LITMIR.BIZ

      CHAPTER 1

      The Three Wheels of Buddhism: Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana

      One thing is made up of many parts and in itself does not exist. There is nothing that is not made up of many parts. Without the idea of “one thing” the many does not exist and without the idea of existence there is no non-existence.

       —Nagarjuna in T. Freke, The Wisdom of the Tibetan Lamas

      HINAYANA: THE FIRST WAY

      According to the Hinayana tradition, Buddhism began with the profound awakening of one man, Gautama Siddhartha (563-483 B.C.). The son of a king, Siddhartha grew up sheltered from any worldly problems yet with a sensitive and caring nature. He lived lavishly and married one of the most beautiful girls in the kingdom. But Siddhartha felt a restlessness he could not explain. When he saw his subjects suffering from illness, old age, and death, he felt compelled to seek solutions to the despair and hopelessness shared by all humanity. He left his comfortable life behind to search for answers. He spent six years living in the woods with a group of ascetics who practiced a form of austere yoga. Siddhartha fasted for long periods, engrossed in meditation in order to free himself from the suffering of embodied existence. But even as he came close to death from starvation and exposure, he was no nearer to a cure for suffering. After taking some food and feeling renewed, he sat under a bodhi tree and meditated through the night. As the sun rose over the horizon he had a full awakening. He now understood how to solve the problem of suffering and resolved to help others.

      Buddha’s story can be an inspiration to all, for he showed tremendous perseverance and sincerity in his search for a spiritual path.

      BUDDHA’S MESSAGE

      Buddha found his enlightenment not from complete abstinence nor from uncontrolled gratification. The true light came between the two extremes. His solution was a path he called the Middle Way. He encouraged people to use their common sense, claiming that by staying fit in mind and body, you have the best chance of finding enlightenment.

      Buddha taught his solution as the Four Noble Truths. This, according to the Tibetans, constitutes the first vehicle of dharma. The First Truth is to realize and accept the fact that living is suffering. We may have happy and fulfilling experiences, but they are impermanent. Once this is realized, we can recognize the origin of suffering that comes from our cravings and desires—the Second Truth. The Third Truth is that we can overcome suffering by giving up our cravings and desires. Buddha agreed that this may be difficult to do, so he set down a demanding but clear-cut path for us to follow. The Fourth Truth is the Eightfold Path: right views, right aspiration, right speech, right behavior, right livelihood, right effort, right thought, and right contemplation. (For an in-depth description of the truths and path, see Simple Buddhism.)

      Buddha spent the remaining forty-five years of his life traveling and teaching this method. He drew many followers during his lifetime. Following his death, his talks and ideas were written down and were eventually gathered together in the Tripitaka. Composed in Pali, an early Indian language, these works included the sutras, sermons taught by Buddha and his teachers; the Vinaya or rules of the order; and the Abhidharma, commentaries on the sutras.

      MAHAYANA: THE SECOND WAY

      The Second Way came after Buddhas death. Some followers felt that Buddhas path was too limiting. It offered enlightenment only to those individuals willing to give up their personal lives to become monks, arhats. The goal to become completely free from desires was a solitary one. A new ideal emerged: the bodhisattva, or enlightened being. Instead of staying isolated in nirvana, bodhisattvas turn away from enlightenment, and return to the world to help others until every person is enlightened.

      The Mahayana expanded the meaning of the Four Noble Truths. The goal was not simply to overcome suffering but to wake up from illusion. We live our daily lives in a dreamlike state. When we overcome ignorance by correcting our thinking, we come to a new understanding about the nature of reality: emptiness.

      This doctrine of emptiness was a new idea of the Mahayana. Real wisdom is the recognition that everything in our world is ultimately without individual essence, and enlightenment is the intuitive realization of this. Our everyday life (samsara) and enlightenment (nirvana) are One. And we find enlightenment in and through daily life. This is the true essence of Buddhism, and it is found in all activities.

      Buddha was also changed. No longer thought of as an individual person, Siddhartha, Buddha was now a cosmic being, a symbol of enlightenment. He became eternal and omniscient, representing the absolute wisdom of enlightenment.

      Two Sects of Mahayana Buddhism: Madhyamika and Yogacara

      Mahayana Buddhism is divided into two

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