Introduction to Buddhists

Introduction to Buddhists 
by Dr.Zakir Naik

Gautama Buddha was the founder of Buddhism. His original name was Siddharth (meaning one who has accomplished). He was also called Sakyamuni, i.e. the sage of the tribe of Sakya. He was born in the year 563 B.C. in the village of Lumbini near Kapila Vastu, within the present borders of Nepal.

According to legend, an astrologer foretold his father, the king, that young Gautama would give up the throne and luxury and renounce the world the day he would see four things (i) an old man, (ii) a sick man, (iii) a diseased man and (iv) a dead man. Hence, the king confined Gautama in a special palace which was provided with all worldly pleasures. He was married at the age of sixteen to Yasoddhra.

At the age of 29 after the birth of his first son, Gautama on the same day saw an old man, a sick man, a diseased man and a dead man. The impact of the dark side of life made him renounce the world that same night and he left his wife and son and became a penniless wanderer.

He studied and practised Hindu discipline initally, and later, Jainism. For several years he observed rigorous fasting along with extreme self-mortification. On realising that tormenting his body did not bring him closer to true wisdom, he resumed eating normally and abandoned asceticism.

At the age of 35, one evening as he sat beneath a giant fig tree (Bodh tree), he felt that he had found the solution to his problem and felt that he had attained enlightenment. Thus, he came to be known as ‘Gautama’, ‘The Buddha’, or 'The Enlightened One'.

Later, he spent 45 years in preaching the truth that he felt he had discovered. He travelled from city to city bare-footed, clean-headed, with nothing more on his self than his saffron robe, walking stick and begging bowl. He died at the age of 80 in the year 483 BC.

Historical criticism has proved that the original teachings of Buddha can never be known. It seems that Gautama Buddha’s teachings were memorized by his disciples. After Buddha’s death a council was held at Rajagaha so that the words of Buddha could be recited and agreed upon. There were differences of opinion and conflicting memories in the council. Opinion of Kayshapa and Ananda who were prominent disciples of Buddha were given preference. A hundred years later, a second council at Vesali was held. Only after 400 years, after the death of Buddha were his teachings and doctrines written down. Little attention was paid regarding its authenticity, genuineness and purity. 

TEACHINGS OF BUDDHA :
A. Noble Truths:
The principal teachings of Gautama Buddha can be summarised in what the Buddhists call the ‘Four Noble Truths’:
First – There is suffering and misery in life .
Second – The cause of this suffering and misery is desire.
Third – Suffering and misery can be removed by removing desire.
Fourth – Desire can be removed by following the Eight Fold Path.
B. The Noble Eight Fold Path:
(i) Right Views
(ii) Right Thoughts
(iii) Right Speech
(iv) Right Actions
(v) Right Livelihood
(vi) Right Efforts
(vii) Right Mindfulness
(viii) Right Meditation
C. Nirvana:
Nirvana' literally means "blowing out" or "extinction". According to Buddhism, this is the ultimate goal of life and can be described in various words. It is a cessation of all sorrows, which can be achieved by removing desire by following the Eight Fold Path.
PHILOSOPHY OF BUDDHISM IS SELF – CONTRADICTORY:
 

As mentioned earlier, the main teachings of Buddhism are summarised in the Four Noble Truths: (i) There is suffering and misery in life. (ii) The cause of suffering and misery is desire. (iii) Suffering and misery can be removed by removing desire. (iv) Desire can be removed by following the Eight Fold Path. This Philosophy of Buddhism is self-contradictory or self-defeating because the third truth says ‘suffering and misery can be removed by removing desire’ and the fourth truth says that 'desire can be removed by following the Eight Fold Path'.   Now, for any person to follow Buddhism he should first have the desire to follow the Four Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Path. The Third great Noble Truth says that desire should be removed. Once you remove desire, how can we follow the Fourth Noble truth i.e. follow the Eight Fold Path unless we have a desire to follow the Eight Fold Path. In short desire can only be removed by having a desire to follow the Eight Fold Path. If you do not follow the Eight Fold Path, desire cannot be removed. It is self contradicting as well as self-defeating to say that desire will only be removed by continuously having a desire. CONCEPT OF GOD Buddha was silent about the existence or non-existence of God. It may be that since India was drowned in idol worship and anthropomorphism that a sudden step to monotheism would have been drastic and hence Buddha may have chosen to remain silent on the issue of God. He did not deny the existence of God. Buddha was once asked by a disciple whether God exists? He refused to reply. When pressed, he said that if you are suffering from a stomach ache would you concentrate on relieving the pain or studying the prescription of the physician. "It is not my business or yours to find out whether there is God – our business is to remove the sufferings of the world". Buddhism provided Dhamma or the ‘impersonal law’ in place of God. However this could not satisfy the craving of human beings and the religion of self-help had to be converted into a religion of promise and hope. The Hinayana sect could not hold out any promise of external help to the people. The Mahayana sect taught that Buddha’s watchful and compassionate eyes are on all miserable beings, thus making a God out of Buddha. Many scholars consider the evolution of God within Buddhism as an effect of Hinduism. Many Buddhists adopted the local god and thus the religion of ‘No-God’ was transformed into the religion of ‘Many-Gods’ – big and small, strong and weak and male and female. The ‘Man-God’ appears on earth in human form and incarnates from time to time. Buddha was against the caste-system prevalent in the Hindu society. MUHAMMAD (PBUH) IN BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES: 1. Buddha prophesised the advent of a Maitreya : Almost all Buddhist books contain this prophecy. It is in Chakkavatti Sinhnad Suttanta D. III, 76: "There will arise in the world a Buddha named Maitreya (the benevolent one) a holy one, a supreme one, an enlightened one, endowed with wisdom in conduct, auspicious, knowing the universe: "What he has realized by his own supernatural knowledge he will publish to this universe. He will preach his religion, glorious in its origin, glorious at its climax, glorious at the goal, in the spirit and the letter. He will proclaim a religious life, wholly perfect and thoroughly pure; even as I now preach my religion and a like life do proclaim. He will keep up the society of monks numbering many thousands, even as now I keep up a society of monks numbering many hundreds". According to Sacred Books of the East volume 35 pg. 225: "It is said that I am not an only Buddha upon whom the leadership and order is dependent. After me another Buddha maitreya of such and such virtues will come. I am now the leader of hundreds, he will be the leader of thousands." According to the Gospel of Buddha by Carus pg. 217 and 218 (From Ceylon sources): "Ananda said to the Blessed One, ‘Who shall teach us when thou art gone?' And the Blessed one replied, 'I am not the first Buddha who came upon the earth nor shall I be the last. In due time another Buddha will arise in the world, a holy one, a supremely enlightened one, endowed with wisdom in conduct, auspicious, knowing the universe, an incomparable leader of men, a master of angels and mortals. He will reveal to you the same eternal truths, which I have taught you. He will preach his religion, glorious in its origin, glorious at the climax and glorious at the goal. He will proclaim a religious life, wholly perfect and pure such as I now proclaim. His disciples will number many thousands while mine number many hundreds.' Ananda said, 'How shall we know him?' The Blessed one replied, 'He will be known as Maitreya'." (i) The Sanskrit word ‘Maitreya’ or its equivalent in Pali ‘Metteyya’ means loving, compassionate, merciful and benevolent. It also means kindness and friendliness, sympathy, etc. One Arabic word which is equivalent to all these words is ‘Rahmat’.              In Surah Al-Anbiya: "We sent thee not, but as a mercy for all creatures." [Al-Qur’an 21:107] Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was called the merciful, which is ‘Maitri’.(ii)  The words Mercy and Merciful are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an no less than 409 times. (iii)   Every chapter of the Glorious Qur’an, except Chapter 9, i.e. Surah Taubah begins with the beautiful formula, 'Bismillah Hir-Rahman Nir-Rahim', which means 'In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful'. (iv)  The Word Muhammad is also spelt as ‘Mahamet’ or ‘Mahomet’ and in various other ways in different languages. The word ‘Maho’ or ‘Maha’ in Pali and Sanskrit mean Great and Illustrious and ‘Metta’ means mercy. Therefore ‘Mahomet’ means ‘Great Mercy’. 2. Buddha’s doctrine was Esoteric and Exoteric: According to Sacred Books of the East, volume 11, pg. 36 Maha-Parinibbana Sutta chapter 2 verse 32: "I have preached the truth without making any distinction between exoteric and esoteric doctrine, for in respect of truths, Ananda, the Tathagata has no such thing as the closed fist of a teacher, who keeps something back". Muhammad (pbuh) on the commandment of Almighty God delivered the message and doctrine without making any distinction between esoteric and exoteric. The Qur'an was recited in public in the days of the Prophet and is being done so till date. The Prophet had strictly forbidden the Muslims from hiding the doctrine. 3.  Devoted Servitors of the Buddhas: According to Sacred Books of the East volume 11 pg. 97 Maha-Parinibbana Sutta Chapter 5 verse 36: "Then the Blessed one addressed the brethren, and said, ‘Whosoever, brethren have been Arahat-Buddhas through the long ages of the past, they were servitors just as devoted to those Blessed ones as Ananda has been to me. And whosoever brethren shall be the Arahat-Buddhas of the future, there shall be servitors as devoted to those Blessed ones as Ananda has been to me’." The Servitor of Buddha was Ananda. Muhammad (pbuh) also had a servitor by the name Anas (r.a.) who was the son of Malik. Anas (r.a...) was presented to the Prophet by his parents. Anas (r.a...) relates: "My mother said to him, 'Oh Messenger of God, here is your little servant'." Further Anas relates, "I served him from the time I was 8 years old and the Prophet called me his son and his little beloved". Anas (r.a...) stayed by the Prophet in peace and in war, in safety as well as in danger till the end of his life. i)   Anas (r.a.), even though he was only 11 years old stayed beside the Prophet during the battle of Uhud where the Prophet’s life was in great danger. ii)   Even during the battle of Honain when the Prophet was surrounded by the enemies who were archers, Anas (r.a...) who was only 16 years old stood by the Prophet (pbuh). Anas (r.a.) can surely be compared with Ananda who stood by Gautam Buddha when the mad elephant approached him. 4. Six Criteria for Identifying Buddha: According to the Gospel of Buddha by Carus pg. 214: "The Blessed one said, ‘There are two occasions on which a Tathagata’s appearance becomes clear and exceedingly bright. In the night Ananda, in which a Tathagata attains to the supreme and perfect insight, and in the night in which he passes finally away in that ultra passing which leaves nothing whatever of his earthly existence to remain.’ " According to Gautam Buddha, following are the six criteria for identifying a Buddha. According to Gautam Buddha, following are the six criteria for identifying a Buddha. i) A Buddha attains supreme and perfect insight at night-time. ii)On the occasion of his complete enlightenment he looks exceedingly bright iii)A Buddha dies a natural death. iv)He dies at night-time. v) He looks exceedingly bright before his death. vi)After his death a Buddha ceases to exist on earth. 5. Buddhas are only Preachers: According to Dhammapada, Sacred Books of East volume 10 pg., 67: "The Jathagatas (Buddhas) are only Preachers." The Qur’an says in Surah Ghashiya: "Therefore do thou give admonition, for thou art one to admonish. Thou art not one to manage (men's) affairs." [Al-Qur'an 88:21-22] 6. Identification of Maitreya by Buddha: According to Dhammapada, Mattaya Sutta, 151: "The promised one will be: i) Compassionate for the whole creation ii) A messenger of peace, a peace-maker iii) The most successful in the world. The Maitreya as a Preacher of morals will be: i) Truthful ii) Self-respecting iii) Gentle and noble iv) Not proud v) As a king to creatures vi) An example to others in deeds and in words".                                                            (edited summary : abuhunafa)

Kill the Mad man

Egyptian cleric: Kill Gaddafi 

A top Egyptian cleric has called on Libyan soldiers who can shoot Libya’s unpopular Leader Muammar Gaddafi not to hold their fire to free the nation of his oppression.

Yusuf al-Qaradawi, viewed as the spiritual leader of the Egyptian opposition Muslim Brotherhood, made the call on Monday through a fatwa (religious decree) against the 42-year-long head of state.
“Whoever in the Libyan Army is able to shoot a bullet at Mr. Gaddafi should do so,” he told the Qatar-based news channel al-Jazeera.
Libya has been swept by pro-democracy protests inspired by popular revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia, which toppled the countries’ presidents.
Such killing would “rid Libya of him,” said Qaradawi. The scholar, who also heads the International Union for Muslim Scholars, returned to Egypt after three decades in exile following the revolution.

Gaddafi’s government has deployed fighter jets to open fire on the demonstrators to prevent what appears to be an imminent revolution.
Forces loyal to Gaddafi are also said to have used live rounds against protesters amid reports, pointing to the arrival of planeloads of armed foreign mercenaries in the capital, Tripoli.

Libyan protesters, however, have reportedly managed to seize several cities.
The International Federation for Human Rights says as many as 400 people have so far been killed during the protests.
Qaradawi also told Libyan soldiers “not to obey orders to strike at your own people,” and urged Libyan ambassadors around the world to dissociate themselves from Gaddafi’s regime.

Source : PressTV

Families of Martyrs / Shuhada'

Families of Martyrs Refugee Camp

Spouse and 3 orphans of a shaheed were rescued from Fenerbahce Refugee Camp which has been quite 'deplorable' for living

 http://imkander.org.tr/eng/

Statement of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Regarding the Martyrdom of Innocent Afghan Civilians as a Result of American Merciless Bombardment in Ghazi Abad District, Kunar Province

Rabi-ul-Awwal,19,1432 (February 23, 2011)

Five days ago, the invading forces in Afghanistan led by America launched brutal aerial attacks against civilian houses in Adargol, Chowki and Wigal areas of Ghazi Abad district, Kunar province, resulting in martyrdom of 70 common people. The victims comprised of old men, women and innocent children who embraced martyrdom. Similarly, numerous civilians have been wounded.

According to substantiated reports, the bestial American soldiers have totally looted people’s houses, taking all valuable items. About 50 houses have been destroyed (in the raid), which belonged to people who had no link of militancy whatsoever with any faction. They were common miserable people. The Americans made bombardment during night when people were sleeping. Official of the Kabul Administration in Kunar have also confirmed reports of the civilian casualties.

The civilian casualties perpetrated in a brutal manner at the hands of the Americans have been committed at the time that, the United Nations in its report had claimed a few days ago that civilian casualties had greatly decreased during operations by Americans and their Allies. One week has not elapsed since the issuance of the report by UNO that the callous Americans once again resorted to committing genocide. They made many innocent Afghans to mourn and grieve over (their kith and kin).

The so-called advocates of human rights have not raised their voice about this horrendous event as yet. But usually, these so-called protectors of human rights and the apparently free media which have share in the colonialist goals, usually put the blame of civilian casualties on the Islamic Emirate when they arrange figures of civilian casualties. They try to launch negative propaganda against the Islamic Emirate through every possible means with full strength and fanfare. Meanwhile, they cover up crimes of foreign invaders. Thus they endeavor to manipulate the views of the common man.

We strongly condemn the merciless bombardment by the Americans in Ghazi Abad district, Kunar province. We believe it is an unforgivable crime. In the meantime, we assure our miserable people and families of the martyrs that your Mujahid brothers will avenge the blood of the martyrs on the enemy in the battle fields. Also, we tell the invading America and her murderous Allies, if you think that you are going to weaken determination of the Afghans by martyring innocent Afghans or that you will put terror into their hearts, it only displays flaws of your guesswork. You have not realized this nation as yet. Your brutal actions will further speed up the pace of the Jihadic momentum.

Soon, you will be wiped out in the imminent cyclone brought about by your atrocity, arrogance, brutality and other merciless actions. The tempest, if God willing, is approaching destination, with its ever outspreading waves.

It is not a hard task for Allah to accomplish.

the unjustmedia

“Defending Islam"

Rabi-ul-Awwal ,1432H  ( February 2011) 

“Defending Islam must be understood, the way is with jihad, the goal is the establishment of Islamic Shari’ah. Islam will not be defended before a power is established, a power will not be established without jihad. Because, for the kafir, their way of fighting Islam is by forcing Muslims to be murtad. 
“And never will the Jews or the Christians approve of you until you follow their religion.” (Q.S. Al-Baqarah : 120) 

“… And they will continue to fight you until they turn you back from your religion if they are able…” (Q.S. Al-Baqarah : 217). 

Today the kafir divide the Islamic ummah into two camps; Radical Islam, which they are fighting against, or Moderate Islam, this is assisted first, but in the end will still be fought against until they want to be murtad. The proof? In Bosnia, there were no Muslim who were radical, all are moderate, even adjusting to the Christians, that was from their own confession when fleeing to Malaysia.

Inevitably, even the moderates were exterminated, that is the character of the kafir where the nas (texts) could be found in the Qur’an, therefore they must be confronted with the ‘power’. This is what should be understood, because day in, day out, the fitnah is increasingly intensified, more and more pressured, hopefully this will become a cause for the help of Allah to come until we can rise up.” Sheikh Ustadz Abu Bakar Ba’asyir (May Allah protect him)

the unjustmedia 

 

more and more young people in Russia and Europe embrace Islam

On the photo: The future of Russia, Insha'Allah

An enemy expert from a so-called "North Caucasus Center for Islamic Studies", Ruslan Gereyev, expressed fears of a growing influence of true Islam in the world in an interview to a Russian KGB news agency Regnum. We present to our readers some of his gloomy thoughts, keeping intact his abusive language:

"Islam is advancing more rapidly in non-Muslim than in Muslim countries. Why is it so? No studies were conducted on the subject, the issue has not yet been studied thoroughly. Look at reports on terrorist attacks. Each day, there are more and more ethnic Russians, former Russian Christian Orthodox believers, among the attackers. An expression "Russian Jamaats" have already appeared in North Caucasus. I've recently prepared a publication on "Russian Jamaats" for a Belgian newspaper - they have the same problems as we. This is a worldwide trend. And in Benelux countries, these processes develop much faster and broader, and not only due to intra-European migration.

http://www.islampolicy.com/2011/02/ 

Beyond the beards and burqas - Opinion - Al Jazeera English

They're all out to get 'us'

The former prime minister does not differentiate between extremists - and believes any attempt to try to comprehend the reasons for their murderous rage is futile.

Instead, he takes the much more comforting view that they are "at war with civilisation". We are being targeted, so the reasoning goes, because we are too civilised.

This simplistic view, so often repeated, has gained currency in the British popular imagination. Indeed, for most Britons, July 7, 2005, will be remembered as the day that al-Qaeda terrorists attacked London.

But five-and-a-half years on, no link has been established between the 7/7 bombers and al-Qaeda. While it is possible that two of the bombers, Shehzad Tanweer and Mohammad Sidique Khan, may have visited training camps in Pakistan and met with al-Qaeda operatives, there is no firm evidence of this.

Last year a report from the Centre for Social Cohesion analysing Islamist terrorist offences in Britain over the past decade found that only 14.5 per cent of terrorism offenders had links with al-Qaeda. And yet, despite this, a belief persists that most Islamic jihadist attacks, including the 7/7 bombings, are somehow masterminded by al Qaeda.

Beyond the beards and burqas - Opinion - Al Jazeera English