Buddhism Religion

If you have ever met a Buddhist you may have discussed their religion with them. Buddhists live stern lives that help them gain enlightenment, their main goal of life. Buddhism is a very interesting religion because of the fact that it is so unique and different from any other religion. It is alluring to Buddhists even though it is pretty simplistic and the culture within Buddhism is attention capturing and eye grabbing.

Buddhism started about two thousand five hundred years ago in India and was created by a man named Siddhartha Gautama (Ganeri 12). Gautama was born in the fifth century B.C.E., in Nepal India, which is now Lumbini. He was born an Indian prince (Penney 8). It is believed that when Gautama was born, a wise man had said that

if Gautama ever saw anybody unhappy or suffering that he would be a religious leader instead of a great king (Penney 8). Gautama got all that he wanted since he was a prince, but he was not happy. He wanted to see the outdoors so he escaped his palace (Hewitt 8). Gautama did not just find a new religion, he found and lead a sect called wander ascetics, which had existed all over India at that same time (Violatti 3). Buddhists believe that there will be Buddhas in the future because there were Buddhas before Gautama (Penney 8). Gautama was married to his cousin, Yasodhara, whom was a princess. Soon after their marriage they had a son that they named Ranula (Ganeri 12). The Buddha, Gautama, left his wife and child to go and understand the nature of suffering so that he may help others (BBC). The base of Gautama’s teachings were about enlightenment and inner peace. Gautama was enlightened after his long doing of good works and for having good karma, he was soon teaching the Four Noble Truths (Hewitt 4).
“The Four Noble Truths form the most important part of the Buddha’s teachings. They are: 1. Life is full of unhappiness. 2. Unhappiness is caused by greed. 3. There is a way to end unhappiness. 4. The way to end unhappiness is the Middle Path” (Ganeri 15).
Gautama, when gained enlightenment, though he could have, he decided not to leave the earth (Penney 8). Gautama went all throughout India to teach what he had learned and to tell people of his enlightenment and he taught about the existence of the different Buddhas (Hewitt 9). After he had gained enlightenment, Buddha taught his ways and left a path for others to follow. Before he died, he asked his followers to remember him by pilgrimage, a journey made for religious reasons (BBC).
There are three different schools of Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism began in India in about 100 B.C.E. and is popular in China, Japan, Korea and some Western countries. It is now the dominant form of Buddhism in Nepal (Violatti 11). They believe there are different ways to nirvana (Penney 10). One school of Mahayana Buddhism, which is rather popular in the area of Japan, is called Pure Land Buddhism. Its teachings state that no one can achieve enlightenment on their own due to the fact that our world is too wicked. Zen means meditation in Japanese. Zen Buddhism is popular in specific areas of Asia such as Korea, Japan, and China, in which it is actually named Cha’an (Penney 20). In countries like Sri Lanka and Thailand, Buddhists follow the older form of Buddhism known as Theravada (Hewitt 13). Pali was the language that Theravada Buddhism was written in. These teachings are now read by monks. Their ideas state that a person must find enlightenment for themselves and no one can do it for someone else (Penney 18). The third school of Buddhism is Vajrayana and they believe in a close relationship between a spiritual leader, or guru, and a small group of followers. They keep their beliefs and practices secret from outsiders (Penney 11). The continent of Asia is where Buddhism is found to be the most popular (Hewitt 13). A religion called Jainism was founded by Mahavira in India, just as Buddhism was founded there. It spread not to far beyond West India (Ganeri 10). Most Buddhist feel more connected to the religion if they visit the areas where Buddha lived and taught (Penney 30).
At its peak, the Buddhist monastery was the best place for worship and meditation.

There were many monks that lived at the monastery and now there are less than a hundred that live at the monastery (Ganeri 21). There is a monastery that is just outside of New York, called the Chuang Yen Monastery (Penney 27). Buddhists generally live their lives based on the Buddha’s teachings. Meditation is a very important part of being a Buddhist. It helps to train their minds of ordinary thoughts and to rise above bringing them closer to enlightenment (Ganeri 22). Buddhists will worship in groups or alone by sitting on the floor, legs crossed, and minds released of all thoughts. This usually takes place in front of a shrine or temple (Penney 22). Some Buddhists will often worship at home on their own or attend a meditation in a group (Ganeri 24). When they worship, they may take items such as candles, flowers or incense to place on the shrine as an offering (Ganeri 26). Buddhists believe that life is constantly changing from beginning to end. People experience the beginning and end of ideas, moods, and conditions within themselves and therefore accept the natural process of death as a result of being born. However, Buddhists believe that enlightenment can still be obtained even at the last moment of life (Hewitt

38).
Buddhism has inspired many styles of art as it spread outside of India. The earliest pieces found were carvings and cave paintings that showed scenes from the Buddha’s life. Never representing Buddha as a person. The statues of Buddha were made for temples and monasteries in India and were often painted in beautiful designs. These statues and symbols were used to express feelings and beliefs that can be often difficult to describe (Ganeri 40).
Buddhists have many festivals throughout the year to mark events that happened in Buddha’s life such as his birth and enlightenment (Ganeri 36). Countries with Buddhists use a different calendar to mark the special occasions for the festivals. The calendar was created before Buddhism began so the dates for each celebration can be different in every country (Hewitt 40). In Thailand, the festival of Songkran is a three day celebration that takes place in April (Penney 32). During the festivals, Buddhist visit the temples and monasteries bringing gifts and offering to the monks and nuns (Ganeri 36). Cards are given to each other and the temples are decorated with flowers and streamers for the occasion. People also decorate their houses with small lanterns (Penney 30-31). In the United States and other English speaking countries, the festival of Wesak (the day they believed Buddha was born, enlightened and passed away) is referred to as Buddha Day. There are special ceremonies in Sri Lanka taking place where the streets are lit with painted lanterns depicting scenes from Buddha’s life (Penney 30).