Buddhism

Noble Eightfold Path In Buddhism

2009-12-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

The Noble Eightfold Path is a comprehensive path leading to the end of suffering. All the steps are interrelated and dependent on one another. The eight steps can be classified into 3 streams of practice; (a) morality, (b) mental development and (c) wisdom.
(1) Right Understanding (Wisdom)
(2) Right Thought (Wisdom)
(3) Right Speech (Morality)
(4) Right Action (Morality)
(5) Right Livelihood (Morality)
(6) Right Effort (Mental Development)
(7) Right Mindfulness (Mental Development)
(8) Right Concentration (Mental Development)
The Noble Eightfold path encompass to treatment of both the body and the mind. We have to first purify our physical being so that it will be easier to purify our minds. We purify our minds so that it will be easier to develop right understanding. The first 2 steps, right understanding and right thought, refer to application of the mind. Through them, ignorance, attachment and aversion can be eliminated. However, it is common to see morality being emphasized in the initial practice as morality is easier to grasp and is also the basis of all positive attributes.
Noble Eightfold Path – Wisdom
In Buddhism, faith is preliminary; the core of Buddhism is wisdom. Wisdom is the right understanding of the Buddha’s teachings. This goal is attained when our knowledge of Buddhism is transformed from book learning into actual living. This is attained by first through the cultivation of good conduct, and then through cultivation of proper mental development.
Two steps of the Noble Eightfold Path are included in the wisdom group.
(1) Right Understanding – Means seeing things as they really are. The means of acquiring right understanding are through (a) observation and study, (b) examination of observations and (c) meditation on the examinations.
(2) Right Thought - Means avoiding attachments and aversion. Thought has an immense influence in our behavior. The Buddha said that if we act and speak with a pure mind, happiness follows like a shadow.
Noble Eightfold Path – Morality
Good conduct is the basis of all positive qualities. Morality covers 3 parts of the Noble Eightfold Path. Namely,
(1) Right Speech – Speech is a powerful mechanism that has often been under estimated. Right speech means the control and use of speech in beneficial ways through the respect for truth and respect for the well-being of others. Right speech also means avoiding lying, slandering, harsh speech and idle talks.
(2) Right Action – Means the respect for lives, properties and respect for personal relationships. These include the avoidance of killing, stealing, robbing and sexual misconducts.
(3) Right Livelihood – Means earning a living in a manner that does not violate basic moral values and caused harm to others. 5 kinds of livelihood are discouraged for Buddhists; these include trading in (a) animals for slaughter (b) slaves, (c) arms, (d) poisons and (e) intoxicants.
Noble Eightfold Path – Mental Development
The Buddha said that the mind is the source of all things and that all things are created by the mind. The mind is the key to changing the nature of experiences.
(1) Right Effort – Cultivating an appropriate level of motivation in our pursuit of the Dharma.
(2) Right Mindfulness – Watching the body and mind and be aware of what one is doing.
(3) Right Concentration – The focus of the mind single-pointedly on an object.
It is important that the aspect of mental development be cultivated with the guidance of a trained teacher. However, mental development without wisdom is not enough.

About the Author:
Linus Leong is a Buddhist. He contributes this article to Schools of Buddhism, an online educational resource for Buddhism.

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Buddhism And Healthy Longevity

2009-12-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Buddhism is more than an Eastern religion: it is a healthy longevity promoter.

Buddhism focuses on the balanced interaction between the mind and the body as a prerequisite for healthy longevity; disease is a result of their imbalance and disharmony. The Buddhist approach to health and wellness is its emphasis on spiritual strength of the mind to overcome illness and disease. Concurring with Hippocrates, the father of medicine, who believed in the innate healing power in humans, Buddha also believed that you could seek cure through a drastic change in lifestyle and healthy attitudes towards the real meaning of life and existence.

Healing begins with the mind first, not the body. The reason is that disease originates from the disharmony of the mind and the spirit, leading to their imbalance with the physical body, resulting in disease. Optimal health for longevity is achieved when the mind and the body are functioning and interacting together as one entity.

One of the most damaging factors to the mind is stress. Nowadays, stress comes in many forms. Stress adversely affects your physical, mental, and spiritual health. In the Buddhist world, there is no stress, and you create your own stress through your ego-self, which is essentially your "no-self" because it simply does not exist, except in your own mind. Buddhism focuses on "emptiness" ' which is not self-denial, but rather the wisdom of knowing the impermanence of materials things and therefore the abandonment of the futile pursuit of these elusive and evasive goals in life. With enlightenment, you will change your perception of what you really are, and more importantly, the insignificance of your attachment to all materials things, including success and love of money. Buddha said, "Craving is the fountainhead of all human miseries." Once your craving ceases, your stress dissipates, and you are filled with composure, which constitutes wellness in your body and mind.

Even if there are remnants of stress, they can be dispelled through Buddhist meditation. According to Buddha, everyone has a "light" within him or her. To find that "light", you need to practice meditation. Through meditation, you are awakened to self-knowledge, which opens the door to ultimate wisdom: you see who you are, and what is important to you in life. In other words, you begin to see the realities of things around you; you begin to prioritize your life; and you begin to perceive the true meaning of your existence.

Natural healing of the mind, body, and spirit begins with a healthy love relationship in which Buddhist compassion and loving kindness naturally thrive. In Chinese, the word "compassion" means "removing suffering and giving happiness." From Buddha's view, true compassion has the power to root out the cause of misery in people's lives and direct them to the true cause of happiness.

Loving kindness, closely connected with compassion, is also a prominent feature of the Buddhist way of live. Compassion and loving kindness complement each other. Extending good will, care and consideration to all beings is critical to mental and spiritual health of an individual.

If you are truly committed to altruistic compassion and loving kindness, you will be armed with inner strength to face any health adversity in your life, thereby instrumental in inspiring hope in others, and by doing so, helping relieve their own suffering. Aging and illness simply provide an opportunity for you to inspire others through your own example.

Healing is a natural blend of science and philosophy of living. Buddhism certainly plays a pivotal role in the philosophy of living for healthy longevity.

About the Author:
Stephen Lau is a researcher, writing synopses of medical research for scientists. His publications include "NO MIRACLE CURES" a book on healing and wellness. He has also created several websites on health and healing.
http://www.longevityforyou.com
http://www.zenhealthylifestyle.com
http://www.chinesenaturalhealing.com
http://www.rethinkyourdepression.com

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Zen Buddhism Practices Include More Than Meditation

2009-12-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

There are several different types of Buddhism, but Zen is probably one of the most known around the world. The practice is fundamentally geared around meditation. But Zen Buddhism practices do extend beyond that.

Rinzai and Soto are the two largest sects of Zen Buddhism in Japan, and Soto is the most common one outside. Their focus is, of course, on the practice of meditation. Actually, the word itself, Zen, comes from the word in Sanskrit for meditation. Zen Buddhists believe that enlightenment is only achieved by focusing your mind internally and that meditation is the best tool for doing this.

When you meditate according to the Soto style, you face the wall. You sit in this position and let yourself be aware of your thoughts without holding onto them. In the Rinzai tradition, you sit facing the center of the room. This style focuses more on the breath.

Everything you do during the day can be turned into zazen, the name for Zen Buddhist meditation techniques. By focusing your complete attention on each activity at time, and only that activity, it becomes zazen. However, one should still meditate every day, at least for 5 minutes. Regular daily practice is of the utmost importance.

For a practicing monk, much more time will be spent in meditation. Many minutes of meditating, perhaps 40 or 50, will be broken up by walking meditation. This gives the legs a chance to get relief. Sesshins are often offered for lay students which may be from one to seven days in length, sometimes more. The students will meditate for hours each day, as well as attend talks, and do some silent work to help out.

Chanting is not a primary Zen practice, but it is included in the daily activities of many temples. A few main sutras will be chanted, such as the Lotus and the Heart sutras, as well as some mantras. There will usually be altars that have representations of Buddhas. At home, the altar is frequently used to talk to and honor the ancestors.

Meditation on Koans is primarily used by the Rinzai branch of Zen. These are phrases or anecdotes that the practitioner must meditate on to find the hidden meaning. Without a higher level of understanding, it is impossible to know the meaning of the Koan.

All Zen Buddhism practices have as their goal Satori, or enlightenment. When you reach Satori, you will no longer need to be reincarnated into this world, which is viewed as a place of suffering. Although meditation is the most important part of the practice, adding other techniques can help you achieve that goal.

In today's stress filled society, Zen meditation techniques might be just what you need to manage your life more effectively. Learn more about how meditation can calm and focus your mind by visiting Meditation Techniques.

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The Concept Of Applied Buddhism

2009-11-30T03:01:00.000-08:00

Introduction:

"Applied Buddhism" is the application of Buddhist teachings in our daily life. It is a broad umbrella under which all the essential aspects of life such as physical, mental, social and spiritual well being as well as philosophical, bio-ethical, financial and modern scientific aspects could be incorporated. This includes the Buddhist ideas practiced by the three major schools of Buddhist thoughts in modern era, namely the Theravada, Mahayana and Tantrayana (Tibetan) traditions. Apart from the commonly discussed philosophical and psychological aspects, more emphasis is given here on the traditional culture and social aspects of Buddhism.

"Applied Buddhism" also shares valuable information on Buddhist contributions to modern science, health and well being. As our concept of well being is directly related to our mental and spiritual health, Buddhist Meditational practices are given the prime importance for prevention of mental illnesses and recommended for incorporation in the regimen of regular psychotherapy and in primary and secondary school curriculum as a part of primordial prevention.

Importance of Applied Buddhism

Without disrespecting the significance of religious rituals, the myths and beliefs and traditional local ceremonial practices related to Buddhism are however, carefully extracted and excluded from this domain of "Applied Buddhism". This is intentionally done in order to make the Buddhist ideas more acceptable to people belonging other religious realms and cultural backgrounds. The idea behind this is to enable people practice Buddhism without being converted into a Buddhist. One should understand that Buddhism is not just a religion, but a way of life.

In order to incorporate Buddhist ideas in daily life, one need not give up his or her own religion. Just that one can remain spiritual without being religious, in the same way; one can practice Buddhist teachings without formally being a Buddhist.

Applied Aspect of Buddhism: Integration of Buddhist Philosophy with Activities in Daily Life
Thus, the term "Applied Buddhism" explains how every person can relate Buddhist ideas into his or her daily life and in profession. The main focus of this new concept is to diffuse the teachings of the Buddha in every nook and corner of the society, so that all sentient beings, irrespective of their religion, culture and creed can benefit from it. In recent times, some of the new concepts that have evolved in Buddhism are Engaged Buddhism, Social Buddhism, Socially Engaged Buddhism and Green Buddhism. Like the "String Theory" of quantum physics, "Applied Buddhism" is an effort to integrate all these scattered aspects of Buddhism under one single and unified concept in order to make it more appealing to the global community. Through this Applied Buddhism, one should be able to follow Buddhism without being a Buddhist.

Evolution of the Concept of Applied Buddhism

The term "Applied Buddhism" was first coined by an eminent Buddhist Scholar from India, Dr. Dipak Kumar Barua. He was the elected Dean of the Faculty Council for Postgraduate Studies in Education, Journalism & Library Science in the University of Calcutta, West Bengal, India (1987-1991) and the Director of Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda (a Deemed University) in Nalanda, Bihar, India (1996-1999). He had discussed at length about this new concept of "Applied Buddhism" in his Book entitled, "Applied Buddhism: Studies in the Gospel of Buddha from Modern Perspectives".

This book was first published during the year 2005 by the Centre of Buddhist Studies, under the aegis of the Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies of the Banaras Hindu University in India. However, due to limited publications and restricted circulation of this book within the country, the new concept of "Applied Buddhism" could not be popularized outside India for quite some time. However, during the later years, this new concept was widely appreciated by the renowned scholars in various intellectual forums throughout the world. The common people from varied religious background also found comfort in easy understanding of the principle teachings of the Buddha.

Conclusion

This new concept of the applied aspect of Buddhism is destined to bridge the gap of understanding that exists due to misinterpretation of the teachings of the Buddha by people belonging to diverse religious backgrounds. Once popularized and accepted, it would pave the way in promoting peace and harmony in the society. Applied Buddhism is also a noble endeavor to integrate the Buddhist philosophy with modern science and technology. This applied philosophy is an integral part of our daily life and is expected to be accepted by everyone without any discrimination.

I am Dr. Ankur Barua from India. I had graduated from the Manipal University in India (MBBS-2000, MD in Community Medicine - 2003). I had also completed two other Master Degrees; one from Sikkim Manipal University (MBAIT, 2007) and the other from the University of Hong Kong (MBuddStud, 2009), which I had passed with distinction. I am currently enrolled as a final year PhD candidate in Community Medicine at the Sikkim Manipal University of India and also in Buddhist Studies at the Lumbini Buddha University of Nepal.

I am included in the reviewers' list of the international journals such as 'Bulletin of the World Health Organization', 'International Psychogeriatrics' and 'Journal of Neuroscience and Behavioural Health'. I had received the esteemed "Tung Lin Kok Yuen Postgraduate Scholarship in Buddhist Studies during the year 2008-2009" by the Li ka Shing Foundation of the Centre of Buddhist Studies of the University of Hong Kong. I had received the prestigious "2007 Leelabati Bholanath Award for Research in Community Psychiatry" for the original research article entitled, "Depressive Disorders in Indian Elderly Population".

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Buddhism Symbols

2009-11-28T04:09:00.000-08:00

Buddhist Culture is known as one of the oldest cultures in the world. It's more than twenty-five centuries old. The ideals and idea of Buddhists have guided innumerable people around the globe. Buddhism culture is principally related to the knowledge of "Siddhartha Gautama" popularly known as "Buddha". The names of two most important branches of Buddhism are "Theravada" and "Mahayana". In the ancient times people did not use the statues of Buddha for worship. Instead, they preferred to symbolize the Buddha. Some basic Buddhism symbols are Buddha's footprint, stupa, dharma wheel and the lotus. As Buddhism ideas spread around the globe, it also helped Buddhism symbols to reach many new and different people.

The most common Buddhism symbol is the Buddha's footprint. According to Buddhists these footprints of the Buddha symbolize the bodily occurrence of the Lord. These images were reproduced from ancient stones at Bodh Gaya, India. It is the place of Buddha's enlightenment. This Buddhism symbol has some more symbols within it like swastikas, lotuses and dharma-wheels. These footprints exist in many countries like India, China, Japan, Singapore and Sri Lanka. According to traditions, the legend of Buddhists say that after the Buddha attained enlightenment, his foot created an impression in the pebble where he stepped.

Another Buddhism symbol is stupa. The basic meaning of stupa is "heap". It is a structure like knoll which contains Buddhist leftovers. So in this way these stupas are very holy for these people. These stupas are vitally made up of five constituent parts. Each part has its own meaning and representation. There is a square base in stupa which represents earth. The hemispherical part represents water. The conical portion represents fire. There is a crescent moon which is the symbol of air and the dissolving point as well as the circular disc which represents space.

The Lotus and the Dharma-wheel are the other parts of these symbols. The lotus is deep-rooted in mud however the blossom is open in the sun. It appears very good-looking and fragrant. In Buddhism the lotus represents the real character of beings, who ascend through "samsara" ("samsara" is a process of defining the cycle of birth, death and rebirth in Buddhism and Hinduism) into the simplicity and magnificence of enlightenment. Dharma-wheel contains eight spokes. They represent the eightfold path. According to traditions, it symbolizes the Buddha's spinning the Wheel of Law or reality.

Some other important Buddhism Symbols are various colors. The special five colors are white, yellow, red, blue and green. Like white color is considered to include an extremely chilly quality, as in snow, or a very burning quality, such as a flaming metal. Either can threaten life as well as it reminds us of bereavement with the ending of things. It also represents cleanliness, holiness and purity. Moreover it also tells us to lead out further than the dimness of bondage. These colors symbolize a condition of mind. It is well-believed that spiritual transformations can be achieved with the help of meditation on these different colors.

For fun facts on Buddhism, visit Buddhism Facts!

Enjoyed what you read? You may also be interested in: Securing Your Servers Is A Crucial Part Of Doing Business

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What Is Buddhism?

2009-11-28T03:50:00.000-08:00

What is Buddhism? Why should we ask that? Buddhism is defined as a religion (a really large one, with 500 million followers according to some sources), although not everyone agrees on that, saying that it could be considered a philosophy or a way of life. Buddhism gets its name from Siddharta Gautama, whom was called the Buddha by his followers. This is a title that means the awakened one or the enlightened one.

He is thought to have lived in Northern India around the year 500 BC. We don't have many historical facts about him, but we can say that he existed and lived in India. He was a prince of the Shakya tribe, son of King Suddhodana and Queen Maya. It has been common in the Buddhist world to refer to him as Shakyamuni, “the sage of Shakya tribe”.

After some time of living as a prince, he decided to seek enlightenment. Eventually, he achieved that. He started to talk about his experience to others on the roads of Nortern India. In this way, Buddhism was founded. The most ancient of Buddhist scriptures are called the Pali Canon or Tripitaka, they are written in Pali, a language very similar to the one spoken by the Buddha. These scriptures are given different degrees of importance by different schools or branches of Buddhism, but they are considered the mother of all Buddhist scriptures.

The Theravada School, the most ancient and conservative of Buddhist branches, considers the Tripitaka the only true scripture. They try to imitate what they consider were the practices and beliefs of the early followers of the Buddha. Many consider Theravada Buddhism more of a philosophy, as it doesn't involve any worship of gods.

Then we have Mahayana Buddhism, the larger of Buddhist branches. It has many variants, like Pure Land Buddhism, Zen and Tibetan Buddhism. The Mahayana changes dramatically the beliefs and practices of what is considered traditional Buddhism. They give more importance to devotion of what are called celestial bodhisattvas and Buddhas. These are people who achieved enlightenment or certain degree of wisdom. They have godlike powers and can help you ahieve salvation. This sounds more like traditional religion.

So, Buddhism is a very complex traditions that has many layers. It's difficult to characterize it as a whole.

To learn more about the different beliefs and practices of Buddhism, you might be interested in the following site by author Pablo Antuna:

Buddhism Through Buddhist Eyes: Learn about Buddhism in a clear language.

Buddhist teachings: Understand what the Buddha tries to convey to his followers.

About the Author:
Pablo Antuna is an experienced teacher and author. He teaches Comparative Religion and is specialized in Eastern Religions.

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