Centuries By The Followers Of Buddhism example essay topic

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' 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 Maha sanghikas 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 Tripitaka. 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 1100's and 1300's, 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 600's 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") 31 a.