We, here at The Waiting World, have hearts to pray for the lost globally, especially Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists. But quite honestly, it’s been easier to find blog information for stories on Muslims and Hindus than on Buddhists. That is until now! We’ve just discovered an app for our phones called “Change The Map”, and it’s dedicated to helping you pray informed prayers for Buddhists! The next couple of days, we’ll bring you some of the information we found within this app. This first part is from their “Introduction to Buddhism re: Karma & Merit”
“The Buddha” – Buddhism began in Northern India with a prince named Siddhartha Gautama around 550 B.C. Dissatisfied with Hinduism, he began a quest to find truth and meaning in life and the source of pain and suffering in this world. To find the answer, he first lived in opulence and indulgence, and then in poverty and self-deprivation.
Gautama decided that life is best lived on the MIDDLE PATH, avoiding both extreme wealth and extreme want. Through his journeys and meditations, he came to believe that all of life is suffering, and that suffering is caused by cravings and desires for this world and its pleasures. Even love is considered undesirable because it too leads to suffering.
While attempting to separate from all worldly attachments through the use of meditation and right living, Gautama, at the age of 35, had a mystical experience referred to as his ENLIGHTENMENT. Tradition holds that he meditated under a tree for 49 days. During this period, he was able to “see things as they truly were.” He had finally discovered the path to extinguishing desire and escaping the cycle of suffering. That is when he became “THE BUDDHA”, meaning “the Awakened One.”