ಮಾಹಿತಿ

ಸ್ವಾಗತ

21 ದಿನಗಳ ಬೌದ್ಧ ವಿಶ್ವ ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥನಾ ಮಾರ್ಗದರ್ಶಿಗೆ

“Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder.” Romans 12:11-12 MSG Version

ಅಪೊಸ್ತಲ ಪೌಲನ ಈ ಮೊದಲ ಶತಮಾನದ ಉಪದೇಶವನ್ನು ಇಂದು ಸುಲಭವಾಗಿ ಬರೆಯಬಹುದಿತ್ತು. ಸಾಂಕ್ರಾಮಿಕ ರೋಗ, ಉಕ್ರೇನ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿನ ಯುದ್ಧ, ಮಧ್ಯಪ್ರಾಚ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಹೊಸ ಯುದ್ಧ, ಪ್ರಪಂಚದ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಭಾಗಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಜೀಸಸ್ ಅನುಯಾಯಿಗಳ ಕಿರುಕುಳ ಮತ್ತು ಆರ್ಥಿಕ ಹಿಂಜರಿತದ ಅವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆಯಿಂದ ನಮ್ಮ ಕೈಗಳನ್ನು ಎಸೆದು ಕೇಳುವುದು ಸುಲಭ, “ಏನು ಮಾಡಬಹುದು? ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾನಾ?"

ಪಾಲ್ ನಮಗೆ ಉತ್ತರವನ್ನು ನೀಡುತ್ತಾನೆ. ದೇವರ ವಾಕ್ಯದ ಮೇಲೆ ಕೇಂದ್ರೀಕರಿಸಿ, ಆತನು ಪ್ರತಿಕ್ರಿಯಿಸುವನೆಂದು ನಿರೀಕ್ಷಿಸುತ್ತಾ, ಮತ್ತು "ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಕಷ್ಟಪಟ್ಟು ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥಿಸು."

ಈ ಮಾರ್ಗದರ್ಶಿಯೊಂದಿಗೆ, ಕನಿಷ್ಠ ನಾಮಮಾತ್ರವಾಗಿ ಬೌದ್ಧರಾಗಿರುವ ಪ್ರಪಂಚದಾದ್ಯಂತದ ಒಂದು ಶತಕೋಟಿ ಜನರಿಗೆ ದೇವರು ತಿಳಿದಿರಲಿ ಎಂದು ನಿರ್ದಿಷ್ಟವಾಗಿ ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥಿಸಲು ನಾವು ನಿಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಆಹ್ವಾನಿಸುತ್ತೇವೆ. ಪ್ರತಿ ದಿನ, ಜನವರಿ 21, 2024 ರಿಂದ, ನೀವು ಬೌದ್ಧ ಆಚರಣೆ ಮತ್ತು ಬೇರೆ ಬೇರೆ ಸ್ಥಳದಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಭಾವದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಏನನ್ನಾದರೂ ಕಲಿಯುವಿರಿ.
ಈ ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥನಾ ಮಾರ್ಗದರ್ಶಿಯನ್ನು 30 ಭಾಷೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಅನುವಾದಿಸಲಾಗುತ್ತಿದೆ ಮತ್ತು ಪ್ರಪಂಚದಾದ್ಯಂತ 5,000 ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥನಾ ಜಾಲಗಳ ಮೂಲಕ ವಿತರಿಸಲಾಗುತ್ತಿದೆ. ನಮ್ಮ ಬೌದ್ಧ ನೆರೆಹೊರೆಯವರ ಮಧ್ಯಸ್ಥಿಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ನೀವು 100 ದಶಲಕ್ಷಕ್ಕೂ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಜೀಸಸ್ ಅನುಯಾಯಿಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ಭಾಗವಹಿಸುತ್ತೀರಿ.

ಅನೇಕ ದೈನಂದಿನ ಪ್ರೊಫೈಲ್‌ಗಳು ನಿರ್ದಿಷ್ಟ ನಗರದ ಮೇಲೆ ಕೇಂದ್ರೀಕರಿಸುತ್ತವೆ. ಇದು ಉದ್ದೇಶಪೂರ್ವಕವಾಗಿದೆ. ವಿವರಿಸಿದ ನಗರಗಳು ನೀವು ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥಿಸುತ್ತಿರುವ ದಿನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಭೂಗತ ಚರ್ಚ್‌ನ ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥನಾ ತಂಡಗಳು ಸೇವೆ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸುತ್ತಿರುವ ಅದೇ ನಗರಗಳಾಗಿವೆ! ಮುಂಚೂಣಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅವರ ಕೆಲಸದ ಮೇಲೆ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಮಧ್ಯಸ್ಥಿಕೆ ವಿಮರ್ಶಾತ್ಮಕವಾಗಿ ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿದೆ.
ನಮ್ಮೊಂದಿಗೆ ಸೇರಲು, "ಉಲ್ಲಾಸದಿಂದ ನಿರೀಕ್ಷಿಸಲು" ಮತ್ತು "ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಕಷ್ಟಪಟ್ಟು ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥಿಸಲು" ನಾವು ನಿಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಸ್ವಾಗತಿಸುತ್ತೇವೆ.
ಜೀಸಸ್ ಲಾರ್ಡ್!

The origin of Buddhism

Prince Gautama was born in the southern part of modern-day Nepal in the sixth century BC. A local shaman noticed marks on the child’s body and foretold that he would grow up to be a world ruler and enlightened one. His father, desiring Gautama to be a great ruler, sought to protect him by providing a life of luxury.

At age 29, however, Gautama was exposed to the suffering outside the palace where he lived. As a result he spent six years as a wandering ascetic in search of a solution to the problem of suffering. In vain he tried various meditation techniques, hoping for insight. Finally, he resolved to sit beneath a bodhi tree until he had attained the enlightenment he sought. Though tempted by Mara (the Evil One), he persisted and eventually achieved what he believed to be a realization of supreme truth. From that point on he was considered to be the “Buddha”, which means an “Awakened One” or “Enlightened One”.

The teaching of Buddha (called the Dharma*)

The Buddha found his original companions in the search for enlightenment and preached his first sermon to them. Unlike most religions there was no supreme deity involved. Instead he outlined the “Four Noble Truths”:

• Life is full of suffering.
• Suffering arises from ignorance and desire.
• Suffering can only cease by ending ignorance and desire.
• The way to end ignorance and desire is through the “Middle Way” or “Noble Eightfold Path”.

“Suffering” according to the Buddha arises due to our clinging to and craving for impermanent things that keeps us all caught in an ongoing process of death and rebirth where everything, even one’s very self, is impermanent and an illusion. The only way to get off that endless cycle of rebirths is to walk the “The Middle Path”, avoiding extremes and living with right understanding, thought, speech, conduct, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and finally right concentration. The end-goal is not eternal communion with God, but rather—like the flame of a candle being extinguished—a state where craving is ended.

Actual Buddhist practice today

People see Buddhism as their own folk religion, even though it does not relate to a high deity. As such, it’s like a blanket that falls on existing cultures and conforms to the landscapes underneath. In Tibet, the Bon religion of shamanism was overlaid with Buddhist monasteries for meditation. In Buddhist Thailand, lay people offer monks cigarettes in their alms bowls; in Buddhist Bhutan, however, smoking is a sin. The Thai Buddhist council strictly disallows women’s ordination and forbids women from entering holy places inside temple grounds, yet Nepal and England ordain female monks. Cambodian Buddhists have no discussion in the temple concerning care for the environment, while Western Buddhists incorporate environmental activism into their practice of the dharma.

* For clarity, this guide follows the Sanskrit spelling of Buddhist terms, rather than the Pali spelling. Dharma is the Sanskrit spelling; the Pali spelling would be dhamma.

There are three major streams of Buddhism:
Theravada, Mahayana and Tibetan.

Theravada Buddhism

emerged from Sri Lanka, where the Buddha’s sermons and teachings were first canonized. It focuses on the attainment of enlightenment through personal meditation and good deeds. Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos follow this tradition.

Mahayana Buddhism

emerged based on texts attributed to Buddha, which taught that a bodhisattva, or enlightened being, could choose to delay entering nirvana (the ultimate spiritual goal of liberation) to deliver other sentient beings from their karmic suffering (based on a person’s past actions). This stream of Buddhism was traditionally practiced in China, Japan, Vietnam and the Korean peninsula.

Tibetan Buddhism

arose in India in AD sixth century, with a focus on accelerating enlightenment through ritual practices and visualizing heavenly bodhisattvas.
In recent years Westerners have adopted various forms of Buddhism that focus primarily on a quest for inner peace. Some have joined Theravada monasteries, seeking spiritual purification through meditation and by following the five basic rules of conduct. Others have committed themselves to a Tibetan lama (monk), study the Tibetan texts and learn chanting. Still others follow a Westernized form that mixes Asian traditions with Western notions of Buddhism. They often continue in their previous occupations and wear everyday clothes, but spend time in meditation and attend retreats.

In recent years Westerners have adopted various forms of Buddhism that focus primarily on a quest for inner peace. Some have joined Theravada monasteries, seeking spiritual purification through meditation and by following the five basic rules of conduct. Others have committed themselves to a Tibetan lama (monk), study the Tibetan texts and learn chanting. Still others follow a Westernized form that mixes Asian traditions with Western notions of Buddhism. They often continue in their previous occupations and wear everyday clothes, but spend time in meditation and attend retreats.