Archive for Wednesday 22nd May 2002 - Buddha's birthday

THIS weekend, on the May full moon, millions of people around the world will be celebrating Buddha’s birthday.

Born in 566BC, Prince Siddhartha Gautama wanted for nothing, enjoying all the privilege of his royal birth in Kapikvastri on the Indian-Nepalese border. The title of Buddha, meaning ‘realised one’, was acquired later as he became a beacon on the path to inner enlightenment.

Buddha’s tale is a classic story of the rejection of materialism for higher values, and the reason why statues of him meditating have become an icon for spirituality. Reared as a royal he was sheltered from poverty, disease and early death. But venturing from his father’s palace he was awestruck by the harsh realities of life and felt compelled to understand the true nature of existence. Renouncing everything, he began a six-year quest of austerity and meditation in search of the truth and eventually achieved enlightenment – under a Bodhi Tree in Bodhgaya northern India. So began his remarkable 45-year teaching career.

Buddhism is often regarded more as a philosophy than a religion. There is an absence of dogma, as Buddha’s core message was: ‘Judge what I say to you carefully and if it makes sense then use it in your life.’ For more information call The Buddhist Society on +44 (0)207 834 5858 or visit www.thebuddhistsociety.org.uk

The essence of Buddhism, which embraces the doctrine of reincarnation, is the Four Noble Truths:
1. Life can be full of disappointment and suffering
2. This suffering arises from selfish desires
3. To avoid suffering means to curb these desires
4. The Middle Way is the means to escape from suffering and the cycle of birth and death

Leading a balanced, compassionate and responsible life according to the Middle Way is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path of right views, right intentions, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right awareness and right concentration. The destination is the ocean of truth and eternal peace of ‘nirvana’, the blissful meditative state to which Buddhists aspire.

Mark Winter

~ MARK WINTER ARCHIVES ~