BUDDHISM - what is it. Philosophy of Buddhism

Basic ideas of Buddhism: Pixabay Of the three world religions, Buddhism is the most ancient creed: it is more than 2.5 thousand years old. His principles and views are organically perceived by new generations. The ideas of Buddhism are present in many modern systems of self-improvement that are far from religion. Let us briefly consider what makes the values of this teaching so attractive.

How did the ancient philosophy of Buddhism arise?

In the middle of the 1st millennium BC, Brahmanism dominated in India. In the north of the country a movement arose that opposed it - Buddhism . Culture, society and economy were in deep decline. Traditional institutions and clan associations were losing their influence, and class relationships were being formed. Sages traveled around the country and offered a different look at the spiritual and physical life of a person. Among the teachings that offered to look at the world around us from a different angle was Buddhism, which received the greatest sympathy from the people.

Buddhism

“If something is worth doing, do it with all your heart.”

Buddhist philosophy in simple words is love of wisdom or love and wisdom, both meanings perfectly describe Buddhism. Regardless of what religion a person recognizes and what higher powers he believes in. Regardless of the cyclical nature of life and all the events taking place in it, such as in the history of Buddhism, which eventually brought together 500 million people.

Everything is temporary and not eternal, stitched with a thin thread of anitya according to the principles of Buddhism. But nevertheless, there is experience accumulated over centuries and passed on within the framework of the Buddhist tradition. He has formed an incomparable resource for all those who want to follow the path of Enlightenment. The Enlightened One sees the nature of reality absolutely clearly and simply, exactly as it is, and lives completely and naturally in accordance with this vision. This is the goal of the Buddhist spiritual life, representing the end of suffering for all who achieve it.

Buddha and his teachings

Most scientists agree that the founder of the original concepts of the philosophy of Buddhism was a historical person. He was a prince of the Shakya tribe, born in 560 BC. in northeast India. According to legend, his name was Siddhartha Gautama, he spent a carefree and joyful childhood in the palace, but then he realized the horror of the idea of a cycle of endless reincarnations and saw how much suffering and grief there was in the world around him. The prince went on a journey for seven years, communicated with wise Indians, trying to find the answer to the question: “What can save people from suffering?”

One day, while he was sitting under the Bodhi tree, an understanding of how to answer his question came to him. Buddha translated from Sanskrit means “enlightened”, “awakened”. Stunned by his discovery, the prince spent several more days under the tree, then went to people to talk about the new teaching.

The first sermon was heard by the people in the city of Benares. There he was joined by five of his former students, who had previously turned their backs on him because of his rejection of asceticism. For the next 40 years, he spoke about his teachings throughout northern and central India. He was joined by many supporters who were close to the basic principles of the philosophy of Buddhism.

Spiritual practices [↑]

The spiritual practices of the East are impressive, but in the context of searching for the meaning of life, they turn out to be meaningless. If power over your body becomes an end in itself, then ultimately it leads to nothing. After all, all human actions are aimed not at the altruistic fulfillment of the Creator’s Will, but at satisfying their own selfish desires. Living in solitude, one can achieve amazing achievements in the field of body control, but this can only inflate the arrogant Ego.

Obeying commandments and teaching Torah truly, as the Creator requires, is much more difficult than all the spiritual practice of the East. Saying mantras is immeasurably easier than praying with concentration every day.

However, meditation is not alien to Judaism. But the goal of Jewish meditation is to achieve complete concentration of consciousness, remove extraneous thoughts, bring thoughts into harmony and direct them towards the Creator. Meditation was practiced by such great people as, for example, the outstanding expert on kabbalah and mentor Rabbi Abulafia and his followers, as well as one of the most famous Hasidic righteous Rabbi Nachman of Breslav.

The famous Kabbalist and popularizer of Judaism Rav Aryeh Kaplan has several books devoted to this topic: “Meditation and the Bible”; "Meditation and Kabbalah"; "Jewish Meditation". They are written in accessible language, and those who read them can see for themselves that Jewish meditation is a means of serving the Almighty, while Buddhist meditation strives only for power over one’s own body.

Basic concepts of Buddhist philosophy: brief and clear

The philosophy of Buddhism was formed within the framework of various movements and schools of this teaching. It is a set of meaningful beliefs regarding man, the world and the knowledge of reality. Unlike Abrahamic and other monotheistic religions, in the philosophy of Buddhism there is no concept of a sinful body and an immortal soul, which awaits eternal torment for an unrighteous life. There is simply a person: good and evil deeds committed by him throughout his life and reflected in his karma.

There are many special terms in the philosophy of Buddhism, and we will now clarify the central ones:

Karma. A key concept in Buddhist philosophy that explains how and why certain things happen to us. It tells us that all the actions we do have consequences.
Incarnations. This is a phenomenon of spiritual life in the philosophy of Buddhism, in which after the death of a living being, its karma passes to another living creature. This concept is different from the "transmigration of souls" and the Hindu concept of "atman", meaning the eternal soul.
Enlightenment. In such a spiritual and mental state, free from negative emotions, thoughts, desires, a person perceives the world as it is.
Nirvana. Through deep thought and meditation, the Buddha formulated one of the main goals in the philosophy of Buddhism: the desire to realize one’s soul, based on the renunciation of worldly goods, the renunciation of a comfortable life. Achieving the state of nirvana gives a person control over his mind, he stops worrying too much about what other people think, loses his dependence on things, and his soul begins to develop.
Samsara, or "wheel of life". In Buddhist philosophy, all living beings, except those who have achieved enlightenment, are in this state.

Buddha believed that it was advisable to follow the “middle path.” You don’t need to give up all the benefits of civilization and be an ascetic, but you shouldn’t wallow in luxury either. A person needs to find the mean between these two extremes.

Schools

Over the course of centuries of history, the Buddhist view has spread far beyond the borders of the homeland, attracting thousands of adherents. It transformed, changed, flowed from one form to another. The basis of Buddhism remains intact, but still some views on the world order may differ from one direction to another.

In one of them, for example, the person of the Buddha is worshiped and deified by bodhisattvas, while in another there may be no recognition of any authority except one's own heart. According to one school, only monks who have accepted asceticism can become a Buddhist, while another accepts into its ranks everyone who sincerely believes.

There can be a lot of such examples, so it is customary to separate the main currents, which, in turn, are divided into smaller directions.

Theravada

The most ancient school, which appeared shortly after Shakyamuni's parinirvana. It is considered the most strict and conservative. According to Theravadins, only a monk can achieve nirvana.

There are no special rituals, a pantheon of saints, or images in the form of sculptures. At the heart of everything are the actions, thoughts and correct behavior of a person.

Mahayana

A school that gives hope even to the laity to break out of the circle of rebirth, which means suffering, and achieve Awakening. It is also known as the "Great Chariot".

This direction presents images of saints - boddhisattvas, buddhas, so that they help believers in such a difficult matter.

Vajrayana

Known to many as the “Diamond Chariot”, it places tantra at the center of dharma - the art of self-development, healing through various practices, meditation, self-control, and self-awareness.

Nowadays, the geography of Buddhism is incredibly wide; there are several classifications of its movements, and in their listing, many call the average number eighteen. Among them are Tibetan schools, for example, Gelug, Kagyu, Nyingma, as well as Japanese Shingon, Zen ,

neo-Buddhism and many other branches.

What is the philosophy of Buddhism: 4 noble truths

There are 4 great discoveries of Buddha, 4 truths of Buddhist philosophy:

Suffering is the essence of human life. In Buddhist philosophy, the symbol of existence is fire, which devours itself, bringing only suffering. The world around us is impermanent and changes all the time. Everything that is created will be destroyed in the end.
Man's desires are the source of his suffering. Our deep attachment to the material realms of existence makes us thirst for life. The torment intensifies as this desire grows.
Freedom from desires leads to freedom from suffering. In nirvana, a person ceases to feel the thirst for life and is freed from passions. This is accompanied by a feeling of bliss and tranquility, freeing from the transmigration of souls.
The Eightfold or “middle” path of salvation is abstinence from extremes in Buddhist philosophy, which helps to free oneself from passions.

The Eightfold Path of Salvation assumes the following:

understanding - it is very important to comprehend and accept that our world consists of suffering and grief;
intentions - you need to stop being selfish, get rid of ambitions and desires;
speech - a person must always watch his words, they must convey goodness and not cause harm to other people;
deeds - do not commit evil deeds, strive to do only good ones;
way of life - in the philosophy of Buddhism it is forbidden to harm living beings, only this can free a person from torment;
efforts - to monitor all your thoughts and not allow evil into them, to be tuned to goodness;
thoughts - our body is the main source of evil, if you free yourself from its desires, you will be free from suffering;
concentration – one must constantly practice the Eightfold Path and be concentrated on it.

The first and second stages are called prajdnya, they are needed to comprehend wisdom. The third, fourth and fifth instill correct behavior and set the moral compass (sila). The sixth, seventh and eighth are called samadha, they help to control the mind.

Selfishness is the cause of all suffering

Buddhism teaches that all suffering comes from the false concept of Self. Yes, the existence of a separate Self is just another concept created in the mind. And it is this I, which in Western psychology is called the Ego, that suffers.

Any suffering can only stem from a person’s attachment to himself, his ego and selfishness.

What a Buddhist Master does is destroy this false Ego, freeing the student from suffering. And this is usually painful and scary. But it's effective.

Probably one of the most famous practices for getting rid of egoism is tonglen. To perform it, you need to imagine a familiar person in front of you and with each breath mentally draw into yourself, into the solar plexus area, all his suffering and pain in the form of a black cloud. And with every exhalation, give all your happiness and all the best that you have or that you would like to have. Imagine your close friend (if you are a woman) and mentally give her everything you want for yourself: a lot of money, a better man, talented children, etc. And take away all her suffering for yourself. It is even more effective to do this practice with your enemies.

Practice tonglen twice a day in the morning and evening for 5-10 minutes for 3 weeks. And you will see the result.

The practice of tonglen is something that will give you positive imprints in your mind, which after some time will come to you in the form of what you gave up and gave to another person.

Features of Buddhist philosophy

There are three main treasures in Buddhism:

Buddha - it can be either any person who has achieved enlightenment, or the founder of the teaching himself.
Dharma is the quintessence of the basic ideas of the philosophy of Buddhism, what they can give to people who followed the Buddha and accepted all the tenets of his teachings.
Sangha is a community of Buddhists who unquestioningly follow the dogmas of this religious movement.

Fighting the three poisons is the way for Buddhists to gain the three jewels:

Distance from the truth of existence and ignorance.
Bodily passions and thirst for life, which lead to suffering. The central concept of Buddhist philosophy is suffering.
Inability to accept the world and events as they are, anger and lack of restraint.

According to the philosophy of Buddhism, a person constantly suffers spiritually and physically. Birth, death, illness and disease throughout life are suffering. This state of affairs is considered abnormal, so the philosophy of Buddhism promotes liberation from this.

Buddhist doctrine

Buddhist doctrine is divided into two main movements: Theravada, the oldest Buddhist school, and Mahayana (of which Tibetan Buddhism, Zen/Zen, and others are part).

Buddhists believe that physical and spiritual awareness lead to enlightenment and exaltation called nirvana. This is the highest plane of consciousness where the living is free from the pain of the physical world.

Buddhism also believes that all beings have incarnations and reincarnations, including animals and plants. Therefore, a person should be kind to all beings, because in another life he can experience this form. This cycle of reincarnation is called Samsara.

Written sources of Buddhist philosophy

The Pali canon "Ti-Pitaka" or "Tripitaka" is a book that is the main source of Buddhist philosophy. The name is translated from Sanskrit as “three baskets” because texts about Buddhism were originally written on palm leaves and placed in baskets. This canon consists of three parts and is written in Pali:

Vinaya Pitaka is a set of 227 rules governing the life of Buddhist monks. It contains information about discipline, ceremonies and ethical precepts.
The Sutta Pitaka contains the books “ Dhammapada ,” which means “the path to truth” (a collection of Buddhist parables), and “ Jataka ,” a collection of stories about the previous incarnations of the Buddha. In addition to the two books listed, this part also includes the philosophy of the Buddha itself.
The Abhidhamma Pitaka are texts permeated with Buddhist philosophy, its perception of life, as well as the metaphysics found in Buddhism.

The above books of all the movements of Buddhism are especially revered by Hinayana. The sacred canon of Buddhist philosophy among Mahayana disciples is the Prajnaparalshta Sutra (teachings on perfect wisdom). For them, these are revelations from the Buddha himself.

Lotus flower (padma)

It is the most famous and widely recognized Buddhist symbol in the world. Describes the inner world, humanity and life.

"Eternal Knot" in Buddhism

"Endless knot" (srivatsa)

In Buddhism, the endless knot symbolizes intertwining wisdom, compassion and love.

The Buddhist swastika is usually in a clockwise direction and is said to contain the entire mind of the Buddha.

Swastika

It is an ancient symbol of eternity, abundance, plurality, prosperity, well-being and long life.

It symbolizes Vajrayana, which is one of the three main branches of Buddhism.

Vajra

A Buddhist tantric symbol representing great spiritual strength and fortitude.

One of the most popular Buddhist symbols for tattoos

Nealmus

Symbolizes the journey to enlightenment. He teaches that the path is not always straight.

There are many other symbols

: a lion personifying the power of Buddha, two golden fish - a symbol of happiness and freedom, a “sankha” shell - characterizing the sound of awakening and calling, an urn of wisdom “Bumpa”, Eyes of Buddha/Wise Eyes, Four Guardian Kings and others.

“Hatred does not end through hatred. Hatred ends through love. This is an immutable law"

Buddhism is a religion or philosophy

In the philosophy of Buddhism there is no concept of God as the creator of everything immaterial and material, an omnipotent being who created the world. This is the difference from the ideas about religion that are familiar to Russians. In the cosmology of Buddhism, there are beings called "deva", they are mistakenly called "gods". They did not create the Universe and do not control destinies, these are ordinary people from another reality.

Question: “Do you believe in Buddha?” - meaningless in the philosophy of Buddhism, since Buddha is a real historical figure who lived about 2500 years ago. He was an ordinary person, like the rest of us.

When many people mention Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) comes to mind, this is true, but only partly. Any adherent of Buddhism who has achieved enlightenment can be considered a Buddha, and there were many of them. After all, the word “Buddha” is translated from Sanskrit as “awakened”, “enlightened”. But only Great Buddhas are usually written with a capital letter, such as the Present Buddha (Shakyamuni) and the Great Buddhas of the past, of which, according to the canons of different Buddhist schools, there are from 6 to 21. The names of all the rest are written with a small letter.

Do Buddhists have temples?

Ernst Hein. Buddhist temple in Kyoto. Second half of the 19th century Pixels
The most famous Buddhist religious building is the stupa. Initially, stupas were built as reliquaries in which the remains of Buddha Shakyamuni were kept and venerated, and later - in memory of important events. There are several varieties of stupas, and their architectural appearance largely depends on regional traditions: they can be hemispherical, square stepped or pagoda-shaped. To earn good karma, Buddhists practice ritual circumambulation of the stupa.

There are also temples that are even more architecturally diverse. It is believed that the three treasures of Buddhism are concentrated in them - the Buddha (his statues and other images), the dharma embodied in the texts of the Buddhist canon, and the sangha, represented by the monks living at the temple or monastery.