Preview

Buddhism Paper

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1238 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Buddhism Paper
Buddhism
Deanna Hall
REL 133
January 26, 2015 Isabelle Rucks
Buddhism
In this paper, there will be a summary of the history of Buddhism and the life of Buddha, the basic teachings of Buddhism, and what makes the Zen Buddhism special school of the Mahayana Buddhism, unique. The Chan school of Mahayana Buddhism was created in China in the 6th-century C.E. Allegedly it was spread from Japan in the 12th century C.E. There was an Indian Monk and scholar named Bodhidharma that has the acknowledgment of conveying the customs from India to China. The core of his philosophy is he understood one did not need to learn sacred texts, worship gods, or do any complicated spiritual ceremonies to reach insight. He sensed that an individual needed to come through their limitations of conformist thinking by using meditation and feeling their realm, as it is, in this instant. Zen supports that this was the approach the Buddha himself achieved enlightenment. There are two major sects of Zen Buddhism one is Rinzai Zen and Soto Zen, and they developed various methods to achieve this enlightenment, which includes zazen (just sitting), meditation. So who is this Buddha, and what was his life like ("The Life Of The Buddha", 2015)?
Contrary to most people in the western world Buddha was neither a God nor legend, he was a real man that lived approximately 2500 years ago in India. Buddha was born in Lumbini woods in a town called Kapilavastu. His birth name was Siddhartha Gautama. He lived approximately 80 years; the dates of his birth and death are not apparently available. Most historians put his birth around 563 BC and death around 486 BC. Gautama’s Father, Suddhodana Gautama, was the leader of the warrior class of Kapilavastu. His mother died shortly after his birth, and he was raised by his father and stepmother in a life of luxury. He desired at a very young age reflection in the form of meditation and self-growth. Although, he followed his father’s wishes and pursued to marry



References: Art & culture. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.tibet-foundation.org/page/culture?&session- id=6c423ec465535d5e50bab3c790efaf5c Buddhist Approaches to Addiction Recovery. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/5/4/985 Conway, T. (2007). The Buddha and Buddhism. Retrieved from http://www.enlightened- spirituality.org/Buddha_and_Buddhism.html Gardner, G. (2007). Unique Teachings of Zen Buddhism. Retrieved from http://people.opposingviews.com/unique-teachings-zen-buddhism-4917.html Molloy, M. (2013). Experiencing the world’s religions: Tradition, challenge, and change (6th ed.) The Life of the Buddha. (2015). Retrieved from http://buddhism.about.com/od/lifeofthebuddha/a/buddhalife.htm

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Buddha was born with the name Siddhartha and was known for being the son of the prince. Before Buddha was born his mother had a dream that Siddhartha would be Buddha, Shortly after the birth of Siddhartha was born his mother died. Siddhartha’s father wanted his son to succeed so he took measures in which his son would not experience suffering. Siddhartha was raised in a luxury and married young later having a son. Buddha’s father did everything to prepare Siddhartha to eventually take the throne. One day Buddha disobeyed his father by leaving the royal grounds.…

    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    While there were many positive reactions to the spread of Buddhism, such as Zong Mi, A Buddhist scholar, discussing the perfect society created Buddhism, there were also many negative responses (Doc. 5). Han Yu, for example, was a Confucian scholar who believed Buddhism would weaken the government (Doc. 4).…

    • 561 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ahimsa is the belief of nonviolence, which Buddhism justifies by reminding followers that all life experience suffering and additional pain is not needed in this world. Also, Buddhism teaches the belief in the cycle of rebirth, however, without a belief in a soul; Buddhists believe it is the parts of the individual’s personality that reform in the new life. Finally, Buddhism teaches followers about nirvana granting release from the cycle of rebirth. Nirvana is a state of bliss without pain, and liberation from the cycle of rebirth and Buddhists believe that it can be obtained within one’s lifetime, rather than at death (Molloy,…

    • 644 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Islam vs Buddism

    • 1513 Words
    • 7 Pages

    In a small country south of Nepal, Siddhartha Gautama was born sometime between 566 BC and 553 BC. It is said that the child was born fully awake and could speak. He told his mother, Mahamaya, he had “come to free all mankind from suffering (Boeree).” Siddhartha could also stand and walk small distances, and lotus blossoms bloomed wherever he stepped. His mother died seven days after his birth.…

    • 1513 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Buddhism Worksheet

    • 389 Words
    • 2 Pages

    1. Explain the basic Buddhist teachings including the three marks of reality, the Four Noble Truths, and the Noble Eightfold Path.…

    • 389 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The Third Noble Truth is the Truth of the Stopping of Sorrow: It is complete stopping of that craving…being released from it, giving no place to it” (Document1). The spread of Buddhism in China was due to the appeal it had on the people and the influence it made on the culture, like the Third Noble Truth states, stopping sorrow leads to one being content and being released from any heavy sorrow weighing you down, a life which describes and explains the spread of this particular religion in China, the way of life appealed to the people. Although many officials and scholars disagreed to the Buddhist ways, it did not stop others from converting and spreading the religion. In this essay I will discuss the spread of Buddhism in China and the impact…

    • 1028 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Siddhartha Research Paper

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the book Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha has a myriad of teachers. His one goal in life is to achieve enlightenment. He encounters various teachers in hopes of achieving enlightenment through one of their teachings or experiences. Nevertheless, with every teacher, he comes into a new phase of his life with a new intention in mind. He learns the ways of life through his teachers of Kamala, Kamaswami, and Vasudeva.…

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Buddhism is a religion that encompasses a variety of traditions, practicing teachings largely based on those of Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha, meaning ‘the awakened one’. The Buddha lived and taught in the eastern part of India between 6th and 4th centuries BCE. His journey to enlightenment has inspired 300 million people to follow his way of life, thus some Buddhists believe that it is a prerequisite to learn about the Buddha’s life to be a dedicated Buddhist.…

    • 797 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Gorgeous Buddha is a company designed to let your inner light shine. The Gorgeous Buddha company is a way of life. We create next level inspired clothing for enlightened living. Inspiring you one article at a time to open your mind to the infinity of the universe. Clothing is sourced Eco-Friendly and Organic as much as possible to support fair trade and the world’s eco-system at large. Use the hashtag #GorgeousBuddha to share your photos with…

    • 77 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    REL 133 Zen Buddhism

    • 984 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Although the truths are ultimately unknown, Michael Molloy, in Experiencing the World’s Religions (2013), presented the details of the life of Siddhartha Gautama, the man who would come to be known as Buddha. Around 500 B.C.E., Siddhartha was born to a prince of the Shakya tribe in modern day Nepal. Siddhartha’s mother died a week after childbirth, leaving him in the care of a father whom, on the advice of a sage, ensured Siddhartha would leave an extremely sheltered but pleasant life. Upon Siddhartha’s first excursion into the world, he witnessed suffering and was so moved by it that he left home and went in search of a path to enlightenment. After attempting to gain insight through asceticism, Siddhartha rejected this way as inadequate and sought a path based on moderation instead. Legend speaks of Siddhartha meditating under a tree now knows as a Bodhi tree, resolved to not leave until he had reached the understanding that he sought. At dawn, Siddhartha achieved nirvana or enlightenment and became known as Buddha. Buddhism is a rejection of the Hindu gods, Vedic priesthood, and rituals.…

    • 984 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A prince named Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) founded “Buddhism” in the sixth century before the birth of Christ. Buddhism is better understood as philosophy rather than a religion and follows the concept of the Four Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Noble path.…

    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Crestwell Jr., John T., Pastor, Is Buddhism Practical in Western Culture? Retrieved July 21, 2008 from http://www.dmuuc.org/minister/John/Buddhism.html…

    • 1726 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Buddhism Paper

    • 727 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the 6th century, Buddha Shakyamuni founded Buddhism. He was born a royal prince in a city called Lumbini, which is now northern India. His parents originally gave him the name Siddhartha. People always predicated wonderful things would come from him in the future. In his early years he lived as a prince in his royal palace but when he was 29 years old he retired to the forest where he followed a spiritual life of meditation ("About Buddhism", 2007). After six years of mediation he attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree. After his enlightenment he was asked to teach the introduction to Buddhism. As a result of this request, Buddha rose from meditation and taught the first Wheel of Dharma ("About Buddhism", 2007). These teachings included the Sutra of the Four Noble Truths, which is the primary source of Hinayana Buddhism. In the Hinayana teachings, the Buddha explained how to attain liberation for one self, and in the Mahayana teachings he explained how to attain enlightenment for the sake of others. In all Buddha Shakyamuni gave eighty-four thousand teachings ("About Buddhism", 2007).…

    • 727 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    At 29 he discovered that wealth, and luxury didn’t mean happiness. So he explored the different religions and philosophies at the time.…

    • 78 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    There is not much information about his early life. What we find are legends. In one of the legends we are told that the Buddha came down upon the earth, from the tushita heaven, where he is said to have been a residing deity. The other legend tells us that Gautama’s mother, Maya, participated in a festival during which she conceived the future Buddha, “the inner man of all beings”, in her womb in the shape of a white elephant. Maya’s conception caused the great miracles to happen, as the sun and moon, laws of nature began to behave in a strange way. Risi Asita as the legend goes is said to have come to kapilavastu upon learning, through divine insight, the birth of the great being. He is said to have predicted that the child would either become a sovereign ruler, or a mendicant, a tathagata, a…

    • 12004 Words
    • 49 Pages
    Powerful Essays