The Origins Of Buddhism: A Monastic Eastern Religion

Buddhism is a monastic eastern religion that originated in Asia around the 6th BCE. Buddhism is a very philosophical and spiritual and is an expression of life. The origins of Buddhism as a religion began with the veneration of a man named, Buddha, which means “enlightened one.” One of the main pursuits of Buddhism is enlightenment which can only be achieved through the “yana” which means “the way, method, or means by which one may attain Enlightenment.” On the path of “yana” karma needs to be considered since it affects the present life and future lives of the individual. The Buddhist notion of karma is an important aspect of Buddhism and is integrated in their deeds, words, and thoughts. Reincarnation is also an important aspect of Buddhism
There are three components to Buddhism, the first is Buddha, the second is its teachings, and the third is the community. The originator of Buddhism was a man named, Buddha, who was a great “sattha” which means teacher, who was also seen as a great man and universal ruler. The religion of Buddhism began with a minor following which became widespread across China, Korea, India, and many more countries. Tolerance is huge in Buddhism which can be seen in the influence of society upon the development of Buddhist beliefs and their literature. Traditionally, the beliefs of Buddhism was communicated orally until the development of the literature of “Tipitaka” which means “Three Baskets.” Even with the development of the “Three Baskets” into different languages, scripts, and canons to be inclusive of different cultures there still continues a strong tradition for memorization amongst the Buddhists. One of the main pursuits of Buddhism is enlightenment which is encouraged through the development of different schools of thought. The purpose and the goal of enlightenment is to attain “freedom in perfect existence,” which is the ultimate achievement of a Buddhist. “Perfect existence” is freedom from karma or causality and attaining the “nirvana.” It is the Buddhist belief that enlightenment or “perfect existence” is only achieved through the individual’s own
Studying karma and reincarnation has lead to the conclusion that Buddhism has nothing to offer the individual in terms of salvation since it relies on the efforts of the individual to reach the “nirvana.” Placing one’s faith, trust, and belief on oneself is not comforting since there is no assurance that one will reach “perfect existence” or be reborn into a higher realm. The Buddhist understanding of the cosmos and life is quite dreadful and offers no satisfaction or enjoyment of life. The constant worry about karma and attempts to do good karma casts doubt on the motivation of the individual which intern casts doubt on the deed. The notion that reincarnation is a “endless wandering” allows one to conclude that life has no meaning or purpose but that it is an endless journey to