Shaw - Buddhism for Beginners: A Guide to Buddhist Teachings, Meditation, Mindfulness, and Inner Peace

Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. The Buddha

I would like to take a few minutes to thank you for purchasing this book and introduce you to what it will cover.

This book is an introduction to help you gain an understanding of the life of the Buddha and the teachings and practices within Buddhism.

The aim is not to convert you to Buddhism; many parts of Buddhism can be seen as nonreligious and more as a set of philosophies about how to treat living beings, with practices to incorporate into your daily life, such as meditation and mindfulness.

This is a beginners guide but includes quotes and resources to guide you towards more advanced Buddhist teachings and writings if you wish to develop your own study of Buddhism further.

While this book is short, you should not rush through or try to finish it quickly.

We live very busy lives, and you may be reading this on the way to work, on a train or bus (hopefully not while driving a car), or you may be on your computer, trying to read this book while you are doing other things.

This book covers mindfulness, and you can incorporate mindful practices when reading this book by not being distracted by Facebook, emails, TV, notifications, radio, conversations, or browsing the internet while reading.

You can practice mindful reading by taking the time to sit in a quiet space inside or in nature and read.

If you are on a train or feel you dont have the time to sit and read this book, then you can just be mindful not to change between apps or websites while reading, focusing on reading it in your head, concentrating on each sentence and trying not to let your mind wander to other thoughts while reading.

Thank you again for your purchase, and I hope you enjoy reading this and learn something from it.

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. The Buddha

My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.

The Dalai Lama

However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act upon them?

The Buddha

While Buddhism is considered a religion, its beliefs and practices differentiate it from other religions, and it is often seen more like a set of philosophies than a religion.

You can follow the teaching and practices of Buddhism and still follow and practice the teachings of other religions. There are many Buddhist Christians that also follow the teaching of Jesus and celebrate Christmas and other Christian festivals.

Likewise, there are also many Buddhist atheists that dont believe in a spiritual deity but follow the practices of Buddhism.

Better than worshipping gods is obedience to the laws of righteousness. The Buddha

Buddhism doesnt fit directly into a category like many other religions. The Buddha stated he just taught the way things are, and his followers should not blindly believe his teachings purely on faith. The Buddha encourages each person to examine each teaching for themselves to see if they are true.

The Buddha understood that as science, knowledge, and wisdom progress, the teachings must be tested again against this new knowledge to see if they still hold true.

Some teachings and practices have been proven to be relevant today, as science can verify with studies and brain scans the benefits of practices such as meditation and gratitude.

Practices such as these are also especially applicable in todays hectic modern society, where people are stressed, distracted, unable to focus, calm their thoughts, relax, or take time to themselves to be present in the moment and calm.

Buddhism also isnt a religion in the sense that it doesnt require worship or obedience to an almighty powerful deity that controls the universe and the afterlife or who will punish you for your wrongdoings. The Buddha does not guarantee or promise an afterlife, as we might be familiar with; the Buddha is simply an instructor or teacher.

People may think, if there is no all-powerful God or deity, then there is no reward or punishment for being good or bad. Buddhism teaches that you will not be punished FOR your bad actions, but you will be punished BY your bad actions. We will go into this in more detail later in the book in karma and other teachings.

No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path. The Buddha

There are many variations of Buddhism that would be considered a religion, some variations involving supernatural beliefs. There are also hundreds of millions of people in the world who consider Buddhism to be their religion.

However, at the core of the teachings of Buddhism are principles that anyone can practice, regardless of whether they are religious; for example, not harming other living beings; being aware and mindful of both your thoughts and your actions; striving for understanding; and seeking wisdom and living a moral life.

The Buddha also taught that you should question, obtain knowledge, and always seek the truth aligned with principles of the philosophy. The Buddha wants you to seek the truth, just as he did.

There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting. The Buddha

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.

The Buddha

Buddhism is one of the oldest religions still practiced in the world. It is over 2,500 years old, and its origins can be traced back to the fifth century BC to areas now within Nepal and India.

Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) was born in 563 BC into a royal family in Lumbini, which is today located in Nepal.

In fifth-century ancient India, in the kingdom of Kapilvastu, present-day Nepal, there lived a king called Suddhodana, leader of the Sakya race, and his wife Maya Maha. They conceived and birthed a son whom they named Siddhartha Gautama.

On the day she conceived, Maya said she had a strange dream. In the dream, she saw a white elephant climbing a golden mountain and then a silver one that came towards her carrying a white lotus in its trunk.

The elephant touched her on the right side and dissolved into her womb. When the time came for her to deliver, Maya started the journey back to her fathers land, as was tradition. Before she arrived, her baby boy came. She could not make it back to the land of her father to give birth, so she gave birth under a sal tree.