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Rise and spread of Buddhism
Buddhism past and present
Buddhism history and beliefs
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The practices and beliefs of Buddhism have evolved much since it was founded by Gautama Siddhartha, an Ex prince of India who had left home in search of answers. Buddhism originated in India, the religion begun around 500 BCE. Buddhism is the teachings of the Buddha, who believed in more of a moral code rather than religion. Buddhism goes by the law of Karma, meaning one person’s deeds stack up depending on the moral ground the person is standing upon.
The Buddha, Gautama Siddhartha, was unsatisfied with his surroundings and wished to find the answers of existence. Siddhartha wandered for six years and during that time, had gained enlightenment. However Gautama did not want to or desire to share the teachings and wisdom he had gained over the 6 year journey but was convinced by someone called the Brahman Sahamatpati. The Buddha known by his real name as Gautama Siddhartha, spread and preached teachings and wisdom throughout multiple towns in India. The thing Gautama taught was what was explained as “the Four Noble Truths”. The Four Noble truths are based around the suffering of man, following closely with The Eightfold path. These Four Noble truths are as follow, 1. Truth of suffering. 2. Truth of the cause of suffering. 3. Truth of cessation of suffering. 4. Truth of the path, which is the Eightfold path also the final noble truth. What do these truths mean exactly? Well the truth of suffering is the idea that all types of sufferings Physical and Mental are in our daily life constantly. The second truth, the truth of the cause of suffering is the idea that craving something is what causes suffering like craving material objects, pleasant experiences and eternal lives, the main cause of craving is ignorance, mainly the ignorance ...
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...ached enlightenment and be free from the Wheel of Life, Death and Rebirth, known as Samsara.
Works Cited
Irons, Edward A. “Buddhism Overview.” World Religions Online. Infobase learning. Web. 26 Nov. 2012.
Leong, Linus. “Noble Eightfold Path in Buddhism.” Articlesbase, 2009. Web. 25 Oct. 2009. .
Leong, Linus. “The Four Noble Truths In Buddhism.” Articlesbase, 2009. Web. 25 Oct. 2009. .
“The Tibetan Wheel of life.” Religionfacts, 2004. Web. 7 Aug. 2013
The third Noble Truth is the only cure for suffering is to overcome desire. Siddhartha explains this Noble Truth by going to the river. In the river, he sees his shadow, and meditates. By meditating he is losing all the sorrows. As well, he is losing self and might help him achieve enlightenment.
In order to understand the concepts of the Four Noble Truths, one needs to understand the aim of Buddhist practice. “The aim of Buddhist practice is to cure craving, the desire conditioned by ignorance that leads to suffering” (Demoss 1).2 Buddhism advocates meditation, and a “…goal of Buddhist meditation is to produce right mindfulness, an alert awareness of what is happening in body, mind, and world at the present moment” (Demoss 318).3 “Traditionally, ‘right action’ is defined in Buddhist ethics by the five percepts: do not kill, do not steal, do not engage in illicit sex, do not lie, and do not become intoxicated” (Demoss 319).4 “According to Buddhism a person does not have an intrinsic permanent changeless identity. There is no core self. The self is empty” (Demoss 1).5 The Four Noble Truths provide a conceptual framework for all Buddhist thought. According to the Four Noble Truths, craving leads to suffering, but craving can cease if one cultivates a path of mental discipline, wisdom, and moral conduct (Demoss 309).6 An understanding of Buddhism is...
Buddhism was founded by one man, Siddhartha Guatama. He was born into royalty around 563 B.C.E. in a Kingdom near the border of India and Nepal. He was raised in wealth and luxury, and at the age of 16, he married a wealth woman and they had a child together. Around the age of 29, he began to realize that all humans were in a cycle of suffering, dying, and then being reincarnated only to suffer and die over and over again. It was then that he decided to leave his wife and child to find a way out of this repeating cycle of life and death. First he studied with teachers, but found he was coming to no conclusions, so he turned to more extreme things such as self-mortification, but he was still left unsatisfied.
Like Hinduism, Buddhism also started in India. It is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who is called the Buddha or the Enlightened One. Buddhism started a monastic movement in the Brahman tradition.
Buddhism descend from ancient India, the creator is Sakyamuni. Historically, the Buddhism is established around the 700 Before Christ era. Sakyamuni gives speeches to the local people. Gradually, Buddhism is spread to all around the world. As author illustrates in his writings," The history of Buddhism spans almost 2,500 years from its origin in India wi...
Buddhism is one of the oldest religions in the world, which began in India. The origin of Buddhism is traced back to the experience of single man, Siddhartha Gautama, later known as the Buddha. Born around 563 B.C.E., legend follows that Siddhartha was the son of a prince in a kingdom near the border of what is now India and Nepal. As such, he was sheltered from the world and lived a life of luxury and comfort. (Molloy 124) However, at age 29 Siddhartha left the royal grounds and witnessed the suffering of ordinary life for the first time. What he saw deeply affected him and caused him to question everything in his materialistic life. Siddhartha made the decision to give up his possessions and embark on a search for enlightenment, an event known as the Great Going Forth. (Molloy 125)
In addition, Buddhism places emphasis on the Four Noble Truths, which is the teaching of Buddha, a guide to enlightenment. These are a set of guidance that basically teaches the followers of Buddha the essence of...
Being raised as a Christian I never gave a thought to any of the other religions. Before visiting or learning about Buddhism I was sure Christianity had nothing in common with Buddhism. Christians believe that the only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ, who is the son of God, and the Buddhists believe that the only way to overcome the desire of the body is through the eightfold path which is the way to Nirvana. While Buddhists believe that suffering is brought about by our desires and humanity needs to overcome that by fighting to get rid of the craving of the body. Christians believe suffering is real and the only way to overcome that is to trust in God and through forgiveness we learn how to deal with our desire. In Christianity we believe that everything happens for a reason, mostly good ones. There is no other way to get rid of our desires. We pray and trust God to get us through whatever is happening.
Buddhism was originated in India in the fifth century B.C.E by Siddhartha Gautama. In today estimation there are about three hundred and seventy six million followers, which is the sixth most practiced religion in the world. The founder of this religion was born a Kshatriya, which was the military or ruling class in the caste system. The caste system is a Hindu tradition. Buddhist does not believe in this system. Instead Buddhist believes in the four noble truths. The four noble truths teaches that everyone suffers, selfish desires causes suffering, suffering can be overcome by destroying selfish desires, and if man follows the Eightfold Path, he will destroy selfish desires and end all suffering. Buddhist also believes in Nirvana which is a release from selfishness and pain. Karma is also part of the Buddhist belief. Karma is interpreted in many ways around the world. But in the Buddhist religion Karma refers to the good and bad actions a person does in his or her life. The good actions will bring about good things in the future. Unlike the good actions, if...
In the Buddha’s first sermon, he laid out the four main ideas that he had been enlightened with; he called them the Four Noble Truths. 1) Everything in life is suffering and sorrow. 2) The cause of all suffering is people’s selfish desire for the temporary pleasures of this world. 3)
Siddhartha Gautama is famously known as Gautama Buddha and was the founder of the idea of Buddhism. The Buddha was known to possess supernatural powers and abilities. He was born in the holy land of Nepal and his journey began in India when he decided to travel and teach himself about life. In the midst of his journey, he discovered Buddhism after he experienced a profound realization of the nature of life, death and existence. Buddhism became a religion based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama and since then Buddhism has been popular throughout many civilizations. Buddhism is now one of the most ancient religions in the world, where people follow Buddha, which stand for “awakened one,” and Buddhism which has gained popularity because of the teachings of the Buddha.
The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism capture ethos of the spirituality and its teachings. By just these four lessons, Buddha preaches the principles of tranquility within meditation of mere concentration. From these truths he developed a guidance referred to as the Eightfold Path, a series of principles that lead to awakening when practiced and understood. He preaches that inevitable suffering comes from desire, however he concludes with a solution to a life lived in nirvana. The first two of the Four Noble Truths are Dukha and Avidya, focusing on the primitive presence of suffering within day to day life. The other two are Nirodha and Magga, contributions to having faith that solvents for all suffering do exist and how it is accomplished. The combination of each understanding is a simple recipe to ultimate salvation, hence the contribution to development of self awareness and happiness within cultures across the map.
From the moment we are born we have the tendency of craving the worldly desires that we are exposed to. Its part of human nature to want an ideal life where you are either wealthy, powerful, happy or all of the above without any suffering involved. Although that ideal sounds phenomenal, it is the thought of limitation that drives many people to seek for something more than just worldly pleasures. As some stay within the lines of an insatiable life, others come to the realization that living a life with nothing but worldly pleasures and goals are ultimately not everlasting. This is the point where people go on to pursue something bigger than themselves, something that gives them a purpose and infinite joy or as most would call it, a religion. One of the most fascinating major world religions that many have chosen to follow for centuries is Buddhism. A very complex, yet intriguing religion that seeks for a way of life that ultimately releases a person from suffering and leads them to inner peace and joy.
Buddhism was founded around 520 BC by Siddharta Gautama, who was an Indian Prince. Buddhism emphasizes practice over belief. In reality, however, Buddhism centers on correct understanding of human nature and ultimate reality. The Buddha was, after all, called the "Enlightened One." He taught that the way to eliminate suffering began with understanding the true nature of the world. In Buddhism, the purpose of life is to end suffering. The Buddha taught that humans suffer because we continually strive after things that do not give lasting happiness.