MY FIRST CLASS ON BUDDHISM

And so my journey towards enlightenment begins.

Today, January 6 of 2020, I had my first class of Buddhism. As an introductory class, my teacher, Dr. Martin, discussed some of the fundamentals of this philosophy of religion and what it represents in the world.

Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama. Gautama was a prince who was given everything since early in life: food, women and fame. Having lived in his castle his whole life, he decided to go into town and realized that there were many people who did not live the rich and wealthy life that he was used to. In fact, there were people who didn’t have anything to eat, who didn’t have good health, who didn’t have a family. His reality was completely shattered! People actually suffered!

That night, with persistence, courage, and curiosity, Siddhartha packed his bags and left behind his wealthy life. He wanted to discover the truth about the world — what it meant to be alive, what caused the nature of this suffering.

On his journey, he joined different cults to learn from other styles of living. One of them was asceticism, an extreme religion that depends on starvation to reach meditative states of mind. But this didn't work for him… it was too extreme…and so he continued on his path…

Tired and confused, The Buddha decided to sit under a Bodhi tree and meditate for a higher calling. His sitting extended for more than 40 days, when suddenly, he was able to receive a message from the divine. A healthy spiritual unfoldment would mean to follow: the middle path, a life balance. Suffering came from our attachment of the ego, in believing that things will last. The Buddha understood at last that life is impermanent, and that our thoughts and actions should search for inner peace by detaching from the unpredictable.

With a new understanding, the Buddha traveled to different towns in India and began to spread his philosophy of life to those who seeked for a higher spiritual practice. Buddha would not have been able to discover this religion if he hadn’t gone out into the world, immersed himself in different groups of people, and challenges his own system of belief. I preach the Buddha for his ability to adapt and give other religions a chance.

Buddhism has gained wide popularity, and has been able to migrate from its birth place of Sri Lanka to the different countries of East Asia and Western world. The teachings of the Buddha have traveled across borders and have mixed with other traditions from each contextual place. Buddhism has mixed with Confucianism in China, Jainism in Japan, Christianity in the West.

Why has Buddhism been widely accepted by the different religions and cultures across the globe? Could it be because their teachings have a low cultural context? Or rather because it focuses on the common human experience?

I believe Buddhism unites people under this common experience of suffering. It talks about human experience as a whole, an interconnected system that each living being is a part of. It transcends beyond a culture or a country. It can be applied in several different ways.

I’m excited to learn more about Buddhism — and will keep you updated along the way!