Theravada And Mahayana Buddhism

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There are many interpretations of core teachings in most major religions. In Christianity, there was a major split over such teachings which resulted in Catholicism and Protestantism, and then within the Protestant church again which resulted in many differing views on foundational teachings. So it is with Buddhism.

Buddha is born in 6th century B.C. as Siddhartha Gautama to a high caste of warriors, Kshatriya. It is said that as a child, he was inspected by a sage and found to be marked, indicating he would be an illustrious person (Experiencing World Religions, pg.121). His life would follow one of two paths, that of his father as a ruler or the path of a great spiritual leader. At the age of 29, after seeing the sufferings of ordinary life, he begins to question his upbringing and the Brahmanic teachings of the time. He departs from his wife and child, and embarks on a quest to learn the essential truth.

Siddhartha first studies with two yoga masters, but when his spiritual needs are not satisfied by their teachings, he turns to extreme asceticism. After five years of living the extreme asceticism, he is no closer to his goal of essential truth. Legend tells of Siddhartha giving up the ascetic life and sitting down beneath a papal tree and beginning to meditate. During this time of meditation, Siddhartha enters into a trance state and is said to remember previous lives of existence. He then reaches a higher state where his ignorance and desires are suppressed. It is now when he grasps the Four Noble Truths of the way to enlightenment.

Buddha reveals these truths to five former companions. The first truth being; Birth is Sorrow, age is sorrow, death is sorrow-all in the world is sorrow and suffering. The second Noble Truth is suffering stems from craving the pleasures of life. The third Noble Truth teaches that to end suffering, you must end desire and the final Noble Truth says that the way to end desires lies in an Eightfold Path whose steps are Right Views, Right Resolve, Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Livelihood, Right Efforts, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. During Buddha's life, no written records are kept of his teachings; they are passed down by oral tradition by Monks who memorize passages of the spoken words of the Buddha.

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