Siddhartha Gautam was born into a royal family in Lumbini, now located in Nepal, in 563 BC. At 29, he realized that wealth and luxury did not guarantee happiness, so he explored the different teachings religions and philosophies of the day, to find the key to human happiness. After six years of study and meditation he finally found ‘the middle path’ and was enlightened. After enlightenment, the Buddha spent the rest of his life teaching the principles of Buddhism — called the Dhamma, or Truth — until his death at the age of 80. Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more of a philosophy or ‘way of life’. It is a philosophy because philosophy ‘means love of wisdom’ and the Buddhist path can be summed up as:
- to lead a moral life,
- to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions, and
- to develop wisdom and understanding.
The Buddha taught many things, but the basic concepts in Buddhism can be summed up by the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path.
The First Noble Truth
The first truth is that life is suffering i.e., life includes pain, getting old, disease, and ultimately death. We also endure psychological suffering like loneliness frustration, fear, embarrassment, disappointment and anger. This is an irrefutable fact that cannot be denied. It is realistic rather than pessimistic because pessimism is expecting things to be bad. lnstead, Buddhism explains how suffering can be avoided and how we can be truly happy.
The Second Noble Truth
The second truth is that suffering is caused by craving and aversion. We will suffer if we expect other people to conform to our expectation, if we want others to like us, if we do not get something we want, etc. In other words, getting what you want does not guarantee happiness. Rather than constantly struggling to get what you want, try to modify your wanting. Wanting deprives us of contentment and happiness. A lifetime of wanting and craving and especially the craving to continue to exist, creates a powerful energy which causes the individual to be born. So craving leads to physical suffering because it causes us to be reborn.
The Third Noble Truth
The third truth is that suffering can be overcome and happiness can be attained; that true happiness and contentment are possible. lf we give up useless craving and learn to live each day at a time (not dwelling in the past or the imagined future) then we can become happy and free. We then have more time and energy to help others. This is Nirvana.
The Fourth Noble Truth
The fourth truth is that the Noble 8-fold Path is the path which leads to the end of suffering.
The Noble 8-Fold Path
In summary, the Noble 8-fold Path is being moral (through what we say, do and our livelihood), focusing the mind on being fully aware of our thoughts and actions, and developing wisdom by understanding the Four Noble Truths and by developing compassion for others. Buddhism finds its roots in India, where Lord Gautam Buddha, the founder of this religion of peace attained the enlightenment. Buddhist devotees from India, and all over the world make it a point to visit the important places of Buddha like “Lumbini” – The place where he was born, “Bodhgaya” – The place where he attained enlightenment, “Sarnath” – The place where he delivered the first sermon & “Kushinagar” – The place where he entered into Mahaparinirvana, whenever they get the opportunity. Apart from these, other destination like Rajgir, Nalanda, Sravasti, Sankasia, Vaishali & Kesariya Stupa etc are also popular among Buddhist Pilgrim destinations.
If you wish to visit these sites, then Ashirwad Tours and Travels and help you ensure a memorable journey. Sites like Bodhgaya, Sarnath, Kushinagar are a major attraction for Buddhist monks as well as regular devotees, and the packages that we offer make it easy for you to travel. Our services include quality hotel accommodations, reliable travel arrangements, and comfortable local transportation services.
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