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Buddhism
Buddhism
Founder: Siddhartha Gautama, a prince from northern India
near modern Nepal who lived about 563-483 BC (The name
is sometimes written Siddhattha Gotama.)
Scriptures: Various, but the oldest and most authoritative
are compiled in the Pali
Canon. Adherents: About 400 million worldwide;
approximately 2.5 million in the United States. (Source:
Operation World) General
Description:
Buddhism is the belief system of those who
follow the Buddha, the Enlightened One; a title given to its
founder. Saving oneself comes by following a regimen (path
or ritual) and by meditation and reciting mantas. There is no
personal relationship with the Buddha or any of the
bodhisattvas (saviors who have foregone nirvana to stay
back and help others to achieve it). Worship is expressed as
adoration of the Buddha and one’s ancestors. Buddhists
struggle to make sense of this life and to live out one’s
expected dharma (required conduct) as the painful and slow
road to moksha (salvation) when all desire is eliminated and
one achieves final and ultimate enlightenment.
Buddhism around the World
Today, Southeast Asia and
portions of East Asia are predominantly Buddhist. The
religion has evolved into three main schools:
1. Theravada or the Doctrine of the Elders (38%) is followed
in Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Myanmar (Burma), Thailand,
Cambodia (Kampuchea), and Vietnam. Theravada is closest
to the original doctrines. It does not treat the Buddha as deity
and regards the faith as a worldview-not a type of worship.
2. Mahayana or the Greater Vehicle (56%) is strong in
China, Korea, and Japan. Mahayana has
accommodated many different beliefs and worships the
Buddha as a god. In Japan, one variation balances militant
or aggressive Buddhism by seeking tranquility and peace in
the struggles of life.
3. Vajrayana or Diamond Vehicle also called Tantric
Buddhism or Lamaism (6%) is rooted in Tibet, Nepal, and
Mongolia. Vajrayana has added elements of shamanism and
the occult and includes taboo breaking (intentional
immorality) as a means of spiritual enlightenment.
Historic Background: Buddhism was founded as a form of
atheism that rejected more ancient beliefs in a permanent,
personal, creator God (Ishvara) who controlled the eternal
destiny of human souls. Siddhartha Gautama rejected these
more ancient theistic beliefs because of difficulty he had over
reconciling the reality of suffering, judgment, and evil with
the existence of a good and holy God. Gautama taught his
philosophy to all social classes of India for 45 years before
dying at the age of 80 years old. Buddhism was soon
adopted by most of the people in India, achieving the zenith
of popularity during the reign of Emperor Asoka from 273 BC
until 232 BC. During his life time, Asoka sent Buddhist
missionaries to preach Buddhism in South India, Ceylon (Sri
Lanka), Syria, Egypt, and Suvarnabhumi (Thailand). In the
10th century AD, Islamic armies swept across India. Since
they could not tolerate Buddhism as a rival faith, they
persecuted Buddhists to abandon their religion. Buddhism
was soon eliminated from the country where it began.
Core Beliefs:
Buddhism is an impersonal religion of selfperfection, the end of which is death (extinction)-not life. The
essential elements of the Buddhist belief system are
summarized in the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold
Path, and several additional key doctrines. The Four Noble
Truths affirm that (1) life is full of suffering (dukkha); (2)
suffering is caused by craving (samudaya); (3) suffering will
cease only when craving ceases (nirodha); and (4) this can
be achieved by following the Noble Eightfold Path. The
Noble Eightfold Path consists of right views, right aspiration,
right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right
mindfulness, and right contemplation. Other key doctrines
include belief that nothing in life is permanent (anicca), that
individual selves do not truly exist (anatta), that all is
determined by an impersonal law of moral causation
(karma), that reincarnation is an endless cycle of continuous
suffering, and that the goal of life is to break out of this cycle
by finally extinguishing the flame of life and entering a
permanent state of pure nonexistence (nirvana).