İnanç Dosyası 19 | Buddhism 1

In India, Varanasi, Sarnath, The Deer Park.—Here, in the sixth BCE, the Buddha gave his first sermonand set in motion the Wheel of Law, the Dharmachakra. Over the centuries, Sarnath flourished as a center of Buddhist art and teaching, particularly for Hinayana Buddhism. Today it is an important Buddhist center, and Sarnath’s avenues house missions from all over the Buddhist world. Ashoka is said to have meditated here.

In Buddhism, there is no question of the existence of God or any divine inspiration. Buddhism is a system of observances rather than a philosophy. As opposed to a religion, instead of having recourse to acts of faith or worship, Buddhism calls for the individual to assume responsibility for himself; it is beyond a system of ethics, but is rather a means of salvation and it is the sum total of all habits that change a person for the better. Buddhism teaches that if one can detach oneself from events one can freely overcome them. It suggests that, instead of seeking answers to unanswerable questions, one should recognize the need for a pathway leading to deliverance from suffering and pain. The basic aim of Buddhism is to be in harmony with all thoughts. The many varied ways of worship encountered in Buddhism originate from this. In his teaching, Buddha maintained the idea that one should show compassion to all living creatures. One of the most important Buddhist principles is that all living things must be respected. Buddhists award great importance to Ahimsa ("non-violence").

Buddha was born in India (6^th century BCE), and acknowledged the overall context of Indian concepts such as Karma and Samsara but he did not accept Atman, (the inner self). 

Buddha, the inspiration for this gold-plated statue, was very probably the first person to maintain that on earth, salvation and inner peace are not achieved through divine intervention from outside, but through the individual achieving control of the mind.

Laos – Luangprabang – Wat Vixun

Cambodia – Siem Reap. Angkor, Bayon Temple.

As against both Hinduism and Jainism, Buddhism denied a permanent, unchanging self or substantial soul that transmigrates intact from one life to the next. Instead a person is in process of continuous change, with no fixed underlying entity. All is transitory and impermanent, in continual unease and unrest, and substanceless.

Genuine knowledge, orderly conduct, and total meditation are the essentials of the Buddhist lifestyle. It is nonsensical to be involved in worldly affairs. Total meditation is a means which aims to neutralise antagonistic behaviour, using many different techniques. Compassion, kindness to all creatures and remonstration against all evil deeds are the Buddhist virtues.

The individualistic Buddhism which represents the original Buddhism, is called Hinayana (the Lesser Vehicle). The purpose of this doctrine is to achieve Nirvana as quickly as possible and ensure one’s own personal salvation. In this doctrine, anyone who has reached this personal goal is known as Arhat, (the Perfected One). Buddha teaches that a person can be saved only by his own efforts. This is valid particularly in Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar and in these countries is known as Theravada, (the ancient traditional doctrine).

The doctrine of Mahayana (the Greater Vehicle) established towards the early years of Christianity, leads the whole community to the true path, because it is great and includes everyone. It teaches communal as opposed to individual salvation.

According to this doctrine Buddha or several Buddhas can save a person. Mahayana promotes the principle bodhisattva, (past, present and future Buddhas). Bodhisattva is the being that, because he feels compassion, rushes in to help others, postponing his own entry into Nirvana and remaining on earth in order to save the whole human race. It is widespread in China, Mongolia, Korea and Japan. In Mahayana, Buddha is deified and is worshipped under different aspects symbolised by various statues. Vajrayana (the Thunderbolt Vehicle) is a form of Mahayana Buddhism. Valid in Tibet, it upholds the opinion that everything a truly mature adult does will be perfect and faultless.

Laos – Luang Prabang, Wat Vixun.