Features of Buddhism as a religion. Briefly about Buddhism

If you want to know what Buddhism is and how Buddhism can lead you to liberation from suffering and true happiness, then read the article to the end and you will have an idea about all the basic concepts of this teaching. You can find different information about Buddhism in different sources. Somewhere Buddhism is more similar to Western psychology and explains how with the help of meditation you can become calm, freeing yourself from attachments and desires. But somewhere Buddhism is described as an esoteric teaching that explains all events in a person’s life as a natural consequence of his karma. In this article I will try to consider Buddhism from different sides and convey what he himself heard from one of the followers of Buddhism - a Vietnamese monk who was born in a monastery and practiced Buddhism all his life.

What is Buddhism? Buddhism is the world's most popular religion, followed by more than 300 million people worldwide. The word Buddhism comes from the word budhi, which means to awaken. This spiritual teaching originated about 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, himself awakened or became enlightened.

What is Buddhism? Is Buddhism a religion?

They say that Buddhism is one of the first world religions. But Buddhists themselves consider this teaching not to be a religion, but rather a science of human consciousness, which studies the causes of suffering and ways of liberation from them.

I, too, am closer to the opinion that Buddhism is more of a philosophy or a science in which there are no ready-made answers, and each person himself is a researcher of his own mind, consciousness and, in general, himself. And in the process of studying oneself, a person finds true unshakable happiness and inner freedom.

The Buddhist path can be described as follows:

• Lead a moral life
• Be mindful and aware of your thoughts, feelings and actions
• Develop wisdom, understanding and compassion

How can Buddhism help me?

Buddhism explains the purpose of life, it explains the apparent injustice and inequality throughout the world. Buddhism provides practical instructions and a lifestyle that leads to true happiness as well as material prosperity.

How does Buddhism explain the injustice of the world? Why can one person have a thousand times more benefits than millions of other people? When I said that Buddhism explains this injustice, I cheated a little, because in this spiritual teaching, there is no such thing as injustice.

Buddhism claims that the external world is something like an illusion, and this illusion is individual for each person. And this illusory reality is created by the human mind itself. That is, what you see in the world around you is a reflection of your mind. What you carry in your mind is what you see reflected, isn't that fair? And most importantly, every person has complete freedom to choose what to fill their mind with.

You probably thought that this knowledge can be used to change your reality, fulfill all your desires and become happy? It’s possible, but that’s not what Buddhism teaches.

Human desires are endless, and achieving what you want will not bring real happiness. The point is that desire is internal state person, and, I must say, this condition causes suffering. When a person gets what he wants, this state does not disappear anywhere. It’s just that a new object of desire appears immediately, and we continue to suffer.

True happiness, according to Buddhism, is achieved not by changing what you carry in your mind, but by freeing your mind from all predispositions.

If you compare the mind to a film, then you can choose which film to watch: a sad one with a bad ending or an easy one with a happy ending. But true happiness is not watching a movie at all, because a movie is a pre-programmed predisposition.

The predispositions of the mind are precisely its content, which, reflected as if in a mirror, creates the reality of a person. It can also be thought of as a mental program that plays back and creates reality.

This program in Buddhism is called karma, and predispositions are also called imprints in the mind or sanskara.

We ourselves create imprints in our minds by reacting to external events. Notice that when you are angry, a kind of imprint of this emotion appears in your body; when you are grateful, it feels like a completely different imprint. These bodily imprints of your reactions will be the cause of events that will happen to you in the future.

And you have already realized that everything that is currently happening around you is the result of your past imprints. And these events try to evoke in you the same emotions that caused them.

This law in Buddhism is called law of cause and effect.

Therefore, any reaction to external events (vedana) becomes a cause that will lead to an event in the future that will again cause the same reaction in you. This is such a vicious circle. This cause-and-effect cycle is called in Buddhism the wheel of samsara.

And this circle can only be broken awareness. If an unpleasant situation happens to you, you automatically react the way you are used to, thereby creating another such situation in the future. This automaticity is the main enemy of awareness. Only when you consciously choose your reactions to everything that happens, you break this circle and get out of it. Therefore, by reacting to any situation with gratitude, no matter how much it contradicts the logic of the mind, you fill your mind with good imprints and form a completely new, better reality in your future.

But I will repeat once again that the goal of Buddhism is not only to create favorable imprints in the mind, but, in principle, to free oneself from any programs and predispositions, both bad and good.

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Selfishness is the cause of all suffering

Buddhism teaches that all suffering comes from the false concept of Self. Yes, the existence of a separate Self is just another concept created in the mind. And it is this I, which in Western psychology is called the Ego, that suffers.

Any suffering can only stem from a person’s attachment to himself, his ego and selfishness.

What a Buddhist Master does is destroy this false Ego, freeing the student from suffering. And this is usually painful and scary. But it's effective.

Probably one of the most famous practices for getting rid of egoism is tonglen. To perform it, you need to imagine a familiar person in front of you and with each breath mentally draw into yourself, into the solar plexus area, all his suffering and pain in the form of a black cloud. And with every exhalation, give all your happiness and all the best that you have or that you would like to have. Imagine your close friend (if you are a woman) and mentally give her everything you want for yourself: a lot of money, better man, talented children, etc. And take away all her suffering for yourself. It is even more effective to do this practice with your enemies.

Practice tonglen twice a day in the morning and evening for 5-10 minutes for 3 weeks. And you will see the result.

The practice of tonglen is something that will give you positive imprints in your mind, which after some time will come to you in the form of what you gave up and gave to another person.

What are reactions in Buddhism

Imagine being betrayed close person. This makes you angry, resentful, angry. But think about it, are you obligated to experience these feelings? The question is not whether you can feel something else at this moment, such as gratitude. But is this option purely theoretically possible? There is no law that says you have to feel resentment or anger in this situation. You make your own choice.

We react to current situations negative emotions only because we are in the dark. We confuse cause and effect, switching their places, believing that situations evoke feelings in us. In fact, feelings cause situations, and situations only tend to evoke in us the same feelings that caused them. But we are not obliged to react to them the way they want. We ourselves can make our own conscious spiritual choices.

The world completely reflects our feelings.

We don’t see this only because this reflection occurs with a time delay. That is, your current reality is a reflection of past feelings. What's the point of reacting to the past? Isn't this the greatest stupidity of a person who is in ignorance? Let's leave this question open and smoothly move on to the next fundamental principle of Buddhist philosophy.

Open mind

It was not for nothing that I suggested leaving the question from the last part open. In one of the most common forms of Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, it is not customary to create concepts of the mind. Feel the difference between reasoning and thinking.

Reasoning always has a logical conclusion - a ready answer. If you like to reason and have an answer to any question, you are a smart guy who still needs to grow and grow in awareness.

Reflection is a state of open mind. You are pondering the question, but do not deliberately come to a logical complete answer, leaving the question open. It's a kind of meditation. Such meditation develops awareness and promotes the rapid growth of human consciousness.

In Zen Buddhism there are even special tasks-questions for meditative reflection, which are called koans. If someday a Buddhist master asks you such a koan problem, do not rush to answer it with a smart look, otherwise you might get hit on the head with a bamboo stick. A koan is a riddle without a solution, it is created for reflection, not for cleverness.

If you decide to follow Zen Buddhism, you can close this article and discard any other ready-made answers to your eternal questions. After all, I’m also building concepts here. Is it good or bad?

Non-judgmental perception in Buddhism

So is this good or bad? How did you answer the question from the last chapter?

But a Buddhist would not answer at all. Because non-judgmental perception– another cornerstone of Buddhism.

According to Buddhism, such assessments as “good” and “bad”, “good” and “evil” and any duality exist only in the human mind and are an illusion.

If you paint a black dot on a black wall, you won't see it. If you draw a white dot on a white wall, you won't see it either. One can see a white dot on a black wall and vice versa only because there is an opposite. Also, good does not exist without evil and evil does not exist without good. And any opposites are parts of one whole.

When you create any assessment in your mind, for example, “good,” you immediately create its opposite in your own mind, otherwise how would you distinguish this “good” of yours?

How to Practice Buddhism: Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a core practice of Buddhism. You can sit in meditation like Buddha for many years. But for this you need to go to a monastery and renounce secular life. This path is hardly suitable for us ordinary people.

Fortunately, you don't have to sit under a banyan tree to practice mindfulness.

Mindfulness can be practiced in Everyday life. To do this, you need to impartially and carefully observe what is happening at the moment.

If you carefully read the article, then you already understand that the present moment that all the Masters talk about is not what is happening around you. The present moment is what is happening inside you. Your reactions. And first of all, your bodily sensations.

After all, it is bodily sensations that are reflected in the mirror of the world - they create imprints in your mind.

So, be aware. Keep your attention in the present moment, here and now.

And carefully observe impartially:

• Bodily sensations and emotions are reactions to what is happening in the outside world.
• Thoughts. Buddhism teaches that thoughts are not you. Thoughts are the same events of the “external world”, but which occur in your mind. That is, thoughts are also predispositions that also leave their imprints. You cannot choose your thoughts, thoughts appear out of nowhere on their own. But you can choose your reactions to them.
• Surrounding area. In addition to the “present” moment, you also need to be very sensitive to the entire space around you, to be attentive to people and nature. But keep all your senses under control, not allowing them to influence your internal state.

Buddhism in Questions and Answers

Why is Buddhism becoming popular?

Buddhism is becoming popular in Western countries for a number of reasons. First good reason is that Buddhism has solutions to many of the problems of modern materialistic society. It also provides deep insight into the human mind and natural treatments for chronic stress and depression. Mindfulness meditation or mindfulness is already used in official Western medicine to treat depression.

The most effective and advanced psychotherapeutic practices are borrowed from Buddhist psychology.

Buddhism is spreading in the West primarily among educated and wealthy people, because, having covered their primary material needs, people strive for conscious spiritual development, which conventional religions with outdated dogmas and blind faith cannot provide.

Who was Buddha?

Siddhartha Gautama was born in 563 BC into a royal family in Lumbini in modern-day Nepal.

At the age of 29, he realized that wealth and luxury do not guarantee happiness, so he researched various teachings, religions and philosophies of the time to find the key to human happiness. After six years of study and meditation, he finally found the "middle path" and became enlightened. After his enlightenment, the Buddha spent the rest of his life teaching the principles of Buddhism until his death at the age of 80.

Was Buddha God?

No. Buddha was not God and did not claim to be. He was an ordinary person, who taught the path to enlightenment from his own experience.

Do Buddhists worship idols?

Buddhists respect Buddha images, but do not worship or ask for favor. Buddha statues with hands resting on laps and a compassionate smile remind us to strive to cultivate peace and love within ourselves. Worshiping the statue is an expression of gratitude for the teaching.

Why are so many Buddhist countries poor?

One of the Buddhist teachings is that wealth does not guarantee happiness, and wealth is not permanent. In every country, people suffer, whether rich or poor. But those who know themselves find true happiness.

Are there different types Buddhism?

There are many various types Buddhism. Accents vary from country to country due to customs and culture. What does not change is the essence of the teaching.

Are other religions true?

Buddhism is a belief system that is tolerant of all other beliefs or religions. Buddhism is consistent with the moral teachings of other religions, but Buddhism goes further by providing long term goal in our existence through wisdom and true understanding. True Buddhism is very tolerant and does not concern itself with labels such as "Christian", "Muslim", "Hindu" or "Buddhist". This is why there have never been wars in the name of Buddhism. This is why Buddhists do not preach or proselytize, but explain only when an explanation is required.

Is Buddhism a science?

Science is knowledge that can be developed into a system that depends on observation and verification of facts, and on the establishment of general natural laws. The essence of Buddhism fits into this definition because the Four Noble Truths (see below) can be tested and proven by anyone. In fact, the Buddha himself asked his followers to test the teachings rather than accept his word as true. Buddhism depends more on understanding than on faith.

What did Buddha teach?

The Buddha taught many things, but the basic concepts in Buddhism can be summed up by the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path.

What is the first noble truth?

The first truth is that life is suffering, that is, life includes pain, aging, disease and ultimately death. We also endure psychological suffering such as loneliness, fear, embarrassment, disappointment and anger. This is an irrefutable fact that cannot be denied. This is realistic rather than pessimistic, because pessimism expects things to be bad. Instead, Buddhism explains how we can avoid suffering and how we can be truly happy.

What is the second noble truth?

The second truth is that suffering is caused by desire and aversion. We will suffer if we expect other people to live up to our expectations, if we want others to like us, if we don't get what we want, etc. In other words, getting what you want is not guarantees happiness. Instead of constantly struggling to get what you want, try changing your desires. Desire robs us of satisfaction and happiness. A life full of desires, and especially the desire to continue to exist, creates a powerful energy that forces a person to be born. Thus desires lead to physical suffering because they force us to be reborn.

What is the third noble truth?

The third truth is that suffering can be overcome and happiness can be achieved. That true happiness and contentment are possible. If we give up the useless craving of desires and learn to live in the present moment (without dwelling in the past or imagined future), then we can become happy and free. Then we will have more time and energy to help others. This is Nirvana.

What is the Fourth Noble Truth?

The fourth truth is that the Noble Eightfold Path is the path that leads to the end of suffering.

What is the Noble Eightfold Path?

The Noble Eightfold Path or middle path consists of eight rules.

- correct view or understanding of the four noble truths from one's own experience

- the right intention or unshakable decision to follow the Buddhist path

- correct speech or refusal of lies and rudeness

— correct behavior or non-harm to living beings

- living or earning a living in accordance with Buddhist values

- correct effort or development in oneself of qualities conducive to awakening

- right mindfulness or continuous awareness of body sensations, thoughts, mental images

— correct concentration or deep concentration and meditation to achieve liberation

What is karma?

Karma is the law that every cause has an effect. Our actions have results. This simple law explains a number of things: inequality in the world, why some are born disabled and some gifted, why some live short life. Karma emphasizes the importance of each person taking responsibility for their past and present actions. How can we check the karmic effect of our actions? The answer is summarized by considering (1) the intention behind the action, (2) the action's impact on oneself, and (3) the effect on others.

The message about Buddhism summarized in this article will tell you a lot useful information about one of the most influential religions in the world.

Report on Buddhism

The main object of worship and the founder of Buddhism is Prince Gautama Siddhartha. He lived in 563 - 483 BC. e. Therefore, this religion is one of the most ancient in the world.

According to legend, when Gautama turned 35, he achieved enlightenment and changed his life, as well as the lives of those people who followed him. They called him Buddha, which from Sanskrit means awakened, enlightened. He spread his sermons for 40 years and Siddhartha died at the age of 80. It is noteworthy that Siddhartha did not leave behind any written work.

How is God interpreted in Buddhism?

Sects that have separated from Buddhism revere Buddha as God. But the majority of followers see Siddhartha as a mentor, founder and educator. They are confident that enlightenment can only be achieved with the help of infinite Universal energy. Therefore, we can draw the following conclusion: the world of Buddhism does not recognize the existence of a creator god, omnipotent and omniscient. According to their beliefs, every person is part of a deity. Buddhists do not have a permanent God, because every enlightened person is capable of achieving the great title of “Buddha”. This understanding of God is what distinguishes Buddhism from other Western religions.

What is the essence of Buddhism?

The main desire of Buddhists is to purify the clouded state of mind that distorts reality. This state includes feelings of fear, anger, selfishness, ignorance, laziness, greed, envy, irritation, and so on.

Religion develops beneficial and pure qualities consciousness: compassion, generosity, wisdom, kindness, gratitude, hard work. They help you gradually clear and understand your mind. When it becomes bright and strong, irritation and anxiety, leading to depression and adversity, decrease.

In general, Buddhism is a religion of more than a philosophical nature. Its doctrine contains 4 basic truths:

• about the origin and causes of suffering
• about the nature of suffering
• about ways to end suffering
• about ending suffering and eliminating its sources

All of them ultimately lead to the destruction of pain and suffering. The achieved state of the human soul allows one to plunge into transcendental meditation, achieving enlightenment and wisdom.

Ethics and Morality of Buddhism

Buddhist ethics and morality are based on the principles of not committing moderation and harm. In a person, religion educates and develops a sense of concentration, morality and wisdom. Meditation allows you to comprehend the work of the mind and the cause-and-effect relationships between spiritual, physical and psychological processes. Each level of the teachings of Buddhism is aimed at the comprehensive development of the human personality - mind, speech and body.

We hope that the report on Buddhism helped us learn a lot of useful information about this world religion. And you can leave your message about the religion of Buddhism using the comment form below.

Buddhism is considered the oldest of the world's religions. Christianity and Islam arose much later - six and thirteen centuries after the appearance of the Buddha's doctrine.

Over the years of its formation and development, Buddhism has created and improved not only a religious worldview, but also philosophy, culture, and art. By professing this religion, a person can experience the whole spectrum scientific knowledge, not limited to one point of view. What is the Buddhist faith? What are its foundations and practices?

What does the word "Buddhism" mean?

Representatives of Buddhism themselves call their religion Buddhadharma, and its founder Buddha Shakyamuni - Dharma. The concept comes from the Sanskrit phrase buddha dharma, which translated means "Teachings of the Enlightened One" . Term "Buddhism" was invented by Europeans in the 19th century to designate a religious and philosophical movement that came to Europe from Ancient India.

Buddhism originated around the 6th century BC thanks to the spiritual teacher Siddhattha Gotama, who later became known as the Buddha. It is believed that his path to enlightenment began in previous lives, but his understanding of the harsh reality appeared only when last birth under the name Gotama.

At the age of 16, he married Princess Yashodhara, and at the age of 29, he got out of the palace and saw 4 so-called “spectacles” that completely turned his life upside down. That day, Buddha met a hermit, a poor man, a sick person and a decomposed corpse, after which he realized that neither wealth nor fame can protect people from deprivation, illness and death.

What he saw prompted Buddha to leave the palace and go in search of enlightenment. During his journey, he practiced meditation, and at the age of 35, he finally achieved awakening (bodhi) and gained knowledge of the Four Noble Truths.


From that time on, Buddha began to pass on his acquired knowledge to other people, and after his death, all his dialogues, sayings and covenants were collected by his students into a single Buddhist canon, the Tripitaka.

What is Buddhism?

Today, Buddhism is a world religion and philosophical doctrine, although some researchers and historians call it the “science of consciousness.” There are two main branches of Buddhism in the world, differing in methods of practice and philosophical views.

The Mahayana (Great Vehicle) teaching is based on beliefs about a certain path along which people can achieve bodhi. Hinayana (Little Vehicle) is based on ideas about the state of being and on the denial of the human soul as an independent entity.

In addition to the two main movements of Buddhism, there is an additional worldview, Vajrayana (Diamond Chariot), which separated from Mahayana in the 5th century.

Who are Buddhists?

Buddhists include adherents of the Buddhist religion, that is, people who have dedicated their lives to the path to spiritual awakening. Total There are more than 460 million followers of this religion in the world, of which about 1 million are Buddhist monks.

The teaching became most widespread in Asia - mainly in the southern and eastern parts of the continent. Maximum amount Buddhists are concentrated in India, Vietnam, China, and Cambodia. In Russia, Buddhist communities can be found in Tuva, Kalmykia and Buryatia.

What are the Four Noble Truths?

The basis of Buddhist teachings are the “Four Noble Truths,” the knowledge of which allows people to come to awakening.

First, Buddhists believe that there is suffering (dukkha) in the world.

Secondly, dukkha has causes.

Thirdly, every person has the opportunity to get rid of suffering by eliminating the cause of dukkha.

And fourthly, adherents of Buddhism believe that there is a path in the world through which one can get rid of dukkha.

How is Buddhism different from other world religions?

If we compare Buddhism with monotheistic religions that recognize the unity of God, its main difference is the fact that Buddhists do not believe in the existence of a creator God.


They do not recognize the creation of the world by the Almighty and believe that it was not created by anyone and is not controlled by anyone. The teaching denies the possibility, there is no heresy and unconditional faith in it. In addition, Buddhism does not have unified textual canons and a common religious organization similar to Christian churches.

As is known, in modern society There are three world religions: Christianity, Buddhism and Islam. Of these three faiths, the smallest is Buddhism, but the history of its emergence and the development of its traditions and principles is no less interesting than information about Christianity and Islam.
Buddhism is considered one of the most ancient religious and philosophical teachings. However, the term “Buddhism” itself was created in Europe already in the 19th century. Buddhism arose in India, and the founder of this teaching is called Siddhartha Gautama, who later received the name Shakyamuni Buddha. The followers of this teaching called it “Dharma” or “Buddhadharma”.
After observing his mind for several years, Buddha Shakyamuni expressed his idea that the cause of all people’s suffering is themselves. Buddha believed that people are very attached to material values ​​and have a habit of creating illusions. He believed that the way to get rid of these sufferings consisted of meditation and the practice of self-restraint (that is, following certain precepts). In Buddhism, the main thing is the desire to cleanse the mind from fear, selfishness, jealousy, laziness, greed, anger and other states that we are accustomed to calling vices. Buddhism develops such qualities leading to well-being as hard work, kindness, compassion and others.
Prince Gautama Siddhartha is considered the founder and main object of worship in Buddhism. According to legend, at the age of 35 he achieved enlightenment and was able to change not only his life, but also the lives of those who followed him. Gautama's followers gave him the name Buddha.
During its spread, Buddhism absorbed a large number of various beliefs and rituals. Some adherents of Buddhism consider the main thing to be self-knowledge that occurs through meditation, others adhere to the idea that this happens through good deeds, and still others - veneration of the Buddha.
Buddhist meditation occupied a special place in the early teachings. It represents methods of physical and spiritual self-improvement.
All followers of Buddhism rely on doctrines. The first doctrine contains the Four Noble Truths, which contain information about suffering (dukkha): about suffering itself; about the causes of suffering; about the possibility of liberation from suffering; about ways to get rid of suffering. The second doctrine contains the doctrine of karma. There is also the Anatmavada doctrine, the Kshanikavada doctrine and Buddhist cosmology. There are several interpretations of doctrines, they may differ (it depends on the school). There are several schools, but in each of them the path to enlightenment is based on three main components: first, it is a theory about how the world works; secondly, meditation is an integral part; thirdly, a certain way of life, when a certain level of development of consciousness has already been achieved.
All schools of Buddhism are distinguished by their affiliation with one of the “Three Vehicles”. The first is Hinayana (“Little Vehicle”). Indeed, it is based on the Four Noble Truths. People belonging to this school are most often monks. The second school is called Mahayana (“Great Vehicle”). The basis of this school is the teachings on compassion and the emptiness of phenomena. Mahayana practitioners observe the Bodhisattva vow, according to which they must think about the welfare of other beings when performing any action. Another school is Tantrayana or "Vehicle of Tantras". The Buddha's teaching on nature is the basis here. The highest achievement in this school is considered final enlightenment. Practitioners of this school are mainly yogis or lay people.
Becoming a follower of Buddhism from birth is impossible, since you need to realize and understand the three jewels: Buddha (the most important jewel; Shakyamuni Buddha or any enlightened one), Dharma (the teachings of the Buddha, the object of teaching is nirvana) and the Sangha (a small group of Buddhists or Buddhists in general ). After realizing these jewels, it was necessary to follow the five Buddhist precepts: abstaining from killing, stealing, debauchery, deception and intoxication. However, non-observance of these commandments was not punished in any way - the Buddha relied on the common sense of his followers, and not on fear. The morals and ethics of Buddhists are based on not committing harm and cultivating a sense of concentration in a person. Meditation helps to understand the connection between spiritual, bodily and psychological processes.
The Buddha's teachings are associated with the so-called middle path, according to which neither asceticism nor hedonism is considered acceptable. Buddha himself explained that his teaching is not a divine revelation, but that he received it through meditative contemplation of his own spirit. The results depend only on the person himself. The Buddha believed that following his teachings must be done through personal experience. The purpose of the Buddha's teaching is to achieve the full development of the human mind.
The concept of God in Buddhism is very unusual, which distinguishes it from most Western religions. Buddhists do not have a single and permanent God; any enlightened person can become a Buddha. However, it is Buddha who is seen as a mentor.
The most important written source of Buddhism is considered full meeting teachings of the Buddha, consisting of 108 volumes. This collection is called “Kanjur”. "Tenjur" - commentaries on the teachings, they consist of 254 volumes.
Life, according to Buddhism, is a manifestation of “streams” of dharmas, which are invisible and intangible. Dharmas constitute the experience of sentient beings. Living beings mean not only humans, but also everything that exists in this world. When the flow of dharmas disintegrates, death occurs, after which the dharmas are formed anew, therefore, the process of reincarnation (transmigration of souls) begins. The course of this process is greatly influenced by karma acquired in a previous life. The never-ending process of reincarnation, during which a person experiences suffering, ends with the achievement of nirvana (a state of peace and bliss, merging with the Buddha).
The concept of "dharma" is very common in Buddhist literature, especially in various philosophical works. Also, the concept of “dharma” also refers to the teachings of the Buddha.
Buddhist teaching is very multifaceted and interesting, first of all, because it is not based on faith. Experience is important in Buddhism, so limiting yourself to only describing the content of Buddhism is not enough. Buddhism in short is a very complex philosophy of life. All distinctive features Buddhism can be seen when we compare it with other religions and worldviews. It is important to remember one thing: one should approach this teaching only when the mind is freed from various moral standards.

Geography of Buddhism…………………………………………………………….1

The Birth of Buddhism……………………………………………………………...1

Biography of Buddha……………………………………………………………...2

Mythological biography of Buddha………………………….3

Basic principles and features of Buddhism as a religion…………….4

List of references…………………………………8

Geography of Buddhism

Buddhism is the oldest of the world's religions, which received its name from the name, or rather from the honorary title, of its founder Buddha, which means “Enlightened One”. Buddha Shakyamuni (a sage from the Shakya tribe) lived in India in the 5th-4th centuries. BC e. Other world religions - Christianity and Islam - appeared later (five and twelve centuries later, respectively).

If we try to imagine this religion from a bird’s eye view, we will see a motley patchwork of trends, schools, sects, subsects, religious parties and organizations.

Buddhism has absorbed many diverse traditions of the peoples of those countries that fell into its sphere of influence, and also determined the way of life and thoughts of millions of people in these countries. Most adherents of Buddhism now live in South, Southeast, Central and East Asia: Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Mongolia, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Cambodia, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Thailand and Laos. In Russia, Buddhism is traditionally practiced by Buryats, Kalmyks and Tuvans.

Buddhism was and remains a religion that takes different forms depending on where it spreads. Chinese Buddhism is a religion that speaks to believers in a language Chinese culture and national ideas about the most important values ​​of life. Japanese Buddhism is a synthesis of Buddhist ideas, Shinto mythology, Japanese culture, etc.

Birth of Buddhism

Buddhists themselves count down the existence of their religion from the death of the Buddha, but among them there is no consensus about the years of his life. According to the tradition of the oldest Buddhist school, Theravada, Buddha lived from 624 to 544 BC. e. According to the scientific version, the life of the founder of Buddhism is from 566 to 486 BC. e. Some areas of Buddhism adhere to later dates: 488-368. BC e. The birthplace of Buddhism is India (more precisely, the Ganges Valley). The society of Ancient India was divided into varnas (classes): brahmans (the highest class of spiritual mentors and priests), kshatriyas (warriors), vaishyas (merchants) and sudras (serving all other classes). Buddhism for the first time addressed a person not as a representative of any class, clan, tribe or a certain gender, but as an individual (unlike the followers of Brahmanism, the Buddha believed that women, on an equal basis with men, are capable of achieving the highest spiritual perfection). For Buddhism, only personal merit was important in a person. Thus, the word “brahman” is used by Buddha to call any noble and wise person, regardless of his origin.

Biography of Buddha

The biography of Buddha reflects the fate of a real person framed by myths and legends, which over time almost completely pushed aside the historical figure of the founder of Buddhism. More than 25 centuries ago, in one of the small states in northeast India, a son, Siddhartha, was born to King Shuddhodana and his wife Maya. His family name was Gautama. The prince lived in luxury, without worries, eventually started a family and, probably, would have succeeded his father on the throne if fate had not decreed otherwise.

Having learned that there are diseases, old age and death in the world, the prince decided to save people from suffering and went in search of a recipe for universal happiness. In the area of ​​​​Gaya (it is still called Bodh Gaya) he achieved Enlightenment, and the path to the salvation of humanity was revealed to him. This happened when Siddhartha was 35 years old. In the city of Benares, he delivered his first sermon and, as Buddhists say, “turned the wheel of Dharma” (as the teachings of the Buddha are sometimes called). He traveled with sermons in cities and villages, he had disciples and followers who were going to listen to the instructions of the Teacher, whom they began to call Buddha. At the age of 80, Buddha died. But even after the death of the Teacher, the disciples continued to preach his teaching throughout India. They created monastic communities where this teaching was preserved and developed. These are the facts of the real biography of Buddha - the man who became the founder of a new religion.

Mythological biography of Buddha

Mythological biography is much more complex. According to legends, the future Buddha was reborn a total of 550 times (83 times as a saint, 58 as a king, 24 as a monk, 18 as a monkey, 13 as a merchant, 12 as a chicken, 8 as a goose, 6 as an elephant; in addition, as a fish, rat, carpenter, blacksmith, frog, hare, etc.). This was until the gods decided that the time had come for him, born in the guise of a man, to save the world, mired in the darkness of ignorance. The birth of Buddha into a kshatriya family was his last birth. That is why he was called Siddhartha (He who has achieved the goal). The boy was born with thirty-two signs of a “great man” (golden skin, a wheel sign on the foot, wide heels, a light circle of hair between the eyebrows, long fingers, long earlobes, etc.). A wandering ascetic astrologer predicted that a great future awaited him in one of two spheres: either he would become a powerful ruler, capable of establishing righteous order on earth, or he would be a great hermit. Mother Maya did not take part in raising Siddhartha - she died (and according to some legends, she retired to heaven so as not to die from admiring her son) shortly after his birth. The boy was raised by his aunt. The prince grew up in an atmosphere of luxury and prosperity. The father did everything possible to prevent the prediction from coming true: he surrounded his son with wonderful things, beautiful and carefree people, and created an atmosphere of eternal celebration so that he would never know about the sorrows of this world. Siddhartha grew up, got married at the age of 16, and had a son, Rahula. But the father's efforts were in vain. With the help of his servant, the prince managed to secretly escape from the palace three times. For the first time he met a sick person and realized that beauty is not eternal and there are ailments in the world that disfigure a person. The second time he saw the old man and realized that youth is not eternal. For the third time he watched a funeral procession, which showed him the fragility of human life.

Siddhartha decided to look for a way out of the trap of illness - old age - death. According to some versions, he also met a hermit, which led him to think about the possibility of overcoming the suffering of this world by leading a solitary and contemplative lifestyle. When the prince decided on the great renunciation, he was 29 years old. After six years of ascetic practice and another unsuccessful attempt to achieve higher insight through fasting, he became convinced that the path of self-torture would not lead to the truth. Then, having regained his strength, he found a secluded place on the river bank, sat down under a tree (which from that time on was called the Bodhi tree, i.e., the “tree of Enlightenment”) and plunged into contemplation. Before Siddhartha's inner gaze, his own past lives, the past, future and present lives of all living beings passed, and then the highest truth - Dharma - was revealed. From that moment on, he became the Buddha - the Enlightened One, or the Awakened One - and decided to teach the Dharma to all people who seek truth, regardless of their origin, class, language, gender, age, character, temperament and mental abilities.

Buddha spent 45 years spreading his teachings in India. According to Buddhist sources, he won followers from all walks of life. Shortly before his death, the Buddha told his beloved disciple Ananda that he could have extended his life by a whole century, and then Ananda bitterly regretted that he had not thought to ask him about this. The cause of Buddha's death was a meal with the poor blacksmith Chunda, during which Buddha, knowing that the poor man was going to treat his guests to stale meat, asked to give all the meat to him. Buddha died in the town of Kushinagara, and his body was traditionally cremated, and the ashes were divided among eight followers, six of whom represented different communities. His ashes were buried in eight different places, and subsequently memorial tombstones - stupas - were erected over these burials. According to legend, one of the students pulled out a Buddha tooth from the funeral pyre, which became the main relic of Buddhists. Now it is located in a temple in the city of Kandy on the island of Sri Lanka.

Basic principles and features of Buddhism as a religion

Like other religions, Buddhism promises people deliverance from the most painful aspects of human existence - suffering, adversity, passions, fear of death. However, not recognizing the immortality of the soul, not considering it something eternal and unchanging, Buddhism does not see the point in striving for eternal life in heaven, since eternal life from the point of view of Buddhism and other Indian religions is just an endless series of reincarnations, a change of bodily shells . In Buddhism, the term “samsara” is adopted to denote it.

Buddhism teaches that the essence of man is unchangeable; under the influence of his actions, only a person’s existence and perception of the world changes. By doing badly, he reaps illness, poverty, humiliation. By doing well, he tastes joy and peace. This is the law of karma (moral retribution), which determines a person’s fate both in this life and in future reincarnations.

Buddhism sees the highest goal of religious life in liberation from karma and exit from the circle of samsara. In Hinduism, the state of a person who has achieved liberation is called moksha, and in Buddhism - nirvana.

People who are superficially familiar with Buddhism believe that Nirvana is death. Wrong. Nirvana is peace, wisdom and bliss, the extinction of the fire of life, and with it a significant part of emotions, desires, passions - everything that makes up the life of an ordinary person. And yet this is not death, but life, but only in a different quality, the life of a perfect, free spirit.

I would like to note that Buddhism is neither a monotheistic (recognizing one God) nor a polytheistic (based on belief in many gods) religions. Buddha does not deny the existence of gods and other supernatural beings (demons, spirits, creatures of hell, gods in the form of animals, birds, etc.), but believes that they are also subject to the action of karma and, despite all their supernatural powers, cannot The most important thing is to get rid of reincarnations. Only a person is able to “take the path” and, by consistently changing himself, eradicate the cause of rebirth and achieve nirvana. To be freed from rebirth, gods and other beings will have to be born in human form. Only among people can the highest spiritual beings appear: Buddhas - people who have achieved Enlightenment and Nirvana and preach the Dharma, and Bodhisattvas - those who put off going to Nirvana in order to help other creatures.

Unlike other world religions, the number of worlds in Buddhism is almost infinite. Buddhist texts say that they are more numerous than drops in the ocean or grains of sand in the Ganges. Each of the worlds has its own land, ocean, air, many heavens where the gods live, and levels of hell inhabited by demons, spirits of evil ancestors - pretas, etc. In the center of the world stands the huge Mount Meru, surrounded by seven mountain ranges. At the top of the mountain there is a “sky of 33 gods”, headed by the god Shakra.

The most important concept for Buddhists is the concept of dharma - it personifies the teachings of the Buddha, the highest truth that he revealed to all beings. “Dharma” literally means “support,” “that which supports.” The word “dharma” in Buddhism means moral virtue, primarily the moral and spiritual qualities of the Buddha, which believers should imitate. In addition, dharmas are the final elements into which, from the Buddhist point of view, the stream of existence is divided.

Buddha began preaching his teachings with the “four noble truths.” According to the first truth, the entire existence of man is suffering, dissatisfaction, disappointment. Even the happy moments of his life ultimately lead to suffering, since they involve “separation from the pleasant.” Although suffering is universal, it is not the original and inevitable condition of man, since it has its own cause - the desire or thirst for pleasure - which underlies the attachment of people to existence in this world. This is the second noble truth.

The pessimism of the first two noble truths is overcome by the next two. The third truth says that the cause of suffering, since it is generated by man himself, is subject to his will and can be eliminated by him - in order to put an end to suffering and disappointment, one must stop experiencing desires.

How to achieve this is explained by the fourth truth of the Noble Eightfold Path: “This noble eightfold path is: right views, right intentions, right speech, correct actions, right living, right effort, right awareness and right concentration.” The Four Noble Truths are in many ways similar to the principles of treatment: medical history, diagnosis, recognition of the possibility of recovery, prescription of treatment. It is no coincidence that Buddhist texts compare the Buddha with a healer who is engaged not in general reasoning, but in the practical healing of people from spiritual suffering. And the Buddha calls on his followers to constantly work on themselves in the name of salvation, and not waste time ranting about subjects that they do not know. own experience. He compares a lover of abstract conversations with a fool who, instead of allowing an arrow that has hit him to be pulled out, begins to talk about who fired it, what material it was made of, etc.

In Buddhism, unlike Christianity and Islam, there is no church, but there is a community of believers - the sangha. This is a spiritual brotherhood that helps in progress along the Buddhist path. The community provides its members with strict discipline (vinaya) and the guidance of experienced mentors.

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