Basic Buddhism

It is the set of teachings bequeathed by Shakyamuni Buddha that aim to eliminate the suffering of sentient beings and help them attain awakening.

Siddhartha Gautama was a human being who lived in ancient India approximately 2600 years ago. Although there are many legends about his life, we can affirm that he was born in the warrior clan of the Sakya and that since he was young, he felt a deep concern for the suffering of the human condition that led him to abandon his privileged life to embrace asceticism. Once he mastered these ascetic practices, he realized that the path of mortification did not lead to liberation. It was then, when he understood that the path of awakening was somewhere between indulgence and mortification, that he regained his health thanks to Sujata's food offering and, full of determination, he sat under a large tree until he reached enlightenment. From that moment on, the Awakened One dedicated the rest of his life to sharing his discovery with others.

The Buddha synthesized his teaching into four truths: (1) there is suffering; (2) there is a cause for suffering; (3) there is a cessation for suffering; (4) there is an eight-step path leading to the cessation of suffering.

The eight steps are the recipe that Sakyamuni Buddha gave us to eliminate suffering. This is a middle path that avoids the extremes of indulgence and mortification. The eight steps are as follows: (1) a proper understanding of the world and ourselves; (2) an intention to follow the Buddhist path; (3 and 4) right speech and action that does not harm other beings and is directed towards the truth; (5) a livelihood or way of life  that does not harm ourselves or others; (6) an approach to the practice of the Buddhist path that is rooted in its truth; (7 and 8) meditation and concentration that enables us to actualize the truths that Buddha transmitted to us.   

Dukkha is a term that is usually translated as suffering; however, it has nuances that should be noted. Its literal meaning is closer to "dissatisfaction" or “dis-ease”, including mental and physical pain derived from the stress of being born, growing old, getting sick and dying. In short, it is the feeling that emerges when we do not accept the impermanence and changes that naturally occur in ourselves and our surroundings.  

All phenomena (thoughts, emotions, experiences...) are "marked" by three characteristics: they are impermanent (anicca), they are linked to suffering (dukkha) and they lack a permanent and independent essence (annata or anatman). These three marks apply to everything that exists except nirvana.  

The word karma has two meanings depending on the context: (1) Any action directed by intention (a physical action, a thought or a word); (2) The result of intentional actions, past or present. Karma and causality are concepts that explain how our actions influence our present and future life, as well as the interconnectedness of all phenomena according to specific causes and conditions. These teachings invite us to cultivate a greater awareness of our actions and to take responsibility for our own well-being and that of others.

Interdependence is a central concept in Buddhism. It affirms that all things (beings, phenomena, principles) exist because of their relationship to other things. Everything we experience arises as a function of a complex web of causes and conditions. Nothing and no one exists independently of everything else, including our 'self'. This teaching underlines the interrelated and dynamic nature of reality.

Nirvana is the goal of Buddhist life. Literally, it is 'cessation'; in other words, the extinguishing of cravings (bonnō) and the extinction of ignorance (avidya, mumyō) leading to the birth of an awakened being filled with wisdom and compassion. 

Samsara means "the stream of time from birth to death and from death to birth", referring to the unenlightened reality of our lives. All unenlightened beings repeat the empty and meaningless cycle in countless lives, driven only by the agitations of cravings (bonnō). Samsara is tripping over the same stone over and over again, that is, hopelessly repeating the same mistakes.

The way in which we enter and accept the Buddhist path is by taking refuge in the Three Jewels or Treasures. Taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha on a daily basis allows us to express our confidence in Awakening, in the teachings that lead to that awakening and in the community of practitioners that actualised the path in the past and who also currently accompany us in that noble task.

The word Buddha, the Awakened One, not only alludes to Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha, but also describes all the countless Buddhas who have appeared in this and other worlds throughout a time that has no beginning. Furthermore, Buddha is awakening itself, the truth that liberates beings; Jōdo Shinshū practitioners identify that awakening with the light and life that have no limits in order to connect more easily with that reality. This light (wisdom) and life (compassion) without limits is what we call Amida Buddha, which expresses the essence of Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment.

The Buddha's teachings and the reality they show us are both called Dharma. There are as many Dharmas as there are people. The tradition itself speaks of the 84000 Dharma doors, referring to the great diversity of methods devised by the Buddha to help beings to awaken. In Jōdo Shinshū, our central Dharma is the teaching of the Original Vow of Amida Buddha, which is encapsulated in Namu Amida Butsu, the Name that expresses the essence of the Vow, the profound interrelationship between beings and Buddha, between ignorance and awakening.

Sangha is a Sanskrit word meaning "community" or "gathering". More formally, it refers to the lineage of the great masters of Buddhism; informally, the Sangha consists of monks and lay people (whether early disciples of the historical Buddha or present-day Buddhist practitioners). The Sangha is united in the practice of the teachings and in mutual support aimed at fostering such learning. In Jōdo Shinshū the Sangha is our Founding Master, Shinran Shōnin and the seven root teachers selected in his writings and who trace the transmission of the Pure Land teaching through India, China and Japan.

Many Buddhists believe that death marks the end of life and a transition to a new life. In many traditional Buddhist cultures, which already had ideas of rebirth and reincarnation before the emergence or arrival of Buddhism, beings are thought to be reborn through countless lives until they attain enlightenment. It is important to note that not all Buddhists, across Asia and the West, understand rebirth in the exact same way and might interpret narratives of rebirth differently. It is important to emphasize that reincarnation is not a Buddhist concept, since there is no permanent soul or essence that can reincarnate. Instead Buddhists talk of re-birth, and the degree of connection or disconnection between one birth and another is imagined differently across Buddhist traditions, cultures and practitioners.

The Buddha refused to give an answer to some questions because they could become a distraction from our main goal, which is liberation from suffering. Many Buddhists interpret the doctrine of no-self (anatta or anatman) as the absence of a fixed, inherent essence that is not subject to change. Attachment to this "I" is a source of great suffering, a reality that we can observe in ourselves and in the world around us. For the Buddha, no-self was a strategy or method to become aware of our attachments and make it easier to let go of them. It is also a way of talking about interdependence and impermanence; since everything, including ourselves, happens through multiple causes and conditions and is in constant flux, there can be no stable essence or identity to anything or anyone.

In the Buddha's Teachings, the different gods and great spirits of ancient India are mentioned, either as interlocutors or as listeners to his discourses. According to traditional Buddhist cosmology, there are different planes or realms of existence in which gods, spirits and other beings dwell. There is no need to believe in their existence in order to practice Buddhism. As is often the case in Buddhism, the literality of a story is not the central point, and therefore belief is not a core value. WHat really matters is the message that the story conveys. These figures might be thought of as real or allegorical,it doesn't really matter. In the eyes of Buddha we are all beings bound to the dissatisfactions and limitations of samsara, even the gods or spirits of other realms.

The Buddhism of the great vehicle follows the fundamental teachings of the Buddha by emphasizing the aspects of wisdom and compassion. This form of Buddhism does not focus on individual liberation, as pursued by some other contemporary Buddhist denominations from ancient India, but considers that all beings possess the seed of awakening and that if we do not all awaken, no one will be able to fully awaken. This brings to the fore the role of the 'bodhisattva', the person who realises that awakening is not a state an individual may attain, but that enlightenment is relational. In this way, the Buddha’s basic teaching of interdependence is brought to its fruition. If one person is still suffering, how can the rest of us be free from suffering? This means that we share with all beings our happiness and suffering, our ignorance and awakening. 

A bodhisattva is, literally, a ‘being of awakening’, but often is given to someone who aspires for awakening, who is on the path. This title is sometimes given to a person who practices Buddhism with deep dedication, conviction, compassion and wisdom. Through these qualities, they seek to help beings trapped in samsara and lead them to realize nirvana. 

Emptiness is a fundamental principle in Mahayana Buddhism, and it is particularly elaborated in and the doctrine of Prajnaparamita sutras and the Madhyamaka philosophy. This principle may be complex, but it is central to understanding the ultimate nature of reality. Emptiness refers to the lack of inherent or substantial existence in phenomena and in the self. That is, things do not have an independent and permanent nature of their own. Instead, their existence depends on multiple causes and conditions, as well as interaction with other phenomena. Understanding emptiness is crucial to overcoming suffering; by realizing that things have no inherent existence, people can free themselves from clinging and attachment to things as if they were permanent or absolute. This leads to greater mental freedom and a reduction of suffering caused by ignorance and attachment. Emptiness is the natural consequence of interdependence. All things are interdependent because they are empty, and they are empty because they are interdependent.

The term tathagatagarbha is also central to Mahayana Buddhism and is commonly translated as "womb of the Tathagata" or "embryo of the Buddha". Tathagata is another way of referring to a Buddha, an awakened being, and it means a person who has gone into the reality of things as they are.  The concept of tathagatagarbha suggests that all beings have the capacity to attain enlightenment. Although they may be covered by veils of ignorance or afflictions, this "Buddha matrix" always embraces them and can lead them to full awakening. This concept is important in Mahayana Buddhism because it emphasizes that all beings are not entirely separate from awakening and therefore have the potential to become Buddhas. In this way enlightenment is not a something reserved for only a few special beings.