Buddha's Journey Research Paper

Buddha’s Journey Buddhism is unlike any religion that exists. It revolves around a man who fought long and hard to spread the word and teach his people about love and nonviolence. Buddha was born into a royal family in India and immediately given the role of a prince. When he was born, he was said to be a divine being due to the marks on his body and the seven steps that he took. When his mother died shortly after childbirth, his father became very sad and vowed never to let his son experience the same emotions. He made the decision to shelter his son. His father gave him anything and everything that he desired from luxurious jewelry to beautiful women. It was only until one day when he was a teenager and saw three sights that changed his
perspective: an old man, a sick man, a dead man and a wondering monk. In that moment he had an epiphany, he had a gut feeling that he could make a change. He discarded all of his belongings and set out on an expedition to help those in need. Throughout Buddha’s journey, he focuses on his roots, his teachings, and his goals and how he achieves them. Throughout Buddha’s life he never forgets his roots, he spoke of the experiences he had as a child and teenager and how they helped him grow as a person. When asked if he was a god, angel or saint, he simply replied, “I am awake.” This translate to the name most know him by ‘Buddha.’ Growing up Buddha appeared to have everything wealth, power, and a family, however, he always felt as though something was missing. It wasn’t until he ran away and lived in solitude for various years was he able to truly discover himself and the world around him. After some trial and error, he had success with three stages that allowed him to become more in tune with the world. The first phase was meditation, specifically raja yoga. This is the most important teaching of Buddha because it helps one get in their right mind and transform their conscious to God. The positions are done with different parts of the body which stimulate different reactions. The blood flow of the body allows one to become more open and free inside. It affects the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of the body. He taught various different meditation exercises sitting, standing, walking and lying down, he found that the combination of the four helped his followers become peaceful and more open to the ideas around them. His next step was to join a band of ascetics, this was a test of one’s strength. One is pushed beyond one’s limit to see what one is capable of. It is essential to show oneself that one does not need all the things one thinks one need, one simply wants these things, it is possible for one to live without it. An example of this is when Buddha eats only six grains of rice a day during one of his fasts. He tests his ability to practice self-control and turn to his faith when he was going through a difficult time. His final phase was additional meditation that allowed him to grow as an individual through reflection and prayer. Buddha’s teachings promote peace and nonviolence.
If there is an issue Buddha encourages his followers to remain calm and not fight back but instead leave it in the hands of God. It is not worth harming another person or oneself. One must be completely aware of their actions and how their actions affect those around them. He spoke of the effects of negative behavior and how the chain reaction affects communities. He emphasized kindness and generosity to strangers and friends alike. He explained to his followers that sometimes there is more to a situation that what meets the eye so one must do their best to be kind to everyone one meets. Buddha taught his followers about Nirvana which is essentially eternal peace. He shared his views and his beliefs to strangers and eventually crowds of people flocked to him. He explained to his follows that the state of nirvana was not a simple thing to achieve there is a dharma (path) to get there, each person’s journey is unique to their life. One must go through duhkha (suffering) in order to earn their state of nirvana. One must treat everyone one meets like they would like to be treated no matter how difficult it may be. Some people dedicated their lives to the teachings of Buddha and became monks and nuns. Monks and nuns dress in a solid colored robe and similar to Buddha, these individuals give up all of their possessions in order to become closer to God. These individuals are a living example of how Buddha intended for his followers to
act. Buddha’s goal was for his followers to reach Nirvana. He hoped that his followers would reach a point in life where they were completely satisfied with themselves and their surroundings. His teachings all led to the end goal of Nirvana, he believed that this was the most important aspect of life. He believed that meditation could help reach this end result because yoga allows the body to be open and accepting. Buddha’s goal was to end other’s desires to harm others or themselves. He wanted his followers to choose peace over everything. Buddha was an extraordinary symbol of love and peace, he shared his views and promoted harmony in hopes that others would follow him. He was successful in creating a faith that promoted peace and made each follower a better version of themselves.

Bibliography
Huston, Smith The World’s Religion New York: HarperOne (1958)
Philip Novak The World’s Wisdom New York: HarperOne (1994)
Hawkins, B. K Buddhism London: Routledge (1999)