Buddhism across SouthEast Asia

Week two in our program. I am weary after reading all about the various schools of Buddhism.

I thought Buddhism would be a lark, what with us Indians knowing all about the Four Noble truths and the Eight-Fold Path!!!!

Was I wrong.

I loved the story of Siddhartha-- of his eye-opening, life-changing encounters when he finally went out of his cloistered palace. I always wondered about a man who walked away from his young son and beautiful wife, away from a life of luxury and indulgence. I must confess, I also felt terrible for the poor Yashodhara, who woke up to find her husband had left her, not for another nubile young thing, but for a rigorous life in a forest. That must play on one's psyche. Was it the pancakes she made that he didn't like? Or the fact that she hadn't lost enough weight since Rahul's birth?

Buddha always fascinated me. I remember sitting under various trees (didn't know that the Bodhi tree was a pipal in my callow youth) after reading the story for the first time, in the hope that I'd get enlightenment as well!

The Buddha was a complex man who (in my opinion) simplified the morass that Hinduism had become. He taught the essence of Hinduism, which is Right thought, Right Belief, Right action and what have you. Just as Christ did much later, he asked people to love, share, care and help. That's all. He didn't say much about orange robes and shaven pates. He didn't believe that there should be two schools of thought called Hinayana and Mahayana. He didn't ask for his tooth to be venerated or his hair to be adored. How we have let the poor man down.

The Buddha taught students at the levels he thought they would best comprehend. So you have some devotees who learnt about distancing themselves from desire and greed and seeking nirvana-- the Theravadas or those who followed the words/teachings (vada) of the elders (thera).

And you have the seemingly more enlightened group, the Mahayana, who sought (and seek) to help others achieve the eight-fold path, before chasing nirvana for themselves.

As you know, Buddhism soon spread to Sri Lanka, Afghanisthan, and then to Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, China, Korea and Japan. As it spread, each culture added their own twists to the simple tale, resulting in diverse schools such as Tendai, Nara, Shingon, Zen, Nichiren in just Japan.

And then you have Tibetan Buddhism with its Lamas and Karmapas. More when I learn more!