Religion has always been of interest of mine. For me there has always been a fascination with the religious beliefs of different cultures and where these beliefs originated from. I find it interesting to view the different parallels and connections that exist among different religions. One of the more interesting religions I studied in this course was Buddhism. Siddhartha Gautama was the original teacher of Buddhism. At thirty five he went through a process of enlightenment that would become the foundations of his teachings or what he referred to as Dharma or truth. Buddhism is more than a religion, it can be considered a philosophy, a way to live ones' life. This is apparent because Buddha never considered or claimed to be a God. He was more a philosopher than a religious leader. His teachings center on the four noble truths and the eightfold path. The four noble truths comprise the truth of suffering, the truth of why we suffer, the truth of how to be free from …show more content…
It is not dominant religion in the world but it has influenced world events. Japanese people do not practice Shinto by itself, rather they practice Shinto and a form of Buddhism. Shinto concerns itself with the day-to-day life while Buddhism concerns itself with the afterlife. One concept I found most interesting in Shinto was the warrior code Bushido. The followers of Bushido were known as samurai. Samurai were feudal knights of Japan. They followed the warrior code of Bushido with such unwavering loyalty they would rather kill themselves then dishonor the code they lived by. Bushido is a set of rules that the Samurai live by. Above all else they must be loyal to their master, have the greatest of courage, honorable, and a gentleman. If they dishonor themselves it is their duty to kill themselves in a manner they call seppuku or belly slitting. It is also the Bushido code influenced the kamikaze fighters of World War
Buddhism is a major global religion with a complex history and system of beliefs. The founder of Buddhism is said to be Siddhartha Gautama, the son of an Indian warrior-king. Gautama led an extravagant life through early adulthood, reveling in the privileges of his social class. Gautama became bored with the indulgences of royal life so he wandered into the world searching for understanding. After encountering an old man, ill man, a corpse, and an ascetic, he was convinced that suffering lay at the end of all existence. He then became a monk, depriving himself of worldly possessions in the hope of comprehending the truth of the world around him. The culmination of his search came while meditating beneath a tree, where he finally understood how to be free from suffering, and ultimately, to achieve salvation. Gautama became known as the Buddha, meaning the “Enlightened One.” He spent the remainder of his life
A prince named Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) founded “Buddhism” in the sixth century before the birth of Christ. Buddhism is better understood as philosophy rather than a religion and follows the concept of the Four Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Noble path.
Siddharta Gautama was twenty-nine years old when he abandoned his family to search for a means to bring to an end his and other’s suffering after studying meditation for many years. At age thirty-five, Siddharta Gautama sat down under the shade of a fig tree to meditate and he determined to meditate until he reached enlightenment. After seven weeks he received the Great Enlightenment which he referred to as the Four Noble Truths and the Eight-fold Path. Henceforth he became known as the Buddha.
Shinto was the original Japanese religion, and the government use it to control its citizens, However, after Christianity and Buddhism were introduced, they can choose the religion that they want to. Christianity was first introduced to Japan in 1549, Jesuit mission. The Christians believe Jesus, and they would read the bible. Approximately fifty years after Christianity was introduced to Japan, there was three hundred thousand Japanese believe in Christianity, and that was 1.6 percent of whole Japan, even including members of the ruling class. However, due to the government being afraid that people will start to revolt, so by the year 1614, they started to expel Christianity, and whoever resist, the government would kill them, so Christianity in Japan ends. However, after they open the country again, Christianity is back in Japan. Buddhism was introduced to Japan through the silk road, by the Chinese. There were many Buddhism school, and the society was also influenced, when there’s birth, wedding, or funeral, they will visit shrine or temples, they will also attend local festivals. Religion influences people and lets them believes, to be able to live a better
Spiritual religion is one of the main aspects of human civilization. Buddhism is one of four religions that have the most followers besides Christianity, Judaism, and Hinduism. Siddhartha Gautama, called Buddha, was the founder and awakened leader of Buddhism. His life has a great influence on this religious belief.
Buddhism is a religion in light of the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (otherwise known as the Buddha). He was an Indian sovereign raised Hindu, and the
The Shinto in Japan was associated with the Imperial family from the 8th century. Then in the 19th century it became the official religion in the Mejii Restoration. It is still apart of Japanese culture and many people even visit the shrines today.
Siddhartha Gautama (later known as Buddha) is the creator of the Buddhist religion. Gautama believed that the elimination of attachments or problems would prevent any disappointment and consequently suffering. This ideology stems from Gautama’s ‘Four Noble Truths’: suffering is universal, desire is the cause for suffering, suffering can be avoided by eliminating desire and, following the Eightfold Path will eliminate desire. The Eightfold Path is a practical guide laid out by Gautama for his followers to achieve enlightenment, which consists of; right mindfulness, right action, right intention, right livelihood, right effort, right concentration, right speech and right understanding. This is essentially a code of ethics, aiding the path to
Siddhartha Gautama was the man who founded Buddhism. Gautama was born in around 560 B.C. in Lumbini near the border of India in what is now Nepal. He was not divine at first and was born as a royal prince and was also born as a Hindu. According to a legend, at his birth a soothsayer predicted that he might become the greatest ruler in human history but if he ever saw four things- sickness, old age, death and a monk who had renounced the world then he would become a renouncer himself and search for salvation for all mankind. His father tried to prevent this from happening and provided him with many luxuries and pleasures and gave orders
Buddhism’s founder was a man named Siddhartha Gautama, meaning “one who realized his goal.” Buddhists believe that when Siddhartha’s mother, Maha, was conceived she had a dream involving a white elephant carrying a lotus flower. She interpreted the dream to mean that her son would grow up to become a great spiritual leader. Just a week after Siddhartha was born, his mother died. Upon her death, he lived with his wealthy aunt and his father on a large estate. As Siddhartha grew up, his father kept him away from all suffering and anguish of the world. Unlike many of his peers, he was well educated and free from the world’s sorrows.
Siddhartha Gautama was the son of a king, pampered like a prince who abandoned the life of desire to pursue Enlightenment. When I lived in Nepal, I went to school and studied Buddhism. There I learned about his life and the philosophies he kept in practices. Also, I learned that he was a great leader, and his great ideas such as the Four Noble Truths, Eightfold path, Nirvana, fundamental wisdoms, the theory of karma and rebirth, the five precepts and Wheel of Dharma has influenced many people. I learned about his great achievement and how he was able to create a whole new religion, which is now known as the fourth largest religion in the world, by influencing people through his practices and philosophy. From this experience, I learned firsthand that he is a great religious leader who left a legacy not just on Nepalese culture, but on the whole world.
Buddhism is based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha, who is sometimes known as Buddha which stands for “The awakened one”. According to some records, he started teaching in the northeastern part of India where he lived and taught between the 6th and 4th century BCE. He was known as “the awakened one” and shared his teachings to end the peoples suffering, through the elimination of all “worldly goods and desires”. Siddhartha Gautama was the son of an Indian Warrior-King, living a good life throughout his early adulthood, after he found no more excitement of living a wealthy life, he set out to explore the world in search to find an understanding of life. Gautama learned that suffering was at the end of all existence; he later gave up his name and became a monk
Shintoism is one of the two major religions in Japanese culture. The word shinto literally means “the way of the kami”, or, “the way of the Gods”. Kami are probably the most important part of this religion, as it’s entirely based on pleasing them. Kami are spirits that are more superior than those on Earth. Shinto followers try their hardest to please the kami and hopefully become something or someone better in their afterlife. It is the largest and most popular religion alongside Buddhism in Japan. The mythology of Shintoism is probably the next most important, as it supports the kami and it gives the followers something to believe in. Shintoism overall is a very important part of everyday religions and just as much important as Christianity,
Buddhism is religion that is based off of peace and spirituality taught by the teachings of Buddha, also known as Siddhartha Gotama. Many who follow its teachings believe Buddhism to be more of a way of life or lifestyle choice rather a religion. Buddha is not a god, but one man that taught his followers a path of enlightenment from his experiences and values. Buddha’s main teachings were the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. The Four Noble Truths were teachings about suffering, pain, disease, happiness, loneliness, and aging. It explained why we as humans can overcome certain obstacles in our lives by looking at the more spiritual side of things such as “Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own
Gautama Siddharta, the Buddha, believed that, “…love and compassion [were the] means to salvation – in his terms, to the attainment of Nirvana.” Unlike other religious beliefs at the time, Siddharta’s beliefs were more of a lifestyle. He aimed to help people achieve happiness and, “liberate devotees from the troubles of this world.” The main goal of his new religion, Buddhism, “was to escape desire—the cause of unhappiness…[and] the ultimate extinction of all sense of self in a mystical state, called Nirvana.” He believed that all people suffer in their own ways from birth to death. This is why he gained many followers, he understood that everyone has different problems and wanted to help fix them. Buddhism gave hope to many people who were at low points in their lives, because they were able to recognize that they were able to better live their lives. Also unlike other religions, the Buddha stated that it is possible for someone to achieve Nirvana after one lifetime, unlike Hinduism which had a sort of caste system.