The Essential Ideas of Buddhism
When we speak about Buddhism we refer to an extraordinarily vast and deep subject. I have learnt but a single drop of this great ocean of knowledge, however I will share here a short, introduction to some of the fundamental points of the Dharma.
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| Buddha teaching his first disciples |
Most might know that Buddhism is one of the great World Religions and that it traces back to Buddha Shakyamuni, who was born in Lumbini (Nepal) over 2500 years ago. Many of you will also probably know some of Buddha's great deeds, as it would take too long to describe them all. At the age of thirty-five, Buddha manifested the attainment of full enlightenment; then, he lived on until the age of eighty-one. From the attaining of enlightenment until his Parinirvana, he spent most of his time sharing and teaching.
The first teaching Buddha had given was on the Four Noble Truths: the Noble Truth of Suffering, the Noble Truth of the Cause of Suffering, the Noble Truth of the Cessation (or Liberation) of Suffering and the Noble Truth of the Path to End Suffering. After that, he covered a variety of teachings, always in accordance to the needs and mental dispositions of his disciples.
At first, these teachings of Buddha spread widely in India. Tibetans were first introduced to the Dharma in the seventh century of the western calendar; and, immediately recognising its extraordinary value, they applied great efforts into bringing the doctrine to their home country. Many travelled to India in order to study Buddhism there, and some outstanding Indian Buddhist masters were also invited to teach in Tibet.
