Buddhism: Buddhism And The Life Of Buddhism

Buddha was born around 563 B.C. in what is now Nepal. His full name was Siddhartha Gautama of the Sakyas. He was the son of a king, and married a princess of a neighboring kingdom. Together they had a son named Rahula. Even with all these luxuries, around the age of twenty Buddha found discontentment in his life. Siddhartha was protected from all realities of life, such as poverty, disease, and old age. Around age twenty-nine he left the palace in the middle of the night, leaving all his jewels and luxuries behind. For about six years he spent time with ascetics attempting to find purpose in mastering the yogas. At a place known as Bodh Gaya,

Buddhism is based on the teachings of an Indian prince named Siddhartha Gautama who lived around 500 B.C. Buddhist tradition says that one day the prince looked beyond the walls of his palace and saw the suffering of his people and wanted to make a change. Siddhartha left his wife and 2 kids and began the path to become Buddha (enlightened one) and after years of practice, he spent the remains 45 years of his life teaching “dharma”(the path to liberation from suffering) and established Sangha (a community of monks).

It is not unknown when Hinduism began, but Veda scriptures state that they were written in the 1500 to 900BCE, but it is most likely that stories have been passed down for hundreds of years. (Fisher 76) Hinduism is one of the

While this dimension is not as important as in some other faiths of a strongly sacramental kind, it is still highly regarded. This can be attributed to the fact that it is through certain rituals that the core experience of enlightenment is obtained. (Hope, 1995) The ritual central to the Buddhist faith is the practice of meditation. The importance of meditation is paramount because it was through meditation that Buddha was able to gain enlightenment. Consequently, Buddhists attempt to emulate Buddha when meditating by endeavouring to cultivate wisdom and compassion, whilst also trying to gain control of the mind and expel suffering. (Mudge et al, 1993) If a Buddhist is successful in accomplishing this then they are said to have gained enlightenment. In terms of mass rituals, Buddhism maintains a plethora of ceremonies dealing with both the 'Sangha' (Order of monks and nuns) and laity. The primary rituals concerning the 'Sangha' includes; the initiation ritual in which the shaving of the head is a common practice and the annual Kathina Festival, in which the laity of the faith offers fabric to the monks for their new robes. For the laity, worship is more personal than congregation. A common practice is the taking of the three refuges (See appendix 3), in which adherents chant the same three sayings in repetition. This type of chanting, along with meditation, are common acts of devotion in Buddhism. Recently

When I visited the Phat Da Buddhist Congregation in San Diego, a Vietnamese Buddhist temple in San Diego, I was taken by surprise that the service was given in Vietnamese. The decorations on the wall, the sacred images displayed at the altar, and the vibrant color of the monk’s robe were still familiar, but what was being said was (very) foreign to me. I quickly became impatient and preoccupied with the question on why I was there in the first place. What would I write about for my final Buddhism assignment if I could not understand what was being said? One thing was clear, the day I visited, they were celebrating Buddha’s birthday with huge display of rituals and ceremony, and a big birthday cake at the end.

On October 24, 2015 the New York Buddhist Church was holding an Autumn Festival Service. Amanda and I attended the event from 12-4 pm. This Buddhist Church in particular is Jodoshinshu Buddhism which originated in Japan. This type of Buddhism is also called Shin Buddhism for short, within the school of True Pure Land Buddhism, which is based on Mahayana Buddhism. The main temple is in Kyoto, Japan and was founded by Shinran Shonin. This type of Buddhism is practiced widely in Japan. The New York City location in particular was established in 1938 by Reverend Hozen Seki and his wife, Satomi.(NYBC)

According to ancient tales the Siddhartha Gautama also known as the Buddha, was born in southern Nepal one of the world’s holiest places (Gene). The Buddha, born son of the warrior caste parents was predicted by wise men that “the child would be a successful as either a universal monarch or a great ascetic” (RoAT 172). As son of wealthy parents he was not aware about the world around him, he spent most of his life inside the palace walls. He was married at sixteen, to Yosodhara, she conceived a child named Rahula (Prebish 52). Siddhartha’s mother died when he was an infant and his father pleased him with royal pleasures. Including royalties such as power to rule, and arrange marriage. One day Siddhartha traveled outside his palace with his chariot driver. He saw a different perspective of life, after witnessing a sick man and old man, a dead man, and a shramana. Legends account that within days left the palace, leaving his wife and new

As a scholar taking the class ‘Introduction to World Religions”, I had the opportunity to take part in a culture that is not normally found in the western world. I entered the Mon Buddhist Monastery in Akron, Ohio on October 2nd, 2016 only to be amazed at their way of life. Going into the temple, I knew of the basic religious practices and traditions that the monks and Buddhists had participated in daily. When I was coming up to the monastery, it did not look like anything other than an old brick building, but once we were inside it looked like a recreational area. Somewhere where they would meditate, hold daily activities, and teach the younger Buddhist about their way of life. On the far back wall, there was a stunning shrine dedicated to the Buddha where one would pray. Many figurines were displayed as well as flowers and offerings along it.

Buddhism is a world religion based on the teachings of Buddha, who was born Siddhartha Gautama in Nepal around 563 B.C.E. and lived in Nepal and India. Siddhartha was a privileged man who withdrew from the world, learned and meditated, and achieved the Enlightenment that made him Buddha. Buddhism has undergone schisms and evolutions but has some core beliefs such as Nirvana, Anatta and Dependent Arising. In addition, the Buddha's teaching centered on the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path to end the cycle of suffering and achieve Enlightenment and Nirvana.

Rituals have been an important aspect of Buddhism since the time of the Buddha. They made emphasis on rituals because they believed that it was an essential part in the transformation of the inner spiritual nature of man. In their point of view, a ritual can be “justified only to the extent that it contributes to a spiritual transformation” .Their rituals revolve around the Buddha and strengthening their connection to the Dharma as well as and the purpose and respect associated with it. Like the Virgin Mary in Eric Wolf’s article, “The Virgin of Guadalupe: A Mexican National Symbol”, the rituals of the Buddhist as well as the Buddhist image has provided a cultural style through which meaning and teachings can be expressed. The Guadalupe stands for “life, for hope, for health” while the Buddha symbolizes grace, balance, compassion, and wisdom. One of the rituals that Buddhist practice the most is that making offerings to their ancestors and the Triple Gem- Buddha, Dharma (Buddha’s teachings) and Dangha (the Buddhist community). The purpose of making offerings is not for approval, but to create positive energy, show gratitude, and perform the teaching of the Buddha. It is these admirable acts that reminds them not to be greedy or selfish.

     Since Buddhism and Hinduism have different believes they also have different holy days. Moreover, because Hindus worship variety of gods they have a variety of festivals. The three main festivals of Hinduism are: Holi, Divali, and Dasehra. Holi is the most popular festival. This holy day is celebrated each year during February-March to welcome spring. “Holi is dedicated to god Krishna and it was once a fertility ceremony (104).” Throughout the days of Holi, many of the casts and taboo restrictions are set aside and pleasure is emphasized. The second ceremony Divali, celebrated in November, is a festival to welcome a new year. Finally the third festival, the Dasehra, celebrated up to nine days in October, in honor of Durga, a consort of Shiva. On the other hand Buddhism is divided in many ways according to philosophy and geography. The major festivals that are celebrated by most Buddhists are New Year, Buddha’s birthday, the festival of souls, and robe offering. In

According to Julia Hardy, the author of Religion Library: Buddhism, Buddhism started between the 4th and 6th century at a time of significant social and political change. This religion doesn’t worship a particular god or goddesses, instead focuses on each person studying it to achieve

Siddhartha Gautama was born between 563 and 480 BCE as the prince of Lumbini (in what is now Nepal). His mother died in either in childbirth or shortly thereafter and and his father was left to raise him. During his birth celebrations, it was predicted that Siddhartha would either become a great king or a great spiritual leader. His father wanted him to take over the throne, so he avoided religious teachings and sheltered him from suffering. Siddhartha, unsatisfied with with the life he was leading and yearning to learn about the world, he left his home at twenty-nine to seek the true meaning of life. On his travels he saw an old man, a diseased man,

Both, Buddhism and Hinduism, practice mediation in order to reach the enlightenment. In addition, both beliefs are established in India. Hinduism 3000 B.C and Buddhism 2500 B.C. Buddhist and Hindus celebrate their festivals based on the lunar calendar, which keep them in touch with the natural cycles and rhythms of life. Bedsides the similarities that they have, Buddhism and Hinduism have several differences as well. For instance, Buddhism does not believe in the stages of life, which opened the door to thousands of Hindus to convert to Buddhism in 1950 at Pune. When it comes to the sacred places, both have deferent places that they worship. Bodhi trees remain to be objects of reverence, which are not for

India"(Who is Buddha pg.1). His birth took place "in the towm of Kapilavastu (located in