The Buddhist tradition is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, also known as Śakyamuni. A prince who lived in classical India in the years 463-383 BC. In his lifetime, the Buddha decided to find a way out of everyday life’s suffering, dissatisfaction and the prospect of death, by putting to test the culture and spiritual traditions of his time. After leaving his palace, Siddhartha starts to practice religious devotions and ritual ceremonies. Unsatisfied with the results, he abandons this path to devote himself to ascetic practices. Asceticism will put a strain on his mind and body, but for six years he devotes himself fully to it, following the teachings of various spiritual masters and luminaries.
After continuous efforts, he comes to the conclusion that nothing he has tried is yielding the desired results: Siddhartha continues to experience suffering, to be a slave of many desires and their resulting dissatisfactions. Tired and exhausted, Siddhartha stands on the riverbank when a local woman, Sujata, passes by with a bowl of rice porridge. In seeing the young ascetic's physical condition, the woman is moved by compassion, and offers him some of the food. Siddhartha is immediately struck by a sudden realisation: awakening cannot be achieved by relying on one's own efforts, but with the help of the power and compassion of others. He decides to abandon his extreme asceticism and no longer follow gurus. From now on, he would follow his own path, rooted in his own critical thinking and experiences. This moment marks the birth of Buddhism.
The path Siddhartha charts with his own experience will be later called ‘the middle way’, as it is not ascetic in nature, but it is neither a way leading to materialistic wealth and pleasures. Siddhartha proposes a balanced approach to awakening, a way to live life that enables him to achieve his awakening and become the Buddha1. Today Buddhists of all schools and nationalities follow the middle way of Śakyamuni, as presented by the Buddha himself in his first public sermon2 after attaining awakening, consistsing of the Four Truths that Make One Noble and the Eightfold Path.
The Buddha's teachings for the practitioner take the form of a path. This is important as it not only reflects the Buddha's own transformation experience, but also frames spiritual practice as a journey. Paths by their nature are not straight lines and journeys are full of unexpected events and forks in the road, that force us to follow a certain path over another. However, as long as the destination is set, the choice of a path is irrelevant, as all paths ultimately lead to the destination.
In Buddhism, the ultimate destination is complete awakening to our human nature. This awakening marks the end of dissatisfaction and suffering. The promise consist of the following: by engaging in Buddhist practice and following the path laid out by the Buddha, we can fully awaken to our humanity and this realisation will bring about the cessation of the continuous cycle of craving and aversion, ending dissatisfaction and suffering permanently.
The Buddha's teachings were first memorised and passed down by the monastic community and finally given to the written word on palm leaves to be shared. After the Buddha's death, monks began to spread his message: some devoting themselves to spreading his teachings in India, others disseminating them throughout South-East Asia, China and Korea, and finally reaching Japan.
1 'Buddha', the 'awakened one', is an honorary term derived from the Sanskrit word 'bodhi' which has the literal meaning of 'awakening'
2 This first discourse can be read in its transcription in the Pali canon as Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, 'the First Turn of the Wheel'.
If you are interested to the teachings of Shinran Shonin and the Jodo Shinshu tradition, or you're simply looking for a friendly Pure Land sangha to practice with, get in touch