Like in Hinduism, is there any teaching on the stages of life in Buddhism ?
P.S. Answers for this question will be great "Dhamma gifts" for my upcoming Birth day.
1 Answer
There really isn't anything quite like ashrama in Buddhism, at least as it applies to an individual person's life. Buddhism takes a simple view that one is born, lives, and then dies, within a cycle of saṃsāra (a belief shared with Hinduism). Within the context of that life, one is either awakened or one isn't.
I think it's interesting, since Buddhism defines many other "stages" involving aspects of life (just not about life itself):
- Four stages of enlightenment
- Stages along the path to liberation (in Tibetan Buddhism)
- Jhāna stages of meditation
- Seven stages of purification
- Seven stages of mind training (in Tibetan Buddhism)
Also: Happy birthday!
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1Great answer! Along the same thoughts I had when looking at the question! Commented Nov 12, 2015 at 3:41