It's a strange fact that those who live closest to wonders of the world, like the Great Barrier Reef of Australia or the Taj Mahal of India, often take no notice of them at all. These incredible places become too familiar; they seem too accessible and their magic is somehow lost. People seem to think they can learn about the wonders so close to them at any time, but so often never get around to making a start.
It's this habit we sometimes have — of missing out on the wonders that are with us in life all the time, simply because we ignore them or just don't notice them at all — that Buddhists are hoping to avoid. Perhaps this is also the reason that Buddhism is still popular and interesting to people all over the world today, even though the Buddha first taught His ideas more than 2,500 years ago.
All around the world, many people have heard of Buddhism. You might have heard the name of Buddha, perhaps you've even visited a Buddhist temple or met people who call themselves Buddhists — but what is Buddhism really all about?
Buddhism is taught as a way to the welfare and happiness of all using keys to reveal the true nature of the world and practices to maintain a right relationship with the self and with the world and those in it. Buddhism is a religion, a series of practices and a way of life based on the teachings of the Buddha who, after achieving enlightenment, taught that the nature of the world is constant change. Buddha taught that everything in the world is impermanent and that it is the failure to understand this true nature of life on Earth that leads to much of our unhappiness, suffering and trouble. Buddhism is a way to correct our view, conduct and expectations of life in order that we can bring an end to suffering and share in the happiness, wisdom, peace and Nirvana that Buddha himself discovered after following the paths of the lessons he has since laid down as the foundations of Buddhism.
The Buddha's life and His Teachings inspire individuals who practice Buddhism to develop self-reliance, moral responsibility, tolerance, compassion, wisdom and many other qualities that can enrich happiness and make life more meaningful in today's world. Along with these qualities, an understanding of the true nature of things will enable the Buddhist to live in harmony with a changing world and to enjoy the highest level of happiness.
It is sometimes said that Buddhism focuses on the unhappy side of life or takes a pessimistic view. This may be because the key teaching focuses on the nature and causes of suffering. However, this is only one side of the story. In focusing on suffering and its causes, Buddhism is actually committed to realising and developing happiness. There are many kinds of happiness recognized in Buddhism as true and lasting. Some of these are contentment, freedom of enjoyment, debtlessness and happiness from being good. However, Buddhism is not optimistic either, it does not teach that the world is full of happiness.
The core aim of Buddhism is to clear a Buddhist student's vision so that they might see things as they really are. With this insight to the true nature of things, a Buddhist can then understand that there is no point in trying to change the world, but that they are free to change themselves, their attitude to the world and their part in it in ways which will lead to wisdom and happiness.
Born near Nepal on the full moon of May in 623 BC, Buddha was first named Prince Siddhartha Gautama, meaning 'wish-fulfilled'. Following a series of profound signs and prophecies about his important spiritual future, Prince Siddhartha was well-educated, married and lived a wealthy and happy life until four great omens changed his views about existence.
Outside his palace one day he came across first a decrepit old man, then a diseased man, a corpse and a hermit — these encounters, known as The Four Sights, were the Prince's first awakening to deeper truths about life.
At 29, he left the royal court to wander the country as a monk searching for a way to end suffering. There are many stories about Prince Siddhartha's journeys and how they led him finally to Enlightenment, which Buddhists describe as true insight into the meaning of life and perfect peace. At 35, Prince Siddhartha achieved this state of Enlightenment, also known as Buddhahood and Nirvana, and lived from then on as the Buddha; teaching, serving humanity and offering an example of a way of life and a state of mind that we still know as Buddhism.
Source: www.buddhanet.net
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