...in Bodh Gaya (about 100 km (62 mi) from Patna in the Indian state of Bihar), under which Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher later known as Gautama Buddha, is said to have achieved enlightenment, or Bodhi. In religious iconography, the Bodhi tree is recognizable by its heart-shaped leaves, which are usually prominently displayed. The term "Bodhi Tree" is also widely applied to currently existing trees, particularly the Sacred Fig growing at the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya, which is a direct descendant planted in 288 BC from the original specimen. This tree is a frequent destination for pilgrims, being the most important of the four main Buddhist pilgrimage sites. Other holy Bodhi trees which have a great significance in the history of Buddhism are the Anandabodhi tree inSravasti and the Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Both are believed to have been propagated from the original Bodhi tree. The Bodhi tree at the Mahabodhi Temple is called the Sri Maha Bodhi. According to Buddhist texts the Buddha, after his Enlightenment, spent a whole week in front of the tree, standing with unblinking eyes, gazing at it with gratitude. A shrine, called Animisalocana cetiya, was later erected on the spot where he stood.The spot was used as a shrine even in the lifetime of the Buddha. King Asoka was most diligent in paying homage to the Bodhi tree, and held a festival every year in its honour in the month of Kattika.[3] His queen, Tissarakkhā was jealous of the Tree, and three years...
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...Jennifer Villalobos Professor Miles REL 2011- Analysis and Interpretation of Religion October 17, 2011 Buddhism A Whole New World History and Origin When we speak of Buddhism we visualize a monk in an orange robe but there is so much more than that. Buddhism in my opinion is a way of life and not just a religion. The founder of Buddhism was a man named Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha said that there were four noble truths and that the only way to save ourselves from suffering was to follow the eightfold path. Siddhartha’s teaching was to help us reach the ultimate goal “enlightment (nirvana), freedom from the cycle of conditioned existence”. It all started with the birth of a child named Siddhartha Gautama who later on is known as the Buddha. Siddhartha was born around present day Lumbini, Nepal around 563 BCE he was born into a wealthy family and was a prince of the Sakya Clan. Siddhartha was raised by his aunt who was his father’s second wife because his mother died when he was seven days old. It is believed that when Siddhartha was a baby a holy man said that he would be either a great politician and unite India or he would be a great religious leader. Siddhartha lived a life of luxury and his father was very careful as to block all negative things from Siddhartha’s sight. His father did not want him to see old age, sickness, death, and a monk. The holy man had warned him that if Siddhartha say all these signs he would become a religious leader. When Siddhartha was...
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...Name: Institution: Course: Tutor: Date: How did Buddhism change over the century in India? Introduction Even though there are numerous traditional religions in the Middle East and specifically in India, Buddhism has stood out as the most popular of all. This religion is recorded as having a history of approximately two thousand five hundred years. There are numerous attributes associated with this religion. One of these attributed, as stated by Duiker and Spielvogel, is that it is flexible and adapts freely to numerous local perceptions, practices and beliefs while at the same time upholding the core teachings of Buddha (p. 556). Buddhism is believed to have grown from a very humble beginning to become one of the internationally recognized religions. This religion enjoys a huge geographical coverage which is largely attributed to its tolerant spirit, incorporation of a myriad of beliefs, practices and traditions. The popularity of Buddhism has been growing significantly ever since it was established. Currently the religion is believed o have a global following totaling to over 400 million people. This implies that Buddhism is no longer a preserve of beliefs and practices for some local people in Asia. It has turned out to be a means of fulfillment to the concerns and spiritual needs of the people as well as a way of attaining trans-local objectives. Most of the studies carried out on the subject of Buddhism have revealed that this religion has undergone numerous transformations...
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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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...Research Paper Topic: Buddhism Michael Kolbe July 21, 2010 Research Paper Religions of the World MW 6:00-9:15 Abstract/Thesis: The Religion Buddhism comes from the story of Gautama Siddhartha. Siddhartha was prophesized to be a world ruler or a spiritual leader, and despite his parents attempts to facilitate the former he chose the latter. It was originally founded in India, but spread to other parts of Asia, Including China and Japan. In China and Japan the differences in culture force Buddhism to be changed slightly in some cases and a little more in others. Bothe China and Japan have started schools/sects that differ from the original Buddhism. In this paper I will explain the teachings and Origin of Buddhism and briefly describe some of the schools/sects that have sprouted up in China and Japan. After describing these schools/sects I will compare them and their principals to those of the original Buddhist teachings from India. This paper will describe how Buddhism spread across Asia and became known as a religion rather than just teachings. Buddhism is a Religion, founded in India, which came from the teachings of Gautama Siddhartha or “the Buddha”. Although no missionary movements were developed, Buddhism was still spread around Asia. The spread occurred because of Shakyamuni Buddha, who was a teacher. He traveled around to different kingdoms sharing his teachings to those that would listen. (The Spread of Buddhism in Asia 1) Even though he instructed...
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...BUDDHISM Hongpei Lu ELP 600 Julie Kidder 12/8/2012 Buddhism Buddhism is a major global religion with a really complex history and system of beliefs; there are almost 350 million Buddhists around the world which makes Buddhism the fourth largest of the world's religions. It has its origins about 2,500 years ago and Buddhism is a religion based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who lived about 25 centuries ago in what is now Nepal and northeastern India. He came to be called “the Buddha”, which means “awakened one”, after he experienced a profound realization of the nature of life, death and existence. In English, the Buddha was said to be enlightened, although in Sanskrit it is ‘Bodhi’ means "awakened." Buddhism is divided into two major branches: Theravada, the Way of the Elders, and Mahayana, the Great Vehicle. Buddhism is now prevalent in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, and in China, Japan, Taiwan, Tibet, Nepal, Mongolia, Korea, and Vietnam, and India. As the time go, the number of Buddhists is increasing everyday. Origin of Buddhism Buddhism is a popular religion. Many people in many countries practice it. Buddhism has a long history. 2500 years ago,Buddhism originated from north-east India.It became the most important religious parts of Asia. Buddhisms’ spread to most countries in the world in the 20th centry. It is very helpful to understand the beginning view of the development of the Buddhism,especially to know the aspects...
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...The Influence of the Buddhism Expansion on the Creation of Languages In the third century B.C.E., Buddhism appeared in ancient China. But it was not until later in the first century A.D. that there was more of a regularity in the religion being practiced. Buddhism was greatly and strongly opposed by the Taoists, another religion occupying China at the time. However, over the course of many centuries, the two religions began to coexist without to much aggression towards each other. Over time, both religions also began to borrow ideas from one another. According to the philosopher Chu Hsi, “Buddhism stole the best features of Taoism; Taoism stole the worst features of Buddhism. It is as though one took a jewel from the other, and the loser recouped the loss with a stone.” Nevertheless, both religions and later Christianity expanded throughout China, and eventually made their way along with explorers and warriors into modern day North Korea, South Korea, and then into Japan. The languages throughout these four countries developed along with the religions, proving that the spread of Buddhism, Taoism, and Christianity throughout China and the surrounding countries was a great influence on the creation of the modern day Korean and Japanese languages and writing systems. The Japanese language had no writing system prior to the introduction of the Chinese writing system, originally used by Chinese people who lived in Japan during the early Christian era. Educated Japanese scholars...
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...I. Modern Buddhism is a resilient religion that differs much from modern Seventh-Day Adventists; but, there are some similarities between the two religions. II. History of Buddhism A. Buddhism originated in northern India in the 5th century B.C.E 1. . Buddhism is an offshoot of Hinduism and is a ‘Dharmic’ religion. a. The (Buddhism) tradition traces its origin to Siddhartha Gautama (or Gotama), who is typically referred to as the Buddha (literally the "Awakened" or "Enlightened One"). i. Siddhartha observed the suffering in the world and set out to find an antidote. ii. Through meditation and analysis, he attained an enlightened state of being that marked the end of attachments (and therefore suffering), and ultimately, upon his death, release from the cycle of rebirth (samsara). b. The Buddhist canon consists of a vast corpus of texts that cover philosophical, devotional, and monastic matters. 2. There are currently three major branches of the tradition — the Theravada ("Doctrine of the Elders"), the Mahayana ("Great Vehicle), and the Vajrayana ("Diamond Vehicle," often simply called "Tibetan Buddhism") B. Concept of deity(s) and Practices 1. Instead of deities, Devas or celestial beings are accepted as those suffering in the samsara. 2. Buddhists practice Threefold Training: Morality, Concentration...
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...family and kinship arrangements, or other indices of social differentiation, to fully appreciate the complex history of Asia.’ The area known to us as Asia sits on the eastern side of the landmass of Eurasia and is the largest continent, encompassing a staggering 17 million square miles. Asia is home to a variety of cultures, religions, governments and mindsets, giving it a wide base for a complex history involving largely different groups of people. These different groups, or ethnicities, all formed their own histories over time, which when combined together give Asia more than one past, they arise into an intricate and comprehensive history fashioned by a diversity of experiences. Therefore, there is no ‘single’ Asian past; we must delve into each single experience to gain insight into the prolific and wide ranging history that gathers under the one banner of ‘Asia’. Each country within Asia has its own geographic links to other nations and cultures. These links were expanded on by exploration, trade routes and missionary ventures. These vital networks allowed cultural influences to travel from country to country, resulting in each nation in Asia receiving different influences from the next. In turn, this led to widespread variety amongst individual countries. These networks were invaluable to allow the able interaction of cultures, and formed the groundwork for a history of communication. Each society within Asia was built on and shaped by the foundations of its own class...
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...By the time Buddhism entered Japan in the sixth century C.E., it had already become a world religion with a history of a thousand years. The form of Buddhism that from the start was dominant in Japan is known as Mahayana, the Buddhism of the Greater Vehicle, and it brought with it an enormous canon of religious literature, an elaborate body of doctrine, a well-organized priesthood, and a dazzling tradition of religious art and architecture - all of which Shintô lacked in the sixth century. Although its view of the world and mankind differed markedly from that of Shintô, it is important to understand that within the teachings of Mahayana Buddhism both differences from and similarities to the native tradition could be found. On the one hand, for example, Buddhism regarded the world as transient and saw it as a source of suffering for those who remained attached to it, a view that contrasts sharply with Shintô's ready acceptance of the world. On the other hand, however, there was an optimism in Mahayana Buddhism that meshed well with Shintô - an optimism about human nature, for it was committed to the belief that all human beings had the potential to attain the wisdom that brings an end to suffering, and an ultimate optimism about the world itself, since it taught that once human attachments are discarded, the world takes on a new and positive significance. At first the Japanese regarded the Buddha as simply another kami and were drawn to the religion by the beauty of its art...
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...Maria Salazar Relg. 335 June 4, 2012 Buddhism Reading Report Religions have set rules and ways of living for civilizations for thousands of years. Among some of the greatest existing religions now is Buddhism. Buddhism for many is now a way of life that makes no distinction between an individual and its environment. The Dharma or Buddha’s teachings like stated in The Buddha’s Early Life reading, dictate to treat others with patience and compassion whether at home or out in the world with strangers. Since one’s happiness and living conditions are the product of each individual’s actions. In an excerpt from the Digha Nikaya 31, a Buddhist scripture from the Sutta Pikata that forms part of Theravada Buddhism a depiction of what makes a goof wife and husband is presented. The duties explained present no hierarchy among husband or wife and call for acceptance and emotional equality, for a merrier household. Although, this excerpt contradicts with historical views on gender roles presented in various Buddhist readings, it presents a more realistic depiction of gender roles in Buddhism today. It is important to note the excerpt from the Digha Nikaya 31, forms part of Theravada Buddhism that was essentially practiced centuries ago back in the time of the Buddha. One can argue societies back then were more conservative than contemporary societies yet the following quote demonstrates exceedingly contemporary words of advice, “ In five ways should a husband minister his...
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...Unit 7 The Spread of Religions Section 1 Unit Materials Questions To Consider Question 1. How did Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam spread across the world, and why are they practiced so far from their origins? Question 2. How did these three major world religions change and adapt to diverse cultural circumstances? Question 3. Why did Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam emerge when and where they did? Question 4. How did Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam interact with, provide justification for, and conflict with various states and empires in Afro-Eurasia? The Big Picture How is this topic related to Increasing Integration? As Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam spread across the borders and frontiers of Afro-Eurasia, they integrated diverse peoples by means of a common religion. How is this topic related to Proliferating Difference? The spread of Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam introduced new beliefs and practices to a wide variety of peoples. These beliefs and practices were often quite different from indigenous religions. In addition, indigenous beliefs and practices often changed the new religions as they adapted to local conditions. These changes frequently resulted in the development of different sects within the new religions. Unit Purpose ß Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam spread across borders and frontiers as a result of missionaries, pilgrims, and trade. Each of these three major world religions changed over time, and all served as elements of change in the societies...
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...History of Religion Thursday, December 18, 2014 Monasteries. Most of the major religions have them in one form or another, but two religions stand out in their wide-scale use above the rest. These two religions are Christianity and Buddhism. In an idyllic situation, there are definite similarities in the lives of the monks and nuns who dedicate themselves to the monasteries* of both religions. History shows us that the reality of what was practiced in the respective institutions of these two religions was often very different. There are, however, many differences in daily monastic life for Christians and Buddhists, but the greatest differences became manifest in what the ultimate goals of those monks and nuns who practiced monastic life in the name of Christianity and Buddhism. In both Christian and Buddhist tradition monastic life is defined as having a cloistered existence, forsaking normal life and taking religious vows. In both traditions, the vows that are taken are meant to be binding for life. In the case of some types of Buddhism most of these vows are to be kept even if one leaves monastic life, and in Christianity monastic vows are only a more specific reaffirmation of the vows taken by all Christians when they are baptized.[1] More specifically, Christians vow to reject Satan and to accept Christ, and monks do this for a second time when they receive the rite of tonsure, which is why this rite is often called the second baptism. The rite of tonsure...
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...Religion China’s history has been full of richness of culture, mainly due to how they progressed with philosophy and religion. Since the beginning of the Chinese’s civilization philosophy and religion has been at the forefront of Chinese culture. From the ancient oracle bones and bronze inscriptions to the development of different schools of thought, the Chinese have always been adept for the time period in philosophy and religion. And over the course of their history they have combined the two in a manner that suits their needs, through this evolution and combination of the two they have become a strong nation. Oracle bones were the corner stone of the early Chinese dynasties such as the Shang from around 1200-1050 B.C (Shang pg. 1). In one of the articles it attempts to explain the use of these bones by saying that the kings of the Shang Dynasty would “attempt to communicate with the spiritual forces that ruled their world by reading the stress cracks in cattle bones…” (Shang 1). These kings would apply a heated poker to the bones which would produce cracks that they would analyze based on the direction and deepness of the crack. Recently these bones and the records of the king’s analyzation were uncovered. An estimated 150,000 oracle bones were found, and have references to the god of the Shang, Di (Shang pg. 1). This type of analysis by the kings is an early form of a religion, and the building blocks for later philosophy and schools of thought in China’s history. Much progression...
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...Comparative Analysis of Christianity and Buddhism Maria-Goretti Etor Grand Canyon University HLT-310V Professor Todd Fowler May 31st, 2015 Abstract This paper gives an extensive view at the accompanying beliefs: Buddhism and Christianity. The reader will see the way Buddhism is even more a reasoning than a religion that spotlights on the brain similar to the inventor of disease and wellbeing. The reader will likewise find that Christianity is a religion that has confidence in one God, the inventor of all. This paper records the different segments that each of these religions may use at some time to impact mending including petition to God, reflection, droning, the utilization of healers, and so on. This paper additionally characterizes what is essential to individuals when watched over by suppliers whose convictions contrast from their own. Introduction Religious practice is one of the oldest traditional practices of the world till date, times may change, technology may advance, but vital beliefs of the people never alter. Before the advent...
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