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History of Buddhism essay
History of Buddhism essay
History of Buddhism essay
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Introduction
Buddhism has grown to become one of the leading religions of the world because of its adherents, geographical distribution and social and cultural influence. Initially originated in Asia, the non-theistic religion had the capacity to influence many different cultures, civilisations and societies, which has absorbed to over 370 million people around the world today.
It starts its origins when Siddhartha Gautama reached enlightenment round 2500 years ago. From then on, he was known as the Buddha. Buddha’s Enlightenment was this phenomenon of being free from all forms of suffering, delusion and temptations of the outside world. It finds the truth about life and stops the cycle of being reborn.
Realising the goal of Enlightenment, Buddha then taught about the truth of suffering and the way to reach his path of enlightenment to remove all suffering and desire of the world through many practices such as meditation and following ethical code. This has become the main purpose in life of being a Buddhist.
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They had specific beliefs that implicated the nature of the divine, the purpose of human existence, the nature of human condition, the relationship between human beings and the world, the existence of suffering and the death and the afterlife.
These specific beliefs are expressed in action to not only in the ancient times of Buddhism, but to many modern Buddhists following the tradition today. It influences the way of life to behave as a Buddhist in many different forms. This includes Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana, Zen and many more. Because of this diversity, it ensures a long survival of the Buddhist tradition, which has become one of the most vivid and rich religious movements
“Buddhism is the oldest worldwide religion. It is known to be a religion, a philosophy and a way of life.” The main idea, foundation and fundamentals of Buddhism were born 2,500 years ago in the foothills of India. Siddhartha Gautama was born into a royal family and raised as a prince in the Gupta period. He was always confined to the palace and was sheltered from the real world. As time went on, Siddhartha wanted to find out the meaning of life and his experiences through his journey created the practice of Buddhism. His first teaching as a Buddha was based on the doctrine of the four noble truths and along with the principle of the middle way, the eight fold path. Through oral tra...
Buddhism is one of the prominent and influential religions and philosophies of the world. A basic tenet of Buddhism is that worldly desires and possessions cause all suffering. To absolve one’s self of necessities beyond basic human survival is one of the many plateaus that Buddhists strive to achieve. Furthermore, Buddhists free themselves from temptation via seclusion from society and attempt to allow nature to support them. They believe that Nirvana, the ascension to heaven, can be achieved by freeing oneself of earthly desires.
...m were started from nothing but grew into two of the largest religions in the world. The reasons why Buddhism succeeded in spreading to other countries and people are different from the reasons Christianity spread. Buddhism spread because it adapted to what the people wanted and needed. When the numbers began to dwindle, a new form of Buddhism was there, adapted into what would attract new people, and succeeding at it.
Buddhism continued its expansion into the 20th century and saw continual bursts of influence throughout the following decades. In 1993, the World’s Parliament of Religions chose to hold their ceremony in the same city, Chicago, a 100 years later (40). Since its early roots in America during the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions, one estimate placed approximately three million Buddhist in America at the close of the 20th century (40).
As we can know, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islamism are the three largest religions all over the world. They all play a very significant role in our life. Nonetheless, Christianity and Buddhism are the largest population around the world. Through our religious distribution map around the world, there are seven billion followers who believe in Buddhism while twenty billion followers who believe in Christianity around the world. Moreover, Christian population are the 31.5% of the world population, in the meantime, Buddhists are the 7.1% of the world population around the world. In China, there are lots of people who believe in Buddhism because they think that Buddhism which can bring their fortune and safety. That is a only one reason Buddhism which plays a large population in China's population. Historically, Buddhism are largely distributed to some Asian areas like China, Thailand, and Japanese.
As you can see Buddhism has had prominent and everlasting effect on religion in history, from the very beginning with Siddhartha Gautama meditating under a tree, to the present of the religion being practiced in countries worldwide, it will always be one the most influential and vital religions of the world.
Buddhism is one of the oldest religions in the world, which began in India. The origin of Buddhism is traced back to the experience of single man, Siddhartha Gautama, later known as the Buddha. Born around 563 B.C.E., legend follows that Siddhartha was the son of a prince in a kingdom near the border of what is now India and Nepal. As such, he was sheltered from the world and lived a life of luxury and comfort. (Molloy 124) However, at age 29 Siddhartha left the royal grounds and witnessed the suffering of ordinary life for the first time. What he saw deeply affected him and caused him to question everything in his materialistic life. Siddhartha made the decision to give up his possessions and embark on a search for enlightenment, an event known as the Great Going Forth. (Molloy 125)
In view of the lessons of the admired Buddha, Buddhism is one of the three noteworthy religions on the planet. Begun in India,
Albert Einstein once said, “the religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend a personal god, avoid dogmas and theology. Covering both the natural and spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all natural and spiritual and a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description. If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism.”# Many great minds like Albert Einstein have converted or become Buddhists. Many people from the west are turning their attention towards Buddhism because of the Buddha’s simple way to life and the lack of worship or prayer to a divine being.
Buddhism prevailed as a religion indigenous to west India and comprises of varieties of traditions, beliefs and practices based on the teachings of Buddha. There are many reasons why Buddhism became so popular and entered into many civilizations. Buddhism began to be popular throughout Asia alongside India. Buddhism has blossomed in the contemporary world, especially in the West. It is an issue to wonder what Buddhism offers that other religions cannot and has become so significant worldwide. Buddhism has become an idea that is widespread and the teachings of Buddha have made a real difference in many civilizations like India, China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea and surprisingly Buddhism has come to make a significant difference in American culture.
Throughout the history of humankind, man has always searched to find answers to the many existential questions. Numerous different religions and denominations have developed around the world over time. Though, most wonder about the origin and purpose of our existence. Buddhism was founded on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama about 2,600 years ago in India. After he had experienced that everyone was subject to “birth, sickness, death, and old age”, he tried to find a way to break from the cycle of rebirth (Bloom).
The founder of Buddhism was a man called Siddhartha Gautama, born to a wealthy family and destined for greatness; Siddhartha, however, left his family and the palace in search for religious truth and an end to suffering. Siddhartha tried many ways of reaching an enlightened stage; wandering the forest, joining the beggars, fasting, debating with religious leaders, but when none of these methods brought him a greater understanding of the world, Siddhartha sat himself down under a fig tree, and meditated. After forty-nine days of meditation Siddhartha was said to have achieved an understanding of the cause of suffering, he then became known as the Buddha, enlightened one.
The world as we know it evolves every day; the people who inhabit it evolve, our languages evolve, our religions evolve. The religions that first began when humans became civilized are not the same as those practiced today. Everything as we know it shape shifts in order to fit into modern standards. One of those religions that have evolved from the beginning is Buddhism. The whole ideology of Buddhism appeals to more people than some of the other religious groups. Why is this so? Is it because of its concepts that it teaches or the fact that it does not focus on a “god” as much as western religions do.
The Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama achieved enlightenment and discovered the Four Noble Truths that then led him to the Noble Eightfold Path. The Buddha spreads his many beliefs and achievements throughout his life, discovers the meaning of The Eightfold Path, and explains how The Eightfold Path connects to the nirvana. In order to achieve enlightenment, you must start with the first step of following The Eightfold Path and will lead you onto nirvana. Works Cited Notes 1. Michael D. Coogan, ed., The Illustrated Guide to World Religions.
Buddhism was founded around 520 BC by Siddharta Gautama, who was an Indian Prince. Buddhism emphasizes practice over belief. In reality, however, Buddhism centers on correct understanding of human nature and ultimate reality. The Buddha was, after all, called the "Enlightened One." He taught that the way to eliminate suffering began with understanding the true nature of the world. In Buddhism, the purpose of life is to end suffering. The Buddha taught that humans suffer because we continually strive after things that do not give lasting happiness.