Buddha-nature
Within One of the major schools of Buddhism, it includes Tibetan and Zen Buddhism. Buddhism, a A Sanskrit word used in Buddhism that means an 'enlightened' person or someone who has achieved 'enlightenment'. aims to teach others how to be free of suffering (dukkha) and therefore how to reach Buddhahood, the state of The realisation of the truth about life. In Buddhism it releases a person from the cycle of rebirth..
Mahayana Buddhism teaches that everyone can achieve enlightenment. Mahayana Buddhists believe that all humans have the nature of the The founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, after his enlightenment. It is a title which means the enlightened or awakened one. within them already. It is a seed within all of them that has the potential to grow. This is referred to as Buddha-nature and essentially means that people have the ability to become enlightened like the Buddha.
In order to achieve Buddhahood and enlightenment, people must commit themselves to the Buddha’s teachings, which is known as Dhamma is Buddhist doctrine about the nature of existence and includes the teachings of the Buddha., and to The Buddhist community of people who practice the faith, usually used to mean the community of monks and nuns. .
The path of the arhat – Theravada Buddhism
An A person who has achieved enlightenment following the Buddha’s teaching. is a ‘worthy one’ or a ‘perfected person’. Theravada Buddhists believe that an Arhat is someone who has reached enlightenment and ended their suffering by following the path taught by the Buddha. Theravada Buddhists believe that an arhat has ‘blown out’ the The main causes of suffering: greed, hatred and ignorance. of greed, hatred and ignorance and so has been able to attain An indescribable state, held by Buddhists to be the ultimate goal of religious practice, involving breaking free from the cycle of samsara..
Once a person becomes an arhat, they are free from the cycle of In Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism, this is the cycle of life, death and rebirth. and will not have to be reborn again once they die. After death, they achieve nibbana and are fully enlightened. The Buddha and some of his followers were arhats as they were able to free themselves from worldly desires and suffering.
The path of the Bodhisattva – Mahayana Buddhism
Mahayana Buddhists aim to become Bodhisattvas rather than Arhats. A Bodhisattva is someone who believes that their own enlightenment is not as important as helping others to reach enlightenment. They believe that they should stay in the cycle of samsara so that they can help other people to reach enlightenment as well as themselves.
To become Bodhisattvas, Buddhists must practise various characteristics, which Mahayana Buddhists call the To become a Bodhisattva a Mahayana Buddhist must become perfect in six areas of their lives. These are: generosity, morality, patience, energy, meditation, wisdom..
The Six Perfections are:
- Be generous and give to others.
- Live a life in which you do the right thing.
- Have patience with all people.
- Sustain your energy so that you keep going through difficult times.
- Work on concentration by meditating.
- Gain wisdom