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Buddhism Origin

Decent Essays

Origins Buddhism originated in the Ganges River Valley area in the late 6th century B.C.E. The founder, Siddhartha Gautama, was born (ca. 563 B.C.E.) in a place called Lumbini near the Himalayan foothills, and he began teaching around Benares (at Sarnath). The Buddha was a member of the kshatriya caste who abandoned his privileged life to seek the meaning of life. In his early years, he lived as a prince in his royal palace, but when Siddhartha was 29 years old, he retired to the forest and followed a spiritual life of meditation. After six years, he attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya, India.

Divinity/Afterlife
Deities: After the Buddha died, some perceived him as a God. However, that is not what Siddhartha Gautama taught. Buddhism is sometimes called an "atheistic" religion, although some prefer "non-theistic" -- meaning that believing in gods really isn't the point.
Buddhism accepted the basic Hindu doctrines of reincarnation, karma, and the goal to escape the cycle of death and rebirth.
Formula for salvation: Nirvana is the final goal of Buddhism. It is a transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of karma and the cycle of death and rebirth.
Afterlife: They believe that one's status in the …show more content…

Buddhism also brought new types of behavior: the practice of making offerings before images, forms of seated meditation, rites of confession and consecration, and the new gesture of palms pressed together. Also, many expressions in modern Chinese stemmed from Buddhist texts. Characteristics of the Chinese language, such as its dependence on tones, were also sparked by studying the Indian language, which involved Buddhist texts. Lastly, many beautiful Buddhist temples and paintings are still admired

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