How you can gain insight through Buddhism ReligionThe truth of suffering is one of the central concepts of Buddhism religion. The Buddha can be looked upon as a physician who diagnoses and prescribes the path leading to the end of suffering. This is the teaching of the Buddha. Buddhism is looked upon by some as a pessimistic religion since it stresses on suffering. What they forget is that that this is a philosophy that also prescribes a way out. Nature of the basic beliefs of BuddhismMy own view is that Buddhism is based on an understanding of human psychology and that it is very realistic and practical. Buddhism religion does not concern itself with anything but the cessation of suffering or gaining well-being. Such matters as the existence of god, the existence of the soul and the like are deliberately not discussed as they would act as distractions to our main task – accomplishing the cessation of suffering.So this is the main reason for following a path according to the basic beliefs of Buddhism. The teachings of the Buddhism holy bookAnother characteristic of Buddhism religion – which makes it such a boon to mankind – is that all the Buddhist teachings are regarded as a map leading to our goal or to truth. The teachings are never mistaken to be the truth itself. The Buddha himself regarded his own teachings as nothing more than a finger pointing at the moon. As Bruce Lee said in the movie – Enter the Dragon – “Don’t concentrate on the finger or you will miss all the heavenly glory.” There have never been any wars fought over Buddhism religion and that is because Buddhism religion never regarded its own teachings as the truth, but only pointers to it.Buddhism religion then – according to me – is a path of insight leading to the end of suffering (or well-being). The Buddha gained enlightenment through meditation, and meditation was also what he primarily taught. There are many methods of Buddhism and many Buddhist meditation practices. I myself am doing Vipassana meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka. Vipassana means insight. Hence Vipassana meditation means insight meditation. Insight meditation can be done only if the mind is stable and strong enough to concentrate well. For the distracted mind what is required is not Vipassana but Shamatha (or stopping). We need to stop our minds from its endless distractions to be able to observe properly and gain insight. There is a story told in Zen circles about a man and a horse. A man was astride a horse, which was galloping away to a distant goal. Everyone thought that the man must be on some important journey. Another man standing on the road asked – “where are you going”. And the man on the horse replied “I don’t know; ask the horse” This is the situation that we find ourselves in. We are pulled along by our passions - anger, greed, fear etc. - and by our habits and we seem to have no say in deciding where we want to go. Observation of the breath is a powerful Buddhist meditation practice that leads to Shamatha. I have also described some mindfulness practices based on the Anapanasati sutra in this page on Buddhist Meditation . This mindfulness practice can be integrated into our day-to-day lives and we will be immensely benefited. I also strongly recommend that you take up a regular meditation practice whether in the Buddhist Meditation tradition or otherwise. Meditation practices in Theravada BuddhismTheravada Buddhism is also known as Hinayana Buddhism or Path of the Elders. It is the Buddha's original teaching. Vipassana is one of the mail meditation practices of Hinayana Buddhism.Vipassana - or insight meditation – is the path to freedom. There are many insight meditation practices in the Buddhist meditation tradition. I myself am learning the method taught by S. N. Goenka and I strongly recommend it to you if you are determined and motivated to learn. Centers have been established by Mr. Goenka in many countries. More information can be found on this page on Vipassana meditation. In the tradition of Theravada Buddhism there are other forms of insight meditation or Vipassana as taught by a number of other enlightened masters. More information is available in this book Living Dharma by Jack Kornfield available at Amazon. Jack Kornfield visited and trained with many Burmese Buddhist masters in the 1970’s. The above book is an insightful compilation of the many practices that he became familiar with. Interested students of Buddhism religion and Buddist meditation practices would do well to read this book. It is knowledgeable, insightful and inspiring. In brief the practices and basic beliefs of Buddhism religion stress awareness, meditation and walking the path of the end of suffering. I hope you enjoyed this article and that it will be useful to you.
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