Buddhism: Philosophy

The founder of Buddhism, Gautama or Siddhartha, was born in 567 B.C. in Lumbini Garden in Kapilavastu.
His father was Suddodhana from the Sakya tribe, and his mother was Mayadevi.
His aunt, Prajapati Gautami, raised him when his mother died during childbirth. At the age of 16, he married Yasodhara and had a son named Rahula.
The sight of an old guy, a diseased man, a corpse, and an ascetic led him away from worldly life.
At the age of 29, he left his home to seek truth.
Despite meeting multiple teachers over seven years, he was unable to achieve enlightenment.
After performing hard penance under a bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, he attained enlightenment (Nirvana) at the age of 35.
Since then, he has been referred to as the Buddha or ‘the Enlightened One’. He began preaching in Sarnath near Benares and spent 45 years as a preacher. He died at the age of 80 in Kusinagara.

Law of Dependent Origination – It explains the cause of suffering and way to escape from suffering to attain nirvana
No Soul Theory – Buddha is silent on the metaphysical aspects rather he asked laymen to focus on the empirical life.
Theory of Momentariness – Everything exists for a moment hence everything is impermanent.
Stand on Varna System – Buddhism was against the Varna system, hence most of the followers were from the merchant class, Kshatriyas, and other classes of people.

Theravada Buddhism is the earliest to uphold Buddha’s original vision and teachings.
Believed in Individual liberation.
Theravada, or the School of the Elders, emerged in approximately 250 BCE through Buddha’s earliest pupils.
The Vipassana (mindfulness) movement is a current school of thought within Theravada Buddhism.
Hinayana focuses on Buddha’s fundamental teachings, the four noble truths, and the eightfold path.
They live a strict monastic life of meditation to achieve nirvana.
They do not worship Buddha as a divinity, but rather follow his karma and meditation teachings.

Followed tantric practices which were usually not preferred in other accepted religions.
A majority of Vajrayana Buddhism’s symbols and rites are centred on the pursuit of enlightenment.
According to Vajrayana Buddhism, it can shorten the road to enlightenment by lowering the number of incarnations required before reaching insight.