Influential People

Influential People
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher and the founder of Buddhism.
Mahākāśyapa was one of the principal disciples of Gautama and convened and directed the first council after his leader's death.
Ashoka the Great was the Mauryan Emperor between 273-232 BCE and who finally had the empire converted to Buddhism after his conquest in the Kalinga War.
Mahinda was a Buddhist monk who brought buddhism to Sri Lanka. He was the son of Ashoka. Kanishka was the emperor of the Kushan empire who convened the fourth and final council and gathered 500 monks to attend it around 100 CE.
Important Articles
Edicts of Ashoka are a collection of 33 inscriptions on the Pillars of Ashoka which represent the first tangible evidence of Buddhism.

Buddhist Rituals

One of the most commonly held rituals is that of the ordination into the sanga. Men and women who are at least twenty years of age, and who have decided that they want to leave their worldly station in order to fully dedicate their lives to the practice of Buddhism in the monastic setting, may apply to the temple of their choice. Once the temple is satisfied with the sincerity of their intention and their capability of following the monastic life, they will be ordained in a ceremony where their heads are shaved, they receive their robe, and they accept the ten precepts.
Source: Patterns of Religion

Buddhism History

Buddha Siddharta Gautama was born at the beginning of the Magadha period in Nepal. The first Buddhist council was held soon after the death of the Buddha under the patronage of King Ajatsatru in Rajgir. The point of the council was to record the Buddha’s sayings and codify monastic rules.
The second Buddhist council was convened by King Kalasoka and held at Vaisali. It occured because of the conflict between the traditional schools who considered the Buddha as a human being who reached enlightenment, and the secessionist Mahasangikas who looked at this as being individualistic and selfish.
King Ashoka convened the third Buddhist council around 250 BCE at Patna. The objective of the council was to reconcile the different schools of Buddhism, to purify the Buddhist movement, and to organize the dispatch of Buddhist missionaries throughout the known world.
Buddhism was expanding quickly into Asia and starting with Sri Lanka, then moving on to central Asia.
The Sunga Dynasty was established in 185 BCE, about 50 years after Ashoka died. The rise of Mahayana Buddhism from the 1st century BCE was accompanied by complex political changes in northwestern India. The new form of Buddhism was characterized by an almost God-like treatment of the Buddha, by the idea that all beings have a Buddha-nature and should aspire to Buddhahood.
The Fourth Council was convened by Kanishka around 100 CE at Kashmir. Theravada Buddhism had its own Fourth Council in Sri Lanka. Therefore there are two Fourth Councils. From that point on, and in the space of a few centuries, Mahayana was to flourish and spread in the East from India to South East Asia, and towards China, Korea, and lastly Japan in 538 CE. After the end of the Kushans, Buddhism flourished in India during the dynasty of the Guptas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Buddhism
http://www.ahistoryofbuddhism.com/History-of-Siddhartha-Gautama.html
http://www.ahistoryofbuddhism.com/Buddhism-Outside-Asia.html
http://www.ahistoryofbuddhism.com/Buddhist-Councils.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Buddhism

Devotional Buddhist Art

Buddhist Practices

The day-to-day living of monks, nuns, and trainees is highly ritualized. the clergy generally follow a strictly set daily schedule of waking, eating, chanting, meditating, and so forth.
The Five Precepts:
1. To refrain from killing living beings, the crime is to know that something is a living being, intend to kill it, attempt to do so, and succeed.
2. Refrain from taking what has not been given, in other words, not to steal.
3. Refrain from sexual misconduct, this concerns intercourse with an improper patrtner (another’s spouse, someone betrothed, a member of the clergy, exc.), this also includes refraining from having intercourse in unsuitable places and times.
4. Refrain from untrue speech, one should neither intentionally say what is untrue nor claim to know something that one doesn’t know.
5. Abstinence from drinking alcohol, mainly because its consumption engenders the tendency to commit other sins
After these five, members of the clergy have five more precepts that are to be strictly observed. These are the abstinence from the following:
1. eating after noon
2. watching dancing, singing, and shows
3. adorning oneself with garlands, perfumes, or ointments
4. using a high bed
5. receiving gold and silver
Source: Patterns of Religion

Founding Figure: Shakyamuni Buddha

Much of Buddha’s life is understood as a myth, though it is based to some degree on actual occurrences. Certain elements have been exaggerated and emphasized in order to make specific points. Gautama’s father was the ruler of the Shakya clan; he was disturbed by a prophecy made by fortune tellers that his child possessed a strong inclination to become a religious leader. His father tried to prevent the prophecy by shielding his son from the cruelties of life by keeping him inside the castle walls. After Gautama was married and had a son he convinced his father to allow him to go outside the castle walls to see the town. His father, in an effort to preserve Gautama’s innocence, sent out retainers in advance to clear away any disturbing sights. Despite his father’s efforts his was unable to prevent Gautama from witnessing, on three trips, three successive surprises: a crippled person, an aged person, and a funerary corpse. Shocked by these sights Gautama questioned his father’s men, and they explained to him the realities of sickness, aging, and death. Gautama had one more experience that would guide the way to his path, he saw a wandering monk who was striving to attain liberation. After this Gautama became more and more restless, until finally one evening Gautama left his wife and son to begin his quest for enlightenment.
Source: Patterns of Religion

Types of Buddhism

What are some different types of Buddhism?

SHIN: Also known as Jodo. The most widely practiced branch in Japan. Beliefs based on Mappō; as people age, it is more difficult to follow the teachings of the Buddha and achieve enlightenment.
ZEN: A branch of Mahayana Buddhism with an emphasis on meditation, called Zazen, in hopes of achieving enlightenment. Zen originated in China and then branched to Vietnam, Korea and Japan. It eventually made its way to Europe and North America.
MAHAYANA: One of the two largest branches of Buddhism. Some claim Mahayana to be a branch started by the Buddha, himself, that is not proven. It's origins lie in India, and later expanded to other parts of Asia. Today, Mahayana has expanded worldwide. The Mahayana have the ultimate goal of becoming bodhisattva.
THERAVADA: The other very large brach of Buddhism. It is the oldest surviving branch, and focuses on reaching four levels of spiritual attainment: Stream-Enterers, Once-Returners, Non-Returners, and Arahants, in that order. It is currently widely practiced in SE Asia, in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Singapore, to name a few.
NICHIREN: Based on the teachings of Japanese Monk, Nichiren. It's beliefs contrast those of other schools, as Nichiren believed that everyone already had Buddha-like nature, and therefore enlightenment could not be attained. It is currently practiced in SE and E Asia, India, and other parts of Asia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jodo_Shinshu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahayana
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theravada
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nichiren_Buddhism

DEBATE: Is Buddhism a Religion or a Philosophy?

There is an ongoing debate as to whether Buddhism is a religion or a philosphy. If one considers religion a belief in a God or gods, then Buddhism would not be considered a religion,as it is nontheistic. However, the word religion is of Latin root literally meaning "rebound" from re- and ligare- (bound). Because Buddhism is a common set of goals and beliefs that binds a group of people toghether, those who practice Buddhism view what they believe as a religion. Although in Buddhism there is no higher power, it is similar to other major religions in that there is an explanation of origin, a moral code and goals, and a set of rituals to be performed. For more information go to:

http://www.sanuja.com/sb060716235208.php

Modern Day Buddhism

In today’s world, stress is so prevalent that more and more people are beginning to turn to the peaceful philosophic beliefs of Buddhism. People are interested in learning how to rid themselves of stress and anxiety, and finding a better way to live through meditation and deepening their spiritual foundation.

While Buddhism in some parts of China seems to be erasing, it is booming in many large cities. It is practiced across the world. Today, there are over 400,000 monks and about 10,000 nuns. The Buddhists feel that this number is increasing. In the U.S. currently, there are over 100 Buddhist centers. Buddhism is constantly growing and becoming more popular by the day.


http://www.meditateinla.org/buddhism-america.php

-Tommy C.

The Eightfold Path

The Eightfold Path intertwines with the Four Noble Truths, and the Eightfold Path is the manner in which to pursue the fourth noble truth: the truth of the way. The Eightfold Path provides instructions on how to go about ones life to end all suffering. This path is not something achieved by means of learning; it is achieved by a certain way of life and conducted after one has been suffering. The eight elements of the Eightfold Path are right view, right effort, right speech, right intention, right livelihood, right mindfulness, right action, and right concentration. Following these eight pieces will lead to the acquisition of wisdom, which is more important than acquisition of intelligence on the quest to end suffering.

To learn more, go to:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/waytoend.html

Buddhism Beliefs

Because Buddhism has so many different doctrinal branches and cultural manifestations it’s difficult to name a single universal belief. For example the Buddhist belief system of lay practitioners in Thailand and Myanmar focus on accumulating merit for prosperous rebirth (karma). Pure Land practitioners in Taiwan or Japan put their trust in Amitabha Buddha, believing that chanting Amitabha’s name will result in the rebirth in the Pure Land. The fundamental doctrine that forms the basis for most scholarly and meditative forms of Buddhism is grounded in a “faith” or “conviction” not in external power but rather one’s own capacity to become a Buddha.
Source: Patterns of Religion

4 Noble Truths

4 Noble Truths – the 4 necessary realizations that must be made in order to enter an experience equivalent to Buddha’s.
1. Noble Truth of Unsatisfactoriness – teaching that life as it is perceived and handled by most people cannot but lead to dissatisfaction.
2. Noble Truth of Arising – suffering has a cause.
3. Noble Truth of Cessation of Suffering – after suffering arises it must also disappear.
4. Noble Truth of the Way – the eight steps to achieve nirvana.
a. Right View
b. Right Intention
c. Right Speech
d. Right Action
e. Right Livelihood
f. Right Effort
g. Right Mindfulness
h. Right Concentration
Source: Patterns of Religion