WESAK, THE BUDDHA'S DAY 

       The Buddha, according to some sects, dismissed outright the existence of the soul, insisting that only the mind exists. The end of existence, these Buddhists claim, is to become one with the Cosmic Mind, overcoming all delusions concerning our present "reality." This idea is controversial, as Gautama (the Buddha) taught different doctrines at different stages of his teachings to his students at that time. Then he would stop teaching for a period of time, and the students left him. These teachings later became different sects of Buddhism. Because of this, there are entire schools of Buddhism (Hinayana, Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana) with widely divergent teachings.

       Because these teachings did not rely on Brahmin priests to act as a conduit to God through secret mantra and ritual (Hinayama and Theravada do not include any mantra teachings), it undermined the priests' job security. The fact that each individual could reach their own enlightenment through personal effort (rather than by supplication to Rama or Krishna through the person of the priest) was considered the highest heresy.

     The advent of Buddhism allowed for the breakdown of what had become a corrupt priesthood, allowing the knowledge once available only to a secret cabal to become accessible to the people once again. Those who sought power through control of spiritual mysteries lost their followers once they received the message that such methods were largely unnecessary. Those who were true priests and devotees of God continued a life of service, while those greedy for more mostly left the priesthood in search of other pathways to wealth, power or fame.

    There are, however, certain kernels of commonality containing valuable and important truths within each Buddhist sect.  

     Among the religions of the world, Buddhism is the Divine Psychology. As Namadeva Acharya/Thomas Ashley-Farrand writes:    

"[Buddhism] allows for an individual to take complete responsibility for the earthly predicament in which one finds oneself and develop a strategy and a method of extrication from the predicament. The mind is directly confronted with all its vagaries. So complete is the Buddhist approach that the mind has no place

   The Eightfold Path and Four Noble Truths of Buddhism present the central beliefs of Buddhism and outline the approach to balance life and eliminate the attachment to desires which are at the root of all suffering.

The Four Noble Truths:

All existence as we know it is suffering.

Misery is rooted in ignorant craving or desire.

Misery can be abolished by eliminating ignorant craving or desire.

This elimination can be accomplished by following the Eightfold Path.

The Eightfold Path: 

1. Right Understanding
2. Right Mindfulness
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Meditation
8. Right Emancipation.

     Because these beliefs gained much popularity in India, some Brahmin priests adopted the idea of the Buddha as an avatar of Vishnu. They, as Namadeva Acharya writes, "wanted to hitch their wagons to a rising star."

       Although the Buddha claimed in his early teachings that the tools of religion (ceremony and mantra) were not necessary (later teaching them to a small group before his long life ended,) this was likely a misdirection used to break down a corrupt system and lead to a breakthrough for the human species by forcing people to take on a new spiritual responsibility. The "roots of spiritual power," as Namadeva Acharya calls them, are unchanging. "Mantra and ceremony still are called upon when nothing but the scientifically applied use of ancient mantras and ritual power will do. The Buddha, as the ninth avatar of Vishnu, knew this, and earned his title of "The Great Deceiver." Sometimes the path of misdirection is necessary for us to reach our ultimate enlightenment.