สำนักราชบัณฑิตยสภา

«“√ “√ √“™∫— ≥±‘ µ¬ ∂“π ªï ∑’Ë Û ©∫— ∫∑’Ë Ú ‡¡.¬.-¡‘ .¬. ÚıÙ¯ 517 Patthamaporn Busapathumrong back to the sixth century B.C.E. when a new doctrine was developed in northern India (now it is in Nepal). 2 The founder of Buddhism, Sidhartha Gautama was born in the mid-sixth century B.C.E. as the son of a ruling kshatriya family. He was concerned about the problems of life, death, and suffering. The legend informs us that Mara (or killer in Pali) tried to tempt Sidhartha Gautama with power and girls. The lines that the Buddha addressed to Mara, as recorded in the Sutta Nipata : “Sensual pleasures are your first army, Discontent your second is called. Your third is hunger and thirst, The fourth is called craving. Sloth and torpor are your fifth, The sixth is called fear, Your seventh is doubt, Conceit and ingratitude are your eighth, Gain, renown, honor and whatever fame is falsely received (are the ninth), And whoever both extols himself and disparages others (has fallen victim to the tenth). That is your army, Namuci [Mara], the striking force of darkness. One who is not a hero cannot conquer it, but having conquered it, one obtains happiness.” 3 After much effort, he discovered the Four Noble Truths and nirvana (nibbana) which can be accessed by anyone, no matter what caste or social standing they are. His teaching aimed at the salvation of individuals through an individual’s personal struggle with reality and truth. Teachers could assist in this struggle, but it was up to the individual to achieve the indescribable Nirvana. This key element in Buddhism became more worldly later on. 4 There were two different interpretations of his teaching: Hinayana Buddhism and later on it was called Theravada Buddhism, and Mahayana Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism stresses salvation to all people and holds the idea that Buddha had spiritual power and embodies compassion. In contrast, Theravada Buddhism emphasizes individual action and self-improve- ment. 5 One of the explanations of how Buddhism became widespread in Asia is the trade expansion. Theravada Buddhism expanded from India when the Buddhist monks took on trading ships moving to the East and established more or less permanent settlements in Burma, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia. In contrast, the Mahayana school was more diffused in the inland, in northern and western parts of the Indian subcontinent (around 2nd centuries B.C. and 3rd centuries A.D.). During the centuries just before and after the birth of Christ, trade between China and the Mediterranean moved overland which is called the Silk Route. Merchants fromChina, Central Asia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Iran and the Mediterranean brought silks and other merchandise from China to Rome to exchange for Roman gold, furs, and jade. Given the fact that the Silk Route passed through the north Western parts of the subcontinent, Chinese and Japanese Buddhists are practitioners of the Mahayana sect. 6 (2) The Teachings of Buddha The teachings of Buddha, or the Four Noble Truths, are dukka or suffering, samuthaya - the origin of suffering, nirodha - the cessation of suffering and marca - the paths leading to the cessation of suffering. The Buddha found that birth is the cause of suffering because of decay and death, and traced the unending cycle of rebirth and death. Then, he contemplated the way in which ignorance gives rise to karmic formation. Under karmic law, a person goes through a chain of causation of birth and death (praticcasamuppada) . If the person 2 Elizabeth Lyons and Heather Peters, Buddhism : History and Diversity of a Great Tradition, (Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania, 1985), p. 5. 3 Sayadaw U Pandita, In This Very Life : The Liberation Teachings of the Buddha, (Kandy, Sri Lanka : Buddhist Publication Society), p. 63. 4 Op.cit., p. 19. 5 Elizabeth Lyons and Heather Peters. Buddhism : History and Diversity of a Great Tradition. (Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, 1985), p. 19. 6 Ibid., pp. 19, 20.