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Buddhism,
originated in Northern India in the Sixth Century B. C. spread
peacefully over a large part of Asia and profoundly influenced the
lives of its people. Yet Buddhism is not limited to the East alone,
it speaks directly with a clear power of truth that Today it is
capturing the attention of people in the West.
Buddha, the
title meaning "the Enlightened One" was the founder of Buddhism.
Buddha was neither a deity nor a prophet, but a man who has awakened
from ignorance to perfect enlightenment.
Buddha's teaching
known as "Dharma" is based on his own clear comprehension of
reality, free from appeals to divine authority. The Dharma is open
to reason and critical inquiry, calls out for personal verification.
The Buddhist teaching begins with the observation that human
life as ordinarily lived, is beset by a sense of dissatisfaction,
pain or suffering. This Suffering, the Buddha explained, is rooted
in our self centered desires. Liberation from suffering or unsatisfactory ness, discontentment and
agitation is the goal of the
teachings. It requires a fundamental transformation in the way we
lead our lives, as well as in our understanding of our selves and
the world. The means of transformation is the noble eight fold path,
called the middle way which avoids all extremes in thought and
conduct. |
