Do You Know The History Of Buddhism?
Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
The story about Buddhism and how it came to be all started long ago with a king named Suddhodana. It was his son, Siddhartha, who would later in life become the Buddha. Yes, some of the stories you find on the internet and in books are often fantastical in its nature. It is a unique blend of fairytale and fact in the Buddhist teachings that can be found today. There is quite a lot more to Buddhism than just having a big Buddha statue sitting on your desk as a decoration. It is a great piece of history and millions of believers follow the teachings of Buddhism.
A prediction was made by a holy man regarding Siddhartha. The holy man prophesized that the young prince would either grow up to become a great ruler or he would become a wise holy man. The king was obviously dismayed that his son might abdicate his princely life and so tried to shelter the young man from the outside world. Unfortunately for Suddhodana, this did not stop the outside world from coming into contact with his son. At the age of 29, Siddhartha came into contact with what is now known as the “Four Sights.” He came across an elderly man, a corpse, a diseased man and a holy man. This gave him a glimpse into the sufferings of mankind and Siddhartha was so moved that he abandoned his princely throne to become a holy man himself.
The main principle behind the Buddhist teachings is one that Siddhartha sought to find, in order to put an end to human suffering. At first he tried fasting and enduring pain as a way to see the world clearly and to find the way to end the suffering that surrounded him. Fortunately for Buddhists, he found a less painful method. Siddhartha found that meditation was the true path. This fact about Buddhism still remains true today.
Siddhartha’s meditation retreat came in the form of meditating beneath a tree outside of a village for forty-nine days. It was during these forty-nine days that he attained enlightenment and could begin teaching his findings to the rest of the world. From this point on, Siddhartha became known as Buddha. Buddhist studies teach followers that the true path to ending human suffering in this world is to follow a strict path set forth by the Buddha. It involves ritualized chants and meditations to alleviate the conflicts that plague humanity.
When you first begin learning about Buddhism it can seem confusing. If you take things slowly and begin learning the basics of Buddhism before beginning to research into the different branches of the Buddhist practice, then you will be fine. Visit www.buddhism.about.com for more information on how you can incorporate Buddhism into your life. As well, there are many books on Buddhism that you can read to learn how the Buddha discovered his path to enlightenment.
