...Buddhism, with about 365 million followers makes up 6% of the world's population and is the fourth largest religion in the world (exceeded by Christianity, Islam and Hinduism). Buddhism was founded in Northern India in the sixth century by the first Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama when he attained enlightenment. Buddhism is made up three main forms. They are Theravada Buddhism found mainly in Thailand, Burma, Cambodia and Laos, Mahayana Buddhism which is largely found in China, Japan, Korea, Tibet and Mongolia and Vajrayana Buddhism. Gautama Buddha, Siddharta, the prince who found Enlightenment after years of fasting, meditation and having followed the best spiritual teachers of India, When he was twentynine years old, he left the comforts of his home to seek the meaning of the suffering he saw around him. After six years of arduous yogic training, he abandoned the way of self-mortification and instead sat in meditation beneath a bodhi tree. When Buddhists take refuge in the Buddha, are honoring the man who started the whole tradition and taking refuge in the Buddha. Dharma (or Dhamma in Pali) stands for the teachings of Buddhism, or for the practice of the Buddhist Path. And for all of the different branches of Buddhism this is obviously going to include a wide variety of texts and teachings. There are four principle beliefs in Buddhism but, the main two really known are The Four Nobel Truths and The Eightfold Path. The “Four Noble Truths” of Buddhism are: Life means suffering...
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...is a Buddha and a Bodhisattva in both Theravada (early) Buddhism and Mahayana Buddha in early Buddhism is more about philosophy than religion, and This Buddha values individual practices to enlightenment. It includes nuns and monks and accepts women. The Buddha in early Buddhism was a man originally named Siddharta, and he was the son of an Indian king; it was predicted that Siddharta would also be a king in the future. One day, Siddharta was tired of his luxurious prince life and decided to go far away from his common entourage to learn about the real happiness since he did not believe that money, power or luxuries bring happiness to a person. Throughout his adventure, Siddharta came to know that life is suffering because he met tiring old people, sick people, and people going through death. He went on and learned about what causes suffering and what makes end to it; in one word, he learned about the four noble truths and the eightfold path. He became a Buddha (the awaken one) after he meditated and came to enlightenment. This early Buddha showed more reasons through what he experienced to teach others. Contrary to the Buddha in early Buddhism, a Buddha in Mahayana is more about religion. This Buddha valued instant enlightenment, compassion and mindfulness and include many people. Bodhisattva was just mentioned in early Buddhism by the Buddha but was not part of the early Buddhism. It is part of the Mahayana Buddhism. First, as stated in the book “Buddhist Wisdom,” Bodhisattva...
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...Buddhism Eric Regenbogen Akira Shimada Ancient World 12/4/13 Buddhism is a religion based upon the idea that people are responsible for their own liberations form misapprehensions, and to gain enlightenment. Two pivotal time periods are granted acknowledgement for the development of Buddhism. These time periods are known as the Later Vedic era and the Secondary Urbanization period. In the Gangetic Valley around 500-400 BCE, Buddhism along with Jainism began to emerge as prevalent religions. The main features within these non-Vedic religions appealed to the individuals within the Gangetic valley. Buddhism as well as the Non-Vedic religions seemed to flourish in this region because of their rejections to the Vedic religions and its acceptance of Urbanization. The first time period that was mentioned was know as the Later Vedic period. This era took place around 1000-500 BCE and put an emphasis on a more settled lifestyle leaving behind the nomadic way of life previously practiced in the early Vedic era. During this time period people practiced a non-urban lifestyle in which they lived in villages (Course, Reading, “Theravāda Buddhism,”). Around 1000-800 BCE iron began to be used more frequently, allowing the intensification of plough agriculture and increasing the surplus from cultivation. Rice and barley were the main source of food grown during this era (Course, Reading, “Theravāda Buddhism,”). Long distance trade started to develop stimulating the finding of new land...
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...Buddhism versus Jainism Darryn C. Greene Strayer University World Religions 212 Professor Veronica Slater January 24, 2014 | The beliefs of Buddhism and Jainism follow similar paths but do have conflicting principles that makes them both very unique in their own way. The key creators of Buddhism and Jainism, Guatama and Mahavira, were contemporaries that came from the same social class. Their upbringings were so closely tied which may explain why the religions share similar doctrines. Most historians agree that Buddhism originated in northern India in the 5th century B.C.E. The tradition traces its origin to Siddhartha Gautama (or Gotama), who is typically referred to as the Buddha (literally the "Awakened" or "Enlightened One"). Siddhartha observed the suffering in the world and set out to find an antidote. Gautama Buddha, the originator of Buddhism, was born in 563 BC in the reigning Kshatriya family of the Lichhavi tribe in Lumbini, in the foothills of Nepal. His father was the Chief of this tribe. It was prophesized that Gautama (who was named Siddharth) would become a saint and renounce the world. Therefore, his father took all possible care to keep Gautama in a palace full of luxuries and comfort. The preaching of Lord Buddha revolves around attaining salvation from worldly sufferings, universal brotherhood, peace and non-violence. | Gautama Buddha during his reign discarded the Vedic Brahmanical system, which separated the society into many castes and...
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...Buddhism Presentation: Zen Buddhism Chiffon Anderson REL/133 Deborah Wilkinson February 23, 2015 Buddhism Presentation: Zen Buddhism The religion of Buddhism started in the country of India around the fifth century BCE. Buddhism is known as a noneistic religion or as dharma which is the right way of living. Buddhism has a number of traditions, practices and beliefs all largely attributed t Siddhartha Gautama or Buddha “the awakened one.” The ultimate goal of Buddhism is to attain nirvana by practicing the middle way or the Noble Eightfold Path. Zen Buddhism became popular in China, Korea, and Japan and it puts stress on deep meditation. Zen Buddhism puts stress also on scriptures than other forms of Buddhism and focuses on direct spiritual break through to truth. HISTORY OF BUDDHISM Buddhism started in the country of India around the fifth century BCE. The religion of Buddhism encompasses a variety of beliefs, traditions, and practices all taught by their religious leader Buddha. Buddhism believes in samsara, karma, and rebirth. Samsara which is the continual repetitive sequences of birth and death. Karma within Buddhism is a life force that drives samsara; this is the sequences of suffering and rebirth for each person. Karma is also the action of the body, speech, and mind that comes from mental intent and brings forth the penalty or result. Reincarnation or rebirth is the process where the individual being goes through a series of lifetimes as one of many...
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...Running head: THERAVADA BUDDHISM SCHOOL Theravada Buddhism School Ashleigh Sizemore REL/133 Mr. Calvin Habig May 4, 2015 Theravada Buddhism School Buddhism has over hundreds of million followers. The word Budi comes from when Buddha was awakened over 2,000 years ago. This is when Prince Siddhartha also went off to seek the world at 35 years old. Prince Siddhartha was a very sheltered prince who had no idea about the dangers of this world all he knew was bliss. He witnesses a series of events that open his eyes and made him leave his safety net even though is father wanted to keep him deep in pleasure his was the king of the entire world and try everything not to lose his son. Buddhism recognises no creeds whose uncritical acceptance is expected of its followers. Instead the Buddha enunciated certain basic laws and truths whose veracity he invited his followers to test for themselves (Gunasekara, V). One of the traditional epithets of the Dhamma is"ehipassiko"(meaning literally"come and see") which is an appeal to the empirical verification of the Dhamma (Gunasekara,V). The basic teachings of Buddhism are the Four Noble Truths which are: There is Suffering, Suffering is common to all. 2. Cause of Suffering We are the cause of our suffering 3. End of Suffering Stop doing what causes suffering 4. Path to end Suffering Everyone can be enlightened The Buddhadid not deny that there is happiness in life, but he pointed out it does not last forever. Eventually everyone meets with some...
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...Buddhism Deriving from India as early as the 6th century BC Buddhism is one of the worlds oldest religions. Buddhism has been and still is one of the world’s most popular religions with about 350 million followers ranking just below Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. There is no surprise in the amount of followers that Buddhism has considering it has been around for so long and wouldn’t be able to stay a religion so long without loyal adherents. Buddhism is based off of the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, a royal prince born in Nepal. Siddhartha Gautama is also known as the Buddha or in other words “the awakened one”. The Buddha was believed to be enlightened teacher who believed it was best to live in the moment. As said by the Buddha “The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.” Buddhists who would follow his teachings did so to escape their suffering. To escape their suffering they would have to achieve the state of nirvana. To achieve nirvana the Buddhists must first understand The Four Noble Truths and then practice the Eightfold Path. Buddhism believes in three main ideas when it comes to life and the rest of the world: Samsara, Karma, and Rebirth. Samsara is when a person continually goes through birth, life and death while cycling through the six realms of existence while doing so. Samsara causes suffering and unhappiness, which is the purpose of it because...
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...Buddhism Buddhism is a way of life that exceeds beyond religion. The word Buddhism is derived from “budhi,” meaning “to awaken.” (A Basic Buddhism Guide) Siddhartha Gotama, Buddha, realized that wealth and luxury did not guarantee happiness; therefore, he explored different religions and philosophies in search of the key to human happiness. Siddhartha Gotama continued his exploration for six years until he was enlightened. Once enlightened, the Buddha spent the rest of his life teaching the principles of Buddhism. Buddhism encompasses Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. The first noble truth is life is suffering. Life includes pain, illness, death, and many other irrefutable facts that cannot be denied. Buddhism focuses...
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...and Ethnic Diversity Paper Buddhism is a religion that has fascinated me for many years. I do not claim to be affiliated with any specific organized religion, but I do however, enjoy educating myself about the many different religions that we as humans have become so reliant on. I mean absolutely no disrespect, nor do I mean to trivialize the teachings of any religion, but I will say that Buddhism is one that I can relate to more so than most. Buddhism is a religion f oneness and compassion. Buddhist teachings consist of messages that encourages its followers to “Cease all unwholesome conduct, do only what is good, and purify your mind.” (Shr Heng Lyu, 2012). It is a religion who’s foundation is based on four basic truths, they are: that life is full of suffering, that there is a cause of this suffering, it is possible to stop suffering, and there is a way to extinguish suffering (Aich, 2013). With this being said, you would think that Buddhism would be above prejudice, discrimination, and persecution, sadly this is not the case. There are several types of Buddhism, but for the sake of this assignment I will restrict myself to speaking of Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism. Most sects of Buddhism is also closely intertwined with Asian cultures, but that is something that I will discuss a little later. Buddhism differs from other religions in many ways, but the one that sticks out to me the most is that the religious rituals associated with Buddhism are more about respect of their...
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...Buddhism The religion of Buddhism has approximately 370 million followers worldwide, but it all started with one man. His name was Siddhartha Gautama but he is better known as The Buddha which means enlightened one in Sanskrit. Before he became the Buddha, Siddhartha lead an extravagant life as the son of an Indian warrior king. But eventually he got bored of his glamorous life and wandered off into the world in search of understanding. During his journey he met a sick old man a realized that everything leads to suffering. Then he gave up his royal life and became a monk and deprived himself of worldly possessions so that he could understand the truth of the world around him. He achieved this understanding while meditation under a tree. He finally understood how live a without suffering and ultimately how to achieve salvation. After his discovery he spent the rest of his life journeying across India teaching other what he had come to understand. Buddhism has several different texts. One of them is the Tripitaka which means the three baskets. The baskets are divided up by subject matter. The first basket is the Discipline Basket which set rules and guidelines for followers living the life of the Sangha. First it focuses on the 227 regulations for monks. These concern everything from basic morality to robe making. There are additional rules for nuns and for the interaction of monks and nuns. The second basket is the Discourse Basket which contains records of...
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..."Buddhism, in its origin at least is an offshoot of Hinduism." -S.Rahdhakrishnan Hinduism and Buddhism are two of the world’s largest and most influential religions. Both religions originated in the Asian country of India, and thus stem from a similar culture as well as philosophy. While contrasting greatly with the monotheistic religions of the West, Hinduism and Buddhism also contrast greatly with each other. Although similar in respect to general philosophy, the two faiths differ markedly on matters of social structure. The two religions also contrast in that Hinduism omits and Buddhism emphasizes individual freedom to progress spiritually and socially in the current life. By comparing the two traditions, one can unambiguously see why it is that Hinduism has proved the more unwavering and Buddhism the more humanitarian philosophy. Hinduism and Buddhism are more philosophical than doctrinal. Both exhort and encourage an all-encompassing way of life and define existence itself. For instance, the essential Hindu concept defining the individual and humanity’s responsibilities is called dharma. An intricate term, dharma is conceptually one’s sense of obligation. One must fulfill his role in society and the world. Such responsibilities include procreation and caste duties, but extend into the philosophical realm of peaceful and humble acceptance of one’s position...
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...The Heart of Buddhism Buddhism is one of the oldest religions of the world today. Many persons associate it with a very fat man and a huge belly and a very wide smile, however this is just one of the many faces of Buddha. Globally there has been an increase in practices of this faith mainly due to the fact that it promotes peace and healthy living. Buddhist do not believe in violence and ensures person apply others before themselves. The history of Buddhism begins in India and it has now spread to a vast majority of other countries within the world today. The heart of Buddhism is to allow oneself to suffer and through that suffering truth can then be attained; it is though suffering which allows individuals to understand others as well as themselves. Figures such as the Dalai Lama have helped to put a spotlight on the religion and the views which are held within the belief. It’s surprising because this religion developed from a simple form of teachings into a very sophisticated for of beliefs and way of life. It can be noted that the development of Buddhism into a diverse religion was inevitable. Many of the controversies that surround Buddhism today are the fact that this religion does not see itself viable or loyal to one deity. People in religious circles argue this validity because religion is essentially based on the deity or deities that they follow. Buddhism has various forms of teaching that tend to improve the sensibility of those who practice it and help them to...
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...Buddhism Worksheet Write a 1- to 2-paragraph response for each of the following. 1. Explain the basic Buddhist teachings including the three marks of reality, the Four Noble Truths, and the Noble Eightfold Path. The three marks of reality are change, no permanent identity, and suffering. Buddha recommended that people look at life as it really is; life is full of impermanence, or constant change. Buddha also urged people to abandon egotism and a fixation on material objects. He denied the existence of the permanent identity of anything. The third characteristic of reality is suffering; meaning that life can never be fully satisfying because of inescapable change. It encompasses the whole range, from horrible suffering to everyday frustration. The Four Noble Truths are a linked chain of truths about life. They are as follows: 1. Suffering exists. 2. It has a cause. 3. It has an end. 4. There is a way to attain release from suffering; specifically, by following the Noble Eightfold Path, (Michael Molloy, 2010). The First Noble Truth: To Live is to Suffer The Second Noble Truth: Suffering Comes from Desire The Third Noble Truth: To End Suffering, End Desire The Fourth Noble Truth: Release from Suffering is Possible and Can Be Attained by Following the Noble Eightfold Path. The eight steps of the path form a program that the Buddha taught that will lead those who follow it toward liberation from the impermanence and suffering of reality, (Michael...
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...Tamika Harrison Doug Dorman Comparative Religion March 20, 2013 Buddhism Buddhism, one of the fastest growing religions in the world, is also one of the oldest and has influenced many cultures of Asia and followers in the west (Alldritt 4). Buddhism is the fourth largest religion following Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism, and has over 376 million followers (Robinson). In Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Japan, Mongolia and Taiwan, Buddhism is the majority religion. China, which is primarily atheist, has many people that adhere to the Buddhist beliefs (Wangu, O’Brien, and Palmer 8). The percentage of Buddhism’s practice is quickly increasing in the United States population. Some estimate that up to 3 million are practicing in the US. But India, around 500 B.C.E., is where it all began and flourished (Alldritt 5). During this time, India was in a state of religious ferment which led people to experiment with meditation, deep breathing and to study with gurus (Molloy 125). Buddhism emphasizes on personal enlightenment as opposed to an eternal salvation from a higher being. The Buddha is not a god, but a human being that was acknowledged and respected for providing the knowledge on happiness within one self and concern for all living things (Robinson). In this report, I will discuss how Buddhism originated, its major forms, beliefs and teachings and the question of it being a true religion or philosophy of life. Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, or the awakened one,...
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...told by a holy man that his son would either be would be either a great military conqueror or a great spiritual teacher. Upon hearing that, the King decided to raise his son in a life of luxury and shield him from religion and the knowledge of human suffering. He did this because he wanted his son to be a ruler, not a spiritual leader. After twenty-nine years of knowing very little about what went on outside of his kingdom, he decided to step outside his kingdom and see what the outside world was like. He saw suffering all around him and was sickened by it. After awhile the Price saw a wandering ascetic. The Prince’s chariot driver explained that the ascetic was person who had renounced the world and wanted freedom from fear of death and suffering. After returning to his kingdom, he was unhappy. The life he once was content with made him unhappy and he couldn’t go on living ignorantly after being exposed to human suffering. One night, he left the palace so set out on his journey to find enlightenment. Siddhartha began his journey by seeking the teachings of philosophers. The philosopher’s taught him how to mediate and information about different religions, like Hinduism. The Prince also tried to find release from human suffering by physical self-discipline. Siddhartha would hold his breath for periods of time. He would only eat one grain of rice and one drop of water each day, be became starved and malnourished. After the teachers taught him all that they knew, the Price still...
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