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Buddhism evolved out of the complex faith and practice of Hinduism. The Hindu idea that each man leads life after life on an endlessly turning wheel of suffering determined by one's past actions (karma) was assumed by Buddha. The way to escape the turning, he taught, was a practical procedure, uncluttered by theology, liturgy or a pantheon of gods: what held one to the wheel was the ever-changing attraction and repulsion that the self experiences for the things and happenings of the world; the resolute practice of detachment on the one hand, and heightened awareness on the other, could set one free.
Buddha epitomized the human situation in the Four Noble Truths: 1) suffering is universal, 2) the cause of suffering is desire, 3) the cure is the elimination of desire, 4) desire can be eliminated by following the Noble Eightfold Path. The Path: 1) Right knowledge, 2) Right intention, 3) Right speech, 4) Right conduct, 5) Right livelihood, 6) Right effort, 7) Right mindfulness, 8) Right concentration. At the end is nirvana. But Buddha, who talked not at all of God, refused ever to go into details about what is meant by nirvana. His dying words underlined his emphasis on human effort rather than on grace or magic: "Work out your salvation with diligence."
In a Cave. This week in Rangoon, 500 monks chanted through the last of 1,600 hours of reciting aloud the 14,804 pages of the Tipitakas,† the Buddhist scriptures. They sat in a "cave"—a vast jumble of rough boulders on the outside, and a blue, gold and scarlet auditorium within (capacity: 15,000), which was built by Burma's devout Premier U Nu to house the Sixth Buddhist World Council (TIME, June 7, 1954). The council has been going on for two years in this facsimile of a real cave (where the first council was held in 483 B.C.). The monks' chant will end next week on Visakha, the day of the full moon that denotes the end of the 2,500th year since Buddha died at the age of 80.
†"The Three Baskets": 1) Vinaya, the monks' rule of discipline, 2) Sutta, sermons, commentaries and parables, 3) Abhidhamma, metaphysics, psychology and philosophy.
*Buddhists in Thailand. Cambodia and Laos go by a slightly different calendar, will celebrate the 2,500th anniversary next year. Buddhists in China, Japan and Korea, forming the large Mahayana branch of the religion, go by a vastly different calendar, mark this year as the 2,983rd anniversary.
*Great bronze statue at Kamakura, Japan.