This more direct approach was introduced into China in the sixth century by the travelling Indian monk Bodhidarma. It grasped that enlightenment was the most fundamental aspect of Buddhism and thus did away with sacred scriptures, rituals and objects of worship, all of which had become a major aspect of Mahayana Buddhism in India. Zen approached Buddhism in the most direct, simple and practical way. The practice of meditation (Zen in Japanese) as a means of attaining enlightenment was introduced, as we have seen, by the Buddha himself. Zen is a school of Buddhism which emphasises the practice of meditation as the key ingredient to awakening ones inner nature, compassion and wisdom. The later teachings of Zen proposed that it was possible to attain nirvana, like the Buddha himself, in a single lifetime. A similar belief in karma and reincarnation is common to Hinduism. Good and bad actions in one life determine roles to be played in the next life and so on. The path that leads through this cycle is determined by karma - a law of cause and effect. In most cases this process involves going through a series of rebirths or reincarnations until the ultimate goal is reached. By following the middle way - moderation in everything - and what became known as the noble eightfold path these desires can be extinguished and a state of nirvana eventually reached. The Buddha taught that life involves suffering but that suffering comes from our sensual desires and the illusion that they are important. Eventually it spread to other Asian countries and, in more modern times, to many parts of the western world. Buddhism developed rapidly, especially when it was embraced by the powerful emperor Ashoka in 262BC. When the Buddha died he attained nirvana or a final release from human suffering.Īlthough Buddha did not write down his dharma or teachings, later followers who lived around the modern day Indian state of Bihar transcribed his teachings and spread them through Northern India. The name Buddha means awakened or enlightened one. After forty-nine days of meditation he attained enlightenment, after which he travelled to Sarnarth, a short distance north of Varanasi, to preach his first sermon. This took place at Bodh Gaya south east of the ancient Indian city of Varanasi (Benaras). At the age of twenty-nine Siddhartha left his royal family in search of spiritual truth and the cause of human suffering.Īfter six years of searching he resolved to sit in silent meditation under a Pippala tree (usually refered to as a Bodhi tree) until he achieved enlightenment. According to tradition, Buddha was born at Lumbini, near the present day border of India and Nepal in 563BC. History of Zen Buddhism The Origins of Buddhismīuddhism is one of the world's oldest religions, which originally had its roots within the Hindu culture in India.
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