Religion: Derived from the Latin word religio, meaning to bind or bring together. Religion is that which brings people together.

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Seven aids to enlightenment

(Jpn.: shichi-kakushi or shichi-bodaibun)

Seven practices conducive to enlightenment. They are memory, discrimination, exertion, joy, lightness and ease, meditation, and impartiality (also referred to as indifference).

Memory here means to recollect one's own past deeds and states, and keep them in mind. Discrimination means to discern the true from the false. Exertion means to be ever diligent in the practice of true teachings, and joy to delight in the practice of true teachings.

Lightness and ease means that one's body and mind are at peace and free from burden. Meditation means to keep the mind concentrated and unperturbed, and impartiality to abandon feelings of attachment and keep the mind detached and calm.

The "seven aids to enlightenment" constitutes the sixth of the seven categories within the thirty-seven aids to the way, or the thirty-seven practices leading to enlightenment. The Sanskrit for "aid to enlightenment" is bodhyanga.

(See also: Seven aids to enlightenment , Enlightenment, Buddhism Enlightenment, Buddhism Enlightenment Dictionary)

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Buddhism in the modern world

An overview of Buddhism in Modern Asia and Buddhism in West.

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Cause-awakened one

(Jpn.: engaku; Skt.: pratyekabuddha)

Also, self-awakened one. One who perceives the twelve-linked chain of causation, or the truth of causal relationship. Cause-awakened one also means those who, in an age when there is no Buddha, realize on their own the truth of impermanence by observing natural phenomena. Because their awakening is self-gained, cause-awakened ones are also called self-awakened ones. Together with voice-hearers, they constitute the persons of the two vehicles. Unlike bodhisattvas, they seek their own emancipation without thought of preaching for and instructing others.

The Sanskrit term pratyekabuddha means "independently enlightened one" or "individually enlightened one." In the early Chinese translations of Buddhist scriptures, it was rendered cause-awakened one, which implies one enlightened through perceiving causal relation ship. The Treatise on the Meaning of the Mahayana, written by Hui-yŸan (523-592), describes pratyekabuddha as one who perceives the twelve-linked chain of causation or who awakens to the truth by observing natural phenomena such as the scattering of blossoms or the falling of leaves. Later the term was rendered as self-awakened one.

In The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra, T'ien-t'ai (538-597) distinguishes these two types of pratyekabud-dha-cause-awakened ones and self-awakened ones. Mahayana, which upholds practice to benefit others, referred to the vehicle of pratyekabuddha, or the teaching that leads one to the state of pratyekabuddha, as Hinayana (Lesser Vehicle), because it concerns only one's own salvation. The realm of cause-awakened ones is also viewed as a condition of life, in which one perceives the transience of life in the six paths and strives to free oneself from the six paths by seeking eternal truth through one's own effort. This realm or state constitutes the eighth of the Ten Worlds.

(See also: Cause-awakened one , Enlightenment, Buddhism Enlightenment, Buddhism Enlightenment Dictionary)

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Buddhism

A variety of religions founded by a man named Gautama Siddhartha, the Buddha (“Enlightened One”). An outgrowth of Vedic Paleopagan mysticism, rooted in the “Four Noble Truths:”

(1) Existence is suffering,

(2) Suffering is caused by desire,

(3) Desire can be overcome,

(4) by following the Eightfold Path (right belief, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right meditation).

(See also: Buddhism , Pagan, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

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Buddhism Holydays: Holy days and Festivals in Buddhism

Festivals play a big part in the lives of many Buddhists. Most Buddhists, with the exception of the Japanese, use the Lunar calendar. The dates of Buddhist festivals and the way they are celebrated vary from country to country, and between Buddhist traditions. The most important holy days are: Wesak, Dharma Day, Sangha Day, Parinirvana Day and Losar

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Buddhism

World religion based on the spiritual teachings of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha. There are a number of versions or sects of Buddhism generally teaching paths to Nirvana (enlightenment or bliss) though the four noble truths (recognizing existence and source of suffering) and the eightfold path (correct understanding, behavior and meditation).

Some variations of Buddhism include traditional Theravada schools of India, Mahayana Buddhism, which became very popular in China and Japan, and Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism) in Tibet.

Two more recent forms that have had great influence in America are Zen and Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism.

(See also: Buddhism , New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

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Delusion (Ignorance)

"Delusion refers to belief in something that contradicts reality. In Buddhism, delusion is ... a lack of awareness of the true nature or Buddha nature of things, or of the true meaning of existence. "

According to the Buddhist outlook, we are deluded by our senses-- among which intellect (discriminating, discursive thought) is included as a sixth sense.

Consciousness, attached to the senses, leads us into error by causing us to take the world of appearances for the world of reality, whereas in fact it is only a limited and fleeting aspect of reality." (The Shambhala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen.)

 (See also: Delusion (Ignorance) , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

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BUDDHISM: The religion based on the doctrine of Gautama Buddha that asserts suffering is inseparable from existence and that enlightenment is achieved by the inward extinction of the self and of the senses. Buddhism is the predominant religion of eastern and central Asia, and is represented by many different sects.

(See also: BUDDHISM , Magickal Traditions, Magickal Paths, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

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Kadampa Buddhism: The New Kadampa Tradition

The New Kadampa Tradition is one of the fastest growing Mahayana Buddhist traditions in the West, with over five hundred meditation centres in thirty-seven countries. Founded by the Tibetan Meditation Master Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rimpoche, it provides local access to Buddha's teachings, meditation practice and an alternative view to life that promotes peace and harmony.

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BUDDHISM

Since we waste our youth suffering from boundless ignorance and unfulfilled desire and since age is mostly a time of physical hardship and blunted hopes, it seems clear that life, for all its promises, is more a burden than a joy. Since, however, to die is to be instantly reborn into life, death is apparently an even more absolute cheat. Considering also that all things have arisen in the Mind, in the midst of the Void, and since we are ourselves our own creators and gods (in a multiplicity of aspects and a simultaneous gallimaufry of forms), there is no escaping from the inevitability of either the existing or the potential cosmos. Indeed, it is this very weariness which Reality seeks to assuage by confusing itself as to its own identity.

The Buddha, sensing the horror and outrage of life on earth, wants to lead us to the perfection of the Absolute.

He teaches that birth and death (the wheel of Samsara), together with the Karmic burden, can be dropped in enlightenment and we can enter into Nirvana directly. In an even deeper understanding we are shown that Samsara and Nirvana are already one so there is not even any need for enlightenment! (But of course you have to be enlightened before you can understand that you are already enlightened!)

To the average westerner this seems fairly tame stuff and much too intellectual for his taste. He doesnt want contemplation, he wants action. But he should understand that Buddhism is a discipline of conscious mind and is meant to accompany action, not to take its place. It is serenity of the mind which enables creative work to be done and acceptance of life to take place. The other thing the westerner sometimes fails to recognize is that death and reincarnation are as much a part of his belief system as they are that of a Hindu philosopher. What, after all, is Heaven but the prospect of rebirth on a higher plane? What is Hell but the karma of past lives?

(See also: BUDDHISM , Magick, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul,)

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Faith: A belief; in the religious sense, faith is a belief in the supernatural or whatever other force brings the believers together. Faith has nothing to do with fact.

 (See also: Faith , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

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(See also:   , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

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Chakra: (Cakra) The centers of force that are within specific organs of the body. These organs "collect, transform, and distribute the forces flowing through them" (Kapleau, p.15).

 (See also: Chakra , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

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Greatly Enlightened World-Honored One

(Jpn.: Daikakuseson)

See: World-Honored One of Great Enlightenment

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Consciousness: In Buddhism there are eight classes of consciousness. The first five are the senses (sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing), the sixth is thought, the seventh is manas, and the eighth is alaya-vinana.

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History of Buddhism

The history of Buddhism is the story of one man's spiritual journey to Enlightenment, and of the teachings and ways of living that developed from it.

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Truth: That which is believed to be, not necessarily what really is (fact).

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Attainment of Buddhahood

(Jpn.: jobutsu)

To become a Buddha. Several principles concerning the attainment of Buddhahood or enlightenment have been expounded on the basis of the sutras:

(1) Attaining Buddhahood in one's present form.

This means to attain Buddha-hood just as one is, without discarding the body of a common mortal. Also referred to as attaining Buddhahood as a common mortal, this principle was formulated by the T'ien-t'ai school on the basis of the Lotus Sutra. According to many of the teachings other than the Lotus Sutra, one can attain Buddhahood only after having discarded the body of a common mortal that gives rise to earthly desires and illusions.

In contrast, the Lotus Sutra teaches that one can attain Buddhahood in one's present form, or as an ordinary person. This principle is often illustrated by the example of the dragon king's daughter who, according to the "Devadatta" (twelfth) chapter, attained Buddhahood in a single moment without changing her dragon form. The concept of attaining Buddhahood in one's present form contrasts with that of attaining Buddhahood through transformation of sex and character. The latter means, for example, that a woman must be reborn as a man in order to attain enlightenment.

(2) Attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime or in a single lifetime.

This concept contradicts the idea that one must practice over a period of many kalpas in order to attain Buddhahood. This concept is essentially the same as attaining Buddhahood in one's present form.

Other principles concern the attainment of Buddhahood by certain categories of people and derive from the Lotus Sutra per se:

(1) Attainment of Buddhahood by persons of the two vehicles.

In the first half of the Lotus Sutra, persons of the two vehicles-voice-hearers and cause-awakened ones-receive a prophecy from Shakyamuni Buddha that they will attain Buddhahood in future ages. This prophecy refutes the view of the provisional Mahayana teachings, which deny persons of the two vehicles the attainment of Buddhahood, for they seek only personal salvation and do not strive to save others. The Lotus Sutra says that they will practice the bodhisattva way and attain Buddhahood.

(2) Attainment of Buddhahood by women.

In the first half of the sutra, the dragon king's daughter attains Buddhahood, and Yashodhara, Mahaprajapati, and other women receive Shakyamuni's prophecy of their future enlightenment. Almost all sutras deny women the capacity for attaining Buddhahood and insist that they must be reborn as men in order to attain enlightenment. The Lotus Sutra, however, teaches that both women and men are equally endowed with the potential for Buddhahood, based on the teaching of the true aspect of all phenomena.

(3) Attainment of Buddhahood by evil persons.

Even those who oppose and slander the correct teaching of Buddhism, such as icchantikas, or persons of incorrigible disbelief, can attain Buddhahood through a reverse relationship. That is, because they establish a connection with the correct teaching by opposing it, though they receive the negative effect, eventually they profess faith in it and attain Buddhahood. In the Lotus Sutra, this idea is illustrated by the examples of Devadatta and those who ridiculed and attacked Bodhisattva Never Disparaging.

See also: enlightenment

(See also: Attainment of Buddhahood , Enlightenment, Buddhism Enlightenment, Buddhism Enlightenment Dictionary)

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Four Great Vows (Four Universal Vows) The four vows held by all Bodhisattvas. These vows are called great because of the wondrous and inconceivable compassion involved in fulfilling them. They are as follows: Sentient beings without number we vow to enlighten; Vexations without end we vow to eradicate; Limitless approaches to Dharma we vow to master; The Supreme Awakening we vow to achieve.

 (See also: Four Great Vows (Four Universal Vows) , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

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Treatise on the Discipline for Attaining Enlightenment, The

(Chin.: P'u-t'i-tzu-liang-lun; Jpn.: Bodai-shiryo-ron)

A Chinese translation by Dharmagupta (d. 619), a monk from southern India, of a treatise consisting of original verses attributed to Nagarjuna (c. 150-250) and a prose commentary added later. It sets forth the six paramitas and other practices for bodhisattvas that are conducive to enlightenment.

(See also: Treatise on the Discipline for Attaining Enlightenment , Enlightenment, Buddhism Enlightenment, Buddhism Enlightenment Dictionary)

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Buddha: The awakened; forever enlightened. Buddha Gautama did not claim to be the first Buddha nor the last. He frequently mentioned previous Buddha's. These have never been proven to historically exist, and were probably made up by Gautama just to make his point. Gautama did not wish to be worshipped.

 (See also: Buddha , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

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