ABSTRACT
Buddhism provides a unique vehicle for transformation; it allows for the practice of one’s own faith tradition alongside the teachings and practice of Buddha. Buddhism teaches us to utilize the consciousness as a tool of transformation and service. Buddhism developed in current day northeast India in response to a growing merchant class, emerging cultural diversity, and the challenging of traditional axioms and religious beliefs. The Buddha’s great revelation transformed Hinduism through the emphasis of ethics, rejection of the caste system, and declaration of the Hindu gods as useless in the quest for enlightenment. The first teaching of Buddha, the Four Noble Truths, were and continue to be revolutionary in their ability to restore well-being and liberate one from suffering. Right Mindfulness is the heart of the Buddha’s teaching from which all others radiate. “To cultivate mindfulness in ourselves is to cultivate the Buddha within, to cultivate the Holy Spirit”.
