Text
below is provisional
What is Buddhism and Theravada
This whole site is all about Buddhism, and the Theravada teachings in particular. Below is a generalized introduction for anyone unfamiliar with either term.
Buddhism dates from a remarkable time in the spiritual unfolding of humanity. About 2600 years ago several major teachers and philosophical thinkers arose, Socrates in Greece, Siddhārtha Gautama the Buddha in India, Confucius and Lao Zu in China. Each made a major break from the culture they were born into, with long running impacts on all that followed with effects into the present.
Standing almost alone among all religions, Buddhism offers a way for realization and transformation within this very life by one’s own efforts. The Buddhist way is not dependent upon outside forces, divine or otherwise, and not dependent upon holding to a set of beliefs or a creed. Rather, Buddhism offers a path for direct insight into the nature of being which, when developed, is a transformative release from suffering.
In this respect Buddhism is very different from Judaism, Christianity and Islam, which are so prominent in modern culture. Buddhism is not an evangelical or proselytizing religion. Yet Buddhism, practised in one form or another in most Asian countries, is now growing rapidly on all continents, especially in Europe, North America, New Zealand and Australia.
The Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama Shakyamuni, was born a prince of the Shakya tribe in the foothills of northern India. In keeping with his rank he was carefully groomed with the best education suitable for a very wealthy ruling family. As heir apparent he was married very young and had a son. However, in his late 20s he became acutely sensitive to how his sheltered life at court masked the suffering of birth, illness, old age and death. When he became aware of wandering ascetics who practised austerities and meditations to transcend suffering he resolved to join them in the search. Making a clean break with his household he followed major teachers of his time for seven years and practised many heroic austerities. Still dissatisfied, he changed tack again and resolved to find a middle way on his own, took some food and meditated under a tree at Bodh Gaya.
Tradition holds that in little more than a month he penetrated to the core of the nature of being, discovered the root causes of suffering and a path for release which would not fade, not be subject to conditions and available for all. After a further month of meditation he arose and announced his realization of “the middle way” to five companions. At their invitation he began his teaching. From this point on he became known as The Buddha “the awakened one”. Thus began 40 plus years of continuous teaching in all parts of northeastern India and the founding of a monastic order numbering in many thousands. In his 80s the Buddha passed away from eating tainted pork.
Buddhism continued to expand until it dominated all of India. However, over time Hindu tradition reasserted itself, pushing Buddhism to the margins. The arrival of Muslim hordes finally pushed the last of Buddhism out of India. Meanwhile the teachings had already migrated to Sri Lanka, and eventually to Thailand, Burma, Tibet, China and Japan. In recent years Buddhism has been gradually returning to India. In the 1960s American members of the Peace Corps were influential in transporting Buddhism to North America. [
]The monastic order founded by the Buddha preserved several thousand sermons running into thousands of pages. Written originally in the ancient Pali language (a close cousin of Sanscrit) these, along with extensive commentaries and sub-commentaries, have been translated into modern English and are available to fill a very large bookshelf.
Many schools of Buddhism arose during its long history. Today there are three major groupings, Theravada (the way of the elders), Mahayana (the great vehicle) and Vajrayana (the diamond vehicle).
Theravada originates with the Buddha and those monks closest to him at the time of his passing, especially to Ananda, the Buddha’s cousin and manservant. Theravada is especially active in Sri Lanka, Thailand and Burma. Traces of Mahayana and Vajrayana appeared first in India but today are found mostly in China, Japan and Tibet. Zen is a discipline within Mahayana. The Dalai Lama, arguably the most prominent Buddhist today is within the Vajrayana tradition.
What unifies all Buddhists in common are teachings known as The Four Noble Truths and the doctrine of Dependent Origination. Each of the three major schools includes these same teachings. The differences are really ones of exposition and methodology of practice. Those well schooled in Mahayana or Vajrayana are usually comfortable in a Theravada setting and vice versa.
The Four Noble Truths are these:
“These Four Noble Truths, monks, are actual, unerring, not otherwise. Therefore, they are called noble truths.”1
The Buddha said that he taught the Four Noble Truths,
“because it is beneficial, it belongs to the fundamentals of the holy life, it leads to freedom from delusion, to dispassion, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nirvana. That is why I have declared it.”2
We’ll look at these four from different viewpoints in our Tuesday Dharma Talks series.
For many the Eight-fold Path will feel very like the Biblical Ten Commandments. However, there is a critical difference. Each of the eight is a practice to be perfected. Very important. There is no doctrine of damnation within Buddhism.
All eight are progressive in the sense they can be practised at progressively at deeper levels as one’s spiritual progress matures. Each also clearly supports the practice of the other seven. We’ll discuss the dynamics of the eight in several Tuesday Dharma Talks.
The Teaching of Dependent Origination is subtle, not easy to summarize. However this teaching underlies the Four Noble Truths, the Eight-fold Path and the whole of Buddhism. As subtle as this teaching is, we’ll investigate it as well in a number of Dharma Talks.
Buddhism holds out the promise and the tools for sharpening one’s awareness, primarily through meditation practice. Sufficiently clear and alert we are enabled to directly investigate the nature of all phenomena, including ourselves. By discovering the principles of Dependent Origination for ourselves we achieve the transforming experience of liberation, a condition called Nibbana in Pali and Nirvana in Sanscrit. Nibbana can only be known by first hand experience. Speculation is useless. Some reach it quickly, others more slowly, but all will reach it eventually. The tools, properly applied, are within the Four Noble Truths.
The fundamental principle of Buddhism is that all of us are capable of liberation by our own efforts, not only by way of belief or faith but through vigorous examination of the underlying reality of the world, available one way only, by systematic and thorough, clear-eyed contemplation, by meditation.
Wikipedia has many pages on Buddhism and Theravada teachings, well worth consulting, here and here and here . Links to other Theravada and Buddhist websites are here. You’ll also learn much more about Buddhism by following our weekly Tuesday Dharma Talks on our Home page and also here. You can subscribe to the eMail version here.
This site is supported by dana, the practice of generosity from folks like you. We’re delighted to hear your thoughts and questions. We’ll respond to all who ask us to.
Come back regularly for a new Dharma Talk every Tuesday.