Buddhism Essay

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The core metaphor of The Buddha is in the name, the awakened one and in the cognate term “Bodhi,” the condition of being awake (Mchee, 2013, para. 2). It is apparent from Buddhist discourse that awakening is associated with prajna (wisdom) and kaduna (compassion) (Mchee, 2013, para. 3). Buddhism is considered a religion even though it does not have a belief in a God or Gods and instead surrounds itself with a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices. Since Buddhism does not consist of worshipping an actual God, some people do not feel it is an actual religion. The basic ways of a Buddhist teaching are straightforward and to the point. Any change in the Buddhist belief is opposed to any other religion, such as Christianity. Buddhism is open to all people regardless of race, nationality, or gender. Buddhists believe that nothing is fixed or permanent and that change is always possible. It is the path of practice and spiritual growth that shows the true nature of life. Buddhism is 2,500 years old and has around 376 million followers worldwide. The history of Buddhism is the story of one man's spiritual journey to enlightenment, the teachings and ways of living that developed from it.
Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, also known as The Buddha. He was an Indian, the first great Indian and perhaps the greatest of all ages, not excepting Gandhi. Siddhartha was born into royal family from the clan of the Sakyas, in a village called Lumbini, which is in modern day Nepal. No one is exactly sure when he was born, but researchers believe it was around 490 BC and died around 410 BC. After growing up, marrying, and having a child, he went outside of royal enclosure and saw an old man, a sick man, and a corpse (BBC, 2014, para. 3)....

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...rld-denying', and ‘pessimistic’.
Where the teachings of Buddha and Jesus differ in the respect to moral implications is that Christianity dealt with the suffering of men for atonement where Buddhists search for enlightenment. The path to enlightenment runs a parallel course with the disciples. The original disciples of Buddhism were in search of Nirvana, a place of enlightenment and peace. Disciples of Jesus were in search of God's kingdom, heaven. Both Jesus and Buddha were teachers who had their own students, similar paths different routes. The major difference that one sees is the fact that Buddhism has a limited scope of interpretation where Christianity is wide and varied on belief and practice. It is not for any person to criticize or choose, but there are so many sects and practices of Christianity that contradict one another which is right or which is wrong.

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