Human development (Buddhism)

The keynote of Buddhism is enlightenment. Buddhism denies reality to a supreme, conscious self, either in man or in the universe; but it does not deny the apparently real necessity of attaining truth through use of the mind. Much of the teaching concerns the mind - how it works, how it experiences and remembers. For precision, this implies the double negative - the more one knows what the mind is, the more one knows what it is not. The more one knows what it is not, the more one knows what it is. Topics include the awareness of consciousness, the way in which things exist, the transmission of instinct for further cognition from lifetime to lifetime. This path of learning brings understanding of how the omniscient mind of Buddha knows everything and ultimately the development of buddha mind in the self. Ultimately the aim is nirvana or nibbana, the end of suffering and attainment of perfect happiness. In that "Buddha" means one who has awakened or who knows the dhamma (the true nature of things), then all who achieve the goal of the Buddhist path are buddhas. Their lives exemplify the dhamma and follow a pattern laid down by dhamma, passing through numerous incarnations, the last of which is divine. In Buddhism, the clear distinction between man and other sentient beings, other living beings, even from the whole of creation, does not exist, in that all are on the same path or cycle of birth and death, generation and extinction, appearance and disappearance until they transcend samsara and achieve nirvana; but it is in human form that the conscious mind can approach knowledge of the transience of the universe, and an awareness of the need for all to approach buddhahood before any can truly do so.

The spirit of Buddhist development is inner self-control over the psychological life, meditation, search of soul and forbearance. There is the vision of invisible solidarity among all living beings in universal life, of all minds in the eternal spirit. This has to be practised and promoted in inner and outer lives. Inner strength must be cultivated first, only then do compassion and loving-kindness to others become possible.

Although there are many schools of Buddhism, all somewhat influenced by other religions sharing the same geographical area, all agree on the basic concern of spiritual development of the individual through meditation and training, leading to right insight which transforms him so that he reaches liberation. Meditation - [dhyana]

- purifies both morally and intellectually and leads to detachment and ultimately pure consciousness, through various stages or attainments - [samapatti]

- as all activity (whether physical, mental, emotional or spiritual) ceases. A state of neither perception nor non-perception - [samadhi]

- leads finally to [nirvana]

. Peripheral religious activity, so long as it does not deflect from the main aim, is not discouraged, which makes Buddhism very flexible as far as traditional religious and cultural practices are concerned. Three main schools, [hinayana]

, [mahayana]

and [vajrajana]

are roughly equivalent to the three main geographical areas of South Asia, East Asia (where it is closely related with Taoism, Confucianism, Shinto and folk religions) and Northern Asia, notably Tibet (directly derived from classical Indian Buddhism). All three ultimately derive from the Theravada (elders' teaching) of the Buddhist sangha or community.

The original teachings of Buddha were intentionally limited to that necessary for spiritual development and avoided all extremes, whether religious or materialist, ascetic or self-indulgent. They are probably related to Brahmanism and also influenced Hinduism. Subsequent teachings emphasized concern for practical and moral welfare and for compassion; but [dana]

or giving, which is a foundation of Buddhist practice, relates to sacrifice of one's belongings as a religious act in the prescribed manner to a person of religious commitment and brings great rewards in this and subsequent lives. Dana, together with [sila]

, following of precepts, form the first part of Buddha's step-by-step discourse. These are reinforced by knowledge of the operation of [kamma]

or law of action, when every act of the will is a seed from which future conditions and activity grow; this liberates from fatalism and makes one responsible for one's actions and condition of life. The first part of the discourse thus concerns the way life is lived outwardly. Inner purity is dealt with in the second part, which covers the defects of sensuality and the positive gain when freed from it. This assists development of those following the spiritual way and leads to mental transformation. More profound teaching, the four noble truths, is intended for those thus transformed. It covers the cause of suffering and its transcendence in [nirvana]

.