Buddha, the paradigmatic Asian sage

If the world or your own life is in turmoil, the only eastern sage you can turn to is the Buddha who is not a philosopher in the western tradition. He surpassed western philosophy by leaps and bounds and showed the world a holistic way to lead a meaningful life. In a way, the Buddha was an existentialist who did not confine his doctrine to a certain segment of society.

The Buddha’s basic teachings rest on the Four Noble Truths: Suffering is the condition of all existence; suffering comes to humans as a result of greed, ego-centricism and they must be overcome and uprooted by following the Noble Eightfold Path.

Briefly, the Noble Eightfold Path encompasses right understanding, right purpose, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right meditation. Gerald Heard, an Anglo-Irish historian and philosopher, has rephrased the Noble eightfold Path in a contemporary format.

Therapy

Heard says, “You must see clearly what is wrong; next you must decide that you want to be cured; you must act and speak so as to aim at being cured. Your livelihood must not conflict with your therapy. The therapy must go forward at the “staying speed;” you must think about it incessantly and finally you must learn how to contemplate with the deep mind.”

The term “ego” found in Buddhism is somewhat different from what is fundamental to psychology. A person with too much ego thinks of himself excluding others. If you can lose the ego projection, you will be true to yourself. The awakened self will begin to see similarities rather than differences. In fact, the bliss of Nibbana comes through the annihilation of the self-consciousness, judgmentalism, greed and fear that form the ego.

The Buddha taught how to transcend the ego and see life as it is through loving-kindness. Then we feel love towards others including our enemies. Ven Dr Walpola Rahula Thera says, “It should not be thought that the eight categories or divisions of the path should be followed and practised one after the other in the numerical order. They are to be developed more or less simultaneously, as far as possible according to the capacity of each individual. They are all linked together and each helps the cultivation of the other.”

Consciousness

The Noble Eightfold Path is designed to change us by changing our way of seeing things (consciousness), changing our behaviour and emotions. This is on a par with modern scientific thinking. For instance, one of the most effective treatment programs for alcoholism is Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) which is based on a host of guidelines for living popularly known as the “Twelve steps.” The very first step begins, “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol and that our lives were unmanageable.” This “seeing” is the first step on the Noble Eightfold Path as well.

Unlike many other religious teachers, the Buddha counselled his followers to be a lamp unto themselves without seeking refuge in others. However, he combined altruistic humanism with the notion of a proper social order. As a result, the Buddha’s views have a permanent appeal to western and eastern philosophers. The well-known contemporary psychologist Carol Gilligan called Buddhism a “system of liberation ethics” that includes respect for all forms of life and rejection of all social barriers.

While the Buddha’s legacy to humanity is reminiscent of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, he remains the paradigmatic Asian sage who stands tall above western philosophers. Although there are many schools of Buddhism today, the essence of Buddhism remains the same. Whether you believe in Theravada (Hinayana), Mahayana, Tibetan Buddhism or Japanese Zen Buddhism, Buddhists are not hostile to one another. This is perhaps one of the great qualities as far as Buddhism is concerned.