Buddhism: A Unique Religion

Whenever I thought of Buddhist I saw bald men or women with orange robes, white socks, and brown sandals. Obviously, not the older woman with gray hair that was now facing me and the other twenty congregants in the meditation room. She was obviously the leader.

Buddhism has been around for over two thousand years, and continues to do so in many countries around the world. This religion originates in Asia and has a very unique adversity, much of its structure arose from the end of World War II, predominantly Asian nations needed to restructure society (RoAT 167). The word ‘Buddha’ means one who has awakened and will no longer be reborn. Thereafter, one who will enter nirvana, the state of being free from suffering.

Buddhism is a world religion based on the teachings of the "Buddha," which means "The Enlightened One" or "The Awakened One" (Smith and Novak 4). Buddhism is usually associated with India and Nepal, though it has spread worldwide (Powers 12). It is difficult to trace all Buddhist beliefs back to their original sources because nothing was written about the religion until nearly 150 years after it began (Smith and Novak 50). As Buddhism evolved, its believers split into different factions, for example: Theravadinism, which believes that the Buddha was a great sage but stopped influence the world when he died/entered nirvana (Smith and Novak 68-9); and Mahayanism, which believes that the Buddha is a savior of the world who keeps drawing people to himself even now (Smith and Novak 70). Furthermore, as Buddhism spread, it evolved into different types of Buddhism, such as Vajrayana,

The four noble truths of Buddhism are the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path to the end of suffering. These four truths are the basics of Buddha's teaching, and is the most frequently shared belief amongst Buddhists. The first noble truth is suffering, meaning life is Dukkha. This noble truth interpretation is that suffering appears in many shapes. And it is believe that anything short-term is Dukkha, even pleasure. The second truth is the cause of suffering, also known as samudaya. In this truth, Buddhism claims the cause for suffering are cupidity, wants, illiteracy, loathing and devastating desires. The second truth does not mean a person should give up what they love to be happy. But the problem lies within an individual connection to their passion that puts them in trouble. The third truth is the end of suffering, also known as Nirodha. This truth believes that there is a possibility of freedom. The fourth truth is the path to the end of suffering, also known as magga. In the fourth truth, it is believed that in order to end suffering, one must follow the eightfold strategy.

There are many different religions with many different beliefs, traditions, practices, and rituals. These differences are a very important part of understanding and appreciating the culture and history behind the specific religion. However, the practices that certain religions have in common can aid even more in furthering the understanding of specific beliefs of other religions. Since most religions cultivate from the practices and beliefs of other religions, they use those core values and beliefs and transform them into what they believe is a better way practicing. Religions use similarities within each other and twist them into their own. There are certain beliefs within every religion that shape their practices such as their morals or their most essential or absolute value, their position on human beings’ problems and solutions, and their view on life and death within their religion. Pure Land Buddhism (a form of Mahayana Buddhism) and Vaishnavites (a group within Hinduism) are great examples of this very concept.

The religious Buddha was originally a prince, Siddhartha Gautama, born in 623 B.C. into a regular, royal life. For years, his father “protected” him and Siddhartha was shielded from the truth and harshness of the world. When he was older, he married Yasodhara and finally went out to the real world. When he did, Siddhartha found something that disturbed him: suffering. He found war, disease, and death. Finding this suffering, he desperately wanted to stop it. Siddhartha wanted to find a way to cure the suffering he saw, because how he saw it, there was no point in life if there was so much suffering. At age 29, Siddhartha set out into the world to find enlightenment. After a 6 year journey, after meditation, starvation, and torture, Siddhartha finally received his enlightenment. He was meditating under the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya, India, and said he would not move until he gained perfect enlightenment. Devaputra Mara, demon of all demons brought an army of his kind to disturb Siddhartha during his meditation. When that did not work, he brought his three daughters to try and distract him. Siddhartha concentrated even harder that he already was, and successfully ignored the demons and girls. From this, Siddhartha had gotten so deep into his concentration, that he was able to receive the enlightenment he was looking for. The enlightenment was there is a state of suffering that had to be lived by everyone, until their death and ultimate release from the

According to (https://www.google.com/#q=religion) religion is a cultural system of behaviors, practices, world views, ethics and social organization that relate humanity to an order of existence. Buddhism is considered a religion because it does in fact involve elements of self-transformation, faith and belief. It has a core set of beliefs that are common to almost all branches of buddhism. Buddhism clearly defines a mythology, a soteriology, and a eschatology which is what religion consists of. Much of Mahayana Buddhism is religious for example, Pure Land Buddhism has many parallels to the theistic religions. Buddhism contains an explanation of the origin of existence, a morality and a specific set or

There are so many different religions in the world, and its keep expanding every day. Each religion as it own characteristic also gives its followers instruction to believe what is right and what is wrong in their daily. Religion is the self-consciousness and self-perception of each person who neither finds themselves nor has lost themselves. With the purpose of this assignment, I decided to do the research about Buddhism. The reason I picked Buddhism is it had a very rich historical background, as I known Buddhism is not a system of faith and worship, nor does it require blind faith, but must rely on knowledge of the truth. Buddhism is not just kept in scriptures, nor is it a topic for people to study from the literary and historical point

Buddhism is one of the world’s major religions and one of the oldest ones of our time. Religion can be examined from different perspectives, and the anthropology perspective helps give an unbiased examination. The term anthropology refers to the study of humanity, and its goal is to study the broad range of human beliefs and behaviors, to discover what it means to be human (Stein 3). The focus will be to understand Buddhism from a functional approach which seeks to understand what religion does either socially or psychologically. Emphasis will be put on the origins of Buddhism and beliefs, its religious symbols, institutions, and an introduction to its rituals.

The religion of Buddhism was founded by Siddartha Guatama in northern India, or modern day Nepal, around the late 6th century. Buddhism is a nontheistic religion, meaning there’s no belief in personal gods. Siddartha, or Buddha, was the prince of a royal family and was said to have been meant for great things. When he was in his late twenties, he moved to the forest to live a spiritual life. After years of meditation, Buddha was sought out to teach what he knew. This included teaching people how to end their personal suffering by getting rid of things like ignorance and greed. Buddha taught this through the Four Noble Truths. The four truths are what can be translated to: all life is suffering, suffering is caused

Religion has and always will be a large impact on the world and the people around it. Polytheistic religions, at least in my opinion, make one of the greatest impacts. The reason they have such an influence on the people is because they put gods into everything, if you believe a divine deity is in something like a chair you are going to respect the chair much more than if it was just a chair. You will sit in it, treat, and enjoy it much differently than thinking of it merely as a means to comfort you. Buddhism is one of the greatest religions that have respect for things around them. Buddhism is about being one with the spirit of the world. Reaching to your highest point, becoming better and better and better versions of yourself.

Buddhism is a religion unlike any other in what they believe in and the teachings they follow. Before reading Damien Keown’s Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction, I did not know much about Buddhism at all. The only things I knew is that people worship a Buddha, and that Tiger Wood’s is a Buddhist. Damien Keown helped me to understand the Buddhism belief’s and teaching’s, as well as help me get a better understanding of what Buddhism really is. I realized that Buddhism is almost more of a way of life than a religion. Although, it is hard to fully classify Buddhism as a religion, way of life, philosophy, or code of ethics.

Buddhism stands as a philosophy and a religion founding itself on the theory of a possible eternal soul. Until awakening is achieved, this eternal soul is locked in the vicious cycle of rebirth (Samsara). According to the Four Noble Truths preached by the Buddha, life is a perpetual suffering caused by desire and attachment, and freedom from suffering is only possible by practicing the Eightfold Path. The World is suffering in a succession of temptations and negative experiences from birth to death. Therefore Buddhism advises on searching to go beyond suffering, and only aspire to rest, nothingness, and liberation, into a final state called Nirvana. Happiness or Nirvana can eventually be achieved in a hereafter, another life, if man abandons any desire or perspective of action within his present life, in order to go past suffering.

Xuanzang was impressed by India’s ability to stay together for so long and have very few problems. Also, that many people conformed to the social rankings of their culture with little arguement. The fact that you are more free to do what you want without the consequence of death hanging over your head. Also, you are not forced to believe in one religion, and you do not have to accept one person as a ruler.

While studying the World religion textbook one of our chapter assigned was about Buddhism. I found the chapter very intriguing, since I am Christian that has not had much religion experiences outside of Christianity. The Buddhism chapter was very refreshing to read. I was captivated by the culture that I had to know more about it. That is why I decided to write about early Buddhism origins and practices in India.