- "Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be
expected in a cosmic religion for the future: it transcends a
personal God, avoids dogmas and theology; it covers both the natural
& spiritual, and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from
the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful
unity" Albert Einstein
History
Buddhism was founded in Northern India by the Buddha, Siddhartha
Gautama. He was born circa 563 in Lumbini which is in modern-day Nepal.
At the age of 29, he left his wife, children and political involvement's
in order to seek truth; this was an accepted practice at the time for
some men to leave their family and lead the life of an ascetic. He
studied Brahminism, but ultimately rejected it. In 535 BCE, he reached
enlightenment and assumed the title Buddha (one who has
awakened). He is also referred to as the Sakyamuni, (sage
of the Sakya clan). He promoted The Middle Way, rejecting
both extremes of the mortification of the flesh and of hedonism as paths
toward the state of Nirvana. He had many disciples and
accumulated a large public following by the time of his death in his
early 80's in 483 BCE.
Two and a half centuries later, a council of Buddhist monks collected
his teachings and the oral traditions of the faith into written form,
called the Tripitaka. This included a very large collection of
commentaries and traditions; most are called Sutras (discourses).
Buddhist Beliefs
Buddhism, like most of the great religions of the world, is divided
into a number of different traditions. We will deal in this essay with
Theravada Buddhism.
Buddhism is a religion which shares few concepts with Christianity.
For example, they do not believe in a transcendent or immanent or any
other type of God or Gods, the need for a personal savior, the power of
prayer, eternal life in a heaven or hell after death, etc. They do
believe in reincarnation: the concept that one must go through many
cycles of birth, living, and death. After many such cycles, if a person
releases their attachment to desire and the self, they can attain
Nirvana.
The Buddha's Four Noble Truths may be described (somewhat
simplicity) as:
- to be fully understood: the universality of suffering
- to be abandoned: the desire to have and control things
which causes suffering
- to be made visible: the supreme truth and final liberation
of nirvana which is achieved as the cause of suffering is
eliminated. The mind experiences complete freedom and liberation
- to be brought into being: the truth of the eightfold ariya
path leading to the cessation of suffering.
His Eightfold Path consists of:
- right understanding
- right thinking
- right speech
- right conduct
- right livelihood
- right effort
- right mindfulness
- right concentration
Buddhist Sects
Buddhism is not a single monolithic religion. Many of its adherents
have combined the teachings of the Buddha with local religious rituals,
beliefs and customs. Little conflict occurs, because Buddhism at its
core is a philosophical system to which such additions can be easily
grafted.
After the Buddah's death, splits occurred. There are now three main
systems of thought within Buddhism which are geographically and
philosophically separate. Each tradition in turn has many sects. One
source (J.R. Hinnels, A Handbook of Living Religions, Penguin,
1991) divides the religion into three main groups by their location:
- Southern Buddhism (known as Therevada Buddhism) has 100
million followers, mainly in Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka and
Thailand, and parts of Vietnam. It started in Sri Lanka when
Buddhist missionaries arrived from India. They promoted the
Vibhajjavada school (Separative Teaching). By the 15th
century, this form of the religion reached almost its present extent.
Concepts and practices include:
- Dana - thoughtful, ceremonial giving
- Sila - accepting Buddhist teaching and following it in
practice; refraining from killing, stealing, wrong behavior, use
of drugs. On special days, three additional precepts may be
added, restricting adornment, entertainment and comfort.
- Karma - the balance of accumulated sin and merit, which will
determine ones future in the present life, and the nature of the
next life to come.
- The Cosmos - consists of billions of worlds grouped into
clusters; clusters are grouped into galaxies, which are
themselves grouped into super-galaxies. The universe also has
many levels: four underworlds and 21 heavenly realms.
- Paritta - ritual chanting
- Worship - of relics of a Buddha, of items made by a Buddha, or
of symbolic relics.
- Festivals - days of the full moon, and three other days during
the lunar cycle are celebrated. There is a new year's festival,
and celebrations tied to the agricultural year.
- Pilgrimages - particularly to Buddhist sites in Sri Lanka and
India.
- Eastern Buddhism is the predominant religion in China,
Japan, Korea and much of Vietnam. Buddhism's Mahayana tradition
entered China during the Han dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE). It found
initial acceptance there among the workers; later, it gradually
penetrated the ruling class. Buddhism reached Japan in the 6th
century. It underwent severe repression during the 1960's in China
during the Cultural Revolution.
Eastern Buddhism contains many distinct schools: T'ein-t'ai,
Hua-yen, Pure Land teachings, and the Meditation school. They
celebrate New Years, harvest festivals, and five anniversaries from
the lives of Buddha and of the Bodhissattva Kuan-yin. They also
engage in Dana, Sila, Chanting. Worship and Pilgrimage.
- Northern Buddhism has perhaps 10 million adherents in parts
of China, Mongolia, Russia and Tibet. It entered Tibet circa 640 CE.
Conflict with the native Tibetan religion of Bon caused it to
go largely underground until its revival in the 11th century. The
heads of the Gelu school of Buddhist teaching became the Dalai Lama,
and ruled Tibet. It has been, until recently, wrongly dismissed as a
degenerate form of Buddhism
Ceremony and ritual are emphasized. They also engage in Dana,
Sila, Chanting. Worship and Pilgrimage. They developed the practice
of searching out a young child at the time of death of an important
teacher. The child is believed to be the successor to the deceased
teacher. They celebrate New Years, harvest festivals and
anniversaries of five important events in the life of the Buddha.
Buddhist and Tibetan culture suffered greatly during the Cultural
Revolution when an attempt was made to destroy all religious belief.
Buddhism in the West
Southern Buddhism became established in Europe early in this century.
The Zen Buddhist tradition of Eastern Buddhism has also developed a
large following, particularly in North America. Canadian Buddhists
totaled 163,415 in the 1991 census.
Internet Resources
- General Buddhism Links:
- Various Buddhism Traditions:
Soka Gakkai International (SGI) is a global association
of lay practitioners of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, whose
members seek to develop their potential for hope, courage, and
altruistic action. See:
http://www.sgi.org/home.html
Regional web sites are at:
Shin Buddhism: The Shin Buddhism and Pure Land Buddhism
traditions, which are active in Japan and in the west, can be
visited at:
http://www.aloha.net/~rtbloom/shinran/index.html
The Alan Watts Electronic University publishes audio and
video tapes of lectures by Alan Watts compiled by his son, Mark.
See:
http://www.alanwatts.com
Buddhism for the Lay Practitioner is "a collection of
resources for those who are interested in exploring Buddhism."
See:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/3743/
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