...that will take them to nirvana. Buddha gave up all the riches of his father and his family. In order to teach other a way of life that was in the middle of self-indulgence and asceticism. After reaching his enlightenment he traveled to teach his lifestyle to others. The Mahayana branch of Buddhism is one of the three branches of Buddhism that survived after Buddha’s death. Mahayana is known of the “Big Vehicle” and is the second of the three branches. History of Buddhism Buddhism was founded by Buddha Shakyamuni. He was a royal prince born in 324 BC in a place that was originally northern India that is now considered Nepal. This prince’s name means Able One. This prince started his Spiritual life when he was 29 and retired to the forest. It was after six years the he was able to attain enlightenment underneath a Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India. He was requested to teach; it was this request that was the beginning of Buddhism. It was this request that allowed Buddha to rise from meditation as he taught the first Wheel of Dharma. It is these teachings that include the different steps the Noble Four Steps, and more discourses. Principal sources of Hinayana, even the Lesser Vehicle of Buddhism; while later he would teach the Second and Third wheel of Dharma. Buddha Buddha or the Awakened One came into this world as a prince. It was only at the age of 29 when he became known as Buddha (Malloy, 2012). As a prince Buddha was kept inside of the castle in...
Words: 899 - Pages: 4
...2014) As the first man to reach enlightenment, the Buddha or the “Awakened One”, revolutionised India’s belief system in both his own time and subsequent ages. His new-found path to enlightenment was forged through his earnest belief and morals – not through his former social standing and reputation to effectuate reformation. Siddhartha...
Words: 1784 - Pages: 8
...Siddhartha’s Journey to Enlightenment When Siddhartha Gautama was about five days old, his father, King Suddhodana, was told by a holy man that his son would either be would be either a great military conqueror or a great spiritual teacher. Upon hearing that, the King decided to raise his son in a life of luxury and shield him from religion and the knowledge of human suffering. He did this because he wanted his son to be a ruler, not a spiritual leader. After twenty-nine years of knowing very little about what went on outside of his kingdom, he decided to step outside his kingdom and see what the outside world was like. He saw suffering all around him and was sickened by it. After awhile the Price saw a wandering ascetic. The Prince’s chariot driver explained that the ascetic was person who had renounced the world and wanted freedom from fear of death and suffering. After returning to his kingdom, he was unhappy. The life he once was content with made him unhappy and he couldn’t go on living ignorantly after being exposed to human suffering. One night, he left the palace so set out on his journey to find enlightenment. Siddhartha began his journey by seeking the teachings of philosophers. The philosopher’s taught him how to mediate and information about different religions, like Hinduism. The Prince also tried to find release from human suffering by physical self-discipline. Siddhartha would hold his breath for periods of time. He would only eat one grain of rice and one drop...
Words: 1000 - Pages: 4
...largest of the main Tibetan Buddhist schools and formed Tantric Buddhism in Tibet. The second school is Kagyu, also known as “Oral Lineage.” The third school is Sakya, which translates to “Grey Earth”. The last or the four Tibetan Buddhist schools is Gelugpa, also known as “Way of Virtue” or “Yellow Hats, it is the youngest and also the largest school of the four. The Dalai Lama is the head leader of the Gelupa School. (Four Schools of Tibetan Buddhism) The Dalai Lamas are considered Bodhisattvas, which means a person who is on the journey to becoming a Buddha but not yet achieving Buddhahood. The reasons why the Dalai Lama waits to become enlightened is because there purpose is to help the people of this earth from the sufferings of the reincarnation of life and death, also known as “The Cycle of Transmigratory Existence.” (Bell) “The Dalai Lamas are believed to be manifestations of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig.” (Brief Biography) All Dalai Lama’s needed to be male. “The current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the 14th in a line of succession that began with Gendün Drub (1391–1475), founder and abbot of Tashilhunpo monastery (central Tibet). He and his successors came to be regarded as reincarnations (tulkus) of the bodhisattva of compassion Avalokiteshvara.” (Tibetan Buddhism) From the first Dalai Lama to the current one, all fourteen Dalai Lama’s are significant in one way or another to the Tibetan Buddhist religion. Gedun Drupa, who was a fascinating Tibetan Buddhist who...
Words: 1803 - Pages: 8
...net/ebooks.htm (633 KB) Guide to Tipitaka — Compiled by U KO Lay. The Guide to the Tipitaka is an outline of the Pali Buddhist Canonical Scriptures of Theravada Buddhism from Burma. This is a unique work, as it is probably the only material that deals in outline with the whole of the Pali Buddhist Tipitaka. The Tipitaka includes all the teachings of the Buddha, grouped into three divisions: the Soutane Patch, or general discourses; the Vane Patch, or moral code for monks and nuns; and the Abhidhamma Pitaka, or philosophical teachings. An excellent reference work which gives an overview of the Pali Buddhist texts. • It is recommended that you download the print version below as it is of higher quality. Print Version (1,314KB, zipped file) This print version is suitable for people who can print the pages duplex and they will have 2 A5 size pages on every Landscape oriented A4 page. This file is of higher quality with bookmarks and a hyper linked series of "contents" pages. (1,815 KB) Daily Readings from Buddha's Words of Wisdom — by Ven. S. Dhammika. For over two millennium the discourses of the Buddha have nourished the spiritual lives of countless millions of people in India, Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand. This book contains extracts from some of these discourses selected from the Pali Tipitaka and also from some post-canonical writings. Rendered into readable English, presented so that one extract can be read and reflected upon each...
Words: 4928 - Pages: 20
...One of the major ideas expressed in Buddhism is that of the Three Gems. These Gems consist of: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. The Three Gems are clearly expressed in three of Ninian Smart’s dimensions of religion and are also interlocking. The first Gem, The Buddha, fulfills Ninian’s described mythological dimension. The next Gem, the Dharma, expresses the doctrinal dimension. Finally, the third Gem, the Sangha, deals with the social dimension. The first Gem, the Buddha, can clearly be categorized under the mythological dimension of religion. This Gem consists of stories of the life cycles of Shakyamuni, who is the Buddha of the current era. Most of the stories however focus on the life cycle of Siddartha, in which the bodhisattva(one who has dedicated himself to achieving Buddhahood) actually achieves enlightenment and becomes Buddha Shakyamuni(Oxtoby/Segal p377). The stories explain how, “Siddhartha travels the path from a vow to seek enlightenment, to its attainment, to the teaching of others how to follow that path”(Buddhism Lecture One, Week Four). These stories and legends are considered mythological as they are not scripture for Buddhists, and they are not a direct biography of Buddha Shakyamuni’s life, yet they serve the purpose to outline a path for other Buddhists to follow to reach enlightenment (Introduction Lecture, Week One). According to Ninian Smart, “… we shall include stories relating to significant historical events under the head of the mythological...
Words: 1009 - Pages: 5
...Intro -Born between India and Nepal 25hundred years ago -His mom had a Dream before he was born. A white elephant offered her a lotus flower and then entered her side of her body. Predictions she will have a son either Ruler or Holy man who will become and elighten being. -Born emreging from her side. 7 Days later the queen died. -Buddha said the world is filled with Pain and Sorrow but he had found a serenity that everyone can find. -Learn how to accept life as it is. (Pain suffering, getting sick etc..) -Buddha says you are you are own Master, future depends on us! He just wants to show us happiness. THE BUDDHA (Siddharta Gautama) -First Buddha biography was written 500 years after his death -Born 500 years before Birth of Jesus -Grew in a town vanished for 3 decades he wouldn’t see nothing of the world beyond -Son of a King raised in a palace named Siddharta Gautama a Prince! -HIs dad wanted him to be a king not a teacher etc.. -Dad married him to her cousin -He steps out kingdom and sees Old man, Sick person, by the third trip he sees a corpse. 4th trip outside he sees a spiritual seeker. Someone who tried to live a life completely other than his life in order to escape from impermanence, pain, suffering and death. -At 29yrs he left the palace. He wanted to comprehend nature of suffering. -His wife just gave birth to Rajula Fedder, Ball and Chain -He chose not to hold his son bcus it will stop him from leaving -Lara the god of desire was waiting told...
Words: 1818 - Pages: 8
...succeeded in conquering Kalinga in the fatal war in which 100,000 men were killed, 150,000 injured, and thousands were captured and retained as slaves. The sight of the massacre involved in his conquest deeply distressed Ashoka and deeply affected his mind. Overwhelmed by the carnage, he changed his way of life. Brahmanism was the practiced religion of Ashoka, as he abstained from war forever and sought peace in Buddha’s preaching of love and ahimsa. The war developed in him a hatred of all kinds of violence so he gave up hunting and the slaughtering of animals. He became a strict vegetarian. His son, Mahinda, became a Theraveda monk and was sent to introduce Buddhism to Sri Lanka. Ashoka spent time piously retracing the steps of the Buddha and raising stupas inscribed with moral injunctions and imperatives at holy places of pilgrimage,...
Words: 1412 - Pages: 6
...THE HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES JOSEPH CAMPBELL BO I. L I N G EN SERIES XVII PRINCETON UNIVERSITY AND PRESS P R I N C E T O N OXFORD Copyright © 2004 by Princeton University Press Published by Princeton Unhxmt^Pms, U WiffiaM SUrtt, Pnnceton, New Jersey 08540; im^inii!-. •:-..• punght i 1-49 by Botiingen e d i t i o n l n ' i l h Foundation, rc't.'itii.yi •: • andpttt t*j''!' !_•"' . !.,.: b% :''ohi: •• Bough, one-volume edition, p. 386. Copyright, 1922 by The MacmiUan Company and used with their permission). Compare Sigmund Freud: "I recognized the presence of symbolism in dreams from the very beginning. But it was only by degTees and as my experience increased that I arrived at a full appreciation of its extent and significance, and I did so under the influence of . . . Wilhelm Stekel. . . . Stekel arrived at his interpretations of symbols by way of intuition, thanks to a peculiar gift for the direct understanding of them. . . . Advances in psycho-analytic experience have brought to our notice patients who have shown a direct understanding of dream-symbolism of this kind to a surprising extent. . . . This symbolism is not peculiar to dreams, hut is characteristic of unconscious ideation, in particular among the people, and it is to be found in folklore, and in popular myths, legends, linguistic idioms,, proverbial wisdom and current jokes, to a more complete extent than in dreams." {The Interpretation of Dreams, translated by...
Words: 23058 - Pages: 93
...practice is quickly increasing in the United States population. Some estimate that up to 3 million are practicing in the US. But India, around 500 B.C.E., is where it all began and flourished (Alldritt 5). During this time, India was in a state of religious ferment which led people to experiment with meditation, deep breathing and to study with gurus (Molloy 125). Buddhism emphasizes on personal enlightenment as opposed to an eternal salvation from a higher being. The Buddha is not a god, but a human being that was acknowledged and respected for providing the knowledge on happiness within one self and concern for all living things (Robinson). In this report, I will discuss how Buddhism originated, its major forms, beliefs and teachings and the question of it being a true religion or philosophy of life. Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, or the awakened one, was born into royalty as a prince. Legend states that his mother dreamed of an elephant entering her side, creating the moment of conception of the future Buddha, and the birth of Siddhartha from her side. Siddhartha had special makings on his body, indicating that he would be an illustrious person. During a naming ceremony, priests predicted that Siddhartha would become a great king or a great...
Words: 2716 - Pages: 11
...The Quality of Transcendence: The Stupa Reliquary, Pakistan, Gandharan Region, 2nd century CE (Word count 2062) The Stupa Reliquary currently housed in the Alsdorf Collection at the Art Institute of Chicago was produced around the second-century AD in the Gandharan region, of what is now Pakistan. Relatively small in size (30.5 cm X 19.7 cm X 19.1 cm) compared to the imposing pieces surrounding it in the gallery, the Stupa Reliquary has a magnitude and importance about it that immediately draws one’s attention to it. The piece is the embodiment of regality, nobility, and holiness. It represents a form of art that seeks to depict the dimension of the transcendent. In other words, the Stupa Reliquary represents a type of view, in which earthly and material remains are oriented towards a transcendent and vertical plane of existence. That is to say that the piece, as a reliquary, functions as a housing of the remains of religious figures, yet because of the nature of religion itself, the relics contained within bear a sacred or transcendent element. This is an interesting piece, but it is difficult to understand without considering the background of the piece. This research...
Words: 2092 - Pages: 9
...The quotation that best represents Siddhartha Gautama: Buddhism to me is “The point of the teachings is to control your own mind. Restrain your mind from greed, and you will keep your body right, your mind pure and your words faithful. Always thinking of the transiency of your life, you will be able to desist from greed and anger and will be able to avoid all evils.” (Buddha, Truth and Brotherhood, 2003)I chose this quotation because Siddhartha Gautama’s idea was to live a life that was free of suffering and to live without worry. He went through trials to get to the point where he could find a way to help his followers deal with suffering. He did this by teach others how to live like him and how to control their destinies. The quotation that best represents Lao Tzu: Taoism to me is “Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” I chose this quotation because it reminds me of the book when Tao said that Humans cannot force change on the world without injuring themselves. All arbitrary interventions using models of the past simply lead to further disorder. Basically to me it says that enjoy what you have now and you shouldn’t force change, just let it happen naturally because nothing stays the same. The quotation that best represents Confucius: Confucianism to me is “The mind of the superior man is conversant with righteousness; the mind of the ordinary man is conversant with gain; the...
Words: 513 - Pages: 3
...Critical Thinking Assignment APOL-104 June 25, 2012 Critical Thinking Assignment PART ONE: The Question of Origin In Buddhism, they do not teach nor do they believe that there is an all-powerful God that created the universe. They look to Buddha, the religion’s founder, for a model of how to behave. In the Buddhist view, the universe is infinite in both time and space and the universe is created and destroyed over and over again in a process we call natural evolution. The Question of Identity Buddhist considers all life to be sacred and/or spiritual in nature. They believe in reincarnation and a person’s spiritual future is based solely on one’s good or bad actions in this lifetime, also known as Karma. The Question of Meaning/Purpose In Buddhism, the primary purpose is to end suffering. The Buddha believed and therefore taught that humans suffer because they are to consumed in things that do not give long lasting happiness and are too busy trying to hold on to things such as friends, material possessions, and things that do not last, and in the end brings upon sorrow. This is where the beliefs of the Four Noble Truths come in: teaches that all life is marked by suffering, suffering is caused by desire and attachment, suffering can be stopped, and the way to end suffering is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path. The Question of Morality Respect, love, and compassion are highly valued in Buddhism as are an ethical and moral path is the basis for their model...
Words: 919 - Pages: 4
...world and of life is inconceivable since they have neither beginning nor end. Buddhism never claimed that the world, sun, moon, stars, wind, water, days and nights were created by a powerful god or by a Buddha. Buddhists believe that the world was not created once upon a time, but that the world has been created millions of times every second and will continue to do so by itself and will break away by itself. According to Buddhism, world systems always appear and disappear in the universe. The Question of Identity Buddhism see’s the question of identity within the context of enlightenment. They teach that we do not exist as separate beings but that one must see pass the human tendency to identify with a limited sense of existence. If one does this they will discover that the belief in an individual small self is a root illusion that causes suffering and removes us from the freedom and mystery of life. The Question of Meaning/Purpose Buddhist texts do not outright say there is a meaning of life, but rather talk about the capacity for humans to end suffering, which is one of the things Buddhists should strive for. Buddhist believes in enlightenment through study, meditation as a way to ending suffering. In his first sermon after attaining enlightenment, the Buddha taught the "Four Noble Truths," which form the foundation of belief for all branches of Buddhism. All of life is marked by suffering, suffering is caused by desire and attachment, suffering can be stopped...
Words: 726 - Pages: 3
...Huy Pham ACCT 6318 Buddhism and Ethical Reasoning First of all, about the definition of Buddhism, this is a religion indigenous to the Indian subcontinent that encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs, and practices largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, who is commonly known as the Buddha (meaning "the awakened one" in Sanskrit and Pāli). The Buddha lived and taught in the eastern part of Indian subcontinent between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE. He is recognized by Buddhists as an awakened or enlightened teacher who shared his insights to help sentient beings end suffering through eliminating ignorance and craving, by way of understanding and seeing dependent origination and non-self and thus attain the highest happiness. Two major branches of Buddhism are recognized: Theravada - it means School of the Elders and Mahayana – it means Great Vehicle. Ethics in Buddhism are traditionally based on what Buddhists view as the enlightened perspective of the Buddha, or other enlightened beings that followed him. Moral instructions are included in Buddhist scriptures or handed down through tradition. Most scholars of Buddhist ethics thus rely on the examination of Buddhist scriptures, and the use of anthropological evidence from traditional Buddhist societies, to justify claims about the nature of Buddhist ethics. According to traditional Buddhism, the foundation of Buddhist ethics for laypeople is The Five Precepts: no killing, stealing, lying, sexual misconduct...
Words: 415 - Pages: 2
