Tuesday, July 24, 2007

buddhist theory

After i had read the buddhist scripture, i have found out question.
1 Buddha was born in a royal family and why he wanted to be a enlightment?
2 Does everyone can follow the noble eightfold paths to become like a buddha?

5 comments:

Stan Starygin said...

Hi Sopheak,

Why did Gotama choose to look for a way to be enlightened? Well, thruth be known, there are two answers, one based on the Buddhist doctrine, the other on a more secular one. The Buddhist doctrine holds it that Gotama's search for enlightenment was preordained by the multiple lives he had had before and through virtue it is believed that he had come to his last life as the Buddha. The secular viewpoint holds it that Gotama, having been born as a prince, was curious about how things worked outside the palace that he had been born in and lived through his entire life until age 29. He must have heard about the numerous ascetics/recluses who roamed the vasts of what today is Nepal, India and Pakistan and was fascinated by their quests. It is important to understand that the search of enlightenment was a popular thing to do at the time in the part of the world in which Gotama was born (I don't know if this spirit of search is still alive in India and Nepal, but you can ask Andy who had lived there for a period of time). That unique time and place coupled with the Buddha's personality and ability to create a community of followers and keep it together resulted in the establishment of one of the most influential religions in the world.

Stan

men ka said...

Hi Sovanrith
Regarding to your first question I think the Budhha and his religion was found thousands years ago and the term Human Right was just created later. However, there must be something regarding to this. Even though the Buddha's teaching did not mention directly towards the term " Human Right" but it did mentioned about duty in which some time duty creates right.
As you remember the last lecture on Tuesday that professor had mentioned that the Buddha said every human being has Buddha nature. This is to clarify that every human being are born equally and they have natural life which is right to life and liberty. To be more clear, during the Buddha's life time, in India, there are four casts which discriminated from one to another and when the Buddha came, he said every human being can follow his teaching and learn it equally and when any one wanted to be in the Sangha order, the cast dissolved automatically. They could not use that title in the Sangha community regardless you are Bramma or King or Prince. When you become into Sangha order later, you have to respect the first coming. To this point I think that his teaching is fully related to human right. Futhermore, he also mentioned on the very first of the five precept that no one has right to kill another and every one has right to life, has right to keep their property( not to steal). This is the natural right what we refer now.
Ka

men ka said...

Hi Suvanrith again,
Buddhism had divided into two sects because of the masters thousand year after the Buddhas went into Nirvana. That was because the two schools believed differently while one believed that the origin words of the Buddha did not apply to the modern society and it needed some expert to explain so the growth is too slow. As a result, Mahayana Buddhism split because they thought they took the origin words of the Buddha to interpret adjusting to the society. However, the other masters thought that they like to keep the origin words of the Buddha which they no need to change it. That is why they became known as Theravada Buddhism.
Ka

Blog.Ponnarith said...

My idea on Q1. Because Buddha, he sees that money is not everything and birth is the cause of ill, elder, suffering, sick and finally death, no real happiness, nothing hold its own, so may be he really get bored with this life, therefore, he gave up every thing to find the truth and quietness.

Blog.Ponnarith said...

My idea on Q1. Because Buddha, he sees that money is not everything and birth is the cause of ill, elder, suffering, sick and finally death, no real happiness, nothing hold its own, so may be he really get bored with this life, therefore, he gave up every thing to find the truth and quietness.