Nothing is fixed or permanent, actions have consequences, change is possible.
Who was the Buddha?
"Buddha" means "one who is awake". Buddhist's don't believe the Buddha to be a God or a prophet, but an ordinary human who had an extraordinary insight. The Buddha was born as Siddartha Gautama around the year 560 BCE. He was a member of a wealthy, aristocratic family in what is now Nepal. By the age of 29 he had became dissatisfied and wanted to find the meaning of life. The story of the four sights, where Siddhartha saw and understood the reality of ageing, sickness and death, was a turning point. He left his family and spent six years pushing his body to extremes before realising that this wasn't helping. The Middle way the Buddha began to follow can also been seen as a path between extreme views, such as between nihilism and eternalism.
What did the Buddha teach?
Following enlightenment, the Buddha decided that it was possible to help others to realise the truth for themselves. "Dharma" means the truth and also the teachings that lead to the truth. Although enlightenment can't be fully understood without experiencing it, a key part of it is the principle of conditionality. The four noble truths are the principle of conditionality written in a practical form:
1 Suffering and unsatisfactoriness exist.
2 The origin of this suffering is by craving for things to be different.
3 Suffering can be stopped by overcoming craving. Humans can achieve enlightenment by their own efforts.
4 The way to stop suffering is the eight fold path; the journey of self transformation which the Buddha taught.
The eight fold path can also be described as the Three fold way of Ethics, Meditation and Wisdom
The Buddha's teachings were passed on as an oral tradition for about 500 years before being written down in Pali and Sanskrit.
How do Buddhists practice?
There are different traditions and ways of practicing. However, the Buddha, Dharma (teachings) and Sangha (community) are important to all Buddhists. The five ethical precepts are a guide used by Buddhists to avoid causing harm and promote well being for all. Buddhist ethics are about skilful or unskilful behaviour rather than right or wrong.
1. Not killing or causing harm to living beings, but developing compassion.
2. Not taking the not given, but practicing generosity.
3. Not causing harm through our sexual conduct, but aiming for contentment.
4. Avoiding false speech and instead speaking truthfully and helpfully.
5. Avoiding drink and drugs that cloud the mind and instead developing mindfulness.
Finding out more
Within the University Buddhist Meditation Society we often discuss and learn about Buddhism during our Wednesday afternoon sessions and our retreats. You can also borrow our library books. Outside of the University there are many groups from different Buddhist traditions who run courses and drop in sessions where you can learn more.
1 Suffering and unsatisfactoriness exist.