Buddha He is the founder of Buddhism, that is the first answer that may come to mind after the aforementioned question and that is that currently this is not as new in the West as it could have been before, but in this article you will learn other details interesting.
Introduction to Buddhism
Details of the type of what was the true name of the founder of Buddhism or what his life was like, where he was born, what was the legacy he left years after his death or if Buddhism is a religion and if it is or is a doctrine, who He is currently the leader. All these topics and more are the knowledge that we are going to learn in this article that connects with others such as the one that deals with Buddhism rites.
For example, did you know that the Buddha that we all know is not the only one Buddha that there has been and also that this word does not refer to a single person in the world but within Buddhism all those who reach enlightenment are called Buddha.
Origin of the founder of Buddhism
The origin of Buddhism is closely linked to the birth of a prince named Siddhartha Gautama who lived in the 500th century BC. C. (the XNUMXs) precisely northeast of India in a place near the Himalayas that no longer exists because its name changed and it was where the tribe sakia ruled, being Siddhartha part of that royal family was born and raised as a kind of bubble protected from suffering by their father the king.
But it is precisely this isolation that the legend tells could be the seed of what would later be Buddhism, since the prince, not wanting to stay inside the castle and isolated throughout his life, began to leave and as he slips away from the security of the palace was getting to know aspects of life that were previously very distant, such as: death, illness and suffering.
With this breeding ground, the founder of Buddhism began to concoct a doctrine that more than a religion is a doctrine of life, those who consider themselves Buddhists are practicing the teachings of the doctrine all day long and when they eat they are eating for the sake of eating well. , so that food can help your body keep the vehicle for enlightenment well nourished.
When they sweep, clean or bathe, they do it with the idea in mind that through this activity they are also cleaning and purifying their fears, their shadows and sweeping away their ignorance, which in Buddhism is the source of suffering. Over the course of their day they are in a shared meditative state with their own meditations that allow them to access higher states of themselves.
This, if you will, is the essence of Buddhist behavior and is part of what the founder of Buddhism Siddhartha Gautama, also called the Buddha Gautama after his enlightenment he left us with his teachings which were noted down by his students after his death and preserved in ancient libraries.
This doctrine, which is also understood as a non-theistic religion, that is, one that does not worship any God, shares with Hinduism or Jainism which are religions dharmic. This word should not be confused with karmic It has several translations from ancient Sanskrit, the first language of India, such as "religious law" or "proper pious conduct", although it was also the name of a Hindu god.
It can be said that Buddhism is one of the largest religions in the world, along with Christianity and Islam, it is quite widespread throughout Asia and even became the official religion in India for a time since the emperor Ashoka gave the order to make it official and a group of monks will begin to spread it both inside and outside the country.
Within Buddhism it is understood that only humans can reach the state of enlightenment, the Buddha, thus held by the founder of Buddhism himself while he was alive. What this religion or doctrine seeks is to eradicate all suffering that in turn understands very closely linked to ignorance.
Other strong reasons of suffering for this doctrine are precisely everything that gives us pleasure and that is how the founder of Buddhism discovered it that everything that causes us happiness and being a momentary state that when removing the stimulus that makes us happy disappears, then therefore it becomes suffering, the same happens with the desires that can cause us anxiety or with the passions.
Through a path that is The Eightfold Luminous Path and the recognition and application of the truths of Buddhism, which begin by facing the interpretation that everything in life is suffering and we come to it to suffer, we can reach a state of peace of mind and peace that is what this doctrine or religion seeks.
Once a person has managed to reach this stage where he controls and purifies all his passions and no longer allows himself to be carried away by any of them, that is when he is considered a Buddha. When he has reached a state of absolute mental tranquility, he has awakened spiritually and has become enlightened, and although he does not know much about this before Sakyamuni, another of the names of the founder of Buddhism, there were 28 Budas.
One of the names of that almost thirty Budas that existed before the founder of Buddhism, also called Historical Buddha, was Dipankara Buddha who is known as the Buddha of the past, although it is one of the many that have existed and it is said that it reached enlightenment before the founder of Buddhism, which is located in a time line like the Buddha present, will there be a Buddha in the future?
For Buddhists the succession of Buddha after Buddha has been extensive and will continue to be so, it is said that in the future there will be a Buddha called Maitreya Buddha, whose name means friendship, understanding and benevolence. waiting for this Buddha we are, but it is estimated that this will take a long time, although scholars calculate it to be a maximum of 9 million years from the founder of Buddhism.
Buddhism has an important presence as a cult, religion and doctrine in various parts of the world such as all of Asia, reaching China, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, etc., and is even reaching Latin America. Each Buddhist temple in India is becoming more and more visited because they are already so widespread that they demand great interest and presence from society in general.
Buddha's life
The life of the founder of Buddhism does not have exact dates chronologically that serve us for its study, but two possible periods that historians have defined are handled, these are: the first between 563 a. C. and 483 a. C.; and for the second they allege that his life was around 400 BC. C. with a 20-year margin of error that can be added or subtracted.
The truth is that there are few nuts and a lot of noise in terms of true information about the birth and death of the founder of Buddhism, not even any of his writings made in life by himself have been found, but as happened with the teachings of Plato It happened that the disciples of both compiled their teachings and were the ones who wrote them down.
But as if this historical ambiguity about the life of the founder of Buddhism were not enough, we also have the recent discovery of a Buddhist temple dating from the year 550 BC, which makes it possible to consider that the birth and death of the Buddha Gautama It was long before, even before this date.
These magnificent Buddhist texts, which in their original form are scrolls rolled around wooden tubes whose contents are written in Sanskrit, have come to be known as the texts of gandhara and its writing was much later than the life of the founder of Buddhism, since it was made between the XNUMXst century BC. C. and III a. c.
The texts of ganghara They were found in Afghanistan and are kept in England containing in them many of the teachings of the founder of Buddhism and you will wonder what those texts were doing in Afghanistan? And the answer to this may be due to the fact that during the Middle Ages the practice of the doctrine in the Hindu country declined, making possible a historical misplacing of such magnitude.
Founder of Buddhism
Gautama, Historical o Sakyamuni, are some of the names by which the founder of Buddhism is known, although simply and by most people he is known as Buddha, which, as we know, is the name assigned to the enlightened in Buddhism, but what does it take to be a Buddha?
We have already said that this is a name for those who have reached spiritual and conscience awakening within the doctrine, just as the founder of Buddhism did, and although this may be possible living in a city or with a busy life of fulfilling schedules and commitments, the truth is that many of those who embark on this path completely change their lives.
One of the first considerations that we must take into account is that meditation will be vital, as important as the isolation or separation from all the desires and passions that sooner rather than later cause us suffering. With these conditions alone, it is difficult to imagine enlightenment while immersed in a life of commitments and bills to pay, which is why many people join the Buddhists in the mountains and temples.
They dedicate themselves, therefore, to a life of asceticism, which is that lifestyle in which we renounce all pleasure, gratification, even almost any type of food, that was the path that the founder of Buddhism took and for this he not only came to enlightenment but to the knowledge of the importance of balance, because in reality neither extreme asceticism nor extreme gratification bring positive results and knowing this from experience is, if you will, one of his great legacies.
The translations of the names of the founder of Buddhism lead us to titles such as "Wise who sees everything", "Wise who transcends everything", "Bull among men", among many others, which correspond to who once enlightened became (although called in many ways) the same and the historical Buddha. Only the one who has managed to reach that level of hierarchy can be called that way among humans.
A little more of his life
As he was born in a royal cradle as the son of the king of saikas he was raised to be a prince of the country, his mother was the queen mayadevi and his father suddhodana, for the time it was customary for princesses to give birth at their parents' house, she was not Saika if not of Koli so before giving birth she went to another city.
as done Buddha He must have been born on the way to his grandfather's house, under a tree in a garden and this process cost his mother his life, being located between the cities of Lumbini and Kapilavastu. Over the years he would be raised by his maternal aunt and when he turned 16, his father would organize his marriage with a cousin of the young man who was the same age.
As his father was raising him to be a king, he did not practice any religion fervently, perhaps for this reason in the future the religious vocation and the search for a doctrine that would explain and make life more livable was what drove his life, based on the idea of that the material riches that were abundant in his life were not really necessary and that what he should cultivate and care for were the riches of the soul.
In addition, the founder of Buddhism was a great traveler since during his life to spread the doctrine he had to explain in different places without distinction of social conditions what he professed, the practice he was proposing. Everyone was able to attend his preaching, from the sweepers to the nobles, and many times many ended up being his disciples or followers.
It is said that he even connected and tried to teach about enlightenment, Buddhism, balance and love to people who at the time caused a lot of fear in society such as the cannibal alavaka, who was a Japanese cannibal who in an alleged act of love ate a 25-year-old woman and the murderer Angulimala, who after spending a large part of his life murdering and after having earned that name thanks to the necklace of fingers of his victims that was hung around his neck, well, he converted to Buddhism.
The story of what happened between the founder of Buddhism and this murderer Angulimala It is very interesting, because he was a skillful assassin he was capable of leaving a desolate town, since when he arrived they all left in fear and although Buddha knew that he had killed groups of up to 40 men who tried to pass through the town decided to pass through there.
It happened that Angulimala He was amazed to see that monk approaching the town alone from which he had driven so many people with his presence alone, and he prepared to kill him, still not knowing that he was the founder of Buddhism, but suspecting that it was one of his disciples. He thought he was naive or careless, but regardless he was going to kill him.
He ran to the Buddha but he couldn't catch up with him, he always stayed behind even though he was running as fast as he could and he was very good at running so he had even been able to catch up with deer, but with the monk he couldn't and he was walking at a leisurely pace. He didn't fit Angulimala no choice but to yell Stop, Stop! And the Buddha He called his name and told him that he had already stopped.
Buddhist monks never lie about that, Angulimala he felt confused. How could he have already stopped if he was still walking? And he asked him this, still tired from running without being able to catch up, to which the founder of Buddhism replies:
"I have already stopped Angulimala, I have stopped exercising violence against every being in this world, now it is time for you to stop!"
Angulimala he knelt on the floor crying and asking the Buddha To accept him as his disciple, he had recognized that man and in him the teacher and founder of Buddhism, a being whom he respected in a way that he never remembered anyone. Since then he has been a disciple of Buddha and I continue to learn about compassion and love.
It is said that when the founder of Buddhism reached his 80th birthday, after a meal, he reported that his time had come to die. paranirvana that Buddhists understand as the moment where the physical body is abandoned and life without mortality begins, the physiological reasons for which it is believed that he died were typical of old age.
But, before leaving, the founder of Buddhism asked Ananda his assistant to convince Cunda the blacksmith of Savathi, that the food he had offered him was not the cause of his death, that otherwise he should be happy as he was and grateful for having provided him with his last meal.
current leader
There are many Buddhist leaders currently scattered throughout the world but they are especially in the Asian world; however, perhaps one of the most recognized and named is precisely the leader Dalai Lama who is in charge of governing the Central Tibetan Administration, but this is just one of the many reasons why it is so recognized worldwide.
By the way, in a small parenthesis, if you want to learn more about spiritual leaders, we invite you to read about Samael Aun Weor, who was one of the creators of gnosis.
At 83 years old (in 2018) the Dalai Lama claimed to have partial or total control over death, or his own death, and also to know what his next destination would be once he went through the experience of death again, that is, where he was going to be born again. In 2020 we can continue to see news about this leader, for example, that he published an album with mantras, teachings and music or even his lectures that we can see on the Internet.
El Dalai Lama has been known both for his practice and spiritual level as well as for his humanitarian work for human rights, for example, one of the reasons why he is well known is for having won the Nobel in 1989. This award allowed him to make his struggle and himself known, in addition, he has participated in films and movies so his influence from the religious world has extended to the arts.
An example of the expansion of this follower of the founder of Buddhism is that already in movies or documentaries it is not so strange for us to observe figures of the monk in the cinema. All this movement has allowed him to position himself even as a public figure, as he has also been invited to make an appearance at important events such as in 2010 at the Casa Blanca by Barack Obama or to an island of Taiwan, after a catastrophic natural event.
The reason why he was recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize it is due to his resistance against the use of violence regarding the Tibet Conflict. He has kept giving his point of view about the situation and this earned him the award in 89, he is also an honorary member of the International Coordination for the Decade of Non-Violence and Peace.
The name by which it is known means "ocean of wisdom", the same as if we divide the term Dalai from the Mongolian language, translates as ocean and Lama and for its part in Tibet, it is translated as guru or embodied teacher. Although his first name outside of being a leader is Tenzin Gyatso son of Chokyong Tsering y Diki Tsering, father and mother of Dalai Lama.
And how do you choose Dalai Lama?, well, the beliefs are very old and have been continued from generation to generation, perhaps they remind a bit of how the monarchies maintained that their descendants were the kings, but this is something a little more subtle since it is a line of rebirths that pass the Dalai Lama from life to life
Do you remember that we commented that the Dalai Lama do you know where you will be reborn? Well, if I were to say so, this would be an atypical case because there is a figure called the panchen lama which is in charge of recognizing where the Lama and this process after the death of the saint takes approximately 49 days, which is the reason why the next Dalai Lama It starts to be as a child.
Just like him panchen lama recognize the Dalai Lama happens in the opposite case, these two leaderships complement each other because when the panchen lama dies is the Dalai Lama who is in charge of recognizing who will be his successor, which is why although our current Dalai Lama know what the circumstances of your rebirth will be, it must also be the panchen lama who recognizes and reveals that truth.
Story of the Chinese Buddha
Have you seen a smiling Buddha? Well, one of the iconographic representations of the founder of Buddhism is precisely that of a bald, paunchy man with quite extended earlobes who has a big smile, but, surprise that gautama corresponds to the Asian representation of the spiritual leader.
In Japan this representation is known as Hotei and Pu or in China as Tai and these names are due to Chinese leaders who had a lot of influence on Buddhism that they learned and practiced in Asia. More generally, they are known in the Asian and even Western world as the happy buddha or Laughing Buddha.
It is said that Hotei and Pu He was very cheerful, he was even compared to the Buddha of the future believing that this could be Maitreya, and his life mission was basically to bring joy with his presence to every place where he was, so from town to town he was doing this.
As he did? Well, one of the most moving answers to this question is that he always carried a bag containing sweets, this of course was very well seen by children and being a very charismatic person, he attracted the masses both in the case of children and grown ups.
The practice of this was carried out through a ritual in which the following happened: when he arrived at a town and was surrounded by children, he threw a handful of sweets into the sky accompanied by a loud laugh that also denoted the completion of the mission In that town, the metaphor of sweets that he proposed was that we should see them as our acts in which the more we give, the more we will receive.
History of Zen Buddhism
Zen Buddhism was born in China, thanks to the founder of Buddhism, but it was modified in many aspects, it can even be said that it is much simpler because it does not include theoretical-practical knowledge beyond meditation and the realization with full attention of a perfect circle that, however, is not closed.
It was developed in the middle of the XNUMXth century BC. C. in China and its main engine is to find wisdom from meditative practice, in which although Buddhist schools have a great influence, Asian logic is also of great importance and is felt above all in the word Zen that is translated in "fan". Thus forming a set between the Buddhist teachings and a variability of possible options.
After China and the great number of years that its adaptation involved Buddhism, Korea and Vietnam passed, we know that very possibly influenced by the trips made by the founder of Buddhism but also linked to the sympathy that people could feel towards these ideas that came originally from India.
For these beginnings, according to researchers, historical figures such as the patriarchs were crucial Chan that in addition to studying and learning with the founder of Buddhism, the Buddha Gautama they also learned with other later Buddhists from the likes of Ananda, buddha's helper, or kashiapa, among others.
In the temples the patriarchs produced Chan A great variability of visions and ways of understanding the world coexisted, but they were so open because through meditation they always had the goal of understanding man and life, not judging, but understanding.
For example, one of the philosophical and religious currents that strongly influenced Zen Buddhism was Taoism, the idea of the Chan was to integrate the great variety of ideas in temples of meditation and that over time they were perfected and polished, but this integration would last until the arrival of the next dynasty, the dynasty Tang.
Since then, Zen Buddhism as it had been understood, integrative, open, inclusive, began to mutate until it reached a practice that includes, above all, being in silence as the search that apprentices must undertake to find themselves. This change took two dynasties starting with the Pliers and arriving at song.
This practice of sustained, unscathed and deep silence continues to this day and is currently known as the Zazen, coming with this name even to the West. This practice had a great boom in its beginnings but until the end of the XNUMXth century it remained strong in China.
However, despite the great mutations and changes that the practice of Zen Buddhism was experiencing, the construction of monasteries and temples continued to be a constant, currently having a large infrastructure for this purpose. In them you can see temples and statues that are colossal, but that constructive desire corresponds precisely to that time.
Today, in addition to being beneficial for apprentices, all this infrastructure has become an important tourist attraction in the Asian world that has opened up to these influences. In fact, different rituals have been created that include visitors, such as, for example, the myth that touching the belly of happy buddha will attract prosperity.
Even in China, if in any of these temples they read your fortune, they tell you that with the bad luck that was taken from another, you are being charged in order to free this other person from it. In short, there are many myths, legends and truths within all this doctrine but one of the phenomena that most attracts our attention are the historical ones in which we see, for example, the consequences of the censorship by Christianity of everything this during the XNUMXth century.
It is said that Europe truly knew Buddhism in the course of the 1900th century and although that is alarmingly recent (XNUMX), it is very possible that it was so even though some Westerners have already jumped communication fences and restrictions to find out about the teachings that it left us. the founder of Buddhism and later reached the rest of the West in a congress of religions in Chicago held in the United States.
This has become a religion that is one of the first religions in the world, with high levels of popularity, since almost the entire Asian world is Buddhist and in countries like China, it is the main religion. But what seems to be engaging is the possibility that it presents us with living life without suffering and transcending pain through meditation.
It is because of this treatment of suffering and passions that Buddhism raises questions such as whether it will be possible to establish couples or the conjugation of a religious life with a romantic life, but, in addition, other questions also arise such as why there is no recognized Buddhist women? As in other religions, this seems to be a forbidden path for them.
For this Zen practice and as taught by the doctrines taught by the founder of Buddhism, meditation based on silence is important and also like in other types of Buddhism, enlightenment is reached once the mind remains calm. and so calm, without pain, that it is even possible to glimpse what the next life will be like.
gift sutra
Un sutra basically it is the Sanskrit word that is used to refer to a teaching or a short speech that the founder of Buddhism, the teacher Gautama Buddha, impart to one of his close disciples. This word can also be used for other religious philosophies of India, but is more commonly used to refer to Buddhism.
However, we would like to emphasize that these are not phrases to remember but rather constitute the concretion of a broader discourse in small ideas that can, and in fact their objective is, to modify our behavior, we leave you with one of the main ones below:
"The foolish is asleep as if he were already dead, but the Buddha is awake, he lives forever and will live forever. He has everything clear, he is the observer. »
This sutra takes us back to moments that will surely be known to many because when we are sure with our ideas we can see situations clearly; however, beyond that sensation of everyday life or of being immersed in an ordered routine, the teaching leads us to compare the state of suffering and ignorance with the state Buddha which is the awakening.
If you liked this article and want to read more about the life of the master or how the founder of Buddhism managed to explain himself among his contemporaries, we invite you to read our content on buddhist symbols.