| Buddha and his Way Zen is a part of the buddhist tradition. What we today call “Buddhism” is a wisdom-tradition or religion that was founded by Siddharta Gautama in India about 2500 years ago. Siddharta became known as the “Buddha” which is Sanskrit for “awake” or “the one that has awoken”. Siddharta was a prince in a small kingdom in what now is southern Nepal. He was wealthy and well protected and he had everything he needed, but still he started more and more to question the meaning of life and of existence. He asked himself: “What is really the purpose of life when we are all going to get old, sick and die in the end anyway?”After many years of seeking and meditation he finally came to a deep insight while sitting under the so called “bodhi-tree” (bodhi = wisdom). Buddhism, or the buddhist teaching (Dharma), is a description of, and a way to, what Siddharta realised under the bodhi-tree, the insight that is called awakening or enlightenment. It is said that Siddharta, after his awakening, exclaimed: “Wonder of all wonders! Everything is whole and complete just as it is but because of misunderstanding and delusive thinking people do not see it!”. The Buddha decided to try to explain his experience and thereby make other people understand that anyone can come to the same insight about the “true nature of existence” as he had. He tried to describe what he had realised and the way to it through “The Four Noble Truths”. The Four Noble Truths Sometimes Buddha is depicted as a doctor and his teaching as medicine. The Four Noble Truths describes the disease and the medicine that will cure it. The first truth is that life and existence implies dissatisfaction This is the symptom.The second truth is that there is a reason for this dissatisfaction and that reason is separation, or dualism. This is the disease.The third truth is that there is a way out of the dissatisfaction. This is the prescription.The fourth truth is the way out of dissatisfaction: “The Eight-fold Path”. This is the medicine, the cure. The Eight-fold Path:  The Eight-fold Path can be divided into three parts: wisdom, morality and meditation. All three parts are needed. That means that one, as far as possible, tries to live a good life with the The Eight-fold Path as its basis. A life where one tries to do good, avoid doing evil and tries to keep the mind clear and attentive. The Eight-fold Path is a description of what one needs to do to realise that which Siddharta realised, and is also a description of how one naturally lives when one has awoken. Buddhism is a very practical teaching, it is about actually doing something oneself and learning from one's own experience, and not only about learning from others or believing in things that one has heard or read. Buddhism After the Buddha's death his teaching spread and different branches developed. Traditionally Buddhism is divided into two major branches: Theravada and Mahayana, and below is a simplified description of the two. Theravada (The Elder's Teaching) Developed in southern India and spread to what is now Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Therevada has been more conservative and more attached to monastic life even if parts of the Theravada that exists today have also incorporated lay practitioners. Sometimes Theravada is called "Hinayana" (The Lesser Vehicle), which can be misleading since Hinayana was a name that the Mahayana-branch made up to describe those who practised with the emphasis on their own awakening and not in accordance with the Bodhisattva-ideal (see below). Mahayana (The Great Vehicle) Developed in northern India a few hundred years after the Buddha's death and it spread to Tibet, Mongolia, China, Japan, Korea and parts of Vietnam. Mahayana adapted to different cultures and people and developed differently in different countriesMonastic life has always been an essential part of the Mahayana tradition but also lay-people have been able to practice and come to awakening. (Thus the name "The Great Vehicle", in which there is a place for all).The Bodhisattva-ideal is an important concept in Mahayana-buddhism. It means that one's practice and awakening is for the benefit of all living beings, not only for one own's inner peace. Bodhisattva means "wisdom-being". Zen is a part of the Mahayana tradition. |
