Buddhism Essay

Buddhism originated in India in the 5th century B.C.E. It then spread to China in the 1st century B.C.E. In the period of disunity as well as political instability, most Chinese peasants accepted Buddhism because it provided shelter and certainty. Scholars showed that Buddhism beliefs were not a threat opposed to Confucianism and Daoism, hoping the people could see how they all can coexist. As the imperial structure improved and grew over time, many authorities and high powers rejected its teachings because it saw Buddhism as a threat to their powers.

As a college student that has lived and grown up in western New York, I do not have too much experience with the other religions of the world. I have grown up a Christian Protestant my whole life, and I am a firm believer in my religion. Soon after reading the chapter on Buddhism in Huston Smith’s book The World’s Religions, I came to understand and respect the Buddhist religion. I came to learn who the Buddha as a man really was, and the steps he took in becoming a religious icon. I know understand that Buddhism is not all meditation and relaxing. There is a strict code of the four noble truths and the prescription of getting through them called the eightfold path. Much like Christianity Buddhism also has many different views

According to the website aboutbuddhism.org, the founder of Buddhism was Buddha Shakyamuni who lived and taught in India about two and a half thousand years ago, and meditation is at the heart of the Buddhist way of life - it is basically a method for understanding and working on our own mind. From the book, World Religions for Healthcare Professionals, what I learned about Buddhism is that they follow the Four Noble Truths: Life means suffering, the origin of suffering is attachment, the cessation of suffering is attainable, the path to the cessation of suffering; and as well as the Eight Noble Paths and Buddhists also practice between 5 to 8 precepts. The lay Buddhist would practice the five and while the more devout Buddhist practices 8

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 religion that focuses more on the individual and the actions of that individual, which was prevalent to me when I made my way into Portland and set foot in a Buddhist temple. The man I met within the walls of this temple was far from my stereotypical thoughts of Buddhist monks. The man I met looked like your plain old, average Joe, American man. Before I delve into the depths of my visit to this inspiring place, I need to sum up the Buddhist religion and why I chose to study this particular group of people.

Throughout the world, different nations have different beliefs or religion. Some religions evolve from others, and others are combination of other religions. Religion is a way of life, a lifestyle; it should dictate how you live your life. For instance, in India, Buddhism evolved from Hinduism, a religion were people believe in 300, 000 gods. Even though, Hinduism and Buddhism have different similarities such as believes in god, soul, and rituals, which in some ways connected to each other, both religions believe of what happens after life.

Buddhism is a tradition that evolved from the original teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha or Enlightened One. Buddha was born a Hindu in about 563 B.C.E. He was of aristocratic birth and grew up in relative luxury and the security of the ruling class of that period. At age twenty-nine, he tired of his comfortable existence and renounced the world and went in search of wisdom. Tradition states that he attained enlightenment on a full moon day in May - under a fig tree.

Buddhism is considered to be one of the largest religions in the world. The religion of Buddhism and its followers originally began in India and Asia, however Buddhism along with other religions, continue to expand to every corner of the world. Around the late 6th century, the start of the Buddhism religion was created by a man with the name, Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha Gautama was born in a wealthy family where he lived in a palace with little exposure to the outside world. Getting married at the age of 16, Siddhartha Gautama barely got a chance to experience anything, however one day Siddhartha Gautama wandered beyond the palace he lived in.

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. It is the oldest and fourth largest religion in the world with around 500 million followers. Buddhism focuses on teaching people how to come to terms with and end the suffering of themselves and others by cutting out greed, hatred, and ignorance from their lives. Unlike most major world religions, Buddhism does not revolve around worshiping a god or divine creator, instead the focus of Buddhism is living one 's best life and transforming the lives of others. The ultimate goal of Buddhism is to reach Enlightenment and upon death achieve Nirvana, the liberation of pain and suffering. For Buddhists, it is the individual’s responsibility to find his or her own path to enlightenment; the principles of Buddhism are seen more as guidelines than rules.

Buddhism is a philosophy, a moral code, and, for some a religious faith which originated in 530 BC in India. Buddhism evolved as a modification of Hinduism when Hinduism started to become very complicated due to too many sacrifices in the name of God. Today, an estimated 300 million people follow one of the many varieties of Buddhism.

They all support each other and should therefore be developed and practiced together. The first step in the path is right views through insight to the true nature of reality. It is wisdom in the understanding of things as they are presented in the four noble truths. The second is right intention by having unselfish desire to reach enlightenment. Right view and right intention together form the wisdom path. The Buddha taught that one’s thoughts have equivalent importance as one’s actions. The three kinds of right intention are renunciation, good will and harmlessness which counter desire, ill will and harmfulness. The next step is right speech. It means speaking truthfully and honestly; speaking in a way to promote harmony; not indulging in gossip; and using language in a way that is useful. The fourth step is right action by using ethical conduct to manifest compassion. It is presented in the five precepts as not killing, not stealing, not misusing sex, not lying, and not abusing intoxicants. The next step is right livelihood by making a living without compromising the five precepts and without causing harm to anyone. The sixth step is right effort by cultivating wholesome qualities (generosity, kindness, wisdom) and releasing unwholesome qualities (greed, ignorance, anger). The second t last step is right mindfulness by practicing whole body and mind awareness. The four frames of reference is mindfulness of body, feelings or sensations, mind or mental processes, and mental objects or qualities. It reminds one of what they are supposed to be doing. One sees things are they truly are and witnesses the true nature of phenomena. The final step in the path is right concentration through meditation by focusing all of one’s faculties onto one physical or mental

One of the largest beliefs of Buddhism is the traditions and spiritual practices maintained on a day to day basis, these teachings revolve around the symbol of Buddha. The religion originated from India and then spread the many parts of Asia and even Eastern Europe. Buddhism contains around 300 million people worldwide and come from the word 'budhi', 'to awaken'. It has its origins about 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gotama, known as the Buddha, was himself awakened (enlightened) at the age of 35. 1 Buddhism occupies a large amount of people’s lives and is to some a “way of life”, the beliefs of the Buddhist people is to lead a moral life, to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions and to develop wisdom and understanding.

Is concentrated on spiritualism than religious teachings. Established by the buddha, one must obtain their own spiritual awakening, or nirvana through meditation. There are three main branches of Buddhism Theravada Buddhism , Mahayana Buddhism and Tantric Buddhism.

Buddhism is a religion that is all about finding enlightenment and nirvana. People want to find nirvana, a state of mind in which one is released from fear and desire, so they no longer have to go through reincarnations (Monroe 110). Buddhism is a peaceful religion that doesn't believe in violence. They believe that all live are sacred and deserve to enjoy life whether it be a human or an animal. Buddhists live by a moral code of conduct with a proper control of emotions and thinking. There is a list of the Five Precepts for Right Living. The first one is do not kill, second do not steal, third do not lie, fourth do not consume alcohol, and fifth do not indulge in sexual excesses outside of marriage (Monroe 111). All buddhist search for enlightenment, however deny the existence of an afterlife. They do not believe there is a heaven nor a hell to punish their sins or reward their good deeds (Monroe 108). This means there is no salvation in an afterlife but

In the universe there 's a galaxy, and in this galaxy there 's the solar system, and in this solar system there is a planet earth, and in this planet earth lives 7 billion people. We are all the same but divided by key things; oceans and mountains, culture and society, but most important religions and beliefs. Out of the hundreds of practices and beliefs that make part of planet earth one of the most interesting form of religious practice is Buddhism.