Probably everyone has questions, the answers to which are not so easy to find. Many people think about the spiritual beginning and begin to look for a path to awareness of their existence. One of the oldest religious denominations- Buddhism helps in such searches, teaches the comprehension of wisdom and increasing one’s own spirituality.

What kind of religion is this

It is difficult to answer briefly what Buddhism is, since this postulate is more reminiscent of a philosophical teaching. One of the fundamental provisions is the assertion that only impermanence is constant.. To put it simply, in our world the only thing that is constant is the continuous cycle of everything: events, birth and death.

It is believed that the world arose on its own. And our life is, in fact, a search for the reasons for our appearance and awareness for which we appeared. If we talk about religion briefly, then Buddhism and its path are moral and spiritual, the awareness that all life is suffering: birth, growing up, attachments and achievements, fear of losing what has been achieved.

The ultimate goal is enlightenment, the achievement of supreme bliss, that is, “nirvana.” The enlightened one is independent of any concepts, he has comprehended his physical, mental, mind and spirit.

Origins of Buddhism

In the north of India in the town of Lumbini in royal family a boy was born, Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 BC, according to other sources - 1027-948 BC). At the age of 29, thinking about the meaning of life, Siddhatrha left the palace and accepted asceticism. Realizing that severe asceticism and exhausting practices would not provide answers, Gautama decided to cleanse through deep healing.

By the age of 35, he achieved enlightenment, becoming the Buddha and teacher to his followers. The founder of Buddhism, Gautama, lived until he was eighty years old, preaching and enlightening. It is noteworthy that Buddhists accept enlightened people of other religions, such as Jesus and Mohammed, as teachers.

Separately about monks

The community of Buddhist monks is considered the most ancient religious community. The lifestyle of monks does not imply complete withdrawal from the world; many of them actively participate in worldly life.

This is fundamentally wrong: even Buddha needed food and clothing in order to have strength for further preaching. He taught to look for a path between severe asceticism and a life of pleasure, without extremes. On the path of enlightenment, meditative practice plays an important role: in this case, concentration is mostly aimed at gaining peace of mind and observing the flow of your thoughts in the present moment.

By learning to analyze your actions here and now, you can avoid repeating any mistakes in the future. Full awareness of one’s “I” and the ability to step beyond the ego lead to awareness of the true path.

Did you know? There are unusual Buddha statues in the hills east of Monywa in Myanmar. Both are hollow inside, open to everyone, and inside there are images of events related to the development of religion. One of the statues rises 132 meters, the second, depicting Buddha in a reclining position, has a length of 90 meters.

What Buddhists Believe: Stages of the Buddhist Path

Followers of the Buddha's teachings believe that every person appeared on this earth for a reason; each of us, with each of our appearances (reincarnation), has a chance to clear karma and achieve special grace - “nirvana” (liberation from rebirth, a state of blissful peace). To do this, you need to realize the truth and free your mind from delusions.

Wisdom (prajna)

Wisdom lies in the determination to follow the teachings, the awareness of truths, the exercise of self-discipline, the renunciation of desires. This is seeing the situation through the prism of doubt and accepting oneself and the surrounding reality as they are.

Comprehension of wisdom lies in contrasting one’s “I”, intuitive insight through meditation, and overcoming delusions. This is one of the foundations of the teaching, which consists in comprehending reality, unclouded by worldly prejudices. The word itself in Sanskrit means “superknowledge”: “pra” - highest, “jna” - knowledge.

Morals (shilā)

Morality - maintaining a healthy lifestyle: renunciation of violence in any form, trafficking in weapons, drugs, people, abuse. This is compliance moral and ethical standards: purity of speech, without the use of swear words, without gossip, lies, or rude attitude towards one’s neighbor.

Concentrations (samadhi)

Samadhi in Sanskrit means unification, completion, perfection. Mastering methods of concentration, realizing oneself not as an individual, but in merging with the higher cosmic mind. Such an enlightened state is achieved through meditation, calming one’s consciousness and contemplation; ultimately, enlightenment leads to perfect consciousness, that is, to nirvana.

About the currents of Buddhism

Over the entire history of the teaching, many schools and branches from the classical perception have formed; at the moment, there are three main currents, and we’ll talk about them. Essentially, these are the three paths to knowledge that the Buddha passed on to his disciples different methods, V different interpretations, but they all lead to the same goal.

Hinayana

Hinayana is the oldest school that claims to accurately transmit the teachings of its founder, Buddha Shakyamuni (in the world - Gautama), based on the teacher’s first sermons about the four truths. Followers draw the main tenets of their faith from the most authoritative (according to them) sources - the Tripitaka, sacred texts compiled after Shakyamuni passed into nirvana.

Of all the (eighteen) Hinayana schools today, there is “Theravada,” which practices more meditative studies than the philosophy of teaching. The goal of Hinayana followers is to escape from all worldly things through strict renunciation, achieve enlightenment like the Buddha, and leave the cycle of samsara, going into a state of bliss.

Important! The key difference between Hinayana and Mahayana: in the first, Buddha is a real person who has achieved enlightenment, in the second, he is a metaphysical manifestation.

Mahayana and Vajrayana

The Mahayana movement is associated with Shakyamuni's disciple Nagarjuna. In this direction, the Hinayana theory is rethought and supplemented. This trend has become widespread in Japan, China and Tibet. Theoretical basis- these are sutras, a written form of spiritual revelations, according to the practitioners of Shakyamuni himself.

However, the teacher himself is perceived as a metaphysical manifestation of nature, primordial matter. The sutras claim that the teacher has not left samsara and cannot leave it, since a part of him is in each of us.

Basics of Vajrayana - . The direction itself, together with the practice of Mahayana, uses various rituals and ceremonies, reading to strengthen the personality and its spiritual growth, and self-awareness. Tantrics most revered Padmasambhava, the founder of the tantric movement in Tibet.

How to become a Buddhist

For a person interested in teaching, there are several recommendations:

• Before becoming a Buddhist, read the relevant literature; ignorance of terminology and theory will not allow you to immerse yourself in the teachings completely.
• You need to decide on the direction and choose the school that suits you.
• Study the traditions of the chosen movement, meditative practices and basic tenets.

To become part of a religious teaching, you must go through the eightfold path of realizing the truth, which consists of eight stages:

1. Understanding that is achieved by reflecting on the truth of existence.
2. Determination, which is expressed in renunciation of all things.
3. This stage is to achieve speech in which there are no lies or swear words.
4. At this stage, a person learns to do only good deeds.
5. At this stage, a person comes to an understanding of true life.
6. At this stage, a person comes to the realization of a true thought.
7. At this stage, a person must achieve complete detachment from everything external.
8. At this stage, a person achieves enlightenment after going through all the previous stages.

Having passed this path, a person learns the philosophy of teaching and becomes familiar with it. Beginners are advised to seek guidance and some clarification from a teacher, this could be a wandering monk.

Important!Please note that several meetings will not give the result you expect: the teacher will not be able to answer all the questions. To do this, you need to live side by side with him for a long time, perhaps years.

The main work on yourself is to renounce everything negative; you need to apply in life everything that you read about in sacred texts. Refuse bad habits, do not show violence and rudeness, foul language, help people without expecting anything in return. Only self-purification, self-improvement and morality will lead you to an understanding of the teaching itself and its foundations.

Official recognition of you as a true follower can be achieved through a personal meeting with the Lama. Only he will decide whether you are ready to follow the teaching.

Buddhism: differences from other religions

Buddhism does not recognize one god, the creator of all things; the teaching is based on the fact that everyone has a divine beginning, everyone can become enlightened and achieve nirvana. Buddha is a teacher.

The path of enlightenment, unlike world religions, lies in self-improvement and the achievement of morality and ethics, and not in blind faith. A living religion recognizes and has recognized science, smoothly adapting to it, recognizes the existence of other worlds and dimensions, while considering the Earth a blessed place from where, by purifying karma and achieving enlightenment, one can get to nirvana.

Sacred texts are not an indisputable authority, but only guidance and instruction on the path to truth. The search for answers and awareness of wisdom lies through self-knowledge, and not unquestioning submission to the tenets of faith. That is, faith itself is based, first of all, on experience.

Unlike Christianity, Islam and Judaism, Buddhists do not accept the idea of ​​absolute sin. From the point of view of teaching, sin is a personal error that can be corrected in subsequent reincarnations. That is, there is no strict definition of “hell” and “heaven”, because there is no morality in nature. Every mistake is correctable and, as a result, any person, through reincarnation, can clear karma, that is, repay his debt to the Universal Mind.

In Judaism, Islam or Christianity, the only salvation is God. In Buddhism, salvation depends on oneself, understanding one’s nature, following moral and ethical standards, abstaining from negative manifestations of one’s ego, and self-improvement. There are differences in monasticism: instead of complete thoughtless submission to the abbot, monks make decisions as a community, the community leader is also chosen collectively. Of course, respect should be shown to elders and experienced people. In the community also, unlike Christian ones, there are no titles or ranks.

It is impossible to learn everything about Buddhism right away; teaching and improvement take years. You can be imbued with the truths of the teaching only by completely devoting yourself to this religion.

The American research center Pew Research conducted a social study on the topic of the population's belonging to a particular religion. It turned out that 8 out of 10 respondents identify themselves with one religion or another. One of the oldest and most mysterious religions in the world is Buddhism.

Statistics show the following figures about how many Buddhists there are in the world in 2017: more than 500 million people officially profess Buddhism. This represents about 7% of the world's population. It's not very much. But it should be noted that it is Buddhists who most clearly follow the canons and have always been an example of humility and adherence to religious tradition.

Religious map of the Earth. What percentage of Buddhists in the world

The majority of the world's believers are Christians. As of 2016, their number amounted to 32% of the Earth's population (about 2.2 billion inhabitants). Muslims - 23% (1.6 billion people). However, according to forecasts, Islam may soon become the largest religion. There are 15% (1 billion) Hindus in the world, 7% (500 million) Buddhists and 0.2% (14 million) Jews.

It should be noted that only official figures are presented above. In fact, it is impossible to say exactly how many Buddhists there are in the world. The population sometimes ignores the census and does not participate in the compilation of statistics. Following fashion trends, many carry out various Buddhist practices and share Buddhist ideology.

About 400 million people profess relatively young faiths, such as Shintoism, Sikhism and others. 16% of the population does not belong to any religion, that’s 1.1 billion people.

Buddhism is one of the oldest religions

Today at eastern religions more and more followers appear. For some it is a tribute to fashion, for others - life path. How many Buddhists are there in the world? This is a pressing question related to the popularity of Sidhartha's teachings.

Buddhism is called "Bodhi", which means "the teaching of awakening." It arose back in the 1st millennium BC. e. In essence, Buddhism is a complex religious and philosophical teaching. Followers call it “Dharma”, which means “Law”, or “Buddadharma”, referring to the founder - Prince Sidhartha Gautama, later and to this day called Buddha Shakyamuni.

How many Buddhists are there in the world? How many branches and schools of Buddhism are there? There are 3 main directions: Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana.

Theravada

The most ancient school, preserved in its original form since the beginning of Buddha’s preaching. Initially, Buddhism was not a religion, but a philosophical teaching.

The main feature of Theravada is the absence of an object of universal worship, with the exception of the Buddha. This determines the simplicity of rituals and external attributes of religion. Primordial Buddhism is not a religion, but a philosophical and ethical teaching. The Buddha taught that this amounts to denying one's own responsibility for one's actions. According to Theravada adherents, a person should be independently responsible for his actions, and therefore does not need a large number of controlling laws.

For the same reason, Theravada does not presuppose its own pantheon of gods, therefore, in places where it spreads, the religion exists in symbiosis with local faith, turning to local gods for help in case of need.

Followers of Theravada live in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.

Mahayana

The largest branch of all Buddhists in the world. No matter how many Buddhist schools there are, Mahayana remains the main one to this day. The teachings of the Great Vehicle can be called a full-fledged religion. Its adherents live in Vietnam, Korea, Japan, China and Taiwan. How many Buddhists there are in the world can be judged by the population of these countries.

The Buddha is perceived by Mahayana followers as a divine figure and master teacher, capable of taking on various forms.

One of the main tenets of the Mahayana is the doctrine of bodhisattvas. This is the name given to saints who preferred endless rebirths in the form of divine personalities or missions to Nirvana. So, for example, everyone is considered a bodhisattva. Catherine II patronized the Buddhists of Buryatia, for which she was ranked among the bodhisattvas.

The Mahayana pantheon includes many deities and entities. It's about them that it's written large number fairy tales and myths.

Vajrayana or Tantrayana

The teaching called the Diamond Chariot arose in Tibet under the influence of Mahayana and Indian Tantrism. In fact, it is an independent religion. The direction contains complex tantric practices that can lead to enlightenment in one earthly life. Fertility cults and erotic practices are revered. Vajrayana has a close connection with esotericism. The basics of the teaching are transmitted from the teacher - Lama to the student.

Tantrayana is practiced in Mongolia, Bhutan and eastern Russia.

Buddhism in Russia

Traditional adherents live today in the eastern regions of the country, such as the Republic of Buryatia, Kalmykia and Tuva. In addition, Buddhist associations can be found in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities. The percentage of Buddhists living in Russia is approximately 1% of the total population of Buddhists in the world. It is impossible to say exactly how many followers of Sidhartha’s teachings live in Russia. This is because Buddhism is not an official religion, and many of its adherents have not officially declared their religious affiliation.

Buddhism is one of the most peaceful religions. Followers of "Bodhi" call for peace and love. Recently, the number of adherents has been growing slowly but surely. Statistics on the number of Buddhists in the world for 2017 indicate that every year their number increases by about 1.5%.

Around the 1st millennium BC. e. Founder - Siddhartha Gautama. He studied with many philosophers, searched for his own path and indulged in reflection on life, its essence and the purpose of every person on earth. He tried to find ways to save people from death and understand the causes of their suffering.

At a certain point, he abandoned all benefits and began to lead an ascetic lifestyle, which almost destroyed him. After 6 years of such existence, he achieved enlightenment, and the secret of knowledge was revealed to him. So he became a Buddha (enlightened one), and many people wanted to follow him and comprehend the truth.

The Dalai Lama, who is one of the symbols of this faith, said: “If scientists prove that there is no reincarnation, we will agree with it.” In 1989, this spiritual leader received Nobel Prize peace.

The main difference between Buddhism and other religions is not the worship of Buddha as a god, but reflection on the essence of being, meditation. A believer should strive to achieve nirvana - a state of complete harmony with nature, in which he does not experience any feelings or emotions. That's the point. A necessary component is also the reading of mantras (special texts), which help on the path to salvation and cleanse the aura. There is also no concept of a church; its function is carried out by the community, in which strict discipline and organization reign.

Video about the essence of Buddhism

There are several directions in this religion, they differ only in the ways of achieving nirvana.

Buddhists believe in reincarnation. They believe that the soul is immortal and there are several lives, but in different bodies. If a person behaved incorrectly, violated the laws of the universe and caused evil and suffering to others, then in the next rebirth he will become a more primitive creature. It can be placed in the body of an animal or insect. In this case, it is difficult for the soul to achieve enlightenment and spiritual development, and this is the biggest punishment.

Every follower tries to achieve nirvana, like highest degree unity with nature and the universe, deliverance from desires and earthly suffering. When it is achieved, the series of rebirths ends. However, only a monk leading an ascetic lifestyle or a simple person with the help of bodhisattvas or buddhas can plunge into nirvana. They voluntarily gave up achieving nirvana in order to teach and guide others on the true path.

The main tenets of Buddhism also include belief in karma and retribution for everything done during life. Any action, thought or feeling has its consequences. Each of them leaves its own karmic trace and leads to certain consequences.

The universe is saturated with all kinds of spirits, gods and demigods, they have their own hierarchy. However, only a person can break out of the circle of reincarnation, because only he has freedom of choice and the ability to take control of his life. In order to achieve nirvana, a Buddhist must free himself from all earthly desires and emotions. He must become a free spirit, who, in essence, is no different from a dead person.

Briefly, the main ideas of Buddhism can be conveyed by 5 rules (commandments) that must be followed:

• You cannot steal, that is, covet and take someone else’s property.
• One must refrain from harming any living beings.
• Avoid inappropriate sexual behavior.
• You cannot abuse someone else's trust or deceive.
• You should avoid drinking alcohol and other drugs that can affect self-control.

Observance of these precepts is mandatory for every Buddhist, regardless of whether he is already ordained or not.

Holy books

The main book of Buddhism is the Tripitaka (translated as “three baskets”). This is a collection of sacred Buddhist texts. The Tripitaka was written shortly after the enlightenment of Buddha Shakyamuni. There are many versions of this book, they contain different lists of texts, but the most common of them is Theravada. The Tripitaka consists of three sections:

• Vinaya Pitaka. It contains texts for regulating the life of the monastic community. They are a description of about 500 different procedures and rules for maintaining a harmonious existence in the community of monks. In addition, this part of the book includes all kinds of parables and the history of each prescription. And also examples of how Gautama himself at one time solved problems to maintain harmony in the community.
• The Sutra Pitaka contains more than 10 thousand sayings (sutras) that belong to the Buddha and tell about his life.
• The Abhidharma Pitaka is presented in the form of philosophical treatises that help systematize the teachings of the Buddha and analyze the main provisions of the Dharma, which is a kind of law of existence. This part is theoretical, while the previous two are designed for practical application.

Video about the basic principles of Buddhism

For a long time, the sacred book of Buddhism was passed on orally by memorizing texts. However, when they were in danger of being lost, they were written down by monks on palm leaves. Tripitaka contains information about life ancient india, despite the fact that its texts were rewritten many times, and the original meaning was slightly distorted.

Distribution in Russia

Buddhism is practiced in Kalmykia, Buryatia, Altai Territory and other regions of Russia. On at the moment it is recognized as one of the 4 official religions on the territory of the Russian Federation.

The emergence of religion in the territory Russian Federation happened in the 8th century AD. e. Since the 18th century, this religion has been recognized as official. However, in the 30s of the 20th century it suffered persecution and was banned. Only in the middle of the last century did Buddhism begin to revive, but its final rehabilitation occurred in the 90s.

There are many communities in St. Petersburg and Moscow that are Buddhist communities. IN lately There are more and more followers of this religion every year. Interest in it is constantly growing. Many believe that Orthodoxy is only a kind of bridge to the mysteries of the East.

Buddhism provides more answers to eternal questions being. It gives an understanding that a person himself is responsible for his actions, and everyone has the opportunity to follow the path of salvation and achieve nirvana. Buddhism clearly presents the relationship between human actions and their consequences.

Buddhism in Russia is becoming more and more popular every year. At the moment, there are about half a million people who practice this religion and adhere to its rules and canons. Buddhism does not even require a person to renounce the worship of other gods, but there is a warning about this, stating that this will only lead to temporary relief and tranquility. In addition, this religion teaches a person from childhood not to be afraid of death and not to think about it throughout life as something terrible and inevitable. This is a kind of liberation of the mind from constant oppression. Death gives hope that by maintaining the right way of thinking and following the rules and laws throughout life, the series of rebirths will end.

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Buddhism like world religion- one of the most ancient, and it is not in vain that there is an opinion that without understanding its foundations it is impossible to experience all the richness of the culture of the East. Many were formed under her influence historical events and the core values ​​of the peoples of China, India, Mongolia and Tibet. IN modern world Buddhism, under the influence of globalization, has gained even a few Europeans as followers, spreading far beyond the borders of the area where it originated.

The emergence of Buddhism

Buddhism was first learned about around the 6th century BC. Translated from Sanskrit, it means “teaching of the enlightened one,” which truly reflects its organization.

One day, a boy was born into the Raja's family, who, according to legend, immediately rose to his feet and identified himself as a being superior to all gods and people. It was Siddhartha Gautama, who subsequently underwent a significant transformation and became the founder of one of the largest world religions that still exists today. The biography of this man is the history of the emergence of Buddhism.

Gautama's parents once invited a seer to bless the newborn for happy life. Asit (that was the name of the hermit) saw 32 marks of a great man on the boy’s body. He said that this child will either the greatest king, or saints. When his father heard this, he decided to protect his son from various religious movements and any knowledge about the suffering of people. However, living in 3 palaces with rich decoration, Siddhartha at the age of 29 felt that luxury was not the goal of life. And he set out on a journey beyond the castles, keeping it a secret.

Outside the walls of the palaces, he saw 4 sights that changed his life: a hermit, a beggar, a corpse and a sick man. This is how the future one learned about suffering. After this, Siddhartha's personality underwent many metamorphoses: he fell into different religious movements, sought a path to self-knowledge, learned concentration and asceticism, but this did not lead to the expected results, and those with whom he traveled left him. After this, Siddhartha stopped in a grove under a ficus tree and decided not to leave here until he found the Truth. After 49 days, he gained knowledge of the Truth, reaching the state of nirvana, and learned the cause of human suffering. From then on, Gautama became Buddha, which means “enlightened” in Sanskrit.

Buddhism: philosophy

This religion carries the idea of ​​​​non-causing evil, which makes it one of the most humane. She teaches followers self-restraint and achieving a state of meditation, which ultimately leads to nirvana and the cessation of suffering. Buddhism as a world religion differs from others in that Buddha did not consider the divine principle to be the basis of this teaching. He offered the only way - through contemplation of one's own spirit. Its goal is to avoid suffering, which is achieved by following the 4 noble truths.

Buddhism as a world religion and its 4 main truths

• The truth about suffering. Here there is a statement that everything is suffering, all key moments of an individual’s existence are accompanied by this feeling: birth, illness and death. Religion is closely intertwined with this concept, practically connecting all of existence with it.
• The truth about the cause of suffering. What this means is that every desire is the cause of suffering. In the philosophical understanding - to life: it is finite, and this gives rise to suffering.
• The Truth about the End of Suffering. The state of nirvana is a sign of the end of suffering. Here a person must experience the extinction of his drives, attachments and achieve complete indifference. The Buddha himself never answered the question of what it is, like the Brahmanical texts, which stated that the Absolute can only be spoken of in negative terms, since it cannot be put into words and mentally comprehended.
• The truth about the path. Here we are talking about which leads to nirvana. A Buddhist must go through three stages, which have several stages: the stage of wisdom, morality and concentration.

Thus, Buddhism as a world religion is significantly different from others and invites its followers to adhere only to general directions without specific instructions and laws. This contributed to the emergence different directions in Buddhism, which allows everyone to choose the closest path to their soul.

If you want to know what Buddhism is and how Buddhism can lead you to liberation from suffering and true happiness, then read the article to the end and you will have an idea about all the basic concepts of this teaching. IN different sources you can find various information about Buddhism. Somewhere Buddhism is more similar to Western psychology and explains how with the help of meditation you can become calm, freeing yourself from attachments and desires. But somewhere Buddhism is described as an esoteric teaching that explains all events in a person’s life as a natural consequence of his karma. In this article I will try to consider Buddhism from different sides and convey what he himself heard from one of the followers of Buddhism - a Vietnamese monk who was born in a monastery and practiced Buddhism all his life.

What is Buddhism? Buddhism is the world's most popular religion, followed by more than 300 million people worldwide. The word Buddhism comes from the word budhi, which means to awaken. This spiritual teaching originated about 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, himself awakened or became enlightened.

What is Buddhism? Is Buddhism a religion?

They say that Buddhism is one of the first world religions. But Buddhists themselves consider this teaching not to be a religion, but rather a science of human consciousness, which studies the causes of suffering and ways of liberation from them.

I, too, am closer to the opinion that Buddhism is more of a philosophy or a science in which there are no ready-made answers, and each person himself is a researcher of his own mind, consciousness and, in general, himself. And in the process of studying oneself, a person finds true unshakable happiness and inner freedom.

The Buddhist path can be described as follows:

• Lead a moral life
• Be mindful and aware of your thoughts, feelings and actions
• Develop wisdom, understanding and compassion

How can Buddhism help me?

Buddhism explains the purpose of life, it explains the apparent injustice and inequality throughout the world. Buddhism provides practical instructions and a lifestyle that leads to true happiness as well as material prosperity.

How does Buddhism explain the injustice of the world? Why can one person have a thousand times more benefits than millions of other people? When I said that Buddhism explains this injustice, I cheated a little, because in this spiritual teaching, there is no such thing as injustice.

Buddhism claims that the external world is something like an illusion, and this illusion is individual for each person. And this illusory reality is created by the human mind itself. That is, what you see in the world around you is a reflection of your mind. What you carry in your mind is what you see reflected, isn't that fair? And most importantly, every person has complete freedom to choose what to fill their mind with.

You probably thought that this knowledge can be used to change your reality, fulfill all your desires and become happy? It’s possible, but that’s not what Buddhism teaches.

Human desires are endless, and achieving what you want will not bring real happiness. The fact is that desire is an internal state of a person, and, I must say, this state causes suffering. When a person gets what he wants, this state does not disappear anywhere. It’s just that a new object of desire appears immediately, and we continue to suffer.

True happiness, according to Buddhism, is achieved not by changing what you carry in your mind, but by freeing your mind from all predispositions.

If you compare the mind to a film, then you can choose which film to watch: a sad one with a bad ending or an easy one with a happy ending. But true happiness is not watching a movie at all, because a movie is a pre-programmed predisposition.

The predispositions of the mind are precisely its content, which, reflected as if in a mirror, creates the reality of a person. It can also be thought of as a mental program that plays back and creates reality.

This program in Buddhism is called karma, and predispositions are also called imprints in the mind or sanskara.

We ourselves create imprints in our minds by reacting to external events. Please note that when you are angry, a kind of imprint of this emotion appears in your body; when you are grateful, it feels like a completely different imprint. These bodily imprints of your reactions will be the cause of events that will happen to you in the future.

And you have already realized that everything that is currently happening around you is the result of your past imprints. And these events try to evoke in you the same emotions that caused them.

This law in Buddhism is called law of cause and effect.

Therefore, any reaction to external events (vedana) becomes a cause that will lead to an event in the future that will again cause the same reaction in you. This is such a vicious circle. This cause-and-effect cycle is called in Buddhism the wheel of samsara.

And this circle can only be broken awareness. If it happened to you unpleasant situation, you automatically react the way you are used to, thereby creating another such situation in the future. This automatism is main enemy awareness. Only when you consciously choose your reactions to everything that happens, you break this circle and get out of it. Therefore, by reacting to any situation with gratitude, no matter how much it contradicts the logic of the mind, you fill your mind with good imprints and form a completely new, better reality in your future.

But I will repeat once again that the goal of Buddhism is not only to create favorable imprints in the mind, but, in principle, to free oneself from any programs and predispositions, both bad and good.

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Selfishness is the cause of all suffering

Buddhism teaches that all suffering comes from the false concept of Self. Yes, the existence of a separate Self is just another concept created in the mind. And it is this I, which in Western psychology is called the Ego, that suffers.

Any suffering can only stem from a person’s attachment to himself, his ego and selfishness.

What a Buddhist Master does is destroy this false Ego, freeing the student from suffering. And this is usually painful and scary. But it's effective.

Probably one of the most famous practices for getting rid of egoism is tonglen. To perform it, you need to imagine a familiar person in front of you and with each breath mentally draw into yourself, into the solar plexus area, all his suffering and pain in the form of a black cloud. And with every exhalation, give all your happiness and all the best that you have or that you would like to have. Imagine your close friend (if you are a woman) and mentally give her everything you want for yourself: a lot of money, better man, talented children, etc. And take away all her suffering for yourself. It is even more effective to do this practice with your enemies.

Practice tonglen twice a day in the morning and evening for 5-10 minutes for 3 weeks. And you will see the result.

The practice of tonglen is something that will give you positive imprints in your mind, which after some time will come to you in the form of what you gave up and gave to another person.

What are reactions in Buddhism

Imagine being betrayed close person. This makes you angry, resentful, angry. But think about it, are you obligated to experience these feelings? The question is not whether you can feel something else at this moment, such as gratitude. But is this option purely theoretically possible? There is no law that says you have to feel resentment or anger in this situation. You make your own choice.

We react to current situations negative emotions only because we are in the dark. We confuse cause and effect, switching their places, believing that situations evoke feelings in us. In fact, feelings cause situations, and situations only tend to evoke in us the same feelings that caused them. But we are not obliged to react to them the way they want. We ourselves can make our own conscious spiritual choices.

The world completely reflects our feelings.

We don’t see this only because this reflection occurs with a time delay. That is, your current reality is a reflection of past feelings. What's the point of reacting to the past? Isn't this the greatest stupidity of a person who is in ignorance? Let's leave this question open and smoothly move on to the next fundamental principle of Buddhist philosophy.

Open mind

It was not for nothing that I suggested leaving the question from the last part open. In one of the most common forms of Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, it is not customary to create concepts of the mind. Feel the difference between reasoning and thinking.

Reasoning always has a logical conclusion - a ready answer. If you like to reason and have an answer to any question, you are a smart guy who still needs to grow and grow in awareness.

Reflection is a state of open mind. You are pondering the question, but do not deliberately come to a logical complete answer, leaving the question open. It's a kind of meditation. Such meditation develops awareness and contributes to the rapid growth of human consciousness.

In Zen Buddhism there are even special tasks-questions for meditative reflection, which are called koans. If someday a Buddhist master asks you such a koan problem, do not rush to answer it with a smart look, otherwise you might get hit on the head with a bamboo stick. A koan is a riddle without a solution, it is created for reflection, not for cleverness.

If you decide to follow Zen Buddhism, you can close this article and discard any other ready-made answers to your eternal questions. After all, I’m also building concepts here. Is this good or bad?

Non-judgmental perception in Buddhism

So is this good or bad? How did you answer the question from the last chapter?

But a Buddhist would not answer at all. Because non-judgmental perception– another cornerstone of Buddhism.

According to Buddhism, such assessments as “good” and “bad”, “good” and “evil” and any duality exist only in the human mind and are an illusion.

If you paint a black dot on a black wall, you won't see it. If you draw a white dot on a white wall, you won’t see it either. One can see a white dot on a black wall and vice versa only because there is an opposite. Also, good does not exist without evil and evil does not exist without good. And any opposites are parts of one whole.

When you create any assessment in your mind, for example, “good,” you immediately create its opposite in your own mind, otherwise how would you distinguish this “good” of yours?

How to Practice Buddhism: Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a core practice of Buddhism. You can sit in meditation like Buddha for many years. But for this you need to go to a monastery and renounce social life. This path is hardly suitable for us ordinary people.

Fortunately, you don't have to sit under a banyan tree to practice mindfulness.

Mindfulness can be practiced in everyday life. To do this, you need to impartially and carefully observe what is happening at the moment.

If you carefully read the article, then you already understand that the present moment that all the Masters talk about is not what is happening around you. Present moment- this is what happens inside you. Your reactions. And first of all, your bodily sensations.

After all, it is bodily sensations that are reflected in the mirror of the world - they create imprints in your mind.

So, be aware. Keep your attention in the present moment, here and now.

And carefully observe impartially:

• Bodily sensations and emotions are reactions to what is happening in the outside world.
• Thoughts. Buddhism teaches that thoughts are not you. Thoughts are the same events of the “external world”, but which occur in your mind. That is, thoughts are also predispositions that also leave their imprints. You cannot choose your thoughts, thoughts appear out of nowhere on their own. But you can choose your reactions to them.
• Surrounding space. In addition to the “present” moment, you also need to be very sensitive to the entire space around you, to be attentive to people and nature. But keep all your senses under control, not allowing them to influence your internal state.

Buddhism in Questions and Answers

Why is Buddhism becoming popular?

Buddhism is becoming popular in Western countries for a number of reasons. The first good reason is that Buddhism has solutions to many of the problems of modern materialistic society. It also provides deep insight into the human mind and natural treatments for chronic stress and depression. Mindfulness meditation or mindfulness is already used in official Western medicine to treat depression.

The most effective and advanced psychotherapeutic practices are borrowed from Buddhist psychology.

Buddhism is spreading in the West primarily among educated and wealthy people, because, having closed its primary material needs, people strive for conscious spiritual development, which conventional religions with outdated dogmas and blind faith cannot provide.

Who was Buddha?

Siddhartha Gautama was born in 563 BC into a royal family in Lumbini in modern-day Nepal.

At the age of 29, he realized that wealth and luxury do not guarantee happiness, so he researched various teachings, religions and philosophies of the time to find the key to human happiness. After six years of study and meditation, he finally found the "middle path" and became enlightened. After his enlightenment, the Buddha spent the rest of his life teaching the principles of Buddhism until his death at the age of 80.

Was Buddha God?

No. Buddha was not God and did not claim to be. He was an ordinary person, who taught the path to enlightenment from his own experience.

Do Buddhists worship idols?

Buddhists respect Buddha images, but do not worship or ask for favor. Buddha statues with hands resting on laps and a compassionate smile remind us to strive to cultivate peace and love within ourselves. Worshiping the statue is an expression of gratitude for the teaching.

Why are so many Buddhist countries poor?

One of the Buddhist teachings is that wealth does not guarantee happiness, and wealth is not permanent. In every country, people suffer, whether rich or poor. But those who know themselves find true happiness.

Are there any different types Buddhism?

There are many various types Buddhism. Accents vary from country to country due to customs and culture. What does not change is the essence of the teaching.

Are other religions true?

Buddhism is a belief system that is tolerant of all other beliefs or religions. Buddhism is consistent with the moral teachings of other religions, but Buddhism goes further by providing long-term purpose to our existence through wisdom and true understanding. True Buddhism is very tolerant and does not concern itself with labels such as "Christian", "Muslim", "Hindu" or "Buddhist". This is why there have never been wars in the name of Buddhism. This is why Buddhists do not preach or proselytize, but explain only when an explanation is required.

Is Buddhism a science?

Science is knowledge that can be developed into a system that depends on observation and verification of facts, and on the establishment of general natural laws. The essence of Buddhism fits into this definition because the Four Noble Truths (see below) can be tested and proven by anyone. In fact, the Buddha himself asked his followers to test the teachings rather than accept his word as true. Buddhism depends more on understanding than on faith.

What did Buddha teach?

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.

What is the first noble truth?

The first truth is that life is suffering, that is, life includes pain, aging, disease and ultimately death. We also endure psychological suffering such as loneliness, fear, embarrassment, disappointment and anger. This is an irrefutable fact that cannot be denied. This is realistic rather than pessimistic, because pessimism expects things to be bad. Instead, Buddhism explains how we can avoid suffering and how we can be truly happy.

What is the second noble truth?

The second truth is that suffering is caused by desire and aversion. We will suffer if we expect other people to live up to our expectations, if we want others to like us, if we don't get what we want, etc. In other words, getting what you want is not guarantees happiness. Instead of constantly struggling to get what you want, try changing your desires. Desire robs us of satisfaction and happiness. A life full of desires, and especially the desire to continue to exist, creates a powerful energy that forces a person to be born. Thus desires lead to physical suffering because they force us to be reborn.

What is the third noble truth?

The third truth is that suffering can be overcome and happiness can be achieved. That true happiness and contentment are possible. If we give up the useless craving of desires and learn to live in the present moment (without dwelling in the past or imagined future), then we can become happy and free. Then we will have more time and energy to help others. This is Nirvana.

What is the Fourth Noble Truth?

The fourth truth is that the Noble Eightfold Path is the path that leads to the end of suffering.

What is the Noble Eightfold Path?

The Noble Eightfold Path or middle path consists of eight rules.

- correct view or understanding of the four noble truths from one's own experience

- the right intention or unshakable decision to follow the Buddhist path

— correct speech or refusal of lies and rudeness

— correct behavior or non-harm to living beings

- correct living or earning a living in accordance with Buddhist values

- correct effort or development in oneself of qualities conducive to awakening

- right mindfulness or continuous awareness of body sensations, thoughts, mental images

- right concentration or deep concentration and meditation to achieve liberation

What is karma?

Karma is the law that every cause has an effect. Our actions have results. This simple law explains a number of things: inequality in the world, why some are born disabled and some gifted, why some live short life. Karma emphasizes the importance of each person taking responsibility for their past and present actions. How can we check the karmic effect of our actions? The answer is summarized by considering (1) the intention behind the action, (2) the action's impact on oneself, and (3) the effect on others.