Theravada Buddhism - An Introduction
Theravada
Buddhism is a discipline in which an individual is engaged
in ascetic practices in order to achieve salvation or liberation (moksha)
for himself by himself. The core of Theravada Buddhist discipline lies
in the eradication of cravings, which is achieved through the practice
of the Noble Eightfold Path. The Theravada Buddhist path can be divided
into three categories: (1) moral conduct, which includes right speech,
right action, right livelihood; (2) mental discipline, which includes
right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration; and (3) intuitive
wisdom, which includes right views and right intentions. To summarize:
One must not commit any harmful or negative action, deed, or thought;
one should discipline the mind and gain control over it; and one should
develop one's inner awareness through contemplation and introspection.
The Theravadans also believe that there is no permanent self or soul, and that an individual is only a combination of what they call the five aggregates (skandhas): matter, sensation, perception, predisposition, and consciousness. Moreover, they believe that as we realize that the self is only a fluctuating state of physical and psychical phenomena, then we can eliminate our egotistical tendencies and attachment to worldly desires. It is through this eradication of ignorance, lustful cravings, and selfish thoughts that one can eliminate karma and repeated rebirths and achieve nirvana.
Buddha's teachings of Theravada are for both monastics and lay persons, with renunciates and householders living in harmony and mutual support for one another. The monastics ensure the continuity of the Vinaya, Buddha's teachings for the uprooting of all greed, aversion, and delusion, and provide spiritual services to the community. By supporting the renunciates and the monastic way of life, householders provide themselves with dharma and meditation teachers.
After the Buddha's Parinibbana (final liberation from the cycle of birth and death), his five hundred living disciples convened as the First Great Council of the Theras ("elders" - from which comes the word Theravada). All of the disciples were Arahants (fully enlightened beings) who met in an effort to preserve the entire body of Buddha's teachings for mankind. The entire body of knowledge preserved by the First Great Council of the Theras, plus its later commentary, comprises over twenty thousand pages known as the Pali Canon and serves as foundation and guide for the Theravadans.
Recommended Reading :
 The
Heart of Buddhist Meditation (Satipatthana): A Handbook of Mental Training
Based on the Buddha's Way of Mindfulness, with an Anthology of Relevant
by Ven. Nyanaponika Thera
 The
Buddhist Religion: A Historical Introduction 3rd ed. by Richard H.
H. Robinson & Willard L. Johnson
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