Zen Buddism

As a young child, Siddhartha began learning about civil and military arts. However, the lessons were unsatisfying to him. Instead, Siddhartha became deeply affected from the sufferings of life and began searching for the cause of sufferings and enlightenment. This led him to leave his home and family. He traveled on a quest throughout India seeking for answers to h

Within the spiritual world there is a hierarchical structure of three spiritual beings. They exist as Buddha, the Bodhisattva, and the Arhat, in descending order. Buddha is the highest one being who has already achieved Enlightenment and Nirvana. ”Buddha is the embodiment of compassion with no other purpose than that of opening people up to their own potential.” (Mascetti, Manuela). The second one in rank is the Bodhisattva. The difference between Buddha and Bodhisattva is the Bodhisattva is more of a saint in Buddhism. The Bodhisattvas are still trying to achieve enlightenment, but they have not yet let go of the material world. Therefore, Bodhisattvas are not yet at the level of Buddha. The Arhats are known as the “perfect man” or “worthy one”. They all have attained the highest Buddhist teachings. The Arhats are appointed to save the world and witness the Buddhist truth. In comparison, the hierarchical structure of the spiritual beings is based upon their relationship in achieving the Enlightment.

The final truth to Buddha’s truths is the truth of the Path leading to the End of Suffering. In his life, Buddha took what is called the Middle Path to find his happiness and Enlightenment. Thus, those who follow this Middle Path and avoid indulgence and torture of both mind and body will also seek the Enlightenment. ”This middle way he further explains, consists of eight limbs. Two are related to wisdom: right views and right discrimination; three are related to correct ethical conduct…and three are related to meditation” (Strong, John). As a way to help one find the path to the End of Suffering and Nirvana, Buddha created what is known as the Noble Eightfold Path. In this path, Buddha stated eight steps. The first step is the “right understanding”, which asks a person to really understand himself and to know who he is. The second is the “right thoughts”, which comes in three parts: denunciation, kind and harmless thoughts. The third step is the “right speech”, which asks one not to lie or use slander. The fourth is the “right action” where one is asked to abstain from killing and stealing. The fifth step is the “right livelihood”, when one should not be involved with weapons, animal killings, slavery, intoxicants, and poisons. The sixth one is the “right effort”, where one tries to remove evil that has happened, prevent evil, and develop and promote good. The seventh step is the “right mindfulness”, which is mindfulness with regard to body, feeling, mind, and mental objects. The final step is the “right meditation”; this helps one to be deeply focus and calm one’s mind.

The Second Noble Truth is the truth of the Cause of Suffering. Buddha finds that the causes for suffering are both desire and ignorance. In every person there is always a need or craving he or she wants. However, Buddha teaches that every desire can never be satisfied completely. This unfulfilled desire will cause a person to become greedy and act upon anything to get his way, leading to violence and anger. Ignorance, though, causes a person to be blind from the real truth, causing him to have misunderstandings about the world around him.

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