The Four Noble Truths And Beliefs Of Buddhism In The World

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Buddhism stands as one of the world’s oldest and most significant religion throughout the continent of Asia as well as the Western hemisphere. Approximately 350 million individuals, claim Buddhism as their religion, making it the fourth largest religion in the world. Buddhism continues to be significantly practiced in over 11 Asian countries. A few of those countries include Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and Bhutan, where nearly all or the majority of their population follow the religion [BuddhaNet]. Like Hinduism, Buddhism originated in India around mid-500 BC. Buddhism shares similar aspects to the Hindu religion as a result such as the concepts of nirvana and samsara. Unlike Hinduism however, which does not have a known founder, Buddhism …show more content…

The first truth stated that to live is to suffer, meaning that suffering is an inescapable part of life. The second noble truth concludes that suffering comes from desire. Desires are viewed as “cravings” or “thirsts”. Some examples of desires include, sleep, clothing, housing, respect, quiet, security, alcohol, entertainment or expensive food. Desire can lead to dissatisfaction and discontent, which leads to suffering. As a result, the third noble truth is to end desire, to end suffering. The essence of the Third noble Truth states: “I cannot change the outside world, but I can change myself and the way I experience the world.” The fourth noble truth states that we can be relieved from suffering by following the Noble Eightfold Path …show more content…

The monks are called Bhikkus, and the nuns are called Bhikkunis. Monks and nuns dedicate the majority of their day to prayer and meditation. Their goal is to practice the teaching of the Buddha, reach enlightenment, and achieve a state of nirvana. Monks and nuns must follow the Five Precepts, in which they pledge to not take life away from a sentient being, not steal nor engage in sexual misconduct, and must also refrain from false speech and becoming intoxicated. Monks and nuns live a simplistic lifestyle, wearing simple robes consisting of clothes mended together.
The customs and characteristics of Buddhism arose from the belief of many central myths. The most significant myth to the Buddhist faith would be the story of its founder, the Buddha. Before he became the Buddha, he was Siddhartha Gautama. The myth stated that the Buddha was conceived from a dream that his mother Mahamaya dreamt in which a white elephant entered her side. The Buddha was born from her side. He was born fully awake, and could speak and walk. He stated that he would end suffering. Unfortunately, his mother died a week after childhood. His aunt Mahaprajapati raised

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