The History and Evolution of Buddhism Across the World

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The History and Evolution of Buddhism Across the World

Religions have been an ever-growing, ever-changing part of peoples lives throughout the history of the world. One of the most dynamic of these religions is the practice of Buddhism. Today nearly 450 million people are influenced by its traditions worldwide. It is this massive influence that makes understanding Buddhism so crucial in today’s world. This paper aims to express its relatively simple history and also how it has evolved today as an influential religion not only in the United States, but throughout the world. Also included will be a comparison and contrast of Buddhism’s past and present, where a deeper insight will be given into the problem of how diluted by other influences Buddhism has become in its great expansion. The conclusion will consist of an insight as to why Buddhism is so difficult to practice in this day and age.

In the years between 800 BCE and 200 BCE some of the greatest people in the history of the world lived their lives. One of these people was a young prince named Siddhartha Guatama. The night before the birth of the prince his mother, “queen Mahamaya, had a dream in which an elephant carrying a lotus flower in its trunk entered her womb through the right side of her body. Brahmins, upon hearing of the dream predicted that the child would become either a great monarch or a Buddha.”# Later, at a name-giving ceremony, seven Brahmins predicted that if Siddhartha did not leave his home, he would some day become a great ruler. His father, King Suddhodana, was ecstatic to here this news and began to lavish upon his young monarch every wish that he desired. This spoiling was done in order to persuade his son that life within the kingdom woul...

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...ut sacrifice. For instance, in order to be a good Buddhist one must give up many aspects of life, and unfortunately today many people do not want to make such a sacrifice. People have grown content and lazy, no longer willing to work for something that might be better. As the old saying goes “ignorance is bliss”, and today’s society is reveling in it. Many people blame their lack of practice on a lack of time. This excuse is perfectly legit in today’s secular world, but one must consider the consequences of using this excuse. If religion can be cast aside as easily as saying the words “no time” , then what have hundreds of wars been fought for? What have people been devoting their life to? Were all these sacrifices made so someone two thousand years later can sit down and watch a football game instead of devoting a little time a faith? I for one sincerely hope not.

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