· Lesser known facts about Buddha and Buddhism
The details of the Buddha's life are not known for
certain, but most scholars are in agreement that he was an actual historical
figure who lived in northern India around the 5th century BCE. The events of
the Buddha's life are recorded in Buddhist tradition and are a favorite subject
of Buddhist art. In this blog, we look at a few lesser known facts about Buddha
and Buddhism that will take you by surprise…
· A prophecy
Before Gautama Buddha was born an astrologer predicted
that Suddhodhana’s son will either be a great and known holy man or he will
become a great king. His father wanted him to stay away from the sufferings and
even did not let him have the religious teachings in fear of him becoming a
holy man. His father even built three palaces for him with all the luxuries of
life so that he does not have any desire to see the outside world.
· Born as a prince
Though Gautama Buddha is known to live a very modest and
simple life many people does not know that he was born as a prince of the
Shakya Clan in Nepal. His father, Suddhodhana was the chief of the Shakya Clan
in India while his mother Queen Maha Maya was known to be the princess of Koli.
He was born in Lubini under a sal tree in a garden. He was married to Yasodhara
and even had a son named Rahula.
· The Four sights
Destined to be a great holy man, Gautama soon became
tired of his materialistic life and desired to leave the palace to see the
outside world. At the age of 29, while on his ride to see the countryside, he
saw four different things during his four different trips outside the palace
which he was not aware about. These four things changed Siddhartha’s life
completely.
In his four trips outside the palace, he saw an old man,
a corpse, a sick man and at last he saw a wandering ascetic. He was so disturbed
at these sites and he wondered how he can enjoy his life so much when there is
so much suffering in the world. He finally realized that the reality is not
what he has seen till now in his life, but the reality is what he was seeing in
the life.
· When Buddha looked for answers
After leaving the palace it was hard for Gautama to find
a teacher for himself who could teach him about the truth of the world and
about different religions. To learn about the sufferings he used to wander in
robes and tried to learn from the wisest teachers. But none of the teachers
could tell him how to end the sufferings and so finally he decided to go in
search of the answer all by himself.
· When Buddha looked for answers
For around six years he led a life of self discipline and
abstinence by surviving on mere roots, fruits and raw food. He also learned
yoga and meditation practices. In a very short period of time Siddhartha
mastered the art of Yogic meditation, but nothing satisfied him. Later he
realized that neither the wealthy life in the palace and nor the modest life in
forest is an answer to what he was looking for.
· The truth about His appearance
Buddha was not as chubby as many depictions of him would
make it appear- he was mainly portrayed this way because it was symbolic of
happiness in the east. He practiced moderation in all things, fasted regularly,
and spent most of his time walking hundreds of miles spreading the philosophy
of enlightenment.
· He invented the middle way to enlightenment
At the time of Buddha’s quest for enlightenment, there
were many religious practices that called for either intense overindulgence in
the senses, or strict deprivation such as weeks of fasting. Realizing that
neither was truly beneficial, he devised what would later be known as “The
Middle Way” to enlightenment…a balanced approach that emphasized inward rather
than outward renunciation.
· A reluctant teacher
It is not easy to think that a great teacher like him,
who taught the whole world about Buddhism, could be hesitant to teach at the
first place. He considered that the thing he knows is very difficult not only
for the people to understand but it is also difficult for him to express what
he knows into words. But later his compassion swayed over him and he finally
decided to teach the people about the doctrines of enlightenment.
· One of a kind
Unlike most religions or spiritual beliefs, Buddha’s
teachings were spread by nonviolent methods such as word of mouth or carvings
on prominent stone buildings.
· Not God
Practicing Buddhists view Buddha as a teacher and not a
god or avatar. Buddha’s spot of enlightenment underneath the bodhi tree is
still preserved to this day.
· The word of wisdom
He died in Kushinagar and according to the sources it is
said that he died in the 483 BCE. He encouraged his followers to work for their
deliverance and he told them that happiness is in learning that nothing in the
world is permanent. Even after so many years of his death, his words of
compassion and kindness are still followed by people in different parts of the
world.
· Buddha’s final request
Buddha taught and traveled his entire life until the age
of 80 when he passed away. His final request of his followers was this: “All component
things in the world are changeable. They are not lasting. Work hard to gain
your own salvation.”
· Re-united family
During his journey throughout the world to spread their
teachings, Buddha visited his son, father, his devoted wife and his foster mother.
Eventually his family joined the Sangha, which is the Buddhist monastic
community. His cousin Ananda also became his disciple and joined the community
and became a monk. His son, Rahula was the youngest monk in the community and
he became monk when he was just seven years old.
· His teachings
After achieving the enlightenment he started sharing his
idea and his teachings. Buddha and his disciples for the next forty five years
went to different places in the world to spread their words and teachings. Buddha
taught people that to become the enlightened one, a person should never be
ignorant, angry and hate people. It was not hard for Buddha to win hearts of
people wherever he went as he knew the true feelings of people and knew how to
deal with them.
· Two types of Buddhism
There are two different types of Buddhism, there is
Mahayana and Theravada. Theravada are the original teachings of the original
Buddha. Buddha gave long speeches to a group of people called the Arhats. The
Arhats are the original disciples of Buddha, they had all reached enlightenment
and were basically perfect beings. Theravada Buddhists commonly live in
Southeast Asia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos etc. They believe that people reach
enlightenment over many lifetimes, and it takes eons to reach nirvana.
· Two types of Buddhism
Mahayana Buddhists live in Tibet, China, Korea and Japan,
they do not follow the original teachings, they believe that the Buddha went to
outer space and spoke to angels called Devas, Buddha taught them a secret
teaching. Then the Devas told monks this secret teaching, then the monks wrote
it down. Mahayana Buddhism basically believes that everyone alive possesses the
ability to get enlightenment at anytime.
· What is Zen?
Zen is a limb of Mahayana Buddhism, Zen is a mixture of
Buddhism and Taoism that developed in eastern China. Zen in terms of
Christianity would be snake handlers. It is miles away from the original
message of the Buddha.
· Amitabha Buddha
Amitabha Buddhism is the belief that there was once a
Buddha named Amitabha, no one knows if this Buddha lived on earth or in a
parallel universe. But if you pray to to Amitabha Buddha and repeat the name of
Amitabha over and over again, you can go to a place called the Pure Land, which
is a parallel universe where you can practice Buddhism in perfect harmony
learning from ancient Buddhist masters.
· Jatakas
There is a large amount of literature on the original
Buddha’s previous lives. In the books he appears as a deer, elephant, and
monkey. Supposedly the Buddha told his disciples about his past lives, and they
wrote them down. They resemble cute little folktales with talking animals and
mythical feats, super fun to read.
· Fourth largest religion worldwide
One of the top ten facts about Buddhism is that it is the
4th largest religion. Today there are over 360 million followers of Buddhism
worldwide, after Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. The countries with the
largest Buddhist populations are China, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar.
· There is not one official Buddhism
One of the top ten facts about Buddhism is the ultimate
reality that nothing is permanent. Although demographic tables lump all
followers of the Buddha’s teachings into one heading, the truth is that there
is no singular or “official” version of Buddhism. And it’s more than just minor
variations in practice. Some Buddhist practices invoke dieties. Some eschew the
entire concept of dieties. Some emphasize monastic life, while others see
Buddhism as a practice for an engaged life.
· Five precepts
One of the foundational elements of Buddhism is known as
the Five Precepts. Like the Judeo/Christian 10 Commandments, these simple rules
form the core of acceptable, ethical behavior. The Five Precepts are: Do not
kill. Do not steal. Do not engage in sexual misconduct. Do not lie. Do not use
intoxicants.
· The Language of Buddha
Buddhism’s original language was Pali. But today, even
esoteric Buddhist writings are available in many languages worldwide. Dharma
talks (lessons) are given in local languages in Buddhist centers and online.
Chanting may be done in a variety of languages, depending on the choices of the
community. Some opt for ancient tongues, while others prefer contemporary
language.
· Four noble truths
What the Buddha discerned in his moment of enlightment is
summarized within the Four Noble Truths - Suffering exists; Suffering arises
from attachment to desires; Suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases;
Freedom from suffering is possible by practicing the Eightfold Path.
· Noble eightfold path
If suffering is to be reduced, a path is needed. In
Buddhism, that path is The Noble Eightfold Path, which consists of: Right View
– Seeing the world and life as it is; Right Thought – Similar to emotional
intelligence; Right Speech – Clear, truthful, compassionate; Right Conduct –
Not exploiting one’s self or others; Right Livelihood – Ethical occupation that
does not harm others; Right Effort – Directing one’s energies towards good
ends; Right Mindfulness – To be in the present moment and Right Meditational Attainment
–Unity of action and intention.
· How to become a monk
To become a monk you must not have any of these ailments:
leprosy, goitre, boils, scabs, itch, psoriasis (which excludes me from reaching
enlightenment) pulmonary consumption, epilepsy, jaundice, elephantiasis,
scrotal hernia, spasmodic cholera, asthma, bloody abscess, rheumatism, swelling
of the glands, blood disease, liver disease, hemorrhoids, bone disease, etc etc
etc.
· Sexuality in Buddhism
In general in Buddhism it is better to be born a man,
they believe it is easier to reach enlightenment via being male. A woman can
reach enlightenment but there can never be a female Buddha. There has never
been a female Dalai Lama, and in the Jatakas Buddha was rarely ever a female,
even when he was an animal, he was a male
Source :- speakingtree.in
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Source :- speakingtree.in
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