Basic beliefs of Buddhism explainedThis article explains the basic beliefs of Buddhism. These constitute the Buddhist doctrine of salvation and belief in the 3 Jewels of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. As regards the doctrine of salvation Buddhism is based on 3 precepts:- a) Impermanence of all phenomena – All things in life – object, thoughts, feelings, whatever – are transient and ephemeral. They are born, live and then die according to unpredictable patterns. b) All is unsatisfactory – all life is painful because people base their lives around desires, which are sure to be frustrated. c) There is a fundamental illusion behind all reality. Things are not as we perceive them to be. In addition the doctrine states that all things arise out of a common Great Void and returns to it in an endless cycle. This void is not dead and cold like a nihilistic Black hole but is vibrant and alive. For more on thebasic beliefs of Buddhism and the Buddhist doctrine of Salvation please refer this page on 5 facts Buddhism The page explains some of the basic beliefs of Buddhism. As regards the 3 Jewels these constitute the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. The Buddha is a historical figure – a human who awoke to his true nature and not a God. He lived during the period 563 B.C. to 483 B.C. For more on the life of the founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama please refer this page on
When was Buddhism founded
The importance of the historical Buddha – Siddhartha Gautama – is played down by almost all schools of Buddhism. He assumes importance because he is regarded as an unobstructed channel for the Dharma (the doctrine) to flow and make itself known to the world. The Buddha was regarded –even in ancient times – as only one in a series of many Buddhas. Some of these Buddhas like Maitreya are still to come. By their coming they will give strength and vigor to the Dharma and its teaching. This is another of the basic beliefs of Buddhism. According to many historians there is little reliable information on the life of the Buddha and it is difficult to know what is fact and what were the pious inventions of a later age. From the point of view of spiritual practice however, it helps immensely if you are inspired by some enlightened master. If you have feeling of reverence to the Buddha, it will certainly help you in your meditation practice. I should think this feeling of inspiration and reverence was what was sought to be inculcated in the followers of Buddhism and this is why the Buddha is regarded as one of the 3 Jewels of Buddhism. This is one of the basic beliefs of Buddhism. The second of the 3 Jewels is the Dharma. Dharma has many meanings. It may be regarded for starters as impersonal spiritual force. Dharma may also be regarded as the one ultimate reality underlying all things – call it God, Brahman, the Void or Whatever. The law of Dharma may also be regarded as the Doctrine or Truth as stated in the Buddhist teachings. The law of Dharma may also be regarded as righteousness or virtue. It is the qualities of a realized individual, which arose through his following the teachings of the Buddha. Followers of Buddhism in Asia do not call themselves Buddhists, but rather as followers of the Dharma. The law of Dharma is what is emphasized in the Buddhist teachings. The Buddha himself is reported to have said: “What is there Vakkali, in seeing this vile body of mine? Whoso sees the spiritual Law or Dharma, he sees me; whoso sees me sees the spiritual Dharma. Seeing Dharma Vakkali, he sees me, seeing me he sees Dharma”. As stated earlier this emphasis on the Dharma is why Buddhists regard the historical Buddha as important only because he was a channel for the Dharma to flow. This is one of the basic beliefs of Buddhism. It is following the teaching that is stressed, not building a cult around a historical individual or human being. The Shakyamuni Buddha is said to have gotten the wheel of Dharma rolling by his teachings around 2,500 years ago. It is also said in Theravada Buddhism that the wheel of Dharma has now lost impetus after around 2,500 years and Buddhists the world over need to get the wheel of Dharma moving again for the benefit of future generations and humanity The third in the 3 Jewels of Buddhism is the Sangha. Belief in the Sangha is one of the basic beliefs of Buddhism The Sanga is important for the sustained effort over years, even decades, that is required for spiritual growth. If you are in the company of people who are doing the same thing what you are doing then it is much easier to continue with your practice. Left to yourself your practice will flag after some years, if not months or weeks. Taking another trivial example, deciding to go to the gym is difficult. But once you are in the gym then it is easy – even enjoyable – to do your workout. Part of the reason is that you can see and have the company of other people who are also working out, the same as you. I urge you to find a community of people interested in spirituality and make them a part of your life. In this online age you have many avenues to explore. Go to Yahoo Groups and do a search for spirituality on meditation or Buddhism or whatever interests you. There is also a separate category for Religion in Yahoo Groups that you can browse at your leisure. Those interested in the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh can visit his website Plum Village and join the online Sangha. This is a Yahoo chat session, which discusses your spiritual practice and helps resolve difficulties. It meets twice every Monday. I make it a point to join these sessions whenever I can. You can also do a search for “Forums, + meditation” or “forums, + Buddhism”, (or whatever your subject). You will find many active forums discussing your subject of interest. Anyway, in historical times the Sangha was composed of laymen and monks. The Monks were much the more important and the highest of them was the Arahat – the realized being who was free from the necessity of being reborn to another life. Belief in the Sangha is one of the basic beliefs of Buddhism. I hope you enjoyed this article. For more articles visit this page on Buddhism Eastern Philosophy and Meditation Home
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