Buddhism. Essay, Research Paper

Buddhism.

Facts:

1. Buddhism is a major world religion, founded in northeastern

India and based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who is

known as the Buddha, or Enlightened One. Buddhism today is

divided into two major branches known to their respective

followers as Theravada, the Way of the Elders, and Mahayana, the

Great Vehicle.

2. Religion and philosophy (of Buddhism) founded in India in the

6th and 5th cent. B.C. by Siddhartha Gautama, called the Buddha.

One of the great Asian religions, it teaches the practice of

Meditation and the observance of moral precepts

3. The basic doctrines include the four noble truths taught by

the Buddha: existence is suffering; the cause of suffering is

desire; there is a cessation of suffering, called Nirvana, or

total relief; and there is a path leading to the end of

suffering, the eightfold noble path of right views, right

resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right

effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration

4. Nirvana:

In Buddhism a state of supreme state; liberation from suffering,

one’s bondage to the repeating cycle of death and rebirth, which

is brought about by desire. Nirvana is attainable in life through

moral discipline and the practice of Yoga, leading to the

extinction of all attachment and ignorance.

5. Karma:

Karma is a basic concept common to Buddhism. The doctrine holds

that one’s state in this life is the result of physical and

mental actions in past incarnations(lives) and that present

action can determine one’s destiny in future incarnations. Karma

is a natural, impersonal law of moral cause and effect; only

those who have attained Nirvana, or liberation from rebirth, can

transcend karma.

6. Dharma:

Buddhism’s belief that a person has religious and moral things to

do during his or her lives.

7. Yoga:

Yoga is a general term for spiritual disciplines, followed for

centuries by the followers of Buddhism, to attain higher

liberation from ignorance, suffering, and rebirth.

8. The Buddha (Buddhism’s “god”, Buddha is the person who

introduced Buddhism) refused to appoint a successor, instead he

told his followers to work out their own salvation. The monastic

order met periodically to reach agreement on matters of doctrine

and practice. These councils compiled the Buddhist scriptures,

set standards of monastic discipline, and sent out missionaries.

In time, subdivisions developed within Buddhism. While the more conservative monks continued to honor the Buddha as a perfectly

enlightened human teacher, the liberal Mahasanghikas developed a

concept of the Buddha as an eternal, omnipresent, transcendental

being.

9. For several centuries after the death of the Buddha, the

scriptural traditions recited at the councils were transmitted

orally. These were finally written down in about the 1st century

BC. The Buddhist law is known as the Tipitaka. It consists of

three collections of writings: the Sutra Pitaka, a collection of

discourses; the Vinaya Pitaka, the code of monastic discipline;

and the Abhidharma Pitaka, which contains philosophical,

psychological, and doctrinal discussions and classifications.

10. Buddhism spread rapidly throughout the land of its birth.

Missionaries introduced the religion to southern India, to the

northwest part of the subcontinent, and to Sri Lanka. Buddhism

had reached Burma (now known as Myanmar) by the 5th century AD.

It was adopted by the Thai people between the 1100s and 1300s,

and then moved into Laos and Cambodia. About the beginning of the

Christian era, Buddhism was carried to Central Asia. From there

it entered China by the early 1st century AD, influencing Chinese

culture and, in turn, adapting itself to Chinese ways. Buddhism

also expanded into Vietnam, Korea, and Japan. Buddhism was first

introduced into Tibet in the AD 600s and soon became a

significant force in Tibetan culture. Several important new sects

of Buddhism developed in China.

My opinion:

1. I do not mind where it was founded but I really think they

should not divided it into two major branches because there a lot

of people believe that religion and there may be a lot of

differences and battles for belief. Also if a person believes in

one branch but lives in a place where most people believe in

other branch, there could be a problem living in that

neighborhood.

2. I do not know about you but I think this is pretty old

religion. This Siddhartha Gautama person is pretty smart and is a

thinker because it is not really easy to think up such a big and

interesting religion which is advancing even in the present days,

this religion took up a lot of people into it’s hands.

3. This idea of suffering is really correct if you think about it

because if there is life there is suffering; you always have to

suffer to gain some thing in this live for example I have to

suffer to do this project so I can get a good grade, so I would

be appreciated, so I could get into a good college and get a good

high paying career, by the time you finish reading my example I

hope you would understand what I mean. But about the relief thing

I think that is something that is impossible to be done in real

life.

4. As I said in the paragraph above I do not thing there is a

possibility of having a relief from suffering especially by using

physical things.

5. The only reason I believe in this is because I believe in

reincarnations, I believe that anything that everything that you

do is effecting your next life and the life after that.

6.I also think so because if a person wants a good live then he

or she has to do something to promoted and get a new and better

live or you’ll be exactly the same boring live.

7. I’ve tried yoga and I still do not understand where is the

discipline there all I found is physical exercise and some

stretching but I got to say It was fun and challenging.

8.I think it is pretty good that Buddha did not assign any one

because there would be any people that are miserable and people

who are high in society class.

9. I think everything should’ve been written earlier because

orally things could be lost and forgotten, and everybody trusts

the good old pen and paper.

10. The only thing I can say here os wow, this religion

multiplied and adopted so fast I thing people did not even notice

that they converted.

My Questions:

1)How come there are thousands of religions that are alike

Buddhism but they don’t get alone?

2)People had writing in 6th century, how come the belief was not

written down?

3)Why didn’t Siddhartha Gautama make a god like most other

religions?

4)What encouraged Siddhartha Gautama to make this beliefs?

5)If all life has suffering, life after death it doesn’t have

suffering, how come?

Bibliography:

1)Microsoft Encarta 97 Deluxe

2)Microsoft Bookshelf 98

3)Encyclopedia.com (searched for “Buddhism”)

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