School Projects
Answers to Questions from Natalie Hall by Alan Weller
1. Could you give me the date of origin of the Buddhist faith?
The date of origin of the Buddhist faith is about 500 b.c.
2. Could you give me the name of the founder or key figure?
The name of the founder or key figure is Siddhatta Gotama. Gotama is his family
name. When he attained enlightenment under the bodhi tree as a young man he
became known as The Buddha (awakened).
3. Could you give me the approximate number of followers in the world and the
countries they live in?
There are approximately 500 million Buddhists worldwide. They live in Thailand,
Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia, Bangladesh, China, Japan, Tibet and Mongolia.
4. Could you give me the names and times of the main festivals and what they
commemorate?
The Buddhist festivals observe the lunar calendar and occur on the full moon
day of the month. The main ones are
Vesak: April-May. Commemorates the birth, death and enlightenment of the Buddha.
Asala: June-July. Commemorates the conception of Siddhatta Gotama and his Great
Renunciation. The Buddha's first sermon at Isipathana in Benares. His teaching
of the Abhidhamma to his mother. Beginning of the first Council.
Vap: September-October. Commemorates the renunciation of the lay life by Maitri
Bodhisatta (the Buddha to come). Offering of robes to monks who have observed
the Retreat (Kathina ceremony).
5. Could you give me the name of the teachings or scriptures?
The name of the teachings or scriptures is The Tipitaka (meaning three baskets
i.e. Vinaya, Suttanta and Abhidhamma). The teachings are sometimes referred
to as the dhamma.
6. Could you give the name of places of worship and the way in which you worship?
Places of worship are called viharas. Worship can also take place at thupas
which are monuments erected in memory of buddhism.
The main aspects of Buddhist worship are:
Paying homage to the Buddha.
Expressing confidence in the Triple Gem i.e. The Buddha, The Sangha (the community
of enlightened disciples), The Dhamma (the teachings).
Undertaking to train in the five precepts (abstaining from: killing, stealing,
lying, sexual misconduct, taking drugs or alcohol).
Offerings of requisites for the monks (food, robes, etc).
Listening to sermons.
7. Could you briefly describe the attitude to the scriptures and outline the
key beliefs of the religion?
The purpose of the scriptures is to help us to understand the true nature of
the realities of our daily lives. This in turn will lead to less unhappiness
for ourselves and others.
We are in the cycle of birth and death. We are reborn according to the deeds
we have done. A good deed can bring about a rebirth in a pleasant situation
and vice versa. Life however is inherently unsatisfactory. The purpose of the
teachings is to reach Nibbana which is the end of rebirth. Life is conditioned
by attachment. If there is no attachment to anything there will be no more rebirth.
Attachment is ended by understanding the true nature of realities.
8. What are the beliefs about God, life after death and what makes a committed
believer?
Buddhists do not believe in God. They believe in life after death either as
a human, an animal or some other lifeform according to previous deeds that have
been done. Someone becomes a committed believer when he or she understands the
teachings and sees the value of applying that understanding in daily life.
9. Can the religion be separated into different groups e.g. denominations and
if so what are the main groups and what are the main differences between them?
The religion is separated into different groups. However I do not think that
it can be separated into such groups without distortion of some aspects of the
teachings.
The main groups are : Theravada buddhism from south east Asia, Zen from Japan,
Tantric buddhism from Tibet. Theravada can be characterised as practical and
straightforward whereas Tibetan and Zen are elaborate, speculative, poetic and
mystical.
10. What interested you about the Buddhist religion and what made you decide
to join? How has it changed your life and is there anything you have had to
give up to follow the religion? What made the religion right for you and anything
else you think may help?
I became interested in buddhism because it does not depend on belief but on
the development of understanding of the reality of the present moment such as
seeing, hearing, anger, attachment.
The understanding I have is a condition for calm in my life and I am no longer
troubled by not knowing what I am here for. I have had to give up the belief
in a self or soul in order to develop the buddhist path.
The religion is right for me because I think that the Buddha correctly diagnosed
the cause of suffering and gave the right pathway for complete deliverance from
suffering.
Answers to Questions from Eleanor Reavey by Alan Weller.
1. Does the Buddha's life and teachings have any relevance to modern living?
His life and teachings do have relevance to modern day living, indeed they are
very beneficial to modern daily life.
As a young man the future Buddha was not content to live blindly in the world.
He wanted to know the truth of life. He wanted answers to such questions as:
why we are born, why we get old, why we suffer, why we die. He wanted to search
the truth in order to help others have less suffering and to help people live
in peace and harmony together.
At the age of 26 he renounced the luxuries of home life and devoted himself
solely to the pursuit of the truth. Six years later he became fully enlightened,
a Buddha. He had come to know the true nature of the physical phenomena and
mental phenomena as well as discovering their cause and conditions. He had discovered
the path to enlightenment and for the next 45 years he taught others this path
in order for them (and you and I) to realize this same truth.
The Buddha's Teachings can help us to understand our daily life in a way which
has not been understood before. This understanding will help us to know ourselves
enabling us to understand our own mind and the different causes for our different
mental states. We will come to know more about our unwholesome, unskilful states
of mind and our wholesome, skilful, states of mind. This in turn will lead to
the gradual cultivation of good states of mind. Finally when wisdom is highly
developed it will eliminate bad states of mind forever at the moment of becoming
enlightened.
Greed, hatred, delusion cause great distress in modern day life. Kindness, compassion,
generosity, wisdom cause great happiness in modern day life. To have less of
the former and more of the latter is why Buddhism is relevant and beneficial
in modern living.