The Impact Of Theravada Buddhism On The Western South East Asia

The spread of Buddhism in China occurs during a time of great political faction following the collapse of the Han dynasty. Initially, many citizens convert but as time continues people begin to question the belief. Unlike legalism or Confucianism, Buddhism has very little interference with the political climate of a country. When the country is in a state of tyranny or chaos, many people adopt Buddhist beliefs to appease themselves. Other popular belief sets of the time include Confucianism and Daoism, which were commonly practiced during peace times. By 845 C.E the emperor issues a statement in opposition of Buddhism; this would be respected by many of the citizens under him. The resistance to the spread of the religion is emphasized in documents 4 and 6. There are scholars who continue to support Buddhism, as seen in documents 2 and 3. Documents 1 and 5 provide logical and unbiased statements, that can help create compromise and respect between others.

In the sixth century B.C.E., the religion of Buddhism was founded in India. Seven centuries later, the religion would find itself arriving in China in the midst of the Han Dynasty. In China, there were many different views of the religion as it arrived and spread throughout the country. There were two main responses to the religion. One response was that Buddhism could stand alongside other Chinese religions and philosophies such as Confucianism, as it could do a lot of good for China; while another view was that Buddhism had no place in China, as it came from foreign people and was barbaric, stealing from the Chinese.

Hinduism is a very popular religion in India, being that it could possibly be the oldest religion of all time and originated in India, the Hindu population in India is 80%. With Hinduism being such a popular religion, it competes with Christianity and Islam at 900 million followers of Hinduism worldwide (Miksic, 10). As for the popularity of Buddhism, it is not nearly as prevalent as Hinduism is, even in India. A very important attribute to Hinduism is the caste system. The caste system is comprised of five levels that each Hindu is born into and cannot switch out of or marry into another. These levels include the Brahmans, who are the highest caste and include priests, scholars and other professionals, Kshatriyas, who are typically known

The way Hinduism and Buddhism entered Southeast Asia was not the same, as well as when it entered and its influence of Indian culture that emerged into the area. Civilizations in Southeast Asia focused on an appreciation to nature, which resulted in a harmonious and equal relationship between man and nature. Southeast Asia had been depicted and known as the “golden island.” These Southeast Asian civilizations were characteristically composed from Hindu and Buddhist ways of life that influenced its people greatly. As Buddhism processed its way into Southeast Asia, the religion became culturally grounded once the people practiced it. Hinduism and Buddhism in Southeast Asia were influenced by Indian culture, which was accepted by the rulers

developing in India. Theravada recognizes the primacy and humanity of the historical Buddha. The Buddha was an exemplary figure. Enlightenment is an arduous task, available only to monks who explicitly pursue the path of Shakyamuni himself. Theravada is the dominant form of Buddhism today in Sri Lanka as well as Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. The subject matter of Buddhist art from these traditions focuses on life events of the Buddha.

The spread of religion first began through contact with neighbouring countries which gradually expand throughout the years. Buddhism and Islam are one of the most widespread religions across Southeast Asian countries like Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Trade merchants and imperial support of the religion were major factors in the facilitation and localization of the spread of Buddhism and Islam within Southeast Asia. However, there were also limitations presented which hindered the development of each religion in within their countries as introduction of newer religions and changes to political and imperial power would have affected the progression to become fully localised pre-1800s.

Theravada Buddhism is known to be the “a representative school of the earliest of the branches of Buddhism”, as it is also known as “Hinayana or the small vehicle” (Young). Founded by Buddha, this branch of religion is extremely similar to Hinduism in the fact that it seeks to help people reach a state of liberation from the cycle of Earthly rebirth, but one major difference is that Buddhism “emerged from the Buddha 's honest and penetrating assessment of the human condition” instead of focusing on the connection we as individuals have with our perceived ultimacy or higher, all powerful being like many other religions do (Bullitt). Even though the teachings of Buddha consist of several aspects from The Four Noble Truths, The Eightfold Path, to everything in the world around is impermanent, three of the most important teachings would include: The concept of anatta, Buddha’s teaching that one must work out their own liberation in which he stated on his deathbed, and The First Noble Truth Dukkha. Despite its grotesque nature and imagery, James McTeigue’s famous 2006 film, V for Vendetta, illustrates not only the importance of these Buddhist concepts but that enlightenment is always possible no matter how dark one’s reality might be. Placed in the futuristic setting of Great Britain in which the dictator High Chancellor Adam Sutler rules with an iron fist, the film’s main protagonist V teams up with Evey Hammond in order to battle and overthrow the tyrannical regime they have

In comparing and contrasting Theravada, Gelug-pa, and Zen. Theravada is a school with Mahayana Buddhism that teaches the four noble truths and it also includes the eightfold path. Theravadins believe in and worship deities; Theravadins do not believe in the existence of suffering and evil as a theological problem. Theravadins teaching includes karma, good karma and bad karma as an understanding of the Buddhist path and process of purification and perfection. Theravadins objective for their next life is to have a good rebirth as a human or deity.

For my cultural event I decided to revisit a Theravada Buddhist temple that I once visited previously but rather briefly. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t visit the temple since it is a different religious practice than my own. This temple is called the Wat Florida Dhammaram. The name may seem bewildering to most people but I have learned what the name means. I found out at the temple that the word “Wat” in three different countries (Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos) is defined as a Buddhist monastery or temple. This temple differs in that it is a Theravada Buddhist Temple. Prior to my visit at the temple I never knew what Theravada meant. Theravada is the more conservative of the two major traditions of Buddhism Theravada and Mahayana. What I discovered at the temple was beauty and culture every where I laid my eyes upon.

Founded in the 6th Century BCE by Siddhartha Gautama, Buddhism has over time developed into one of the most prominent religions in the world with approximately 500 million adherents, making it the fourth largest religion on earth. The religions beginnings however, did not see much movement of Buddhism past Northern India until the reign of King Asoka, third monarch of the Mauryan Dynasty. Asoka catalysed the spread of Buddhism from India to Afghanistan and even Southeast Asia, West Persia and Sri Lanka.

The following rites can be seen in Buddhist temples that maintain old traditions. As a sign of respect Buddhists will bow to a statue of a Buddha. “The proper term for the bowing is prostration. The individual prostrates three times by facing the Buddha or Bodhisattva and kneeling – with palms turned upward – on a kneeling stool. The open palms represent wisdom and compassion; during the first prostration, the turning out of one hand symbolizes cultivating wisdom internally, while the movement of the other represents the outward offering of compassion. The second prostration indicates the Buddha or Bodhisattva’s bestowal of wisdom and compassion upon the individual. The third shows the sincerity of the person’s prayers to the Buddha or Bodhisattva. It takes three prostrations to build up concentration and emphasize one’s earnestness” (“Buddhist Rituals”). Once inside the temple, another custom is to leave an offering. “Altar offerings at the temple are typically flowers and fresh fruit. Sometimes there may be small vegetarian dishes. All food offerings are vegetarian, as Buddhists advocate vegetarianism and do not kill animals for food” (“Buddhist Rituals”). Participation and following of these small formalities are important for the continuance of tradition and belief in the Buddhist religion. Every religion has its own ways of offering respect to its religion and priests or shamans and without these, there would be no order or respect. More importantly, these rituals bring its believers together and gives them

As a person that is constantly focused in the future, dealing with the anxiety of the “what’s going to happen next?”. I found a practice that helped me overcoming that anxiety and enjoy the present, also, found that In the western world we don't know too much about this practice as it is, a doctrine, a religion, a way of life, or a philosophy; based not only on ideas but, losing all focus on those ideas and let our mind in the awareness and mindfulness of the present, through meditation, concentrating on your breath or in the union with other people by chants, this practice is Buddhism; it can be practiced, by everyone based on the conception of becoming "the awaken one" which is the meaning of "Buddha". In the interest of this practice I could not find a most beautiful and meaningful place, not only because of its history and architecture but, also because it fulfilled all the conditions required for an ideal Buddhist monastic life considered as a sanctuary, its name is Sanchi.

Buddhism is a very intricate and fascinating major religion of the world. There are many parts and parts and practices that make Buddhism complex. The root of the Buddhist religion favors to the traditions and practices that surround the “enlightened one” known as the Buddha. Although Buddhism is a very hard religion to comprehend, it can be split into three main categories, Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana. This paper will go into Theravada Buddhism and how it correlates and differentiates with socially engaged Buddhism. The Theravada tradition preserves a wide variety of meditation techniques for cultivating the mind, derived from the early

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.

Theravada Buddhism has been the pre dominant religion/school in the continental south-east Asia, it is mainly found in sir Lanka, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Burma, Taiwan and Lous. Today Theravada Buddhist is a group which has well over 100,000,000 member’s world-wide. Theravada is considered to be the soul-survivor of the traditional and original Buddhism. It implies rather traditional and the strictest moral field of teaching. Theravada concentrates on monks and nuns, those who give full devotion to god. They live their lives only by the traditional teachings of the Buddha.The followers for Theravada Buddhism take refuge in the three jewels (which consist of the Buddha, Dharma and the Sangha), they also hold high regard for the teachings of Karma, Samsara and Nirvana. Celebrations are a major aspect for Theravada Buddhists but they only have 3 celebrations annually; Buddha’s birthday, the day Buddha was enlightened and the Luna Quarters (crescent moon, first-quarter moon, gibbous moon, and full moon) it is shunned upon to celebrate occasions other than these because they believe it decreases the value of festivities.