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Buddhism Research Paper

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Buddhism
Farah Hussaini
University of Phoenix

Buddhism is one of the many very renowned religions spread out around the Eastern side of the world. It is a religion with over 300 million followers worldwide and originated 2500 years ago, with its leader Siddhartha Gautama. (buddhaguide) The word ‘Buddhism’ comes from the word ‘Buddhi’ which means ‘to awaken’, which is an accurate summary of the entire fundamental of the religion. Buddhism, as a religion, involves living a certain lifestyle where the believers are asked to be mindful of their actions and words, live morally and have wisdom. The religion targets the human mind and penetrates through the mind, body and soul through meditative rituals and practices, making it …show more content…
These differences have created many sects, sub sects and schools of Buddhism. The main schools of Buddhism are: Theraveda Buddhism, literally meaning ‘the teaching of elders’, Mahayana Buddhism, meaning ‘great vehicle, Vajrayana Buddhism, which is a route to enlightenment and Zen Buddhism.

Zen Buddhism is one of the many schools of Buddhism, the title of which is a derivative of the Sanskrit language of India. It comes from the word ‘Dhyana’, which means meditation. This school of Buddhism strongly focuses on teachings that say that everyone has the ability to reach the level of enlightenment that Buddha achieved in his lifetime, but this ability is just hidden away and masked by worldly temptations. Through Zen Buddhism, a spiritual journey is embarked on which involves self-discovery and rising to higher levels of …show more content…
The entire religion is based on how one feels about themselves and how to achieve spirituality and peace within, relieving the mind and soul of stress from their everyday lives. Buddhism also differs in certain aspects, leading to the formation of many different schools that teach these different teachings. Zen Buddhism, for example is one of the schools, which focuses on meditation more than anything else. The most unique aspect of this school is the lack of documentation and scriptures that it has. There is no concept of a holy book or readings of any sort. The entire school focuses on one’s path to peace and stress relief, nothing

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