Many individuals have misconceptions about Buddhism. Here are several facts most people seem to get wrong.
1) Siddhartha Gautama never traveled outside of India but his teachings did. Siddhartha Gautama was obviously a spiritual teacher in Ancient India who founded Buddhism. It is important to do not forget that he would have been a Vedic Brahman (Hindu by today’s standards) so many of his ideas were originally area of the ancient traditional religions from the local historical period. He could be considered to were living from around 563 BCE to around 483 BCE as they is known to get died at 4 decades old. He traveled and taught along the Ganges River Valley starting near his home, near what’s now Nepal.
2) He is sometimes called Shakyamuni Buddha, or perhaps the Prince in the Shakyas, as a result of Ssakya Mountain Range that was his father’s (King Suddhodana) kingdom. He was created a prince but decided to become a holy man. He grew up in wealth and resistant to the outside world but became interested in what people’s lives beyond your palace might be like. Many legends surround his birth, but all of that is really known is his mother was meant to have left in childbirth or soon (days) afterwards. His father ended up warned shortly after his birth which he would turn into a great military leader or a great spiritual leader. His father, the king, had his own ideas products was proper for Siddhartha, but, about 29 yrs . old, with the help his charioteer, he escaped the palace walls and ventured outside to find out what life was like for some. He witnessed the consequences of old age, sickness, and saw a corpse, making her aware of death. Finally, he saw an ascetic. Siddharha’s charioteer explained that this ascetic was one that had renounced the world and sought release from fear of death and suffering.
3) Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha in order to end the suffering (dissatisfaction) of most human beings. He realized the fact we all have been impermanent and went on the spiritual quest for enlightenment. He studied with all the current best teachers of religion and philosophy that he might find at that time and learned how to meditate but decided that somehow wasn’t enough for him.
4) The Middle Way: He still had much to master and ventured into the ascetics of that time period to follow along with however in time found out that the extremes they endured weren’t being employed by him. He followed their methods for self inflicting pain and enduring it, fasting until he was weak, and holding his breath. It didn’t satisfy him as he decided this was yet another ego inflating method of self-gratification, proving yourself through self-abuse. He thought we would turn from their strict abeyance to rules about starving yourself and eating unclean things, because he realized although need strength to remain his quest, so he developed what is known as “the middle way”. When his disciples saw that he wasn’t pursuing the way they thought necessary, they thought we would leave him. He left and chose to sit within sacred fig tree until he discovered the solution. The tree was the fact that was considered a sacred fig tree near Bodh Gaya, the tree being named later, the Bodhi Tree. From Wikipedia * “…The Bodhi Tree, also called Bo (from the Sinhalese Bo), would be a large and very old Sacred Fig tree (Ficus religiosa) in Bodh Gaya (about 100 km (62 mi) from Patna in the Indian state of Bihar), that SiddhÄÂrtha Gautama, the spiritual teacher and founding father of Buddhism later called Gautama Buddha, is said to own achieved enlightenment, or Bodhi….”
5) His Awakening: As part of his deep state of meditation (samadhi) for a few days he became enlightened so when he rose from his deep meditation, he stated that he some strategies to the questions he sought. He imparted the wisdom in the four noble truths and also the eightfold path that can for a reason. Minus the previous, the rest will be impossible to realize. 6)The 4 Noble Truths
1) Suffering (dukkha) exists. (All humans suffer during birth, pain, sickness, and death.
2) The reason for suffering is desire. You have desires which might be either selfish or unrealistic. This really is considered “delusional”.
3) There exists a way to reach cessation of suffering.
4) The cessation of suffering comes through practicing the eightfold path. (Freedom from suffering is achievable by practicing the Eightfold Path.)
7) The Eightfold Path
1) Right View Wisdom
2) Right Intention Wisdom
3) Right Speech Ethical Conduct
4) Right Action Ethical Conduct
5) Right Livelihood Ethical Conduct
6) Right Effort Mental Development
7) Right Mindfulness Mental Development
8) Right Concentration/Meditation Mental Development
8) Buddhist Principles: By striving towards the right thing one lessens selfish desire, therefore reaching a state of happiness internally that is not dependent on conditional circumstances. Mindfulness in all things is a key ingredient. If one understands that any tangible thing that we desire is impermanent and ceases to be “attached” to these things that we cannot keep, then one becomes more at peace. We can not become attached to any views since we will become passionate about this and when circumstances change, our view will no longer be important or pertinent.
9) Buddhism is not a self help program: Beware of those who call themselves a master or try to sell you “enlightenment”. There are many books and centers out there which try to use words like enlightenment” that is something that actually has to be attained personally, it can’t be given or taught in a paint by the numbers program that promises some things. First, the word enlightenment is not used in any of the texts from Siddhartha Gautama was concerned that people might rush into this without understanding and this would lead to repeating traditional ceremonies without understanding, which will lead to disappointment because of the lack of benefit from practice. Do not come to an understanding of Buddhism lightly or quickly, take your time and be sure. This will take investigation. Investigate completely, any facets that you don’t understand until it makes sense. Also, practice with others and a good teacher are the best method of learning.
10) Buddhism IS A RELIGION: It disturbs some Buddhists that some people feel that Buddhism is just a philosophy. Some people feel there has to be a main book or one religious deity to worship in order for a religion to be real. Most modern practitioners of Buddhism see that all religions are filled with mythology and they understand that most deities and mythological objects in Buddhism are analogies for science and nature or our own mental make up that early man could not explain. Some practitioners, especially in Asia, still believe in the physical existence of some of these objects and deities. We have to remember that early Buddhist teachings came from Siddhartha Gautama in India, who was a Vedic Brahman. It then traveled across Asia to China where it adapted to Confucianism, which relied strongly on Filial Piety. It then traveled through to Japan, where it adapted to Shinto, which is still practiced side by side with Buddhism in Japan. Buddhism was created to adapt to all other learning. Siddhartha Gautama likened it to “a raft to get to the other side” in a parable he taught. “The Parable of The Raft ” When speaking to his followers Gautama Buddha said, “When you come to a river and the current is too fast to allow you to swim across and there is no bridge then you might decide to build a raft. If after crossing the river you would have some choices as to what to do with the raft. a) You could tie it to the bank to be used by someone else later. b) You could set it afloat for someone else to find. c) You could say to yourself, “What a wonderful raft”, and then pick it up and carry it around on top of your head from now on. Which would be proper use of the raft? Buddhism is practiced in most countries around the world, although Buddhists make up only about 7% of the world’s religious population. Only a few modern Buddhist sects use an evangelical approach, trying to convert everyone around them. Most Buddhists refrain from trying to propagate their religion to anyone who doesn’t seek it.
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