Buddhism
Ancient HistoryBuddhism is one of the major world religions-based on the teachings ofSiddhartha Gautma (563-483 B.C.) or Buddha (the enlightened one). Thereligion originated in India but also spread to other parts of Asia such asSri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma) China, Japan, Tibet, Nepal,Mongolia, Korea, and Vietnam over the next several centuries. The currentnumber of Buddhists worldwide has been estimated at between 150 and 300million. (McDermott, 1993-2002) In this essay we shall look at the originsof Buddhism and discuss how it has changed and evolved as it came to beembraced by different Asian civilizations. Origins Siddhartha Gautma, the historical Buddha, was the son of the ruler ofa petty kingdom in northwestern India near the India-Nepal border. Buddhastarted his teachings after attaining nirvana (enlightenment). AlthoughBuddhism was initially considered to be a branch of Hinduism or the Brahmantradition, it soon developed its own c
Spread of Buddhism and its Evolution The origins of Mahayana were the first signs of Buddhism's evolutionand the deifying of Buddha as an eternal being is considered by some as the"Hinduization" of Buddhism. This made it possible for Buddhism to mould itself around vastly differenttraditions and cultures as it spread through Asia. Since Buddha taught orally, hedid not leave behind any written works. The core of Buddha's philosophy revolves around the belief thatlife is suffering, and that such suffering can be ended by overcomingignorance and by adopting the right path of morality, wisdom, andconcentration. When Buddhism was firstintroduced in China by traveling monks, the country already had a highlydeveloped culture. It facilitated thespread of the religion but also gave a unique local flavor to the Buddhismpracticed in each country. (Powers & Fieser,1996) The doctrine of upaya in the Mahayana branch of Buddhism portrayedBuddhist teaching as a means towards an end (enlightenment); the end beingmore important than the means. The translators of the Buddhist scriptures thus usedindigenous terminology, particularly Taoist terminology, to translateSanskrit technical terms to make them palatable to Chinese readers. However, despite its divergent evolution overthe centuries, Buddhism still retains the underlying message of peace andascetic living emphasized by Buddha in his teachings. The religion started to spread beyond Indiawhen the great King Indian Ashoka (270-232 BC), became a Buddhist andstarted to send missionaries outside India. Sri Lanka is believed to havebeen the first country outside where Buddhism took a foot-hold.
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