Buddhism
Religious History/Beliefs
Altar at the An Lac Buddhist Temple, Indianapolis
Buddhism is a major world religion that is most prominent in
Eastern Asia. It began in present day Nepal around 500 BCE with
Siddhartha Gautama who, after his enlightenment, was known as the
Buddha. The Buddha began questioning the truth of human existence
after seeing the suffering people face in their everyday lives.
After several years of spiritual practice, he resolved to sit under
a tree and meditate until he obtained a true understanding of
ultimate reality, or enlightenment. Thereafter the Buddha lived his
life in a constant state of enlightenment, and when he died, he
passed into nirvana. Nirvana is the term used to describe the end
of suffering, the ultimate goal of Buddhism. It is a state of
complete bliss, liberation from the limitations and desires of the
physical world, and the end of the cycle of rebirth and
suffering.
During the Buddha's experience of enlightenment he realized
several truths about reality, four of which when joined are known
as the Four Noble Truths. The first of the Noble Truths is that
life is full of inevitable suffering. Although it may not be
continuous, it is always unavoidably recurring; to live is to
suffer. The second Noble Truth explains the root cause of human
suffering. The Buddha suggested that suffering comes from desire or
thirst for things in this world. People have desires and
attachments to the physical world because they are ignorant of the
fact that all reality is constantly changing. Thus, no one can ever
be truly satisfied when attached to this world. The third Noble
Truth presents a solution to suffering. The Buddha claimed that an
end of desire leads to an end to all suffering. When one achieves
nirvana, one is finally freed from all desire and thus all
suffering. Finally, the last Noble Truth provides a practical set
of directions that lead to nirvana. It suggests that one can attain
nirvana by following the Eightfold Path.
The Eightfold Path includes eight objectives: right
understanding, right intention, right speech, right action, right
work, right effort, right meditation and right contemplation. The
entire Eightfold Path requires one to face life objectively and
without attachments, to live kindly and compassionately, and to
cultivate inner peace and understanding. When one utilizes all of
these practices simultaneously and continuously, it is believed
that one will achieve nirvana, the ultimate goal of Buddhism.
Zen Garden at Friends of Awakening Sangha, Indianapolis
Buddhism also teaches about the importance of embracing the
Three Jewels: the Buddha, the dharma and the sangha. In terms of
the Three Jewels, the Buddha represents the ideal human who exists
in a timeless dimension beyond the known world. The Buddha is a
model of mindfulness and self-control, which Buddhism encourages
people to strive for. The dharma is the collection of all the
Buddha's teachings. The dharma describes how to live properly and
righteously and how to view the world from a detached, objective
point of view. Traditionally the sangha is the community of
Buddhist monks and nuns, but in a broader sense, the sangha is
understood to be the community of fellow Buddhists.
There are three primary schools of Buddhism: Theravada,
Mahayana, and Vajrayana, also known as Tantrayana or Mantrayana.
Theravada is the earliest school of Buddhism and it was continued
by disciples of the Buddha after his death. It is centered on the
sangha, the community of monks. Theravada Buddhism suggests that
nirvana is only attainable through meditation and detachment from
the world entirely. Mahayana Buddhism first emerged in India
between 150 BCE and 100 CE. This group focuses more on compassion
and the idea that nirvana is a possibility for anyone. Finally,
Vajrayana Buddhism is a combination of the native, deity-centered
religions in places like Tibet, and the Tantric Buddhism movement
that emerged in present day India around 700 CE. Vajrayana Buddhism
employs tantric techniques that focus on using things of this world
to accelerate the process of attaining enlightenment. One such
technique is to repeat mantras, words or phrases that hold a
certain power, to propel one into enlightenment. Vajrayana Buddhism
is sometimes considered a subgroup of Mahayana Buddhism.
It is difficult to determine the number of practicing Buddhists
in Indianapolis. There are many different sects of Buddhism,
including the Vietnamese at the An Lac Temple and the Zen Buddhists
at the Indianapolis Zen Center. But Tibetan and self-practicing
Buddhists are present in Indianapolis as well. Not every Buddhist
is actually affiliated with a particular place of worship, and
because of this, it is hard to give an actual numerical quantity.
Estimates based merely on attendance at various public Buddhist
institutions suggest that there are around several hundred
Buddhists in Indianapolis. However, given the number of East Asian
immigrants in the Indianapolis area, and given the fact that many
Buddhists are not associated with a public Buddhist institution,
the actual number of Buddhists in Indianapolis is likely much
higher.
Individual Institutions