Buddhism / What is Buddhism
What is Buddhism?
Buddhism is a tradition of teaching and practice that awakens our capacity for wisdom and love. Through opening up our awareness and energy channels, we find that contentment and happiness are not an impossible dream! Buddhism is a path to Enlightenment, or Buddhahood. 'Buddha' means 'One who is awake', 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 absorbed in 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.
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.
Enlightenment is a state of wisdom; a profound understanding of the true nature of things. It is also a source of unbounded compassion, which expresses itself in the spontaneous desire to help any being who is suffering.
Buddhism sees life as being in a process of constant change. Often we repeat destructive or painful habits rather than respond creatively to life. Buddhism teaches that we have a choice. An ancient Buddhist text begins, 'Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think.' The methods of meditation and ethical sensitivity, lead to a greater awareness of the conditions which contribute to suffering and happiness.
People are welcome to take as little or as much of Buddhism as they feel ready for. Some practise meditation to gain peace of mind and greater awareness, others may want to go all the way to Enlightenment. Being a Buddhist in the full sense means committing oneself to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha - sometimes referred to as the 'Three Jewels'. To do this one studies, reflects and meditates on the various teachings and practices of the Buddhist tradition. One also is in contact with a Sangha - other people who are trying to transform themselves in a similar way.
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.
What is Buddhism?
What is a mitra?
The Sanskrit word 'mitra' simply means 'friend'. Becoming a mitra is a deepening of your friendship with the Triratna Buddhist Community, which can occur when your commitment to its ideals, values and practices has reached a certain level. Mitras are people who have made what we call a 'provisional' commitment to practising the Dharma within our spiritiual community. This involves a commitment to Buddhism, to practising the Buddhist path as taught within our tradition, and to the Triratna Buddhist Community as the main context for your practice.
We call this level of commitment 'provisional' because it is for the foreseeable future, rather than the more once-and-for-all dedication of an Order Member. You are ready to become a mitra when you decide that, as far as you can see at the moment, you want to practise this path, with this spiritual community. You are saying that from where you are now this looks like the path for you, and you are willing to give it a good wholehearted trial.
Becoming a mitra is a significant event in our spiritual lives, so it is marked by a public ceremony, which is a special event at the Buddhist Centre, and to which many people invite their friends and family.
If you'd like to know more about becoming a mitra, pick up the free booklet "A Guide to Becoming a Mitra in the Triratna Buddhist Community" from the Centre bookshop.
What is Buddhism?
What is an Order member?
An Order member is a man or woman ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order. Both men and women Order members are of equal status, and Order members lead diverse lifestyles. Some of the members of the Order live reclusively, others have regular jobs in society; some live in communities with other Buddhists, others live alone, others live with partners or families. Most important is the centrality of going for refuge in their lives. Whereas a mitra goes for refuge provisionally, an Order member goes for refuge effectively.
What is Buddhism?
What is going for refuge?
Going for refuge is the central act of a Buddhist in the Triratna Buddhist Community. Members of the community, whether mitras or Order members, go for refuge to the Three Jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma, the Sangha.
The Buddha jewel represents the ideal of enlightenment to which we aspire.
The Dharma jewel represents the path of the teaching which we follow.
The Sangha jewel represents the community of Buddhist practitioners who support each other on the path.
In everyday life we often talk about taking refuge from something, and in a way this is how we operate in our lives: trying to take escape from suffering.
In Buddhism, 'taking refuge' simply means placing the Three Jewels at the centre of our lives. They are refuges because we can rely on them, whereas we can't rely on anything else because everything conditioned is impermanent, insubstantial and ultimately unsatisfactory. This realisation doesn't happen all at once, but is a gradual evolution.
The emphasis is on a turning towards these refuges, but implicit in that is a turning away from false refuges. As the Three Jewels become more central, other things (such as television, Facebook, food, or even unhealthy relationship attachments) become less important and have less pull in our lives.
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