Buddhism

//Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to Insight into the true nature of life//. = History of Buddhism =

[|Buddhism] is the fourth largest religion in the world, being exceeded in numbers only by Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. It was founded in Northern India by the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. He was born circa 563 BCE in Lumbini which is in modern-day Nepal. At the age of 29, he left his wife, children and political involvements in order to seek truth; this was an accepted practice at the time for some men to leave their family and lead the life of an ascetic. He studied Brahmanism, but ultimately rejected it. In 535 BCE, he reached enlightenment and assumed the title Buddha (one who has awakened). He is also referred to as the Sakyamuni, (sage of the Sakya clan). He promoted The Middle Way, rejecting both extremes of the mortification of the flesh and of hedonism as paths toward the state of Nirvana. He had many disciples and accumulated a large public following by the time of his death in his early 80's in 483 BCE.

=Followers of Buddhism Worldwide= Buddhism has an estimated number of 330,000,000 to 4,300,000 followers worldwide. 

 **Holy Book of Buddhism** ﻿Buddhism is not a religion. Moreover, Buddhism is not based on a single book. It is based on the Dhamma as told by Buddha. The Dhamma consists of three parts (Thripitaka) 1. Sutta Pitaka (Containing sutras) 2. Vinaya Pitaka (Containing disciplinary methods) 3. [|Abhidhamma Pitaka] (Containing more deep dhamma parts).







Place of Worship
Buddhism followers worship their religon in a place called a [|Buddhist Temple]. A Buddhist Temple is very tall. It's like a "Church" to Christians or a "Mosque" to Islam or a "Mandir" to Hinduism. It's a very important building to Buddhists. Buddhists don't worship in the western sense as they do not recognize a deity. The statues of Buddha present in the area does not recognize Buddha's status as a god, but just a man. The image present is to remind people that all can achieve enlightenment by following the Eightfold Path. They meet at temples and other designated building to enjoy the fellowship of other Buddhists, meditate, to listen to sermons and explanations of Buddhist thought. 

Basic Beliefs of Buddhism
Buddhism like many other religions have certain beliefs they have to follow in order to be faithful to their relegion  these beliefs are:
 * Do not kill, be kind to all creatures
 * Do not steal,give rather than take
 * Do not lie, be honest and open
 * Do not misuse sex
 * Do not consume alcohol or use recreational drugs

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Basic Beliefs in Buddhism also include "The Four Noble Truths" which look into human suffering. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> The four truths are:
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Dhukkha: suffering exists and its universal
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Samudaya: there is a cause of suffering
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Nirodha: there is an end to suffering and it ceases when one reaches the state of Nirvana.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Magga: in order to end suffering you must follow the eightfold path.

Sects of Buddhism
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">The [|major sects] of Buddhism


 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Theravada (Hinayana) Buddhism
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Literal: School of the Elders (Small Vehicle)
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Main Focus
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Four Noble Truths
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Meditation
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Sage Buddha
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Main adherents: Southeast Asia
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Mahayana Buddhism
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Literal: Large Vehicle
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Main Focus
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Four Noble Truths
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Meditation
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Divine Buddha
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Bodhisattvas
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Main adherents: China, Japan, and Korea
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Subdivisions
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Pure Land School
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Tian Dai (China) or Tendai (Japan) Buddhism
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Confucianism Influence
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Chan (China) or Zen (Japan) Buddhism
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Daoism Influence
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Main Focus
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Meditation
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Chanting
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Teacher-Student dialog
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Vajrayana Buddhism
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Literal: Diamond Vehicle
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Main Focus
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Meditation
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Chanting
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Enlightenment in one lifetime
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Tibetan gods and demons
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Religious visualizations
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Philosophical debate
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Ritual
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Yoga
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Tantric Sex
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Main adherents: Tibet

Symbols of Faith
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Eight spoked Wheel,Bodhi Tree, Buddha's Footprints, an empty throne, a begging bowl, and a Lion are all used to represent Buddhism [|Faith].







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Worship Practices of Buddhism
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Buddhists of different sects don't [|practice] the same. The point of worship is to gain a understanding of true nature.Lay people meditate, recite mantras, visit shrines,stupas, monasteries, or places such as the Bodhi tree. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Monks and Nuns do more complex meditation practices which help them through different stages of spiritual <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">development.



Rituals of Buddhism
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Meditating and offerings to deities are [|rituals] that are performed by buddhists. These rituals include Bodhisattva vows, the 100-syllable Vajrasattva mantra, mandala offerings and the seven-line prayer of Guru Rinpoche and mon-lam prayers. After these rituals have been performed, the student practices meditation on shunyata or emptiness. The prayers come to an end with a ritual in which people express joy over the good deed and merit of others. They also request Buddha to teach them and not enter in parinirvana.

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Celebrations
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">There are many [|celebrations] that the buddhists celebrate, for instance they celebrate <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Buddhist New Year which is celebrated for 3 days from the first full moon day in April.They also celebrate Vesak, a major buddhist festival of the year which celebrates the birth, enlightenment, and death of buddha on that one day. Other celebrations include Magha Puja Day, Asalha Puja Day(Dhamma Day), Uposatha (observance day), Kathina Ceromony, and Anapanasati Day.

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Dalai Lama
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Dalai Lama is a spiritual and political [|leader] of the Tiebtan people.He is believed to be a reincarnation of past Dalai Lamas. The current Dalai Lama, His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso Dalai Lama. His Holiness was of the first Dalai Lams to travel to the west. He spread the teachings of Buddhism throughout the west and is known for his his charisma and kindness.



Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat Hanh, born in 1926, is one of the best known Buddhist [|teachers] in the world. Hanh ha published over 100 books. He founded the School of Youth for Social Services(SYSS) in Saigon, Vietnam to help provide aid to bombed villages .He is a well-known peace activist.



Karmapa Controversy
On January 31,2011 Indian police raided the [|monastery] of his holiness the 17th karmapa Oquen Trinley Dorje found $750,000 in cash of several foreign currencies. Possesion of this cash is under violation of Indian currency exchange laws. Shakti Lama is now under arrest due to having possesion of the money.