About Buddhism

What is Buddhism
The founder of Buddhism was Buddha Shakyamuni who lived and taught in India some two
and a half thousand years ago. Since then millions of people around the world have followed
the pure spiritual path he revealed. The Buddhist way of life of peace, loving kindness and
wisdom is just as relevant today as it was in ancient India. Buddha explained that all our
problems and suffering arise from confused and negative states of mind, and that all our
happiness and good fortune arise from peaceful and positive states of mind. He taught
methods for gradually overcoming our negative minds such as anger, jealousy and ignorance,

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and developing our positive minds such as love, compassion and wisdom. Through this we

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will come to experience lasting peace and happiness. These methods work for anyone, in any

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country, in any age. Once we have gained experience of them for ourselves we can pass them
on to others so they too can enjoy the same benefits.

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Meditation

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Meditation is at the heart of the Buddhist way of life. It is basically a method for

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understanding and working on our own mind. We first learn to identify our different negative

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mental states known as delusions, and learn how to develop peaceful and positive mental

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states or virtuous minds.

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Then in meditation we overcome our delusions by becoming familiar with virtuous minds. Out
of meditation we try to maintain the virtuous minds we have developed and use our wisdom
to solve the problems of daily life. As our mind becomes more positive our actions become
more constructive, and our experience of life becomes more satisfying and beneficial to
others.
Anyone can learn basic meditation techniques and experience great benefits, but to progress
beyond basic meditation requires faith in the Three Jewels Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
Usually people find this develops naturally as they experience the benefits of their meditation
practice.

The spiritual path

The teachings of Buddha reveal a step by step path to lasting happiness. By following this
path anyone can gradually transform his or her mind from its present confused and self
centered state into the blissful mind of a Buddha.
As Geshe Kelsang says in his popular book Eight Steps to Happiness:
Every living being has the potential to become a Buddha, someone who has completely purified
his or her mind of all faults and limitations and has brought all good qualities to perfection. Our
mind is like a cloudy sky, in essence clear and pure but overcast by the clouds of delusions.
Just as the thickest clouds eventually disperse, so too even the heaviest delusions can be
removed from our mind. Delusions such as hatred, greed, and ignorance are not an intrinsic
part of the mind. If we apply the appropriate methods they can be completely eliminated, and
we shall experience the supreme happiness of full enlightenment.

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Having attained enlightenment we shall have all the necessary qualities universal love and
compassion, omniscient wisdom and boundless spiritual power to lead all living beings to
the same exalted state. This is the ultimate aim of Mahayana Buddhism.
To find out more about basic Buddhism, read Introduction to Buddhism by Geshe Kelsang
Gyatso.
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All quotations from Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's books copyright The New Kadampa Tradition International Buddhist Union, all rights
reserved worldwide. For more information on Geshe Kelsang's books visit Tharpa Publications.