Gautama and the Middle Way: The Birth of Buddhism

Although we think of Buddhism as being created by Buddha, Gautama a young prince, was the creator and he is now referred to as Buddha, also known as the enlightened one. Since Gautama was a prince that meant that his father was a king and he was adamant that his son would also rule the kingdom. In doing so he sheltered Gautama from the outside world and only allowed him to see the good. This caused him to want to leave and at age twenty-nine a religious awakening changed his life forever. He left his home and had four separate run-ins while exploring. The first being an old man, the second a sick man, the third was a dead man, and finally he saw a wandering monk. After encountering these things, he decided that being a king was not for him and left home to be a wandering monk. He finally figured out that the better way of life and ascetic was the middle way. This is how Buddhism began.

The middle way and Buddhism is based on an eight-fold path that is dedicated to the Buddha. This is a model for a moderate life and meditation is emphasized heavily. Buddha formed a community and they practiced his beliefs together until he died at age eighty. The center of it all was the Nuns and Monks, mostly the Monks. They had to renounce their worldly life in order to become a Buddhist, they had to be celibate, only eat one meal a day, and they had to beg for the laity for their one meal. Finally, they could not remain in one place very long because they were not supposed to become attached to anything or anyone, so they moved around a lot. There is also a group called lay supporters and they had five rules they had to follow. The first was they could not take a life, human or animal, they could not steal, they could not have illicit sex, they could not lie, and finally they could not partake in intoxicating substances.

There were several different schools and places that practiced Buddhism once it spread, but the Mahayana school practiced what Buddha did not say out loud. They believed in Bodhisattva, which is any being that has reached enlightenment, but has put it on hold in order to continue reincarnating. The oldest surviving school that studies Buddhism is the Theravada. Their main supporters are Monks and Nuns who have reached enlightenment. Meaning that women were allowed to reach important positions, just like men. However, it would be more difficult, and they had more hoops to jump through.

Just like Hinduism, and many other religions, Buddhism has a collection of sermons, stories, legends, and myths. One thing that is different is the inclusion of rules one must follow. This collaboration of writings is called Pali Canon. The thought of creation is similar to Hinduism because they both think that the universe is cyclical, or never ending. It is created, then destroys itself on way or another, then it reforms as something new.

There are two sets of biographies about Buddha. The first is Lalitavistara, which emphasizes the wonderful and interesting nature of Buddha. The second is Buddhacartia, which explains why Buddha is referred to as the Blessed one. Buddha had different thoughts and ideas than some of the other religions. He believed that women could become enlightened and become Nuns in Buddhism. There were a lot of set rules that they had to follow in order to be ordained as a Nun. He required them to have a male mediator to argue for them, he listed eight conditions in which they must follow at all times. He placed the order or the Nuns under the Order of the Monks, meaning the Monks were in charge and everything must go through them first. Although he allowed women, he foresaw that his teachings would decrease due to the inclusion of women.

The Mahayana school spread like wildfire, it went North to Tibet, and spread east to China, Japan, and Korea. It is still highly practiced in all of those countries. Mahayana differs from Theravada because it is represented by Bodhisattva, a being that has infinite compassion. This can be a man or woman, and they can be human or divine. Although it says that women can reach this status, they still had a tough time and had to fight for it. Men and Women had different symbols, women were represented by a delicate bell and men were represented with a strong and powerful thunderbolt.

Goddesses play a part in many religious and they shine a light on the importance of women and the power that they can have. Tara is one of the Buddhist Goddesses and she was seen as a guardian and was the most popular deity in the Tibetan school. Another aspect that gives importance to women was Vajrayana, this is special in the fact that it was a feminine symbol and showed the importance of women practitioners.  

In conclusion, Buddhism was founded by Gautama, a young prince who had a religious awakening and left his privileged life to become a wandering monk. The religion is based on the middle way and the eight-fold path, which emphasizes a moderate life and meditation. Nuns and Monks played a central role in the community, with lay supporters following five rules. There are different schools of Buddhism, with Mahayana emphasizing the idea of Bodhisattva and the infinite compassion it represents. Women had an important role in Buddhism, with the Theravada school allowing women to reach important positions, but with more difficulties than men. The religion also includes writings in the Pali Canon and the belief in a cyclical universe. Buddhism has spread across the world, and its importance is still felt in many cultures today.