What is Buddhism? Interestingly, the first Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, is considered the founder of Buddhism, but the religion is not named after him. Buddha means one who has attained enlightenment, thus a religion of enlightenment, not a religion of Buddha. Since the first Buddha, there have been many others who have attained enlightenment, with the first Buddha often referred to as, Enlightened One.
Soon after the Buddha’s death, the monks gathered and began to compile the Buddha’s teachings and monastic rules into what is known as the Vinaya; arguably one of the most important parts of Buddhist scripture. Like many of the world’s religions, as it spread it became more diverse and in the first century B.C.E. its first real scripture (sutras) …show more content…
The first element is the Four Noble Truths, or basic teaching of the Buddha: 1) To live means to suffer or All life is suffering; During the journey through life, all human beings will undergo suffering of some sort whether in sickness, loss, mental, or physical –life is suffering, 2) The origin of suffering is attachment or desire; and to avoid suffering, we need to understand what causes suffering and then weed out these causes, 3) The cessation of suffering is attainable or end suffering by ending desire; by understanding our desires, we can control them through non-attachment. This may appear difficult, but is achieved through diligent practice, 4) The path to the cessation of suffering is to follow The Noble Eightfold Path. This path is the second element that all Buddhists adhere to and it helps an individual attain the state of Nirvana by freeing him/her from attachments and provides proper ethical and mental development. The eight steps are as follows: 1) The Right View or Understanding, 2) The Right Thought or Intention, 3) The Right Speech, 4) The Right Conduct or Actions, 5) The Right Livelihood, 6) The Right Effort, 7) The Right Mindfulness, and 8) The Right Contemplation or