Buddhism for beginners
- Part 1 -

Thangjam Sanjoo *

Wat - A Buddhist Temple in Bangkok, Thailand ( Pix from 2007) :: Pix - WT

Introduction

Buddhism started from India and then later on spread to the continent of whole of Asia. Now that Buddhism is also beginning to be fast-growing religion in the west as lot of westerners are attracted to its rational approach and rejection of an all-powerful deity. But all too often westerners hastily get stuck on the idea of rebirth and the various cultural traditions that have become a part of Buddhism in Asia.

Is it true that rebirth is for real, if karma is scientific, if Buddhism is rational, then why do we have to bow to His statue, and so on? In fact, some westerner tried many means looking for others who've converted to Buddhism, hoping they can discover the trick to becoming a Buddhist despite a materialist upbringing. So from this article you may find some useful resources and I hope it will be of some use to others too

1. Where should I start?

2. What is Buddhism?

3. Are rebirth and karma for real?

4. What is our purpose in life?

5. What's the difference between Theravada and Mahayana?

6. Which tradition should I choose?

7. How do I become a Buddhist?

1. WHERE SHOULD I START?

If there's one place you should not start is its reincarnation or rebirth. Newcomers to Buddhism tend to open every book at the section on rebirth because what happens to us after we die is all-important in the monotheistic culture we come from.

But the Buddha wasn't teaching rebirth as the goal of life. He said many times, "I teach suffering, and the way out of suffering." That was his message, to make nirvana - the end of suffering - the goal. So the place to start is with the basics, the Four Noble Truths and a practice aimed at reducing suffering. If this seems worthwhile to you, you're on your way.

In fact, the best way to start is by doing a lot of reading. You need to know about the basic principles of Buddhism, its founder, its history, the different traditions, and what it can do for you.

2. WHAT IS BUDDHISM?

Introduction

For more than 2,500 years, the religion we know today as Buddhism has been the primary inspiration behind many successful civilizations, the source of great cultural achievements and a lasting and meaningful guide to the very purpose of life for millions of people. Today, large numbers of men and women from diverse backgrounds throughout our world are following the Teachings of the Buddha. So who was the Buddha and what are His Teachings?

The Buddha

The man who was to become the Buddha was born Siddhattha Gautama around 2,600 years ago as a Prince of a small territory near what is now the Indian-Nepale border. Though he was raised in splendid comfort, enjoying aristocratic status, no amount of material pleasure could satisfy the enquiring and philosophic nature of the young man. At the age of 29 he left his palace and family to search for a deeper meaning in the secluded forests and remote mountains of North-East India.

He studied under the wisest religious teachers and philosophers of his time, learning all they had to offer, but he found it was not enough. He then struggled alone with the path of self- mortification, taking that practice to the extremes of asceticism, but still to no avail.

Then, at the age of 35, on the full moon night of May, he sat beneath the branches of what is now known as the Bodhi Tree, in a secluded grove by the banks of the river Neranjara, and developed his mind in deep but luminous, tranquil meditation. Using the extraordinary clarity of such a mind with its sharp penetrative power generated by states of deep inner stillness, he turned his attention to investigate upon the hidden meanings of mind, universe and life.

Thus he gained the supreme Enlightenment experience and from that time on he was known as the Buddha. His Enlightenment consisted of the most profound and all-embracing insight into the nature of mind and all phenomena. This Enlightenment was not a revelation from some divine being, but a discovery made by Himself and based on the deepest level of meditation and the clearest experience of the mind. It meant that He was no longer subject to craving, ill-will and delusion but was free from their shackles, having attained the complete ending of all forms of inner suffering and acquired unshakeable peace.

The Teachings of the Buddha

Having realized the goal of Perfect Enlightenment, the Buddha spent the next 45 years teaching a Path which, when diligently followed, will take anyone regardless of race, class or gender to that same Perfect Enlightenment. The Teachings about this Path are called the Dharma, literally meaning "the nature of all things" or "the truth underlying existence". It is beyond the scope of this pamphlet to present a thorough description of all of these Teachings but the following 7 topics will give you an overview of what the Buddha taught:

1. The way of Inquiry

The Buddha warned strongly against blind faith and encouraged the way of truthful inquiry. In one of His best known sermons, the Kalama Sutta, the Buddha pointed out the danger in fashioning one's beliefs merely on the following grounds: on hearsay, on tradition, because many others say it is so, on the authority of ancient scriptures, on the word of a supernatural being, or out of trust in one's teachers, elders, or priests.

Instead one maintains an open mind and thoroughly investigates one's own experience of life. When one sees for oneself that a particular view agrees with both experience and reason, and leads to the happiness of one and all, then one should accept that view and live up to it!

This principle, of course, applies to the Buddha's own Teachings. They should be considered and inquired into using the clarity of mind born of meditation. Only when one sees these Teachings for oneself in the experience of insight, do these Teachings become one's Truth and give blissful liberation.

The traveler on the way of inquiry needs the practice of tolerance. Tolerance does not mean that one embraces every idea or view but means one doesn't get angry at what one can't accept.

Further along the journey, what one once disagreed with might later be seen to be true. So in the spirit of tolerant inquiry, here are some more of the basic Teachings as the Buddha gave them.

To be continued...