Buddhism is the oldest world religion. She was the first to cross the ethnic, class and confessional barriers between people, since she perceived a person as a person, and not a member of any group. Buddhism offers a path of spiritual development, the goal of which is to penetrate into the true nature of all things. Many people believe that this is science or psycho-training.
Instructions
Step 1
In general terms, Buddhism is a religious and philosophical teaching based on spiritual awakening. This movement is based on the ideas of Buddha or Gautama Shakyamuni, who lived two and a half thousand years ago, during the heyday of Indian civilization. With the help of gifted students, he spread his theory, which is still professed by a large number of people. A collection of the teacher's words in 108 volumes ("Kangyur") and 254 more volumes written by students has survived to this day. The Buddha himself best described his teaching: “I teach that everyone strives to become happy and get rid of suffering. I teach the truth of all things. " Buddhism differs from other religions in that it is based on experience, not faith.
Step 2
At the heart of Buddhism is the concept of "four noble truths": suffering, the origin and causes of suffering, their cessation and the way to get rid of them. Having discovered these very principles of human life, Gautama became enlightened. The first truth is that everything brings suffering - birth, old age, illness, failure to achieve the desired … Pleasure is short-lived, but happiness is imaginary. The whole life of a person proceeds in torment - mental and physical.
Step 3
According to Buddhism, the cause of human suffering is the attachment of life, the thirst for being. To stop suffering, you need to have no desires, suppress your passions and attachments. A practical way of deliverance is offered by the fourth truth, which is the "eightfold path": righteous faith, determination, words, deeds, lifestyle, aspirations, thoughts, and contemplation. By following these instructions, a person can achieve perfection, the culmination of which is nirvana.
Step 4
Nirvana is a transition to another being, the cessation of life, accessible to consciousness, and its qualitative change. Buddhists adopted Indian views on samsara, which attracts every living being through a chain of rebirths and causes suffering. Death is not deliverance, because after it a new life begins. But nirvana stops reincarnation and allows the enlightened one to escape from the wheel of samsara.
Step 5
Buddhism is divided into two main teachings: Mahayana and Hinayana. The first says about the need for unlimited love for all beings on earth, on which the concept of a Bodhisattva is based. It is the willingness to give up nirvana in order to save the lives of other beings. Hinayana adherents strive only for individual salvation.
