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 Buddhism
is a tradition of teaching and practice that helps people
to unfold the inner riches of love, wisdom, and energy that
lie within us all. It is a treasure house of guidance and
help for those who wish to develop ever higher levels of being
and consciousness. It is a path which culminates in Enlightenment,
or Buddhahood. The 'Buddha' means 'One who is awake' - in
the sense of having 'woken up' to Reality. It is therefore
not a name but a title, first given to a man called Siddhartha
Gautama, who lived 2,500 years ago in northern India.
At the age of thirty-five, after years of striving, he gained
Enlightenment, whilst in profound meditation. During the remaining
forty-five years of his life he walked over much of northern
India, spreading his teaching about the way to Enlightenment.
This teaching is therefore known in the East as the Buddha-Dharma
- the 'teaching of the Enlightened One'.
Travelling from place to place, the Buddha taught numerous
disciples, many of whom gained Enlightenment. They in turn
taught others, and in this way an unbroken chain of teaching
has continued, right down to the present day. The Buddha made
no claim to divinity; there is no concept of a creator god
in Buddhism. He was a human being who through tremendous efforts
transformed himself and transcended the human predicament
with its attendant sufferings.
The state of Enlightenment which he reached has three main
facets. It is a state of wisdom, a total understanding of
the true nature of things. It is also a source of infinite
compassion, of boundless love for all beings, which expresses
itself in the spontaneous desire to help them free themselves
from suffering. Lastly, it is the total liberation of all
the energies of the psycho-physical organism, so that they
are at the service of the fully conscious mind.
Buddhism sees life as being in a process of constant change.
This process can be confined to a single 'level', or it can
consist of development and evolution. The decisive factor
is always our own mind. An ancient Buddhist text begins, 'Our
life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think.' Buddhism
has developed a number of highly effective methods for working
on the mind, methods which allow people to transform themselves
positively. As there is no creator (or judgmental) god, there
is no idea in Buddhism of anyone having to be a Buddhist.
Buddhism has never, in its 2,500 years, looked for converts
with 'fire and sword'.
Love and non-violence are essential Buddhist principles.
Naturally, Buddhists would say that one can become a happier
and better person if one decides to follow the Buddhist path,
but Buddhism offers itself as an opportunity: its methods
and teachings are available to all those who want to make
use of them. People are welcome to take as little or as much
of Buddhism as they feel ready for. They may simply practise
some meditation to gain peace of mind and relief from psychological
difficulties, or they may want to go all the way to Enlightenment.
To become a Buddhist in the full sense means committing
oneself to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha - sometimes referred
to as the 'Three Jewels'. One centres one's life around gaining
Enlightenment as the Buddha did. To do this one takes advantage
of the Dharma - the various teachings and practices of the
Buddhist tradition - as tools of self-transformation. One
also needs to be in contact with a Sangha - other people who
are trying to transform themselves in the same way. Thus one
can share experiences, offer mutual help and friendship, and
learn from those more advanced than oneself.
Buddhism is a path to freedom. The gate to that path is
open to all: men and women, young and old, people of all nationalities,
races, and backgrounds.
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