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BuddhismandHinduism
BUDDHISM
SiddharthaGautamaafterbecomingBuddha
Buddhismisoneoftheworld'smajorreligioustraditions.Embracedbyapproximately350millionpeople
worldwide(mostoftheminAsia),Buddhismcontinuestoexerciseastronginfluenceinmanyareas.Likemanyoftheworld'sreligions,Buddhismbeganwith
thelifeofanextraordinaryindividual.
LifeoftheBuddha
HistoriansestimatethatthefounderofBuddhism,SiddharthaGautama(oneofmanyvariantsofhisnameandtitle),wasbornintheHimalayanfoothills
sometimearoundthesixthcenturyBCE.Accountsofhislifewerewrittenlaterandare,therefore,likelytobeunreliableonmanypoints.However,sources
seemtoagreethathewasthesonofanobleoralocalking.
Accordingtotheaccounts,Gautamaledalifeshelteredfromthedifficultiesoftheworld.Attheageof29,however,hesawseveralthingsthatdisturbedhim
duringfourchariotridesoutsidethepalacewalls.Firsthesawanoldman,whichmadehimawareofoldagenext,asickman,whichmadehimawareof
physicalsufferingthird,adeadbody,whichmadehimawareofdeath.Onhislasttrip,hesawaholymanmeditating.Fromthisexperience,Gautamadecided
toabandonhiswifeandson,renouncehiswealth,andseektounderstandthemeaningofwhathehadseen.
SiddharthaGautama
Aftersixyearsofstudyandlivingalifeofasceticism(extremeausterityandselfdenial),Gautamarealizedthathehadweakenedhis
bodybutstillhadnotfoundtheanswershewasseeking.Determinedtofollowamoremoderatepath,neitherembracingtheluxuriesoftheworldnorlivingin
misery,hesatbeneathatreeandmadeavownottomovefromthatspotuntilheachievedenlightenment.Heenteredadeepstateofmeditation,andby
dawn,hehadachievedthespiritualawakeningthathehadsetouttofindsomanyyearsbefore.
GautamathenbecameknownastheBuddha("theenlightenedone").Hespenttherestofhislifeteachingothersaboutthepathtoenlightenmentandhowto
liberatethemselvesfromsuffering.Hediedaroundtheageof80.
TheFourNobleTruthsandtheEightfoldPath
TheteachingsofBuddhismcenterlargelyaroundtheFourNobleTruths:
Sufferingexists
Sufferingarisesfromattachmenttodesire
Sufferingceaseswhenattachmenttodesireceases
FreedomfromsufferingispossiblebypracticingtheEightfoldPath
Inrejectingbothasceticismandluxury,theBuddhaembracedthe"middlepath"toenlightenmentandtheendingofdesire.KnownastheEightfoldPath,that
middlepathincludeseightaspects:
Rightunderstandingunderstandingthetruthaboutuniversalsufferingandseeingtheworldasitis,notasonewantsittobe
Rightintentcommittingtofollowthepathtoenlightenmentandfreeingoneselffromdesirestodowrong
Rightspeechspeakingthetruthandcommunicatingkindly
Rightactionlivingethically,notstealing,andnotkilling
Rightlivelihooddoingworkthatdoesnotharmothers
Righteffortbeingcheerfulandpositiveinabalancedway
Rightmindfulnessbeingawareofoneselfandfocusedonwhatisgoingonateachparticularmoment
Rightconcentrationfocusingonobjectsorconceptsaspartofmeditationtodevelopfurtherpersonally
KarmaandCyclesofRebirth
OneofthebasicprinciplesofBuddhismisthateachintendedactiongeneratesconsequencesforthepersonperformingtheaction:
positive,negative,orneutral.Thetermusedforthatlinkingofactionsandtheirconsequencesis"karma."

BuddhistWheelofLife

AccordingtoBuddhism,peoplearecaughtinacycleofdeathandrebirth.Thecircumstancesofeachnewbirtharedeterminedlargelybytheresultsofkarma
positiveornegativefromthepreviouslife.
Thecycleofdeathandrebirth,ignorance,andsufferingisknownassamsara.Buddhistsbelievethatbyrelinquishinghatred,ignorance,anddesireandby
followingtheEightfoldPathpeoplecanliberatethemselvesfromsamsaraandthusachievesupremepeace,ornirvana.Whenapersonhasachievednirvana,
allburdensofkarmaaresettled,andthecycleofrebirthends.
TheSpreadofBuddhismandItsPractices
AfterthedeathoftheBuddha,hisfollowersspreadhisteachingsbytravelingthroughoutIndiaandthenthroughmuchoftherestofAsia.EmperorAsoka,who
ruledIndiainthethirdcenturyBCE,wasoneimportantearlyconvert.
BuddhaatAnuradhapurainCeylon(SriLanka)
AsBuddhismspreadtodifferentareas,itincorporatedlocalculturalpracticesandbeliefs.Buddhismin
Ceylon(modernSriLanka),therefore,cametobepracticedsomewhatdifferentlyfromBuddhisminJapan.Twomainapproachesthatdevelopedare
Theravada("teachingsoftheelders"),whichisdominantinSoutheastAsia,andMahayana("greatervehicle"),whichispracticedmoreextensivelyinChina,
Japan,Korea,andTibet.
TheravadaBuddhismbasesitspracticesontheearliestknownrecordedtextsoftheBuddha'steachings,writteninthePalilanguageafewcenturiesafterhis

ruledIndiainthethirdcenturyBCE,wasoneimportantearlyconvert.
BuddhaatAnuradhapurainCeylon(SriLanka)
AsBuddhismspreadtodifferentareas,itincorporatedlocalculturalpracticesandbeliefs.Buddhismin
Ceylon(modernSriLanka),therefore,cametobepracticedsomewhatdifferentlyfromBuddhisminJapan.Twomainapproachesthatdevelopedare
Theravada("teachingsoftheelders"),whichisdominantinSoutheastAsia,andMahayana("greatervehicle"),whichispracticedmoreextensivelyinChina,
Japan,Korea,andTibet.
TheravadaBuddhismbasesitspracticesontheearliestknownrecordedtextsoftheBuddha'steachings,writteninthePalilanguageafewcenturiesafterhis
death.Practitionersdevotetheirlivestoselfenlightenment.Oftenwithinmonasteriesisolatedfromdaytodaylife,theymeditateandliveaccordingtothe
Buddha'steachings.
MahayanaBuddhismstrivestointegratetheBuddha'steachingsintopeople'severydaylives.Practitionersnotonlyseekenlightenmentforthemselvesbutare
alsomotivatedbycompassiontohelpothersonthepathtoenlightenment.Inthatway,theyhelptofreeallbeingsfromthecycleofdeathandrebirthandto
achievethestateofnirvana.
RuinsofNalanda,Buddhistcenteranduniversity
Forseveralcenturies,BuddhismthrivedinIndia,andgreatmonasticuniversitieswerefoundedinnorthern
IndiaatNalandaandVikramashila.TheeighthcenturyCE,however,sawarevivalofHinduism,andBuddhismbegantodecline.WhentheTurkicMuslimswho
invadednorthernIndiainthelate12thandearly13thcenturiesdestroyedtheuniversitiesatNalandaandVikramashila,BuddhisminIndiasufferedablowfrom
whichitwouldnotrecover.
AlthoughnolongerwidelypracticedinIndiawhereitbegan,BuddhismhadasignificantimpactonthelivesofpeopleinSriLanka,China,Tibet,Japan,and
SoutheastAsia.ItisstillanimportantpartoflifeinmanypartsofAsiatodayandcontinuestogainadherentsinotherpartsoftheworld,includingNorth
AmericaandEurope.
EllenBialo
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Thiscontentmaybeusedfornoncommercial,classroompurposesonly.
ImageCredits
RuinsofNalanda,Buddhistcenteranduniversity:AlkaDwivedi
BuddhaatAnuradhapurainCeylon(SriLanka):Corel
BuddhistWheelofLife:DharmapalaThangkaCentre
SiddharthaGautama:Charles&JosetteLenars/Corbis
SiddharthaGautamaafterbecomingBuddha:DharmapalaThangkaCentre
MLACitation
Bialo,Ellen."Buddhism."WorldHistory:AncientandMedievalEras,ABCCLIO,2016,ancienthistory.abcclio.com/Topics/Display/1185131?
cid=41&sid=1185131.Accessed12Sept.2016.

https://ancienthistory.abcclio.com/Topics/Display/1185131?cid=41&sid=1185131
EntryID:1185131