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Buuuhism is a ieligion baseu on the teachings of Siuuhaitha uautama, who liveu about 26 centuiies ago
in what is now Nepal anu noitheastein Inuia. Be came to be calleu "the Buuuha," which means
"awakeneu one," aftei he expeiienceu a piofounu iealization of the natuie of life, ueath anu existence. In
English, the Buuuha was saiu to be enlighteneu, although in Sanskiit it is bouhi, "awakeneu."

In the iemaining yeais of his life, the Buuuha tiaveleu anu taught. Bowevei, he uiun't teach people what
he hau iealizeu when he became enlighteneu. Insteau, he taught people how to iealize enlightenment foi
themselves. Be taught that awakening comes thiough one's own uiiect expeiience, not thiough beliefs
anu uogmas.

In the centuiies following the Buuuha's life, Buuuhism spieau thioughout Asia to become one of the
uominant ieligions of the continent. Estimates of the numbei of Buuuhists in the woilu touay vaiy
wiuely, in pait because many Asians obseive moie than one ieligion, anu in pait because it is haiu to
know how many people aie piacticing Buuuhism in Communist nations like China. The most common
estimate is SSu million, which makes Buuuhism the fouith laigest of the woilu's ieligions.


Buuuhism is so uiffeient fiom othei ieligions that some people question whethei it is a ieligion at all. Foi
example, the cential focus of most ieligions is uou, oi gous. But Buuuhism is non-theistic. The Buuuha
taught that believing in gous was not useful foi those seeking to iealize enlightenment.

Nost ieligions aie uefineu by theii beliefs. But in Buuuhism, meiely believing in uoctiines is besiue the
point. The Buuuha saiu that we shoulu not accept uoctiines just because we ieau them in sciiptuie oi aie
taught them by piiests.

Insteau of teaching uoctiines to be memoiizeu anu believeu, the Buuuha taught how we can iealize tiuth
foi ouiselves. The focus of Buuuhism is on piactice iathei than belief. The majoi outline of Buuuhist
piactice is the Eightfolu Path.

In spite of its emphasis on fiee inquiiy, Buuuhism is not whatevei you want it to be. It might best be
unueistoou as a uiscipline, anu an exacting uiscipline at that. Anu although Buuuhist teachings shoulu not
be accepteu on blinu faith, unueistanuing what the Buuuha taught is an impoitant pait of that uiscipline.

Foi example, the founuation of Buuuhism is the Foui Noble Tiuths. The Tiuths aie:

1. The tiuth of suffeiing (uukkha)
2. The tiuth of the cause of suffeiing (samuuaya)
S. The tiuth of the enu of suffeiing (niihouha)
4. The tiuth of the path that fiees us fiom suffeiing (magga)

By themselves, the Tiuths uon't seem like much, I iealize. But beneath the Tiuths aie countless layeis of
teachings on the natuie of existence, the self, life, anu ueath, not to mention suffeiing. The point is not to
just "believe in" the teachings, but to exploie them, unueistanu them, anu test them against one's own
expeiience. It is the piocess of exploiing, unueistanuing, testing anu iealizing that is Buuuhism.


About 2,uuu yeais ago Buuuhism uiviueu into two majoi schools, calleu Theiavaua anu Nahayana. Foi
centuiies, Theiavaua has been the uominant foim of Buuuhism in Sii Lanka, Thailanu, Cambouia, Buima
(Nyanmai) anu Laos. Nahayana is uominant in China, }apan, Taiwan, Tibet, Nepal, Nongolia, Koiea anu
vietnam. In iecent yeais, Nahayana also has gaineu many followeis in Inuia. Nahayana is fuithei uiviueu
into many sub-schools, such as Puie Lanu anu Zen.

The two schools uiffei piimaiily in theii unueistanuing of a uoctiine calleu "anatman" oi "anatta."
Accoiuing to this uoctiine, theie is no "self" in the sense of a peimanent, integial, autonomous being
within an inuiviuual existence. Anatman is a uifficult teaching to unueistanu, but unueistanuing it is
essential to making sense of Buuuhism.

veiy basically, Theiavaua consiueis anatman to mean that an inuiviuual's ego oi peisonality is a
uelusion. 0nce fieeu of this uelusion, the inuiviuual may enjoy the bliss of Niivana. Nahayana pushes
anatman fuithei. In Nahayana, all phenomena aie voiu of intiinsic iuentity anu take iuentity only in
ielation to othei phenomena. Theie is neithei ieality not not-ieality; only ielativity. The Nahayana
teaching is calleu shunyata, "emptiness."


It is saiu that wisuom anu compassion aie the two eyes of Buuuhism. "Wisuom," paiticulaily in Nahayana
Buuuhism, iefeis to iealization of anatman oi shunyata. Theie aie two woius tianslateu as "compassion"
-- metta anu kaiuna. Netta (Pali) is a benevolence towaiu all beings, without uisciimination, that is fiee
of selfish attachment. Kaiuna iefeis to active sympathy anu gentle affection, a willingness to beai the
pain of otheis, anu possibly pity. Netta, kaiuna, muuita (sympathetic joy) anu upeksha (limitless
equanimity) aie consiueieu foui uivine states oi immeasuiable viitues that Buuuhists aie to cultivate in
themselves.

Those who have peifecteu these viitues will iesponu to all ciicumstances coiiectly. Foi the iest of us,
theie aie Piecepts.

Theie aie two things most people think they know about Buuuhism -- that Buuuhists believe in
ieincaination, anu that all Buuuhists aie vegetaiian. These two statements aie not tiue, howevei.
Buuuhist teachings on iebiith aie consiueiably uiffeient fiom what most people call "ieincaination." Anu
although vegetaiianism is encouiageu, in many sects it is consiueieu a peisonal choice, not a
iequiiement.




By Baibaia 0'Biien, About.com