What is Buddhism?
Sometimes having everything in the world isn't enough! It's what is inside you that is most important. A prince discovered
this 2,500 years ago. His name was Siddhartha Gautama, and he was born in the country we now call Nepal. His
discovery led to the founding of Buddhism.
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According to ancient legends, the prince's mother had a dream when she was pregnant. Queen Maya dreamed that she
was carrying a white elephant in her tummy! The elephant carried a lotus flower in his trunk. A wise man explained that
the child she was carrying would become a holy man. The man's words scared the prince's father who definitely didn't
want his son to become a skinny, hungry, holy man.
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Siddhartha was born in 563 B.C. Queen Maya died when Prince Siddhartha was a baby, so his father raised him. The
king wanted the prince to have the best of everything so that he would grow up to be a good king instead of a holy man.
Prince Siddhartha grew up in a white palace surrounded by gardens that had flowers of every color and shape. The prince
ate the tastiest food and saw only handsome people. It is believed that he never saw any sickness, poverty, or death during
his childhood!
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When he turned 16, the prince married a lovely girl named Yashodhara. The wedding celebrations lasted for seven
days and nights. The Prince settled into married life, and when Yashodhara became pregnant, Siddhartha's father finally
believed that his son would follow in his footsteps and become the next king. He allowed the prince to go outside the
palace walls for the first time.
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Prince Siddhartha rode around the kingdom in a horse-drawn chariot. It is believed that he saw things that made him
wonder about life's purpose. First he saw an old man, bent and wrinkled. On the next chariot ride, a sick man crossed his
path. Then, the prince saw a funeral procession. These three sights made him realize that life is full of misery for many
people. On his last ride, Prince Siddhartha saw a holy man. He realized that the peaceful, holy man was not afraid of old
age, sickness, or even death. Prince Siddhartha realized that he wanted to find his own inner peace, but to do that, he had
to leave everything that he loved.
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Prince Siddhartha left his royal life behind. He left his wife and newborn son behind. He changed out of his silken
robes. He cut off his hair and removed his jewels. Siddhartha went into the forest and sat in a cross-legged position in
meditation for six years. Evil spirits assailed him, but he kept on meditating. Buddhists believe that Siddhartha received
enlightenment while sitting under a bodhi tree near the Ganges River. Traditionally, the date for this event was the full
moon in the month of May. Achieving enlightenment meant that Siddhartha had a deep understanding about life.
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After his enlightenment, Siddhartha passed a man on the road. The man noticed something different about the former
prince. The man asked him whether he was a god, a magician, or a wizard. Siddhartha said he was none of these things,
but that he was awake! That is how Siddhartha came to be called the Buddha, which means "The Awakened One."
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The Buddha began preaching. His teachings became known as the Four Noble Truths. See what you think of the
Buddha's simple truths: Life is full of suffering. Desire for worldly things causes suffering. Suffering can stop when desire
stops. There are eight rules to follow to stop wrong desire. These rules are called the Noble Eightfold Path.
History of Buddhism
Buddhism began about 2,500 years ago when a young prince gave up his kingdom to seek enlightenment. It is said that
Prince Siddhartha left behind his lovely wife, a rich palace, and every material comfort to find inner peace. Evil spirits
assailed him, but he persisted in sitting in meditation. After six years, he achieved true understanding, or enlightenment.
He became the Buddha, or the Awakened One.
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The Buddha traveled around India for fifty years until his death in 483 B.C. He taught the Four Noble Truths and the
Noble Eightfold Path (the eight steps to achieve enlightenment). No one wrote down his teachings, but the Buddha formed
a community of monks to carry on his message.
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After Buddha's death, five hundred monks met in a council. One monk, an exceptionally sharp fellow with an
excellent memory, could recite all the Buddha's teachings! The other monks debated about the details until they were
satisfied. These lessons from the Buddha, called the Sutras, were translated into many languages and passed along by
word of mouth for over 200 years. Later, the teachings of Buddha were written down on palm leaves in the first century
A.D.
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Two groups of Buddhists emerged. One group called themselves the Thervada, or the "way of the elders." This group
developed between 200 B.C. and 200 A.D. This group was more traditional and still exists today in Southeast Asia. They
believe that people reach nirvana by their own efforts. The monks, called arhats, shave their heads and wear saffron robes.
They never marry, and they live a simple life. They carry begging bowls from house to house to ask for food. Their goal is
to achieve nirvana by themselves. They want to help others by setting a good example.
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The second group that branched off was more liberal. They became the Mahayana Buddhists, and this movement
began in the 2nd century A.D. Today, they exist in Central and East Asia. Mahayana Buddhists believe that you don't
have to achieve enlightenment alone, but that other beings called bodhisattvas can help you. A bodhisattva is one who will
become a Buddha in the future. A bodhisattva stays and helps others achieve enlightenment before leaving the Earth.
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Zen Buddhism is a group within Mahayana Buddhism. It began in China in the 13th century and has fascinated many
people because of its intriguing puzzles, called koans. Zen monks ask odd questions like "What is the sound of one hand
clapping?" This puzzle is called a koan and is supposed to help the students think in a new way. Another famous koan is
"How did your face look before your ancestors were born?" Zen Buddhism focuses on meditation.
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Buddhism is a peaceful religion. The Buddha never forced anyone to study his teachings, so Buddhism spread
gradually over the Indian plains along trade routes. An Emperor named Ashoka adopted Buddhism and made it the state
religion of India. He lived from 272 B.C. to 231 B.C. This emperor made fairer laws because of the Buddha's teachings,
and he had these laws written on stone columns which were erected around his empire. He sent Buddhist missionaries all
over India and beyond. Some of them went to Egypt, Palestine, and Greece.
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It took centuries for Buddhism to reach the West. In the last half of the 1800s, Europeans began to study the ancient
cultures of India and China. Explorers discovered exciting parts of Asia for the first time. They wrote about the
monasteries, temples, and chants (as well as the yaks and yak butter tea) that seemed so strange to them. English people
found these things refreshing and different from the rather stiff and proper rules of British life. Societies began to spring
up to study oriental subjects. Sipping tea and eating crumpets while discussing Buddhism became a fad.
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In the twentieth century, Buddhism was suppressed because eastern nations that used to be Buddhist came under
Communist control. When this happened in Mongolia, China, and Korea, Buddhist monks and nuns had to leave their
monasteries. Their temples were destroyed, and no new monks could be trained. Scriptures could not be printed. Tibetan
Buddhists, who had been in Tibet since the 8th century, were also forced out of their homeland by the Chinese
communists. They settled in India with their leader, the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama has worked tirelessly for Tibetan
religious freedom.
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However, Buddhism is making a comeback. Buddhists practice in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Russia, Indonesia, Taiwan,
Hong Kong, South Korea, and Nepal. Buddhism has been growing in China since 1977. In Tibet, monasteries have been
open since the 1980s, and scriptures are being reprinted. Today, there are more than 300 million Buddhists in the world.
Even though there are many branches of Buddhism, many Buddhists say the same prayer, "May all beings be free from
sorrow."