Buddhism is one of the five major world religions. According to tradition, Buddhism was founded around 490 to 410 BC by Siddhartha Gautama, or Buddha. The goal of the Buddhists is to no longer have to return to earth after death and to be freed from all pain. Buddhism has spread over the centuries to become a worldwide faith of more than 400 million followers, with the central part still located in Asia.
Buddha
Buddhism was founded by the prince Siddhartha Gautama. Prince Siddhartha Gautama was born in the village of Lumbini in present-day Nepal around 490 to 410 BCE. He would later be nicknamed Buddha. Siddhartha Gautama was originally Hindu and was raised alone by his father, because his mother died a few weeks after his birth. His father did everything he could not to expose him to misery. The king estimated that if his son knew how much misery there was worldwide, he would never take over the throne. This seemed to work for a long time, until Siddhartha came into contact with a sick and a deceased man outside the palace gate. Then Siddhartha discovered that life was not always as good as he had always thought. From that moment on, Siddhartha threw all luxury overboard and started living without luxury and pleasure.
In his existence without luxury and pleasure, Siddhartha came into contact with many people who led a wandering life because of their faith. He learned many meditation techniques and yoga from some of these people. However, Siddhartha did not yet find what he found in these techniques and he isolated himself in the wilderness to be able to be completely on his own. He ate almost nothing and did long breathing sessions. Eventually, Siddhartha gained followers who praised Siddhartha for his discipline and were convinced that Siddhartha would one day help them achieve salvation. However, things turned out differently, because Siddhartha discovered that this austere lifestyle did not give him what he expected. Siddhartha broke with his followers and chose a middle path between life without luxury and life with luxury. This turned out to be a good choice. Step by step he came closer to the moment when he penetrated the deepest core of existence and he was released so that he did not have to come to earth again. From that moment on, Siddhartha went through life as Buddha. Buddha gained many followers during his lifetime. Like Buddha, these wanted to break away from life and pain and saw Buddha as their predecessor. In this way Buddhism grew rapidly.
Am I happy?
How often do you hear people say: ,I have a nice job, a lovely partner, healthy children, in short, I am Happy!, According to the Buddhists, that is not possible. Even if one thinks he or she is happy, that is not the case. Everyone experiences suffering. When you look deep into your heart you will see that you are actually not that happy at all and that you are also dealing with suffering.
According to Buddhists, there are three types of suffering:
- Suffering from pain
- Suffering through transience
- Suffering from personality components
The thoughts that Buddhists form regarding suffering are summarized in the Four Noble Truths. These four noble truths regarding suffering are:
- Everything is suffering.
- Suffering always has a cause.
- Suffering can be overcome.
- There is a way to make the suffering stop.
The Wheel of Dharma
The Wheel of Dharma is the most important symbol of Buddhism. The Wheel of Dharma is depicted as a cart wheel with eight spokes. These eight spokes refer to the eightfold path, the eight rules that Buddhists must adhere to in order to ultimately achieve the long-awaited enlightenment.
These eight rules of the Wheel of Dharma include:
- You have to have the right vision. You must be convinced that the four noble values are the only true truths.
- You must make good decisions that will ensure that you are never bound to this world. This also includes never harming living things.
- Use correct language. This does not include lies and curse words
- Good behavior and absolutely no violence
- The right way of livelihood
- The right effort
- The right attention
- The right meditation
Buddhism in the Netherlands
In the Netherlands, Buddhism is a minority faith. However, the number of followers of Buddhism in the Netherlands is growing every year. In 2011, there were more than 170,000 Dutch followers of Buddhism. This is 1% of the total Dutch population.
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- Hinduism and the gods Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma