Major 5 World Religion

Religion is part of the human makeup. It’s also part of our cultural and intellectual history. Religion was our first attempt at literature, the texts, our first attempt at cosmology, making sense of where we are in the universe, our first attempt at health care, believing in faith healing, our first attempt at philosophy. One of the Major 5 World Religions is Buddhism; Buddhism is a religion to about 300 million people around the world. The word comes from 'budhi', 'to awaken'. It has its origins about 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gotama, known as the Buddha, was himself awakened (enlightened) at the age of 35. (Buddhanet.net) Siddhartha Gotama was born into a royal family in Lumbini, now in Nepal, in 563 BC. At 29, he has an epiphany and
realized that despite his wealth he hadn’t achieved true happiness. So he explored several religions and after six years of study and meditation he finally found 'the middle path' and was enlightened. After enlightenment, the Buddha spent the rest of his life teaching the principles of Buddhism called the Dharma, until his death at the age of 80. Unlike other religions to be obeyed and followed, Buddhism is more of a philosophy or way of life. It is a philosophy because philosophy 'means love of wisdom' and the Buddhism path can be described through few principles.

Similar to Christianity, Buddhism has a doctrinal and philosophical dimension. But Buddhists don’t have a specific bible; unlike other religions which consider their scriptures to be the revealed word of God or God’s. In Buddhism, however it is understood that the scriptures are teachings of the historical Buddha, who was not a God or other enlightened masters. The Buddhist canon consists of the Sutras: the words and teachings of the Buddha. There are also a number of noncanonical Buddhist texts that provide supplementary teachings, rules of conduct and commentary on transitional states after death. The Tripitaka (Pali Canon), Mahayana Sutras and the Tibetan Book of the Dead are three major noncanonical Buddhist texts. The Tripitaka (Tipitaka in Pali) is the earliest collection of Buddhist teachings and the only text recognized as canonical by Theravada Buddhists. Many commentaries have been added over the centuries, however. Tripitaka means "three baskets," from the way in which it was originally recorded: the text was written on long, narrow leaves, which were sewn at the edges then grouped into bunches and stored in baskets. The Mahayana Buddhism reveres the Tripitaka as a sacred text, but adds to it the Sutras, which reflect distinctively Mahayana concepts. Most of the Mahayana Sutras, which number over two thousand, were written between 200 BCE and 200 CE, the period in which Mahayana Buddhism developed. These scriptures help Buddhists to gather a deeper understanding of their God to receive true enlightenment.

The practical and ritual dimension of Buddhism includes the practices and significant celebrations that identify their image of God.
Rituals and practices are compromised of very detailed and intimate. Both rituals and practices are seen as a way for individuals to get in touch with his or her own personal healings, while prayer is a way for the members of the community to get in touch with their own feelings. In addition, Buddhists use prayer as a way to show dedication and commitment to God. The Buddha and his followers go to great lengths to make Buddhism accessible to all and encouraged others into believing that salvation was at hand if the proper codes of conduct were adhered to. Buddhists offer prayers to the Buddha as much in the same way that Christians offer prayers to Jesus Christ, they are both a vehicle unto God or Nirvana., which has been thought by 'some writers to be a Buddhists substitute for God' (Buddahnet.net, 2010). Similar to Christianity Buddhists have places of worships similar to churches, they are called temples. Worshippers may sit on the floor barefoot facing an image of Buddha and chanting. They will listen to monks chanting from religious texts, perhaps accompanied by instruments, and take part in prayers. These rituals create a connection with the Buddhist Followers to their
God.

The final dimension of Buddhism is the Material dimension, which covers art, music and symbols.
One of the simplest yet most significant symbols in the lives of Buddhist Monks is the Begging Bowl. It is primarily a practical object, used as a bowl in which to collect alms (either money or food) from laid supporters. It also has a symbolic significance associated with the Historical Buddha, According to one legend when he was meditating under the Bodhi Tree; a young woman offered him a golden bowl full of rice. Thinking he was the divinity of the tree. He divided the rice into 49 portions one for each day until he was enlightened, and threw the expensive bowl into the river. The Earliest symbols of Buddhism are the wheel, which represents the endless cycle of saṃsāra, or rebirth, which can only be escaped by means of the Buddha's teachings. And some Buddhists regard the wheel's three basic parts as symbols of the "three trainings" in Buddhist practice: The hub symbolizes moral discipline, which stabilizes the mind. The Second symbol is the Bodhi tree, which is the type of tree, which Siddhārtha Gautama achieved enlightenment under. This particular tree is used as a place of worship for some Buddhists who meditate under the Bodhi tree, who wish to reap true enlightenment. These Symbols have an underlying meaning and hold significance to followers of the Buddhist Religions, often symbols are used to show a followers dedication to his or her
religion.

Through the Practical and Ritual, Material and the Doctrinal and Philosophical dimensions, it is clear to identify the Buddhism perspective and image of God. The strong beliefs and attitudes represented through their scriptures, Rituals and symbolism. They see their God as a simple man who discovered a path to true enlightenment, Unlike other religions the main purpose isn’t to worship the Buddha but to follow in his footsteps to have a happy and fulfilled life. Buddhism doesn’t mention any higher beings, or God’s. Buddhism is a religion to achieve happiness within.