Buddhism is often talked about in the context of world religions, which leads to misconceptions. Buddhism is not a religious teaching, there is no mysticism and belief in supernatural forces, there are no prophets, saints, and faith in higher beings to whom one can pray, and, contrary to misconceptions, there is no set of moral norms.

Buddhism is not a Faith. Faith is the recognition of something as true regardless of factual or logical justification. This goes against the very essence of Buddhism. The Buddha urged his disciples not to take anyone's word for it (not even his), and to carefully determine whether they were true before accepting someone's advice.
So what is Buddhism?
Buddhism is a practice. An empirical method of gradually training the mind to achieve satisfaction, you gently and gradually learn how to end suffering.
All that Buddha taught was how to get rid of suffering.
The goal of Buddhism is to achieve Enlightenment, a state of unconditional happiness that lies beyond all concepts and phenomena.

The essence of Buddhism comes down to the “FOUR TRUTHS”:
There is suffering;
There is a cause of suffering; There is a path leading to the cessation of suffering; There is an cessation of suffering - nirvana.
Basic concepts:
Karma is the principle of conditioned existence, the law of cause and effect. We perceive the world in accordance with the impressions stored in the mind, which in turn we ourselves sow into the subconscious with our desires and inclinations, entailing the actions of the body, speech and mind. This means that by wanting this or that, we act and determine our own future. Positive motives and corresponding actions bring happiness, while negative ones subsequently cause suffering to the one who performs them. All phenomena (objects) exist only in interdependence in relation to other phenomena, thanks to the causes and conditions leading to the result.

Anitya (non-eternity, impermanence) is the central concept of Buddhism. Impermanence permeates our entire lives and all phenomena. We are accustomed to perceiving ourselves and the surrounding space as something unchanging, but if we reflect a little on this, we will see that there is absolutely nothing that exists forever. Emotions replace one another; the body continually changes and then dies; countries and peoples are disappearing from the face of the earth. If we examine what is in our minds “personality”, “selfhood”, we will not find anything unchanged there.
Anatmavada is the doctrine of the absence (non-existence) of the individual and eternal “I”, or soul. According to Buddhism, it is the sense of “self” and the attachment to “I” that arises from it that is the root of all other attachments and desires, which in turn form deluded states of mind, because of which we commit rash actions leading to unpleasant consequences. This “I” is nothing more than an illusion born of ignorance.

How it works?
We carry mental stimuli in our minds, sources of suffering that are activated by certain events or thoughts. We often think: “I feel” without realizing that feelings are impersonal phenomena; they come and go due to the conditions that cause them. Having discovered that there are different kinds feelings and by understanding how they work, we can prevent the occurrence of conditions that lead to painful states of mind.
Meditation allows you to change the habits and reactions of the mind; it is the central method of the Buddhist path, which consists in transforming the mind by performing special mental and/or mental exercises. The ultimate goal of meditation is to transform the mind so that it can see and know itself (that is, achieve Enlightenment ).
Shine or “shamatha” (Sanskrit) is a meditation aimed at calming the mind. Thanks to shina, we learn to concentrate and remain in a state of concentration without distractions. This is the basic practice with which we begin teaching meditation. It is found in other spiritual and religious movements, for example, Hindu and yogic. Many are familiar with the simple practice of shina, during which we need to focus on breathing: we observe the inhalations and exhalations, and learn not to be distracted, again and again returning attention to the object of meditation.
The tire needs to be mastered gradually. At first we try to maintain concentration for short periods of time because the mind cannot do one thing for too long. It will continuously rush from object to object, and our task is to constantly bring it back. This is unusual, and you have to learn it. Training the mind is like training the body: if we overdo it, next time we won't be able to do a single exercise due to muscle pain. It’s the same with the mind: if we are not too aware of our current capabilities and try to “jump in over our head,” then we can become overtired and completely lose the desire to meditate. It is very important to maintain this balance. Tire is often accompanied by all sorts of experiences, both pleasant and not so pleasant. You need to try not to cling to them and not to become attached to sensations, especially good ones, and not to strive to experience them during the next practice. The main task of the bus is to constantly return us to the current moment, to what is here and now.

Atheism and Buddhism Gautama Buddha is presented not as an atheist who claims to be able to prove the non-existence of God, but rather as a skeptic who questions the ability of other teachers to lead their followers to the highest good."
In Nikaya literature (Early schools of Buddhism), the question of the existence of God is considered primarily from the point of view of epistemology or morality. As an epistemological problem, the question of the existence of God entails a discussion of whether a religious adherent can be certain of the existence greater good and that his efforts to achieve the highest good will not turn out to be a meaningless pursuit of an unrealistic goal. Like a moral problem this question entails a discussion about whether man himself is ultimately responsible for all the dissatisfaction he experiences, or whether there is a higher being who causes dissatisfaction to a person, regardless of whether he deserves it or not...

Buddhism is the first world religion in origin. The rest of the world's religions arose much later: Christianity - about five hundred years, Islam - more than a thousand. Buddhism is considered a world religion by the same right as the two above: Buddhism is a religion of very different peoples with different cultural characteristics and traditions, which has spread throughout the globe and has gone far beyond ethno-confessional and ethno-state borders. The Buddhist world extends from Ceylon (Sri Lanka) to Buryatia and Tuva, from Japan to Kalmykia, gradually spreading also to America and Europe. Buddhism is the religion of hundreds of millions of people in Southeast Asia, which is closely connected with the birthplace of Buddhism - India, and Far East, whose culture grew up on the traditions of Chinese civilization; The citadel of Buddhism for a thousand years has been Tibet, where, thanks to Buddhism, Indian culture came, writing appeared, literary language and the foundations of civilization were formed.

Buddhist philosophy was admired by famous European thinkers - A. Schopenhauer, F. Nietzsche and M. Heidegger. Without understanding Buddhism, there is no way to comprehend the great civilizations of the East - Indian and Chinese, and even more so - Tibetan and Mongolian - permeated with the Buddhist spirit to the last stone. In line with the Buddhist tradition, sophisticated philosophical systems have emerged that are capable of expanding and enriching modern Western philosophy, which has stopped at the crossroads of modern European classics and postmodernity.

History of origin

Buddhism arose on the Indian subcontinent (on the lands of historical India in our time there are several countries - the Republic of India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh, as well as the island of Lanka) in the middle of the first millennium BC. This was the time of the birth of rational philosophy and ethically oriented religions focused on the liberation and salvation of human beings from suffering.

The “homeland” of Buddhism is northeastern India (today the state of Bihar is located there). At that time, there were the ancient states of Magadha, Vaishali and Koshala, where Buddha taught and where Buddhism spread widely from the very beginning.

Historians believe that here the position of the Vedic religion and the associated class system, which guaranteed a special, privileged position for the brahmana (priests) class, was much weaker than in other regions of the country. In addition, it was here that the process of creating new state formations was in full swing, which involved promoting the second “noble” class - the Kshatriyas (warriors and kings) to the first positions. In addition, the orthodox Vedic religion, the essence of which was sacrifices and rituals, was in a serious crisis, manifested in the birth of new ascetic movements of the so-called shramanas (in the Pali language - samanas) - devotees, ascetics, wandering philosophers who rejected the unconditional authority of the sacred Vedas and brahmanas , and those who longed to independently find the truth through yoga (the psychopractice of transformation of consciousness) and philosophy. All these conditions created fertile ground for the emergence of a new teaching.

The Shramans and Shraman movements had a huge influence on the formation of Indian culture and philosophy. It was thanks to them that the school of free philosophical debate was born, and philosophy was enriched by the tradition of logical-discursive justification and derivation of certain theoretical positions. While the Upanishads only proclaimed certain metaphysical axioms, the Sramanas began to substantiate and prove philosophical truths. It was in the disputes between the numerous Sramana groups that Indian philosophy arose. It can be said that if the Upanishads are philosophy in subject matter, then the discussions of the Sramanas are philosophy in form. One of the Samanas was also the historical founder of Buddhism - Buddha Shakyamuni. So he can be considered not only a sage and founder of a religion who cultivated wisdom through the practice of contemplation, but also one of the first Indian philosophers who discussed with other Samanas according to the rules approved among them.

Founder of Buddhism - Buddha Shakyamuni

The founder of Buddhism is Buddha Shakyamuni, who lived and preached in India around the 5th-4th centuries. BC.

There's no way to recreate scientific biography Buddha, since science does not have enough material for a real reconstruction. So what is presented here is not a biography, but a traditional biography of the Buddha, compiled from several Buddhist hagiographic texts (such as Lalitavistara and Life of the Buddha).

For many, many lives, the future Buddha performed incredible deeds compassion and love, step by step accumulating merit and wisdom in order to get out of the wheel of the painful alternation of death and birth. And now the time has come for his last incarnation. The Bodhisattva was in the Tushita heaven and looked at the world of people in search of a suitable place for his last rebirth (he had reached such high level development that he could choose). His gaze fell on a small country in northeastern India, belonging to the Shakya people (the land of modern Nepal), which was ruled by the wise Shuddhodana from an ancient royal family. And the Bodhisattva, who could appear in the world without entering his mother’s womb, chose the royal family for his birth, so that people, having deep respect for the ancient and glorious family of Shakya kings, would accept the teachings of the Buddha with great confidence, seeing in him a descendant of a respected family.

That night, Queen Mahamaya, the wife of King Shuddhodana, dreamed that a white elephant with six tusks entered her side, and she realized that she had become the mother of a great man. (Buddhism claims that the conception of Buddha occurred naturally, and the dream of a white elephant is only a sign of the appearance of an outstanding being).

According to custom, shortly before giving birth, the queen and her retinue went to her parents' house. As the procession passed through a grove of sal trees called Lumbini, the queen went into labor, grabbed a tree branch, and gave birth to a son, who left her womb through the hip. The baby immediately rose to his feet and took seven steps, proclaiming himself a being superior to both gods and men.

Alas, the miraculous birth turned fatal, and Mahamaya soon died. (The son did not forget about his mother: after the Awakening, he was transported to the Tushita heaven, where Mahamaya was born, told her that he had become Buddha, the conqueror of all suffering, and conveyed to her the Abhidharma - the Buddhist philosophical teaching). The future Buddha was brought to his father's palace, located in the city of Kapilavastu (near Kathmandu, the modern capital of Nepal).

The king called the astrologer Ashita to predict the fate of the child, and he discovered thirty-two signs of a great creature on his body (a special bulge on the crown of the head - ushnishu, a wheel sign between the eyebrows, on the palms and feet, membranes between the fingers and others). Based on these signs, Ashita declared that the boy would become either the ruler of the world (chakravartin) or a saint who knew the ultimate truth - Buddha. The child was named Siddhartha Gautama. Gautama - family name; "Siddhartha" means "Completely Achieved the Goal."

The king, of course, wanted his son to become a great ruler, so he decided to arrange the prince’s life in such a way that nothing would lead him to think about the meaning of existence. The boy grew up in bliss and luxury in a magnificent palace, protected from the outside world. Siddhartha grew up, invariably ahead of his friends in science and sports. However, the tendency to think appeared already in childhood, and one day, while sitting under a rose bush, he suddenly entered a state of yogic trance (samadhi) of such intensity that his power even stopped one of the deities flying by. The prince had a meek disposition, which even displeased his bride, Princess Yashodhara, who believed that such gentleness was incompatible with the vocation of a kshatriya warrior. And only after Siddhartha showed her his martial art, the girl agreed to marry him; The couple had a son, Rahula. Everything indicated that the king’s father’s plan would come true. However, when the prince turned twenty-nine years old, it so happened that he went on a hunt that changed his whole life.

While hunting, the prince encountered the manifestation of suffering for the first time, and it shook him to the depths of his heart. He saw a plowed field and birds pecking at worms, and was amazed why some creatures could only live at the expense of others. The prince met the funeral procession and realized that he and all people were mortal, and neither titles nor treasures would protect from death. Siddhartha came across a leper and realized that illness awaits every creature. A beggar begging for alms showed him the illusory and fleeting nature of nobility and wealth. Finally, the prince found himself in front of the sage, immersed in contemplation. Looking at him, Siddhartha realized that the path of self-knowledge and self-deepening is the only way to understand the causes of suffering and find a way to overcome them. It is said that the gods themselves, also locked in the wheel of samsara and yearning for salvation, arranged these meetings to inspire the prince to embark on the path of liberation.

After this day, the prince could no longer live peacefully in the palace, enjoying luxury. And one night he left the palace on his horse Kanthaka, accompanied by one servant. On the outskirts of the forest, he parted with the servant, giving him a horse and a sword, with which he finally cut off his beautiful “honey-colored” hair as a sign of his renunciation of life in the world. Then he entered the forest. Thus began a period of study, asceticism and search for truth.

The future Buddha traveled with different Sramana groups, quickly learning everything that their leaders taught. His most famous teachers were Arada Kalama and Udraka Ramaputra. They followed teachings close to Samkhya, and also taught yogic practices, including breathing exercises, which required prolonged holding of breath, which was accompanied by very unpleasant sensations. Followers of Samkhya believe that the world is the result of a false identification of spirit (purusha) with matter (prakriti). Liberation (kaivalya) and relief from suffering is achieved through the complete alienation of spirit from matter. Siddhartha quickly achieved everything his mentors taught, and they even offered to take their place later. However, Siddhartha refused: he did not find what he was looking for, and the answers he received did not satisfy him.

It should be noted that the Parivarjiks - Sramana philosophers - propagated a variety of doctrines. Some of them are mentioned in the Pali Buddhist texts: Makhali Gosala (head of the famous Ajivika school) proclaimed strict determinism and fatalism as the basis of all existence; The Purana Kassapa taught the futility of actions; Pakuddha Kacchayana - about the eternity of seven substances; Ajita Kesakambala followed a teaching resembling materialism; Nigantha Nataputta was skeptical, while Sanjaya Belatthiputta was completely agnostic.

Siddhartha listened to everyone attentively, but did not become anyone's follower. He indulged in mortification and severe asceticism. He reached such exhaustion that, touching his stomach, he touched his spine with his finger. However, asceticism did not make him Enlightened, and the truth was still as far away as it was during his life in the palace.

Then the former prince abandoned the extremes of asceticism and accepted modest nutritious food (milk rice porridge) from the hands of a girl who lived nearby. Five ascetics who practiced with him considered him an apostate and left, leaving him alone. Siddhartha sat in a pose of contemplation under a banyan tree (ficus religiosa), later called the “Tree of Awakening” (Bodhi), and vowed that he would not move until he reached his goal and comprehended the truth. He then entered a state of deep concentration.

Seeing that Siddhartha was close to victory over the world of birth and death, the demon Mara attacked him along with hordes of other demons, and having been defeated, tried to seduce him with his beautiful daughters. Siddhartha remained motionless, and Mara had to retreat. Meanwhile, Siddhartha became increasingly immersed in contemplation, and the Four Noble Truths about suffering, the causes of suffering, liberation from suffering, and the path leading to liberation from suffering were revealed to him. He then grasped the universal principle of dependent origination. Finally, at the fourth level of concentration, the light of nirvana, the Great Liberation, shone before him. At this moment, Siddhartha plunged into a state of samadhi of Oceanic Reflection, and his consciousness became like the boundless surface of the ocean in a state of complete calm, when the mirror-like surface of motionless waters reflects all phenomena. At that moment, Siddhartha disappeared, and Buddha appeared - the Enlightened One, the Awakened One. Now he was no longer the heir to the throne and the prince, he was no longer a man, since people are born and die, and the Buddha is beyond life and death.

The whole universe rejoiced, the gods showered the Victor with beautiful flowers, a delightful fragrance spread throughout the world, and the earth shook with the appearance of the Buddha. He himself remained in a state of samadhi for seven days, tasting the bliss of liberation. When he came out of his trance on the eighth day, Mara the tempter approached him again. He advised the Buddha to remain under the Bodhi Tree and enjoy bliss without telling the truth to other beings. However, the Blessed One immediately rejected this temptation and went to one of the spiritual and educational centers of India - Benares (Varanasi), located next to Vajrasana (Vajrasana (Sanskrit) - Pose of Diamond Indestructibility, an epithet of the place of Awakening; now Bodhgaya, Bihar state). There he went to the Deer Park (Sarnath), where he gave the first teachings about the Turning of the Wheel of Dharma (Teachings). The first disciples of the Buddha were the same ascetics who once abandoned Gautama, who refused to mortify the flesh, with contempt. Even now they did not want to listen to Buddha, but they were so shocked by his new appearance that they decided to listen to him anyway. The Tathagata's teachings were so convincing that they believed in the truth of his words, and became the first Buddhist monks, the first members of the Buddhist monastic community (sangha).

In addition to the ascetics, two gazelles listened to the words of the Buddha, images of which can be seen on both sides of the eight-radius Wheel of Teaching (dharmachakra). The eight spokes represent the eight stages of the Noble Path. This image has become a symbol of the Teaching, and can be seen on the roofs of many Buddhist temples.

Siddhartha left the palace at twenty-nine and achieved Enlightenment at thirty-five. He then taught for forty-five years different countries northeastern India. The wealthy merchant Anathapindada gave the monastic community a grove near Shravasti, the capital of the Koshala state. Coming to Koshala, the Victor and his followers often stopped at this place. The Sangha expanded rapidly and, as stated in the sutras, grew to 12,500 people. Of the first monks, the most outstanding disciples of the Buddha were identified: Ananda, Mahamaudgalyayana, Mahakasyapa (“Standard Bearer of the Dharma”), Subhuti and others. A community for women was also created, so that in addition to bhikkhus - monks, bhikkhunis - nuns also appeared. Buddha also did not forget about his family. He visited the Shakya state and was enthusiastically received by his father, wife, Princess Yashodhara, and the people. After listening to the teachings of the Buddha, his son Rahula and Yashodhara accepted monasticism. Buddha's father, Shuddhodana, was left without heirs, and took an oath from Buddha that he would never again accept the only son in the family into the community without parental consent. Buddha promised, and since then this custom has been sacredly observed in Buddhist countries, especially in the Far East.

However, not everything went well. Buddha's cousin, Devadatta, became jealous of his fame. He had been jealous of the prince before, and after his departure he even tried to seduce Yashodhara. At first, Devadatta tried to kill the Buddha: he unleashed an intoxicated elephant on him (which, however, knelt before the Enlightened One), and dropped a heavy stone on him. Since these attempts were unsuccessful, Devadatta pretended to be a disciple of the Buddha and became a monk, trying to quarrel the members of the sangha among themselves (he accused the Victor of insufficiently strict asceticism, protested against the creation of a community of nuns and in every possible way interfered with any of his brother’s undertakings). Finally he was expelled from the community in disgrace. Jatakas (didactic stories about the past lives of the future Buddha) are full of stories about how Devadatta was at enmity with the Bodhisattva in their previous lives.

Time passed, Buddha grew old, and the day of his departure to final nirvana was approaching. This happened at a place called Kushinagara, on the banks of the Nairanjani River, near Benares. Having said goodbye to his disciples and giving them the last instruction - “to be your own guiding light,” rely only on your own strengths and work hard for Liberation, the Buddha took the lion pose (lay down on his right side, head to the south and face to the east, placing right hand under his head) and entered into contemplation. First he rose to the fourth level of concentration, then the eighth, then returned to the fourth, and from there he entered the great and eternal nirvana. His last life is over, there will be no more new births and new deaths. The circle of karma was broken and life left the body. From that moment on, the Enlightened One no longer existed in the world, and the world did not exist for him. He entered a state devoid of suffering and filled with supreme bliss that cannot be described or imagined.

Following custom, Buddha's disciples cremated the Teacher's body. After the ceremony, they found sharira in the ashes - special formations in the form of balls remaining after the bodies of saints were burned. Sharira are considered the most important Buddhist relics. The rulers of neighboring states asked to give them part of the ashes of the Awakened One; later, these particles of dust and sharira were placed in special repositories - stupas, cone-shaped religious buildings. They were the predecessors of Tibetan chortens (Mongolian suburgans) and Chinese pagodas. When the relics ran out, sutra texts began to be placed in the stupas, which were revered as the true words of the Buddha. Since the essence of the Buddha is his Teaching, the Dharma, the sutras represented the Dharma as his spiritual body. This replacement (physical body - spiritual body; “relics” - texts; Buddha - Dharma) turned out to be very important for the subsequent history of Buddhism, serving as the source of the extremely important teaching of Mahayana Buddhism about the Dharmakya - the Dharma Body of the Buddha. Buddha lived enough long life: At 35 he achieved Enlightenment, and he had another 45 years to convey his Word to his disciples and followers. The Dharma (Teaching) of the Buddha is very extensive and contains 84,000 teachings intended for people of different types, with different abilities and capabilities. Thanks to this, everyone can practice Buddhism, regardless of age and social environment. Buddhism has never known a single organization, and there is also no “standard”, “correct” Buddhism. In each country where the Dharma came, Buddhism acquired new features and aspects, flexibly adapting to the mentality and cultural traditions of the place.

Spreading

Formation of the canon

According to legend, after the Buddha's nirvana, all the Buddha's disciples gathered, and three of them - Ananda, Mahamaudgalyayana and Mahakasyapa reproduced from memory all the teachings of the Buddha - the "disciplinary charter" of the sangha (Vinaya), the teachings and sermons of the Buddha (Sutras) and his philosophical teaching (Abhidharma ). This is how the Buddhist Canon developed - Tripitaka (in Pali - Tipitaka), the “Three Baskets” Teachings (in Ancient India they wrote on palm leaves that were carried in baskets). In reality, the Pali Tipitaka - the first of the now known versions of the Canon - took shape over several centuries and was first written down in Lanka around 80 BC, more than three hundred years after the Nirvana of the Buddha. So to completely equate the Pali Canon with early Buddhism, and even more so with the teachings of the Enlightened One himself, is very credulous and unscientific.

The first Buddhist texts have reached us in the Pali language - one of the languages ​​transitioning from Sanskrit, the ancient language of the Vedas, to modern Indian languages. It is believed that Pali reflected the phonetic and grammatical norms of the dialect spoken in Magadha. However, all later Indian Buddhist literature, both Mahayana and Hinayana, is written in Sanskrit. It is said that the Buddha himself objected to the translation of his teachings into Sanskrit, and encouraged people to study the Dharma in their native language. However, Buddhists had to return to Sanskrit for two reasons. Firstly, numerous modern Indian languages ​​(Bengali, Hindi, Tamil, Urdu, Telugu and many others) appeared and developed at tremendous speed, so it was impossible to translate the Tripitaka into everything. It was much easier to use Sanskrit - the unified language of Indian culture, which all educated people in India knew. Secondly, Buddhism gradually became “Brahmanized”: the intellectual “cream” of the sangha came from the Brahman caste, and they created all Buddhist philosophical literature. Sanskrit was a language that Brahmins absorbed almost with their mother’s milk (to this day there are Brahmin families in India where Sanskrit is considered their native language), so turning to Sanskrit was quite natural.

However, the Tripitaka in Sanskrit, unfortunately, was not preserved: during the Muslim conquest of Bengal (the last stronghold of Buddhism in India) and the Pals in Magadha (Bihar) in the 13th century. Buddhist monasteries were burned, and many libraries and Sanskrit Buddhist texts stored there were destroyed. Modern scholars have a very limited set of Sanskrit Buddhist texts (only fragments of some remain). (True, sometimes Buddhist texts in Sanskrit are found that were previously considered completely lost. For example, in 1937 N. Sankrityayana discovered the original text of the fundamental philosophical text “Abhidharmakosha” by Vasubandhu in the small Tibetan monastery of Ngor. Let's hope for new discoveries).

Now we have access to three versions of the Tripitaka: the Pali Tipitaka, recognized by Theravada followers living in Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, as well as two versions of the Mahayana Tripitaka - in Chinese (the translation of the texts and the formation of the Canon was completed in the 7th century) and Tibetan (the formation of the Canon was completed in the 12th–13th centuries) languages. The Chinese version is authoritative for Buddhists in China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam, and the Tibetan version is authoritative for residents of Tibet, Mongolia and Russian Buddhists of Kalmykia, Buryatia and Tuva. The Chinese and Tibetan Tripitakas coincide in many ways, and in part complement each other: for example, the Chinese Canon includes much fewer works of tantric literature and later logical-epistemological philosophical treatises than the Tibetan one. In the Chinese Tripitaka one can find earlier Mahayana sutras of the Mahayana than in the Tibetan one. And, of course, in the Chinese Tripitaka there are almost no works of Tibetan authors, and in the Tibetan Kangyur/Tengyur there are almost no works of Chinese ones.

Thus, by 80 BC. (the year of the written recording of the Tipitaka) the first, “pre-canonical” stage of the development of Buddhism ended and the Pali Theravada Canon was finally formed; The first Mahayana sutras also appear around this time.

Schools and directions of Buddhism

Buddhism has never been a single religion, and the Buddhist tradition claims that after the parinirvana of the Buddha it began to divide into different schools and movements. Over the next 300-400 years, about 20 schools (usually speaking about 18) appeared within Buddhism, representing two main groups - the Sthaviravadins (the Pali version of the Theravadins) and the Mahasanghikas; at the turn of our era, they initiated the emergence of the main schools of Buddhism that exist to this day: Hinayana (Theravada) and Mahayana. Some of the eighteen schools differed from each other insignificantly, for example, in their understanding of the issues of the disciplinary code of monks (Vinaya), and between some the differences were very significant.

Purpose of Buddhism

Buddhism is the oldest teaching about the nature of the mind, liberation from suffering and the achievement of timeless happiness. The goal of Buddhism is to achieve Enlightenment, a state of unconditional happiness that lies beyond all concepts and phenomena.

Basics of Buddhism

Buddhism is often called a “religion of experience,” wanting to show that the basis of the Path here is personal practice and testing all teachings for truth. The Buddha urged his disciples not to take anyone's word for it (not even his), and to carefully determine whether they were true before accepting someone's advice. Leaving this world, Buddha said: “I told you everything I knew. Be your own guiding light,” pointing people to their original wisdom and enlightened nature, which are our best teachers.

There are several basic tenets of the Teaching that are common to all Buddhists, regardless of school, direction and country.

1. Refuge in the Three Jewels (Sanskrit meditation, and attempts to follow the Teaching in the flow of everyday life).

   It is best to study the Dharma under the guidance of an experienced mentor, because the volume of teachings is incredibly vast, and figuring out where to start and which texts to choose can be quite difficult. And even if we cope with this task, we will still need comments and explanations knowledgeable person. However, independent work is also necessary.

   By reflecting on the information we receive, we gain understanding and can check whether it follows formal logic. When analyzing, we should ask ourselves what is the benefit of these teachings and whether they can be followed in practical life, whether they correspond to the goal that we want to achieve.

   Practice - meditation and application of acquired knowledge in the “field”, that is, in life - helps to translate intellectual understanding into the sphere of experience.

   By following this path, you can quickly eliminate all obscurations and reveal your true nature.

   Notes

   • From the very beginning, Buddhism relied precisely on secular, royal power, and, in fact, was a teaching in opposition to Brahmanism. Later, it was Buddhism that contributed to the emergence of new powerful states in India, such as the empire of Ashoka.
   • Buddhist stupas are one of the earliest monuments of Indian architecture (generally speaking, all early architectural monuments of India are Buddhist). The walled stupa at Sanchi has survived to this day. The texts state that there were one hundred and eight such stupas.
   • The origin of the term "mahasanghika" is not precisely established. Some Buddhist scholars believe that it is connected with the intention of the Mahasanghas to expand the monastic community - the Sangha, by admitting lay people into it (“Maha” means “great”, “sangha” means “community”). Others believe that the followers of this trend represented most Sanghas were “Bolsheviks”, hence the name.

Hello, dear readers.

Contrary to the well-established opinion among Europeans that Buddhism is an integral movement, this is not entirely true. Just like Christianity or Islam, it has several directions. Some originated in ancient times, others appeared later and interpret ancient texts a little differently. In this article we will try to understand these subtleties.

- one of the world religions that originated in the 4th century. BC. in the northeast of present-day India, therefore it has a close connection with ancient Indian philosophy. There are more than 450 million adherents, and the bulk of them are concentrated in Asian countries - Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. You can become a Buddhist regardless of your previous religion, as well as eye shape, skin color and class affiliation.

Directions

The doctrine is divided into many schools - on average there are 18 of them. So, briefly about the main directions of Buddhism:

• . The oldest direction, the second largest. In the 21st century it has almost 40% of adherents.
• or "Great Chariot". Adherents make up the bulk - more than 50% of all Buddhists in the world. The centers are concentrated in Japan, Mongolia, China, Korea, and Tibet.
• - “Diamond Chariot.” Tantric direction, formed within the Mahayana (tantra is the oldest system of self-improvement, helping to improve the health of the body, prolong life, and develop spirituality).
• (formed on the basis of Mahayana and Vajrayana), the smallest number is 6%. The centers are located in Mongolia, Buryatia, Tyva, Kalmykia, Manchuria and Northern China.

Some researchers believe that Buddhism has onlythree branches, while others talk about two main ones - Theravada and Mahayana.

Theravada

Teachings of the Elders. Theravada is based on texts that were composed after the Buddha's passing into nirvana. Adherents of this direction believe that many of the later directions are innovations that distort the essence of the teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni, and in some cases completely contradict it.

Some apply the name Hinayana or Lesser Vehicle to Theravada. This is not entirely correct. The concept of Hinayana originated within the Mahayana and literally means “inferior”, “narrow”, “despicable”. However, applying such “epithets” to the Teaching of the Elders - one of the most ancient schools, you will agree, is not entirely correct.

Theravada is an ascetic movement. It teaches you to follow the path of the Buddha to achieve nirvana. And this means that you need to abandon everything earthly, break family ties. Ideally, according to teaching, you need to become a monk - this is the only way to achieve true enlightenment.

Theravada is not a holistic teaching. Its followers are overcome by doubts about the correctness of interpretations of the Buddha's texts. In this regard, the direction during its existence was divided into several religious and philosophical movements:

• sauntrantiki;
• Vaibhashiki.

Theravada differs significantly from the Mahayana - “Great Vehicle”. If the first focuses on the fact that a person himself must follow the path of Buddha and achieve nirvana, then the second says that one needs to help other people achieve enlightenment, and think about oneself last, since helping others is in itself part of the path to awakening.

True Buddhism is different from other world religions - there is no such thing as “God”. Its founder, Siddhartha Gautama, is a real person. With the help of spiritual practices, he reached a state called nirvana. It is believed that if an ordinary person follows his path, he will be able to repeat it exactly.

Mahayana

It is often called Northern Buddhism. The origins of Mahayana are in India, from where it spread throughout Asian countries - Nepal, Tibet, Korea, Vietnam, Mongolia, China, and certain regions of Russia. Its appearance dates back to the end of the 1st century BC.

Mahayana is the opposite of Theravada. It traces the deification of Buddha, as well as the theory of the trinity, a little reminiscent of the Christian religion: Father, Son, Holy Spirit, only in the Mahayana it is called differently:

• The real person - Siddhartha Gautama - is a projection of God on earth (Sambhogakaya).
• The earth's body can have many forms. One of them is Amitaba, whom people see, respect, and worship.
• Nirvana is achieved by the essence or Dharmakaya - that which is the primary source in the universe.

The basis of Eastern dogma is personal experience real person. Getting to know himself and the world, Siddhartha Gautama started not from religious dogmas, which are unproven and are taken only on faith, not from mythical legends, but from what his own senses “tell”. Those who deeply study Buddhism often call it not a creed, but a philosophy.

The tantric direction or Tantrayana (the path of Result) is the youngest of the main ones in Buddhism. Formed in the 5th century AD. as part of the Mahayana. Now it is most common in Tibet, Mongolia, Nepal, Japan, and some regions of Russia (Tuva, Buryatia, Kalmykia). Followers of Vajrayana borrowed a lot from the beliefs of the indigenous peoples of Tibet (Bon).

For Vajrayana followers, the personality of the Teacher is very important. Only he can choose the right practice for the student.

Tibetan Buddhism

Another name is Lamaism. Based on the teachings of Mahayana and Vajrayana, as well as Theravada (monastic vows). There is complete preservation of Late Indian Buddhism here.

In Tibet, this religious teaching began to establish itself and develop no earlier than the 7th century AD. The main difference from traditional Buddhism is the way in which power is transferred, both secular and spiritual. In Tibet this happened as a rebirth (tulku) of the same person, while in other countries professing the same religion - by inheritance or through the organization of elections. Ultimately, this led to the unification of the clergy and secular authorities. The Dalai Lama became the sole ruler of Tibet.

Key Ideas

Unlike other world religions, where the individual as such is not important - only abstract worship of God is considered (independent thinking is not encouraged, everything is taken on faith, there is no evidence), Buddhism is based on the personal aspect. This means that if the individual himself does not want to change, no one will do it for him.

There are four main ideas:

• middle way;
• 4 noble truths;
• eightfold path;
• 5 commandments.

The middle path is a concept that means cutting off extremes. There is no need to fall into complete asceticism or descend into the abyss of pleasure.

4 truths are nothing more than a statement of the following facts:

• the earthly world is full of suffering;
• the causes of suffering are the passionate desire for pleasure;
• there is a possibility of getting rid of suffering - this is the way to limit oneself in pleasures;
• achieving nirvana.

The Eightfold Path is an opportunity to go through seven interconnected stages of personal improvement, where the reward will be nirvana (the eighth stage). Everything here is subject to logic. Going through the stages step by step is impossible - everything works in a complex, the center of which is the human mind.

The commandments are:

• do not kill;
• don't lie;
• don't steal;
• do not commit adultery;
• do not use the “hellish potion” (drugs, alcohol, tobacco).

Conclusion

Dear readers, the information in this article is a tiny part of the knowledge that the Eastern faith can give. However, we hope that it will help you gain a deeper understanding of the topic that interests you.

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The article is about Buddhism - a philosophical teaching that is often mistaken for a religion. This is probably not a coincidence. After reading a short article about Buddhism, you will decide for yourself to what extent Buddhism can be classified as a religious teaching, or rather, it is a philosophical concept.

Buddhism: briefly about religion

First of all, let's state from the outset that while Buddhism is a religion for most people, including its followers, Buddhism has never actually been a religion and never should be. Why? Because one of the first enlightened ones, Buddha Shakyamuni, despite the fact that Brahma himself charged him with the responsibility of transmitting the teaching to others (which Buddhists prefer to remain silent about for obvious reasons), never wanted to make a cult, much less a cult of worship, out of the fact of his enlightenment, which nevertheless subsequently led to the fact that Buddhism began to be understood more and more as one of the religions, and yet Buddhism is not one.

Buddhism is primarily a philosophical teaching, the purpose of which is to direct a person to search for truth, a way out of samsara, awareness and vision of things as they are (one of the key aspects of Buddhism). Also, in Buddhism there is no concept of God, i.e. it is atheism, but in the sense of “non-theism”, therefore, if Buddhism is classified as a religion, then it is a non-theistic religion, just like Jainism.

Another concept that testifies in favor of Buddhism as a philosophical school is the absence of any attempts to “link” man and the Absolute, while the very concept of religion (“linking”) is an attempt to “link” man with God .

As a counter-argument, defenders of the concept of Buddhism as a religion present that in modern societies people professing Buddhism worship Buddha and make offerings, and also read prayers, etc. To this, we can say that the trends followed by the majority in no way reflect the essence of Buddhism, but only show how much modern Buddhism and its understanding have deviated from the original Buddhism concepts.

Thus, having understood for ourselves that Buddhism is not a religion, we can finally begin to describe the main ideas and concepts on which this school of philosophical thought is based.

Briefly about Buddhism

If we talk about Buddhism briefly and clearly, then it could be characterized in two words - “deafening silence” - because the concept of shunyata, or emptiness, is fundamental to all schools and branches of Buddhism.

We know that, firstly, during the entire existence of Buddhism as a philosophical school, many of its branches have been formed, the largest of which are considered to be the Buddhism of the “great vehicle” (Mahayana) and the “small vehicle” (Hinayana), as well as the Buddhism of “diamond paths" (Vajrayana). Also great importance acquired Zen Buddhism and the teachings of Advaita. Tibetan Buddhism is much more distinct from the main branches than other schools, and is considered by some to be the only true path.

However, in our time it is quite difficult to say which of the many schools is really closest to the original teachings of the Buddha about the dharma, because, for example, in modern Korea even newer approaches to the interpretation of Buddhism have appeared, and, of course, each of them claims to be the right truth.

The Mahayana and Hinayana schools rely mainly on the Pali canon, and in the Mahayana they also add the Mahayana sutras. But we must always remember that Shakyamuni Buddha himself did not write anything down and transmitted his knowledge exclusively orally, and sometimes simply through “noble silence.” Only much later did the Buddha's disciples begin to write down this knowledge, and thus it has come down to us in the form of a canon in the Pali language and Mahayana sutras.

Secondly, due to man’s pathological craving for worship, temples, schools, centers for the study of Buddhism, etc. were built, which naturally deprives Buddhism of its pristine purity, and each time innovations and new formations again and again alienate us from fundamental concepts. People, obviously, much prefer the concept of not cutting off what is unnecessary in order to see “what is”, but, on the contrary, endowing what already is with new qualities, embellishment, which only leads away from the original truth to new interpretations and unjustified hobbies ritualism and, as a consequence, to the oblivion of the origins under the weight of external decor.

This is not the fate of Buddhism alone, but rather a general tendency that is characteristic of people: instead of understanding simplicity, we burden it with more and more new conclusions, while it was necessary to do the opposite and get rid of them. This is what Buddha spoke about, this is what his teaching is about, and final goal Buddhism is precisely for a person to realize himself, his Self, the emptiness and non-duality of existence, in order to ultimately understand that even the “I” does not really exist, and it is nothing more than a construct of the mind.

This is the essence of the concept of shunyata (emptiness). To make it easier for a person to realize the “deafening simplicity” of Buddhist teachings, Shakyamuni Buddha taught how to properly perform meditation. The ordinary mind accesses knowledge through the process of logical discourse, or rather, it reasons and draws conclusions, thereby arriving at new knowledge. But how new they are can be understood from the very prerequisites for their appearance. Such knowledge can never be truly new if a person came to it by a logical path from point A to point B. It is clear that he used starting and passing points in order to come to a “new” conclusion.

Conventional thinking does not see any obstacles in this; in general, this is a generally accepted method of obtaining knowledge. However, it is not the only one, not the most faithful and far from the most effective. The revelations through which the knowledge of the Vedas was obtained are different and fundamentally great way access to knowledge, when knowledge itself reveals itself to a person.

Features of Buddhism in brief: meditation and 4 types of emptiness

It was not by chance that we drew a parallel between two opposite ways of accessing knowledge, since meditation is the method that allows, over time, to obtain knowledge directly in the form of revelations, direct vision and knowledge, which is fundamentally impossible to do using this method. called scientific methods.

Of course, Buddha would not give meditation so that a person learns to relax. Relaxation is one of the conditions for entering a state of meditation, therefore it would be wrong to say that meditation itself promotes relaxation, but this is how the meditation process is often presented to ignorant people, beginners, which is why they get the wrong first impression, with which people continue live.

Meditation is the key that reveals to a person the greatness of emptiness, that same shunyata that we talked about above. Meditation is a central component of the teachings of Buddhism, because only through it can we experience emptiness. Again, we are talking about philosophical concepts, not physical-spatial characteristics.

Meditation in the broad sense of the word, including meditation-reflection, also bears fruit, because a person already in the process of meditative reflection understands that life and everything that exists is conditioned - this is the first emptiness, Sanskrit shunyata - the emptiness of the conditioned, which means that the conditioned lacks the qualities of the unconditioned: happiness, constancy (regardless of duration) and truth.

The second emptiness, asanskrita shunyata, or the emptiness of the unconditioned, can also be understood through meditation-reflection. The emptiness of the unconditioned is free from everything conditioned. Thanks to Asanskrit shunyata, vision becomes available to us - seeing things as they really are. They cease to be things, and we observe only their dharmas (in this sense, dharma is understood as a kind of flow, not in the generally accepted sense of the word “dharma”). However, the path does not end here either, because Mahayana believes that the dharmas themselves have a certain substance, and therefore emptiness must be found in them.

From here we come to the third type of emptiness - Mahashunyata. In it, as well as in the following form of emptiness, shunyata shunyata, lies the difference between Buddhism of the Mahayana tradition and Hinayana. In the two previous types of emptiness, we still recognize the duality of all things, duality (this is what our civilization is based on, the confrontation of two principles - bad and good, evil and good, small and great, etc.). But this is where the error is rooted, because you need to free yourself from accepting the differences between the conditioned and unconditioned existence, and even more - you need to come to understand that emptiness and non-emptiness are just another creation of the mind.

These are speculative concepts. Of course, they help us better understand the concept of Buddhism, but the longer we cling to the dual nature of existence, the further we are from the truth. In this case, truth again does not mean some idea, because it would also be material and belong, like any other idea, to the world of the conditioned, and therefore could not be true. By truth we should understand the very emptiness of mahashunyata, which brings us closer to true vision. Vision does not judge, does not divide, that is why it is called vision, this is its fundamental difference and advantage over thinking, because vision makes it possible to see what is.

But mahashunyata itself is another concept, and therefore cannot be complete emptiness, therefore the fourth emptiness, or shunyata, is called freedom from any concepts. Freedom from thought, but pure vision. Freedom from theories themselves. Only a mind free of theories can see the truth, the emptiness of emptiness, the great silence.

This is the greatness of Buddhism as a philosophy and its inaccessibility compared to other concepts. Buddhism is great because it does not try to prove or convince anything. There are no authorities in it. If they tell you that there is, don’t believe it. Bodhisattvas do not come to force anything on you. Always remember the Buddha's saying that if you meet Buddha, kill Buddha. You need to open up to the emptiness, hear the silence - this is the truth of Buddhism. His appeal is solely to personal experience, the discovery of a vision of the essence of things, and subsequently of their emptiness: this briefly contains the concept of Buddhism.

The wisdom of Buddhism and the teaching of the “Four Noble Truths”

Here we deliberately did not mention the “Four Noble Truths,” which talk about dukkha, suffering, one of the cornerstones of the Buddha’s teachings. If you learn to observe yourself and the world, you yourself will come to this conclusion, and also to how you can get rid of suffering - the same way you discovered it: you need to continue to observe, to see things without “slipping.” into judgment. Only then can they be seen as they are. The philosophical concept of Buddhism, incredible in its simplicity, is nevertheless accessible for its practical applicability in life. She doesn't set conditions or make promises.

The doctrine of reincarnation is also not the essence of this philosophy. The explanation of the process of rebirth is perhaps what makes it suitable for use as a religion. By this she explains why a person appears in our world over and over again, and it also acts as a reconciliation of a person with reality, with the life and embodiment that he lives at this moment. But this is only an explanation already given to us.

The pearl of wisdom in the philosophy of Buddhism lies precisely in the ability and possibility of a person to see what is, and to penetrate behind the veil of secrecy, into the void, without any outside intervention, in the absence of an intermediary. This is exactly what makes Buddhism so much more religious philosophical teaching than all other theistic religions, because Buddhism provides a person with the opportunity to find what is, and not what is needed or someone ordered to look for. There is no goal in it, and therefore, it gives a chance for a real search, or, more correctly, for a vision, a discovery, because, no matter how paradoxical it may sound, you cannot find what you are striving for, what you are looking for, what you are expecting, i.e. Because what you are looking for becomes just a goal, and it is planned. You can truly find only that which you do not expect and do not look for - only then does it become a real discovery.

From this article you will learn:

How and thanks to whom the ancient philosophy of Buddhism arose

What are the main ideas of Buddhist philosophy?

What are the three main schools of Buddhism?

A billion people - this is how many followers of Buddhism there are in the world at the moment, and this number is constantly growing. The central concept of Buddhist philosophy is that all human life is suffering, and one should strive to end it. In this article we will touch upon the topic of how the philosophy of Buddhism was formed and what its main principles are.

How did the ancient philosophy of Buddhism arise?

In the middle of the 1st millennium BC, Brahmanism dominated in India. In the north of the country a current arose that opposed it - Buddhism. Culture, society and economy were in deep decline. Traditional institutions and clan associations were losing their influence, and class relationships were being formed. Sages traveled around the country and offered a different look at the spiritual and physical life of a person. Among the teachings that offered to look at the world around us from a different angle was Buddhism, which received the greatest sympathy from the people.

Buddha and his teachings

Most scientists agree that the founder of the original concepts of the philosophy of Buddhism was a historical person. He was a prince of the Shakya tribe, born in 560 BC. in northeast India. According to legend, his name was Siddhartha Gautama, he spent a carefree and joyful childhood in the palace, but then he realized the horror of the idea of ​​​​a cycle of endless reincarnations and saw how much suffering and grief there was in the world around him. The prince went on a journey for seven years, communicated with wise Indians, trying to find the answer to the question: “What can save people from suffering?”

One day, while he was sitting under the Bodhi tree, an understanding of how to answer his question came to him. Buddha translated from Sanskrit means “enlightened”, “awakened”. Stunned by his discovery, the prince spent several more days under the tree, then went to people to talk about the new teaching.

The first sermon was heard by the people in the city of Benares. There he was joined by five of his former students who had previously turned away from him due to his rejection of asceticism. For the next 40 years, he spoke about his teachings throughout northern and central India. He was joined by many supporters who were close to the basic principles of the philosophy of Buddhism.

Basic concepts of Buddhist philosophy: brief and clear

The philosophy of Buddhism was formed within the framework of various movements and schools of this teaching. It is a set of meaningful beliefs regarding a person, the world and the knowledge of reality. Unlike Abrahamic and other monotheistic religions, in the philosophy of Buddhism there is no concept of a sinful body and an immortal soul, which awaits eternal torment for an unrighteous life. There is simply a person: good and evil deeds committed by him throughout his life and reflected in his karma.

There are many special terms in the philosophy of Buddhism, and we will now clarify the central ones:

Karma. A key concept in Buddhist philosophy that explains how and why certain things happen to us. It tells us that all the actions we do have consequences.

Incarnations. This is a phenomenon of spiritual life in the philosophy of Buddhism, in which after the death of a living being, its karma passes to another living creature. This concept is different from the "transmigration of souls" and the Hindu concept of "atman", meaning the eternal soul.

Enlightenment. In such a spiritual and mental state, free from negative emotions, thoughts, desires, a person perceives the world as it is.

Nirvana. Through deep thought and meditation, the Buddha formulated one of the main goals in the philosophy of Buddhism: the desire to realize one’s soul, based on the renunciation of worldly goods, the renunciation of a comfortable life. Achieving the state of nirvana gives a person control over his mind, he stops worrying too much about what other people think, loses his dependence on things, and his soul begins to develop.

Samsara, or "wheel of life". In Buddhist philosophy, all living beings, except those who have achieved enlightenment, are in this state.

Buddha believed that it was advisable to follow the “middle path.” You don’t need to give up all the benefits of civilization and be an ascetic, but you shouldn’t wallow in luxury either. A person needs to find the mean between these two extremes.

What is the philosophy of Buddhism: 4 noble truths

There are 4 great discoveries of Buddha, 4 truths of Buddhist philosophy:

Suffering is the essence human life. In Buddhist philosophy, the symbol of existence is fire, which devours itself, bringing only suffering. The world impermanent and changing all the time. Everything that is created will be destroyed in the end.

Man's desires are the source of his suffering. Our deep attachment to the material realms of existence makes us thirst for life. The torment intensifies as this desire grows.

Freedom from desires leads to freedom from suffering. In nirvana, a person ceases to feel the thirst for life and is freed from passions. This is accompanied by a feeling of bliss and tranquility, freeing from the transmigration of souls.

The Eightfold or “middle” path of salvation is abstinence from extremes in Buddhist philosophy, which helps to free oneself from passions.

The Eightfold Path of Salvation assumes the following:

understanding - it is very important to comprehend and accept that our world consists of suffering and grief;

intentions - you need to stop being selfish, get rid of ambitions and desires;

speech - a person must always watch his words, they must convey goodness and not cause harm to other people;

deeds - do not commit evil deeds, strive to do only good ones;

way of life - in the philosophy of Buddhism it is forbidden to harm living beings, only this can free a person from torment;

efforts - to monitor all your thoughts and not allow evil into them, to be tuned to goodness;

thoughts - our body is the main source of evil, if you free yourself from its desires, you will be free from suffering;

concentration – one must constantly practice the Eightfold Path and be concentrated on it.

The first and second stages are called prajdnya, they are needed to comprehend wisdom. The third, fourth and fifth instill correct behavior and set the moral compass (sila). The sixth, seventh and eighth are called samadha, they help to control the mind.

Features of Buddhist philosophy

There are three main treasures in Buddhism:

Buddha - it can be either any person who has achieved enlightenment, or the founder of the teaching himself.

Dharma is the quintessence of the basic ideas of the philosophy of Buddhism, what they can give to people who followed the Buddha and accepted all the tenets of his teachings.

Sangha is a community of Buddhists who unquestioningly follow the dogmas of this religious movement.

Fighting three poisons is the Buddhist way of acquiring the three jewels:

Distance from the truth of existence and ignorance.

Bodily passions and thirst for life, which lead to suffering. The central concept of Buddhist philosophy is suffering.

Inability to accept the world and events as they are, anger and lack of restraint.

According to the philosophy of Buddhism, a person constantly suffers spiritually and physically. Birth, death, illness and disease throughout life are suffering. This state of affairs is considered abnormal, so the philosophy of Buddhism promotes liberation from this.

3 main schools of Buddhism as philosophy

Exist three main philosophical schools of Buddhism, which were formed at different times in the existence of this doctrine:

Theravada (Hinayana). The followers of this school do not worship religious sites, they have no holy martyrs to support them, no heaven and hell, and no rituals. The responsibility for getting rid of reincarnation lies entirely with the person; it depends on how he acts, lives and thinks. The ideal of this philosophy is the monk who achieves enlightenment.

Philosophy of Mahayana Buddhism. Saints (the institute of bodhisattvas) appear who assist people on the path of liberation from suffering. There is heaven, images with Buddha and bodhisattvas. Now even a person living a worldly life can be saved from suffering.

Vajrayana. Self-control and meditation are the central concepts of this tantric school of Buddhist philosophy.

The figure below will show how the three main schools of Buddhist philosophy are spread in different countries:

Written sources of Buddhist philosophy

The Pali canon "Ti-Pitaka" or "Tripitaka" is a book that is the main source of Buddhist philosophy. The name is translated from Sanskrit as “three baskets” because texts about Buddhism were originally written on palm leaves and placed in baskets. This canon consists of three parts and is written in Pali:

Vinaya Pitaka- a set of 227 rules governing the life of Buddhist monks. It contains information about discipline, ceremonies and ethical precepts.

Sutta Pitaka, contains books " Dhammapada“, which means “the path to truth” (a collection of Buddhist parables), and “ Jataka" - a collection of stories about previous incarnations of Buddha. In addition to the two books listed, this part also includes the philosophy of the Buddha itself.

Abhidhamma Pitaka- these are texts permeated Buddhist philosophy, her perception of life, as well as the metaphysics that exists in Buddhism.

The above books of all the movements of Buddhism are especially revered by Hinayana. The sacred canon of Buddhist philosophy among Mahayana disciples is "Prajnaparalshta sutra"(teachings on perfect wisdom). For them, these are revelations from the Buddha himself.

Buddhism is a religion or philosophy

In the philosophy of Buddhism there is no concept of God as the creator of everything immaterial and material, an omnipotent being who created the world. This is the difference from the usual ideas about religion for Russians. In the cosmology of Buddhism, there are beings called "deva", they are mistakenly called "gods". They did not create the Universe and do not control destinies, these are ordinary people from another reality.

Question: “Do you believe in Buddha?” - meaningless in the philosophy of Buddhism, since Buddha is a real historical figure who lived about 2500 years ago. He was an ordinary person, like the rest of us.

When many people mention Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) comes to mind, this is true, but only partly. Any adherent of Buddhism who has achieved enlightenment can be considered a Buddha, and there were many of them. After all, the word “Buddha” is translated from Sanskrit as “awakened”, “enlightened”. But only Great Buddhas are usually written with capital letters, such as the Present Buddha (Shakyamuni) and the Great Buddhas of the past, of which, according to the canons of different Buddhist schools, there are from 6 to 21. The names of all the rest are written with a small letter.

5 Myths About Buddhist Philosophy

• Pacifism.

One of the main tenets of Buddhist philosophy is non-violence against living beings. This bears little resemblance to pacifism, which denies any violence. A Buddhist can protect himself in case of danger, which is reflected in popular culture. Documentary and feature films often show a monk comprehending martial arts. Great masters use every opportunity to avoid combat, but in a critical situation they accept it with dignity.

• Meditations.

When mentioning Buddhists, many people have the following picture: a meditating person in the lotus position, chanting mantras. Researchers have studied this issue and found that a very small proportion of Buddhists meditate on a regular basis, including monks.

Scientists surveyed adherents of various religious movements, and it turned out that supporters of the philosophy of Buddhism meditate on average even less than supporters of other philosophical schools. More than half of meditators do so irregularly.

• Buddha.

An unprepared reader may think that this is the image of Buddha Shakyamuni - the first enlightened person. It's a delusion. A laughing fat man in a lotus position is Budai or Hotei, considered in Buddhist philosophy to be the next incarnation of one of the Buddhas - Maitreya Bodhisattva. According to legend, it brings happiness, material well-being and fun to people. Although he hardly looked like a fat man, because Maitreya a large number of spent time traveling.

• Suffering.

There is an erroneous stereotype that inflicting pain and suffering on oneself is the main purpose of Buddhist practice. No, through painful sensations, Buddhists learn to accept them, try to understand the variability of life in order to become a higher being in the next cycle of rebirths.

The philosophy of Buddhism is based on the fact that one of the most important goals of human life is victory over suffering. True Buddhists do not engage in moral or physical self-torture for no reason, although they know that the world is imperfect. They simply continue on the path to enlightenment.

• Reincarnation.

A person who is little familiar with Buddhist philosophy may believe that all Buddhists support the idea of ​​​​transmigration of souls and the circle of samsara. However, everything is a little more complicated due to inaccurate translation holy books. Most Buddhists understand reincarnation as “rebirth” rather than “rebirth.” Very few Buddhist traditions support the principle of the transmigration of souls into various animals.

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