Sunday, February 05, 2006
The Buddha
At that time, I knew very little about who the Buddha was. I knew that many people had statues depicting the the sitting Buddha. In some countries like Thailand, there are huge outdoor statues like the one in the picture on the right. I thought that the Buddha was worshipped like a divine being much in the same way that Christians pray to God.
I very quickly learnt that the Buddha never claimed to be a god, or even a messenger from a god. He was a human being like the rest of us. In fact, in the period after his passing away, there were no statues erected in his image. The symbol used to honour him was an empty chair to signify that he had left. It was only after much later that certain cultures began to build statues to remind themselves of the Buddha.
The Buddha was born in the year 623 B.C. in the district of Nepal as an Indian Sakya Prince named Siddhattha Gotama. He was raised in luxury from childhood to the age of 29. He then decided to renounce his wordly possessions and title to pursue the goal to the problem of suffering which he saw around him. Six years later, sitting under a Bodhi tree, he attained perfect enlightenment and became a Buddha. He was not born a Buddha ("Buddha" meaning Awakened One), but attained this state through his own diligent striving. The methods he discovered of achieving this great goal form the basis of Buddhism which have been handed down over the last 2500 years. To get a more complete account of his life story, please go to chapter one of the link "Buddhism in a Nutshell" which I have put on the right.
As a sufferer of OCD I began to ask questions. Could the Buddha's teachings help me? Was OCD covered in the scope of suffering which was addressed in Buddhism? Was Buddhism still relevant as a cure to suffering in this day and age of medications and psychiatry? Who was this historical figure that so many people adore all around the world? Could an obsession ridden, angst-driven man today learn something from this great man who lived 2500 years ago in a remote land far away?
Was there a redemption from the madness of OCD? ¶ 1:33 PM
At that time, I knew very little about who the Buddha was. I knew that many people had statues depicting the the sitting Buddha. In some countries like Thailand, there are huge outdoor statues like the one in the picture on the right. I thought that the Buddha was worshipped like a divine being much in the same way that Christians pray to God.
I very quickly learnt that the Buddha never claimed to be a god, or even a messenger from a god. He was a human being like the rest of us. In fact, in the period after his passing away, there were no statues erected in his image. The symbol used to honour him was an empty chair to signify that he had left. It was only after much later that certain cultures began to build statues to remind themselves of the Buddha.
The Buddha was born in the year 623 B.C. in the district of Nepal as an Indian Sakya Prince named Siddhattha Gotama. He was raised in luxury from childhood to the age of 29. He then decided to renounce his wordly possessions and title to pursue the goal to the problem of suffering which he saw around him. Six years later, sitting under a Bodhi tree, he attained perfect enlightenment and became a Buddha. He was not born a Buddha ("Buddha" meaning Awakened One), but attained this state through his own diligent striving. The methods he discovered of achieving this great goal form the basis of Buddhism which have been handed down over the last 2500 years. To get a more complete account of his life story, please go to chapter one of the link "Buddhism in a Nutshell" which I have put on the right.
As a sufferer of OCD I began to ask questions. Could the Buddha's teachings help me? Was OCD covered in the scope of suffering which was addressed in Buddhism? Was Buddhism still relevant as a cure to suffering in this day and age of medications and psychiatry? Who was this historical figure that so many people adore all around the world? Could an obsession ridden, angst-driven man today learn something from this great man who lived 2500 years ago in a remote land far away?
Was there a redemption from the madness of OCD? ¶ 1:33 PM
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