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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).