Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
History and practice of Buddhism
History and practice of Buddhism
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: History and practice of Buddhism
The founder of Buddhism was not a divine being, prophet, or messiah, like many people today believe. He was an ordinary man. Siddhartha Gautama helped revolutionize the world, by discovering Buddhism, and helping his followers find true peace in their lives through the path of enlightenment. The Hindu word, “Buddha”, means “One who is awake” (Pauling 5). Towards the end of his life Siddhartha became “awake”to the world around him. This enlightenment would be the building blocks for Buddhism, and would change the world forever.
Siddhartha Gautama was born into a wealthy family. His father, King Suddhodana, was ruler over the Sakya tribe near Nepal or Northern India (The Big View). Siddhartha was born sometime around 560 BCE, which is before the birth of another prominent revolutionary figure, Jesus Christ (Pauling 5). Siddhartha lived a very luxurious, and abundant lifestyle. He had access to all the amenities of life such as, food, expensive clothing, and several servants.
In his early years as a child he had his first spiritual experience while meditating. Soon after, despite all of the material possessions and luxuries, he decided to leave the palace for a small journey. What he saw on this journey would forever change the way he viewed life. On his journey he came across a sickly old mans body being burned. After seeing this he realized that old age, sickness and death exist , and that people have no control over their lives (The Big View). This sight led him to a dramatic decision to leave the palace, his family,and give up his title as Prince. He then shaved his hair, and gave up all of his expensive clothing. He traveled homeless, with no money in search of inner peace. After his six year journey, he finally disc...
... middle of paper ...
...utama." Encyclopedia of Modern Asia. Ed. Karen
Christensen and David Levinson. Vol. 5. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2002. 199-201. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 2 Oct. 2011.
"Buddhist Studies: Geographical Spread of Buddhism in Asia." BuddhaNet - Worldwide Buddhist
Information and Education Network. Web. 02 Oct. 2011. .
"THE BASIC TEACHING OF BUDDHA." SFSU WWW. Web. 02 Oct. 2011.
.
Cannella, Dolores, Steven P. Perlman, and H. Barry Waldman. "Buddhism: a religion created to
deal with disabilities." The Exceptional Parent Oct. 2010: 60+. General OneFile. Web.
2 Oct. 2011.
Pauling, Chris. "Chapter Two The Buddha." Introducing Buddhism. Birmingham: Windhorse
Publications, 1997. Print.
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.
The first teacher that Siddhartha had was the Samanas. Siddhartha followed their path for a few years, and learned much from them. He had accomplished the eightfold path and the four noble truths in a short time. Although he had learned much he came to a decision to leave the Samanas. Siddhartha was grateful for they’re teachings, but in the end he believed he could have learned everything that they had taught him on his own.
The Buddha had lived a sheltered childhood. Before the Buddha was born, “his mother dreamed that a white elephant entered her womb” (“Buddha” Compton’s) and soon after she became pregnant (“Buddha” Compton’s). In the sixth century BCE in Lumbini (present day Nepal), the Buddha was born. His birth name was Siddhartha Gautama, and his father was the king of the Shakya people. His mother, Queen Mayadevi, died a week after giving birth
The founder of Buddhism was a man named Siddharta Gautama. He was born as a prince of a small kingdom located near today’s Nepal, around 500 B.C.E. (Gurinder 1). According to the legends, Siddharta was raised in the lap of luxury. He was given the finest clothes, riches, and a mansion for every season (Fisher 136). Despite having anything his imagination could conjure, he was unconvinced of their value (136). As the story continues, he was presented with the four sights that were being kept from him (136). These sights included death, sickness, old age, and a monk seeking lasting happiness rather than material possessions (136). After these sights, Sidhharta began his long path to enlightenment. After six years of searching, he had reached his goal of an ultimate consciousness called Nirvana, or enlightenment that is above ordinary human states of mind (Gurinder, Numrich, Williams 1-2). After his discovery of the ultimate consciousness, he was given the title of Buhhda, which means “Enlighten One” (2).
Gautama Buddha is the founder of Buddhism, a religion that is heterodoxy to Hinduism. In Hinduism, Gautama Buddha is viewed as the ninth avatar, or a purposeful descendant of a supreme being, of the God Vishnu-specifically in Vaishnava Hinduism. It is believed that he lived and taught between the sixth and fourth centuries BCE. The word “buddha” refers to the first awakened being during in a Yuga era, but Gautama Buddha is regarded as the Supreme Buddha.
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)
Siddhartha Gautama was born in Lumbini, near the Nepalese-Indian border. Asita, a famous wise sage, predicted that he would become a great king or a great religious teacher. Siddhartha’s father, King Suddhodana, wished for his son to be a king so he shielded him from religious teachings or any knowledge of human sufferings. King Suddhodana evidently thought that any contact with unpleasantness might prompt Siddartha to seek a life of renunciation as a religious...
ed. Vol. 2. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1995. 973-974. Yaeger, Bert D. The
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.
Buddhism, like most other religions, originated in a particular place at a particular time, and its roots are in forms and ideas that were part of the environment in which it developed. The most important of these areas at the time of the Buddha was the valley of the Ganges river which flows from west to east across most of northern India. It was here that the great religions of India first arose and flourished. Only later did they spread to the south. In the time of the Buddha, about 500 B.C.E., this area was undergoing a period of vigorous religious development.
This report will be about the life of Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, and his influences on the people around him. It will explain how the religion of Buddhism came about and how the Buddha created it. It will also include not only what influenced Buddha to start preaching, but what influenced the people to listen.
Eastman, C., Teicholz, P., Sacks, R., & Liston, K. (2011). Bim handbook. (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Buddhism is a divine path envisioned to support internal transformation and the realization of the highest good, called liberation, enlightenment, or Nirvana. So far only one being has been said to have reached this level of spiritual enlightenment and that is The Buddha (i.e. the awakened one). The Buddha was an Indian Prince named Siddhartha Gautama from 6th century B.C.E. who was foretold to either be a great king, or great spiritual man, upon voyaging beyond his palace. Once leaving his fortress, he became aware of the problems of human existence though observing sickness, aging, and death and so, in revulsion, he gave up wealth, power and luxury for an austere life while seeking truth. He ventured t...
“Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Suffering follows an evil thought as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draws it. Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Joy follows a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves (Siddhartha Gautama, n.d).” Siddhartha Gautama is recognized as the leader and the founder of the Buddhist religion. He was a prince in 5th century B.C.E that opted to give up all possessions and begin a life in the forest, seeking enlightenment. While living and meditating in the forest, underneath a large tree, he discovered the way to abolish suffering. Through this change in his life, he acquired important wisdom that shaped the formation of Buddhism. His teachings are the foundation of the religion, but even more than that, they are what I believe to be very vital in shaping yourself as a human being.