The Spread of Buddhism

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The Spread of Buddhism Buddhism is a philosophy, a moral code, and, for some a religious faith which originated in 530 BC in India. Buddhism evolved as a modification of Hinduism when Hinduism started to become very complicated due to too many sacrifices in the name of God. Today, an estimated 300 million people follow one of the many varieties of Buddhism. Budda, or Siddhartha Guatama which means "the awakened one" had the religion named after him because he founded the ideas behind Buddhism. Budda, a very wealthy man, was not fulfilled with his life. One day, he decided to leave his home and wondered through the forest, nearly starving himself to death, in search of the answer to his discontent. Nearing death, a woman found Budda and fed him, saving his life. When Budda recovered, he realized that life needs to have a balance, and decided to spread the word of his new idea. Budda taught his philosophy until his death. Soon after Buddha's death, five hundred monks met at the first council at under the leadership of Kashyapa. Ananda, Buddha's cousin, friend, and favorite disciple, recited Buddha's lessons (the Sutras). The monks debated details and voted on final versions. These were then committed to memory by other monks, to be translated into the many languages of the Indian plains. Because many people could not read, and also because Buddhism was only committed to memory, not documented, Buddhism remained an oral tradition for over 200 years. In the next few centuries, the original ideas of Buddhism began to fragment. The most significant split occurred after the second council met, 100 years after the first. After debates between a more liberal group and traditionalists, the liberal group left and labeled th... ... middle of paper ... ...roads and other expanding industries. Also, on the east coast, intellectuals were reading about Buddhism in books by Europeans. During World War II interest in Buddhism was renewed as many Asian Buddhists came to England and the U.S., and many European Buddhists came to the U.S. Zen Buddhism was particularly popular, especially in the U.S., where it became part of the Beatnik artistic and literary movement as "Beat Zen." Today, there are more than 300 million Buddhists in the world, including at least a quarter million in Europe, and a half million each in North and South America. Whatever the numbers may be, Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world, after Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. And, although it has suffered considerable setbacks over the centuries, it seems to be attracting more and more people, as a religion or a philosophy of life.

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