buddhists believe that Buddha is the Awakened/Enlightened/Supreme One ABOVE angels/Celestial Gods/Brahma/Creators of universe/human beings. Remember Buddha's proclamation? When Buddha was infant, he proclaimed quickly after his birth in BC 623:

"Supreme am I in the world and universe;
Greatest am I in the world and universe;
Noblest am I in the world and universe.
This is my last birth,
Never shall I be reborn."

From the B.C 588, changes occurred in Indian religious life. The most influential of the religions was Buddhism in India and in the world since B.C 543. Then the Lord Buddha began India’s second religion, after the far older Hindu religion had become entrenched.

The Lord Buddha is the Greatest teacher of human being and Gods.

References:

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