SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA, THE BUDDHA

 

SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA,

THE BUDDHA

Meditation: 

THE PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT

 

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              SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA (563? – 483? B.C.), known as the Buddha (Sanskrit for “enlightened one”), was born in Kapilavastu, the chief town of Kapila in what is now Nepal. His family was petty royalty, and he himself a minor prince. one of his names is Sakyamuni, “sage of the Sakya clan.” Early texts state that he was protected from knowledge of the outside world so that when he was twenty-nine, after finally witnessing poverty, illness, and death, he renounced his aristocratic position and his wife and family. He left his home and wandered, living the ascetic religious life, until he reached Bodh Gaya, where he spent his time in meditation until he achieved enlightenment.

 

              His purpose in seeking enlightenment was to show the way to people so they could relieve the misery of their own lives. In most versions of Buddhism, the Buddha is regarded as Lord Buddha. In other versions, he is regarded as a man who reached a level of perfection that is possible for ordinary people to achieve. Some branches of Buddhism describe several Buddhas, or bodhisattvas – those who enter different spiritual stages at different times and may be viewed as either great teachers or heavenly saviors.

 

              In the religion that developed from the Buddha’s teachings, the purpose of life is to achieve the enlightenment that will enable the individual to end samsara – the wandering of the soul from one becoming (incarnation) to another – and reach nirvana, a peace that lies beyond human understanding. In the selection that follows, nirvana is referred to as the end of being.

 

              Because Buddhists hope to achieve nirvana, their lives are guided by firm precepts. They believe that the existence they now enjoy was shaped and formed by the soul in a previous existence and that because their present way of life shapes existences to come, they need to make their own karma. Karma is a Sanskrit word for “making,” translated sometimes as “action.” Therefore, Buddhists have established eight principles of behavior for creating their karma called the Noble Eightfold Path:

 

 

1.       Right views – the avoidance of delusion

2.       Right aims – purposive intentions to achieve nirvana

3.       Right speech – preferring the truth

4.       Right conduct – being honest, true, pure in behavior

5.       Right living – avoiding hurting all beings and thus preferring a vegetarian diet

6.       Self-control – preferring disciplined behavior

7.       Right-mindedness – being aware and alert

8.       Right meditation – deep contemplation of life and the process of thought

 

 

 

 

 

A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers, Sixth Edition

Part Seven FAITH

Lee A. Jacobus, University of Connecticut

Bedford/ST. Martin’s