Dharma Rain Zen Center - Buddhism - Practice

Our Practice

Buddhism

Enso
The religious tradition called “Buddhism” began in 588 B.C.E. with a man named Siddhartha Gotama, heir to the throne of the Shakya clan. He was born a prince, but came to feel that the power, riches, and duty of kingship that were to be his inheritance were a great burden. So he renounced his position, fled the palace, and took to the forest on a religious quest. His one desire was to find the cause of suffering, and a way to cure it.

After many years of ascetic practice, he realized he was no closer to answering these basic questions about life, or satisfying his deep spiritual need to understand suffering. Concluding that the truth was not to be found in extremes of self-indulgence or self-denial, he resolved to follow a middle path. In time he experienced a great awakening, called enlightenment, and began to teach. Thereafter he was called Buddha (“awakened one”) Shakyamuni (“sage of the Shakya clan”).

The experience of enlightenment, and the compassionate wisdom cultivated during his years of training, formed the base of his philosophy. He taught the role of wisdom, compassion and morality as the basis of an enlightened life, and have supplied inspiration to Buddhists for more than 25 centuries.

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