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COMPARATIVE RELIGION PROJECT BUDDHISM BY GRACE JANG LEXINGTON CHRISTIAN ACADEMY GLOBAL STUDIES CONCENTRATION TABLE OF CONTENTS • Historical Information • Practices • Key historical persons • Holy writing • Chronological development • Religious institution • Geographic spread • Religious calendar • Subdivisions & internal conflicts • Worldview beliefs • Communal & Individual practices • Influence • Impact on China • Impact on the contemporary global relations KEY HISTORICAL PERSONS Buddhism • Siddhārtha Gautama (Gautama Buddha) Christianity • Jesus Christ • “Buddha” means “the Enlightened one.” • Lived from about 6-2 BC to 30-36 AD. • Lived from about 6th to 4th centuries BC. • • Founded, taught, and spread Buddhism. • Mostly taught in northeastern India. Is considered by most Christian dominations to be the Son of God, and by many, equal to God himself (Holy Trinity). • Attained enlightenment(awakening) after 49 days of meditation under a pipal tree in Bodh Gaya, India. • Was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. • Performed various miracles and taught the word of God, mostly in the area of Judaea. • Formed a group of twelve disciples. • Was crucified but was risen again and ascended to heaven. • Discovered the Middle Way and the Four Noble Truths. • Insisted that he was human and that there is no almighty God. • Formed sangha, or the company of Buddhist monks. KEY HISTORICAL PERSONS(CONTINUED) Buddhism • Amitabha Buddha: a semi-legendary Buddha that resides over the Western Pure Land. • King Ashoka: a great emperor of the Mauryan Dynasty who converted to Buddhism and spread the religion to various places. • Magarjuna: a bright philosopher in India, considered as the founder of the Mahayana philosophy. Christianity • Virgin Mary: mother of Jesus. • Paul: spread Christianity throughout the Mediterranean region, on its way to becoming the religion of the Roman Empire. • Peter and the other disciples • Key figures like King David and Elijah who lived before the birth of Jesus. Amitabha Buddha King Ashoka CHRONOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT Buddhism • About 563 BC: Gautama Buddha is born. • 483 BC: Buddha dies; about three months later, the first Buddhist council gathers. • Buddhism spreads in India, mainly due to King Asoka’s efforts to spread Buddhism. • 1st century AD: Buddhism enters China. • Buddhism enters and spreads in Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Burma, Indonesia, and more. Christianity • 6-2 BC ~ 30-36 BC: Jesus Christ’s lifetime; his missionary works, teachings, healings. • Apostolic church: Jesus’ apostles lead the Church and spread Jesus’ teachings. • Persecutions; early episcopal structure develops. • Rome’s Constantine the Great decrees tolerance for Christianity; first Nicaea Council in 325 AD. • Split between Roman and Constantinople Church. • Split between Catholic and Protestant segments. GEOGRAPHIC SPREAD Buddhism • Popular mostly in Asia. • Though it started in India, it is practiced more widely in other Asian countries. • Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, China, Mongolia, Korea, and Japan. • Theravada Buddhism is popular in Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka; Mahayana Buddhism in East Asian countries like China, Japan, and Korea; Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet. Christianity • Christians are very widely spread geographically and represent nearly the third of the global population. • Over the past decades, the Christian population in Africa and Asia-Pacific has grown much. • Christianity is widely practiced especially in America and Europe. Geographic spread of Buddhism http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/spread.htm SUBDIVISIONS & INTERNAL CONFLICTS Buddhism Christianity • Three main branches: Theravada, Mahayana, and Tibetan Buddhism. • Catholicism, Protestantism, and Eastern Orthodoxy. • Some other forms of Buddhism: Zen Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism, etc. • Many different denominations under each branch. • Theravada: the most conservative; holds very strictly to the original teachings. • Mahayana: more open to public; believes that enlightenment is universally acceptable to everyone. • Tibetan: practiced in Tibet and nearby countries; combines essential teachings of Mahayana with other forms. • Conflicts between Buddhist monks and the government authorities in China, Myanmar, etc. WORLDVIEW BELIEFS Buddhism Christianity • Purpose of life is to end sufferings; the cause of this suffering is because we continuously strive for things that cannot give lasting happiness. • Monotheistic: one and only God. • Not monotheistic; does not believe in a god. • After death: final judgement, which leads to eternal life in either Heaven or Hell. • Four Noble Truths: explain the nature of suffering, its causes, and how it can be overcome. • Noble Eightfold Paths: explain the eight factors and conditions needed to end the suffering. • Death and rebirth(reincarnation). • Karma: good deeds vs bad deeds that drive the cycle of rebirth. • Holy Trinity: God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit. • Similar to Buddhist beliefs in that it emphasizes love, morality, and justice. HOLY WRITING Buddhism • Tripitaka (Pali Canon) is the sacred book of Buddhism; Mahayana Sutras and the Tibetan Book of the Dead are the major non-canonical books. • Tripitaka includes Buddha’s discourses and his pupils’ teachings. • Tripitaka is written in an ancient Indian language called Pali, which is very similar to the language Buddha spoke in. Christianity • Bible: includes both Old Testament and New Testament. • Old Testament is about what happened before Jesus’ birth. • New Testament about Jesus’ gospel, teachings, healings, and life. Tripitaka RELIGIOUS INSTITUTION Buddhism • Monastery: Buddhist monks and nuns preserve and disseminate the Buddha's teaching and guide Buddhist lay people. Buddhist monastery is one of the earliest surviving forms of organized monasticism in the history of religion. • Temple: actual place where Buddhist adherents go to, not at specific time but when they want to. Christianity • Church: Christians gather here for worship usually on Sunday. Buddhist Monastery in Nepal Buddhist Temple in Taiwan RELIGIOUS CALENDAR Buddhism Christianity • Buddhist New Year: is celebrated on different days in different branches. • Easter: celebrates Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. • Vesak: Buddha’s birthday; is commemorated on the first full moon day in May. • Christmas: celebrates the birth of Jesus. • Sangha Day: commemorates the Buddha's visit to Veruvana Monastery in the city of Rajagaha; is commemorated on the full moon day in March. • Dhamma Day: celebrated on the full moon day of July; commemorates Buddha’s first sermon. Vesak Day in Sri Lanka Buddhist New Year COMMUNAL & INDIVIDUAL PRACTICES Buddhism Christianity • Buddhist go to Buddhist temples, not on specific days, but on days they want to go. • Sunday worship service: Christians go to church every Sunday. • Inside the temple, they bow down to the altar. • Reading and studying Bible • There is a chanting service where the priests make offerings of incense, food and flowers to a figure on an altar, while others play gong and drums, bow to the altar, or chant specific liturgy. • Individual and corporate prayers • Individually, Buddhists chant or meditate daily. • Many lay Buddhists keep a home altar, which in most cases includes an image of the Buddha, candles, flowers, incense, and a small bowl for a water offering • Rites such as Baptism and Communion IMPACT ON CHINA Buddhism • Buddhism was introduced in China in the first century AD and was incorporated into Chinese culture together with Confucianism and Daoism. • Among all the religions, Buddhism is the largest in China. • There are many Buddhist monasteries, temples, and pagodas in China. • Chinese lay Buddhists practice Buddhism by visiting temples and participating in Buddhist festivals on the Buddhist holidays. Christianity • Christianity was introduced in China in 7th century AD during Tang dynasty. • In recent years, the number of Christians increased rapidly in China due to the easing of restrictions in the 1970s. • Between 2 to 4 % of Chinese identify as Christians. • The government tightly controls the practice of the religion; it allows those over 18 years old to only join the officially sanctioned Christians groups with the government approved churches. • The majority of Chinese Christians practice in informal networks known as “house churches.” IMPACT ON THE CONTEMPORARY GLOBAL RELATIONS Buddhism Christianity • Buddhists engage in political activities in several Asian countries, advocating for democracy, peace, or autonomy. • Evangelical efforts to spread Christianity and do missionary, humanitarian works affect foreign policies like foreign aid to third-world countries. • Most famously in Tibet, the spiritual and political leader, Dalai Lama, was exiled from Tibet due the Tibetan Buddhists’ conflicts with the Chinese government. • Conflicts between Christianity and other religions like Islam may affect relations between those countries. • Buddhist terrorism in countries like Myanmar and Sri Lanka often takes form of nationalistic, militant actions; in Myanmar, there were terrorist attacks against Muslims. SOURCES • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus#Public_ministry • http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/eleven-important-people-in-the-bible.html • www.diffen.com/difference/Buddha_vs_Christ • http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/ • http://www.buddhist-tourism.com/buddhism/chronology-of-buddhist-events.html • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Christianity • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Christianity • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_China • http://history-world.org/christianity.htm • http://www.bellbookandcandlepublications.com/greenwoodsvillage/gor/buddhist.php • http://www.pewforum.org/2011/12/19/global-christianity-exec/ • http://www.patheos.com/Library/Buddhism/Historical-Development/Modern-Age • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_denominations • http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/beliefs • http://www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism4.htm • http://www.buddhanet.net/ans66.htm • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_monasticism • http://buddhism.about.com/od/buddhistmeditation/a/bhavana.htm • http://www.chinatoday.com/culture/china_religions/buddhism_china_religion.htm
