Comparative Analysis: Buddhism In India And China

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Comparative Analysis: Buddhism In India And China Buddhism is the non-theistic religion and philosophical system founded in North-East India in the sixth century by Gautama Siddharta (the Buddha). His followers seek to emulate his example of perfect morality, wisdom and compassion culminating in a transformation of consciousness known as enlightenment. Buddhism teaches that greed, hatred and delusion separate the individual from the true perception of the nature of things, causing him to remain tied to the bhavachakra (Ch’en, 1989). The apparent substantiality of all objects including the self is an illusion; everything mundane is temporary and ultimately unsatisfying. The central beliefs of Buddhism are based on Buddha’s Four Noble Truths the last of which is the Eightfold Noble Path, by which enlightenment may be attained and the individual self annihilated in Nirvana. Buddhism is not dogmatic, but through its long history has developed into many schools (Mahayana, Theravada and Zen) (Ch’en, 1989). With more than 500 million followers in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Japan and elsewhere in the Far East, Buddhism is also currently gaining adherents in the West too. The predominant forms however are Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism, the former of which is practiced in China whereas the latter is prevalent in India. Both of these forms are significantly different from the other and the following essay will attempt to compare and contrast Buddhism in India and China. Theravada Buddhism is the old, conservative school, also called Hinayana by its detractors. Prevalent in India, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka and Thailand, it emphasizes the ideal of the arhat – one who, as a monk, achieves enlightenment by his own efforts. In Theravada the Buddha is r...

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... does not realize it. The aim of meditation is to achieve the realization that our true nature is nothing less than the Buddha nature. The above analysis thus shows that a number of similarities and differences can be found in Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism. Both these forms however have one thing in common – the transitory nature of human life, as we know it. Although in our hearts we may long for eternity, the unavoidable fact is that we are only temporary beings and true spirituality begins with acknowledging that. References Ch’en, Kenneth KS. Buddhism: The Light of Asia. Woodbury, New York: Barron’s Educational Series, 1989. Conze, Edward. Buddhism: Its Essence and Development. New York: Harper & Row, 1979. Scuhmann, Hans Wolfgang. Buddhism. Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1974. Rahula, Walpola. What the Buddha Taught. New York: Grove Press, 1991.

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