Biography: Siddhartha was born into a royal family near India. As a child, he was very spoiled because his father wanted to shield him from the harsh realities of life. As he became older, he wanted to leave the palace. When he went into the real world, he was shocked to find terrible things such as sickness, suffering, and death. After coming across these hardships, Siddhartha met a religious man. This inspired him to search for the meaning behind the hardships of life. After wandering for years, he still had not found the answer to his question. He then sat under a tree and vowed to not move until he had come to an answer. After being tempted by many gods, he had finally become the Buddha, or “the enlightened.” The Threefold Way consists of of ethics, meditation, and wisdom. Ethical actions are actions that bring about good, rather than harm, to oneself and others. Meditation is a deep, internal reflection of oneself and one’s life. Wisdom is the culmination of all Buddhist efforts: to become enlightened.
The Three Jewels are the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. The Buddha is important as he serves as an example of how to live one’s life and how to achieve enlightenment. Dharma, the teachings of the Buddha, is important as it serves as a story of how to effectively become enlightened. The Sangha is the practice of following in the footsteps of other Buddhists who have gone before you. Additionally, it is learning from another Buddhist.
The Four Noble Truths are: 1) All existence is suffering; 2) The cause of suffering is craving; 3) The end of suffering comes with the end of craving; and 4) There is a path that leads away from suffering.
No comments:
Post a Comment