Buddhism Jean Smith Term Paper

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Buddha-Nature and Enlightenment

Buddhism is a unique religion: it doesn't worship any deity nor does it require any individual to live their lives through divine will. Approximately 2,500 years ago, when Buddha achieved enlightenment he spent the next forty-five years teaching others that personal growth and awakening is possible through finding the truth within themselves. This concept is very alien in comparison to Western religions. There are many aspects of Buddhism, but what is essential is that personal awakening is possible personal experience and that suffering can be ceased through changing behavior, meditation, and transcendent wisdom. We are grateful to Siddartha Gautama for institutionalizing the practices we call Buddhism today so that we may better understand what Buddha experienced, and what he taught to the people along the Ganges River. Two essential understandings in the teachings of Buddhism are Buddha-nature and Enlightenment.

To understand Buddha-nature we must first to come to understand that all sentient beings are of One Mind, or Original Mind. This mind is indestructible, eternal, boundless, and has the capability to achieve enlightenment; is it also devoid of objectivity, pure, silent and upon awakening one will come to be aware that it has been a part of them all their life. It can be considered that Buddha-nature is really human nature, and that everything in life is connected: how we express ourselves, what we see, how our very actions relate toward the Buddha-nature and toward achieving that time of personal awakening.

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But to gain an understanding of the Buddha-nature and toward enlightenment, one must first aspire toward that goal. We are told that without aspiration, nothing happens life: it passes by and we do not interact; yet interaction and action are necessary to proceed toward awakening. But Buddha-nature is not enlightenment, but the first step toward enlightenment. It is not the soul but it shares its existence within all sentient beings. Once it reveals itself, then one's own mind is revealed:….....

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