Buddhism is a religion that has been spreading in the West for several years. As a doctrine, it transmits Buddha's messages after his spiritual awakening and shares his teachings.
Only Buddhists can benefit from these teachings or can everyone benefit from them? What are the essential elements of Buddhism?
Nirvana in Buddhism
The nirvana is the goal of this spirituality. Attaining this ultimate truth is the goal and purpose of life for all Buddhists. In other words, nirvana is the state of Guatama Siddhartha at the time when he was enlightened and became a Buddha. When he dies, he has ceased to be born and reborn, the cycle of samsara, and then he has already reached nirvana. Since his awakening, he has been proof that nirvana is attainable.
To achieve this, it is imperative to know yourself and understand your own suffering in all its forms. But to free oneself, it is necessary to determine the causes of this suffering, which is generally due to desires and attachments. From this perspective, nirvana translates into the mental state of the person freed from desires and suffering. It is then a matter of calming the mind in the face of anxiety, worry, stress, in short, problems.
Link between samsara and karma in Buddhism
The Samsara is defined as the infinite cycle of rebirths. Indeed, the cycle of life according to Buddhism is as follows: birth, death and rebirth. This process of samsara is incessant. It was Buddha, during his meditation under the Bodhi tree, who became aware of this, saying that man suffers because he cannot escape samsara. The only way out is to reach nirvana, he says. This rebirth is linked to our past lives and encouraged by the karma which determines our future lives.
We can play on our karma by focusing on moral conduct. There is a certain law of attraction between the past and the future, that is to say that past actions have an influence on the future, and karma plays a big role in this. role. According to Buddha, each individual has free will over their destiny. Buddha said: “It is the will, O bhikkhu, that I call karma. Having willed, we act by means of body, speech and mental organ”.
Interdependence and emptiness in Buddhism
These two concepts are interdependent. Buddha emphasized the interdependence of all phenomena in life. In his teaching, he explains that a phenomenon results from a fact or the consequences of the same fact and will give rise to another phenomenon. It's a never-ending process. It is not a creation but rather a manifestation of a phenomenon. No element of this world is independent of the rest, everything is linked.
Hence the interdependence between things. The same goes for the void, according to the Buddha's teaching, the intrinsic reality of phenomena does not exist at all. The phenomena are then impermanent and interdependent. The following Tibetan verse states: “Voidness is by no means emptiness.”
Impermanence and non-self in Buddhism
The concept of impermanence and non-self converge. The principle of impermanence indicates that no phenomenon is eternal, that there always comes a moment when everything changes or disappears. In this world, no phenomenon persists and is immutable. All living things and vegetation always eventually become extinct. Impermanence is a subject of suffering for humanity because it denies attachment and the unfulfillment of a desire. So, when we don't know that no situation lasts, we risk suffering. According tothe teaching of Buddha, impermanenceis agood thingfor man because thanks to it, everything is possible.
The “me” principle is also linked to the principle of impermanence. According to Buddhism, the “me” is none other than the appropriation of the illusion that our consciousness creates. Furthermore, the five aggregates, which are the aggregate of matter, the aggregate of sensation, the aggregate of perception, the aggregate of formation and the aggregate of consciousness, define these two principles.
The three Buddhist baskets
Discipline, discourse and knowledge are the three elements that make up the baskets of Buddhism. They highlight the teachings of the Buddha.
- Discipline: This basket is a kind of restriction which prohibits an individual from engaging in prohibited actions which are likely to disturb the human mind like sex, immoral conduct and attachment ;
- Discourse: this basket highlights the role of the four noble truths, the five aggregates and conditioned production. It includes sutras which are none other than sermons and texts written by Buddha.
- Knowledge: this basket highlights the characteristics linked to different phenomena such as desire, suffering, impermanence and the non-existence of “me”. Once a person is aware of their actions, they have the ability to review their position on a fact and correct their ideas.
Who can be converted into a Buddhist?
The fundamental principles of Buddhism have just been discussed and explained above. Over the past fifty years, the extent of this religion in the Western world has become significant. All categories and social classes are interested in it, including personalities such as Hollywood stars, professional athletes, professional singers, etc. are first on the list.
Many people are interested in Buddhist tattoos, Buddha statues sold in interior design stores, magazines and magazines, documentaries, etc. Indeed, Buddhism is invading the market in several forms. conversion to Buddhism is promoted by persuasive practices such as meditation, yoga and many others. So, to answer the question “Can everyone be a Buddhist?” ". The most relevant answer to this question is: Anyone who knows the concepts, principles and positivism of this spirituality can expand the Buddhist family.
