World Religion Report

World Religion Report/Buddhism xxxx HUM/130 University of Phoenix

World Religion Report World Religion Report/Buddhism Buddhism is a nontheistic religion, which was founded in c.520BCE by Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha), in northeastern India. Buddhism has no personal God that created everything and to whom prayers can be directed. Shakyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was not God or a god. He was a human being who attained full enlightenment through meditation and showed us the path of spiritual awakening and freedom (Fisher, 2005). Buddhism is a religion of wisdom, enlightenment, and compassion. The Buddha teachings were not written down until at least four hundred years after his death, so much of his teachings were chanted by memory from monks. Buddha, which means Enlightened One, was raised in a lap of luxury. Many say he is the reincarnation of a great being who had been born many times before and was drawn to earth once again by his compassion for all suffering beings (Fisher, 2005). Siddhartha, The Buddha, was trained in

martial arts, married, and had one son. During his life, Siddhartha was unconvinced of its value. According to legend, the Gods had arranged for Siddhartha to see the four sights; a bent old man, a sick person, a dead person, and a monk seeking eternal rather than temporal pleasure. Already seeing the first three sights, Siddhartha renounced his wealth, left his wife and son, shaved his head, and donned the coarse robe of a wandering ascetic, to seek the monk for the possibility of a life of renunciation. Siddhartha goal was to find ways of total liberation from suffering. Siddhartha headed southeast to study with a famous Brahmin teacher. Still searching for enlightenment after six years, Siddhartha underwent extreme self-denial techniques, such as, nakedness, exposure to great heat and cold, breath retention, a bed of brambles, and severe fasting. When this ascetic path was not working, Siddhartha shifted his practice to Middle Way, where there is neither self-indulgence nor self-denial. One night as Siddhartha sat in deep

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meditation beneath a tree; he finally experienced supreme enlightenment, and became a Buddha. Buddha recalled all of his previous lives when he passed through the four states of serene contemplation, he also had a realization of the wheel of deaths and rebirths, in which good, or bad deeds are reflected in the next life. Buddha realized the cause of suffering and the means for ending it. Buddha spent decades walking and teaching and many followers were so compelled, they transformed. At Buddha first sermon, the Deer Park sermon, Buddha gave the basic teaching of Buddha, the Four Noble Truths, and the Noble Eightfold Path in which all of Buddha teaching revolves around them. The Four Noble Truths are as following: 1. Life inevitably involves suffering, is imperfect and unsatisfactory. 2. Suffering originates in our desires. 3. Suffering will cease if all desires cease. 4. There is a way to realize this state: the Noble Eightfold Path. The Noble Eightfold Path is as follow: 1. Right understanding 2. Right motive 3. Right speech 4. Right action 5. Right livelihood 6. Right concentration 7. Right awareness 8. Right mediation

World Religion Report The name of the Buddhist temple that I visited was the Tu Vien Kim Cang. It is located

on Browns Mill Road, in Lithonia, Georgia. The outside of the temple has a giant, white Buddha statute outside the building, along with some small ones. The temple itself is a small building. A Monk, who barely spoke English, greeted me. I was given a tour of the grounds before the Monk showed me the interior of the temple. Inside the temple, there was not much inside, because the building is going through renovations, but there are many different Buddha statues, paintings on the walls, and candles burning. There is a large shrine with a Buddha, and fruits are placed in front of the Buddha statue. There were several rules to follow before entering the temple, such as; y y y y y y y Removed shoes and hat, leave shoes on the outside of the temple Turn off phones, remove headphones, lower your voice, no smoking, or chewing gum Shoulders should be covered and were long pants instead of shorts Respect the Buddha statues- never touch, sit near, or climb Have permission to take pictures Dont point- this is rude Stand up when monks or nun enter the worship area, this is to show respect When I decided to do my world religion report on Buddhism, I did an internet search of any Buddhist temple in the state of Georgia. I was very surprise to find in my area alone there were three, at least four miles away from me. The one I decided to visit happens to be a temple I pass everyday when I take my daughter to school. While working on my Buddhism report at work, a young woman saw my notes, and was very interested in why I was writing about Buddhism. Come to find out she is a Buddhist, and the temple she goes to is the one I was going to visited. The young woman sat, started talking to me about Buddhism, and told me that mainly

World Religion Report Vietnamese followers attend at this specific temple. I ask her if she would mind if I could interview her for my Buddhist report. The young woman name is Vy Phuong, is she has been a Buddhist for twelve years. I asked Ms. Phuong the following questions: 1. What are the important holidays and traditions of the Buddhism religion? Magha Puja Day, which takes place on the full Monday of the third lunar month. This holiday celebrates the Buddhas visit to Veruvana Monastery. Vesak is the birthday of the Buddha. Buddhist celebrates the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha in a single day. 2. How has religion shaped your life? It has helped me become a more spiritual person. I have learned to have inner peace; in addition, it also has brought me closer to my family. 3. What are the challenges, if any, to practicing Buddhism religion? By understanding the Four Noble Truths and going by the Noble Eightfold Path. 4. If I decide to become a Buddhist, how do I go about it?

I would recommend that you first read all you could about Buddhism, to make sure this is the right religion for you. Then you should ask all the questions you could before making a decision. You should ask several people who are already Buddhist, about the religion. I would also tell you to try to live your life as a Buddhist for a week, to see if you can live by Buddhas teaching. 5. Why did you become a Buddhist? I became a Buddhist because, I like the teaching of Buddha (that life is permeated with suffering caused by desire, that suffering ceases when desire ceases, and that

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enlightenment obtained through right conduct, wisdom, and meditation releases one from desire, suffering, and rebirth). 6. How often do you meditate, for how long, and why? I would like to meditate every day, but sometimes it does not work out that way. When I do meditate, I do it in the morning, for about an hour. The reason why I meditate is because if makes me feel calmer, and happier. 7. What do Buddhists believe happens after death? We believe that a person is either reborn (reincarnated) or enter nirvana. 8. Is Buddhism a religion or a philosophy? Some people say it is a religion, other say it is a philosophy, I believe it is more of a philosophy, way of life. With a religion, you tend to worship a God, with Buddhism it is more of a life style, where you meditate, and suffering ceases when desire ceases. 9. What were the Buddhas views on sexual orientation and gender identity? The five precepts encourage the abstention from sexual misconduct, but the Buddha is clear about engaging in any activities, whether it is sexual or non-sexual. 10. What is the best thing about being a Buddhist? I have reduced my greed and hatred, developed good habits of kindness, compassion, and honesty. I have become a more disciplined person, living in peace and harmony with others and myself. In this class, I have learned about many different religions, such as Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and Islam. Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world, with over 900 million followers. Hinduism has no one founder, and has no known date of orgin. Hinduism along with

World Religion Report Buddhism was founded in India. There are many similarities and differences between these religions. I will compare and contrast Buddhism with Hinduism.

Comparison between Buddhism and Hinduism Buddhism Believes in the process of reincarnation based on deeds of the present life. Hinduism Believes that everyone is a part of an impersonal world and therefore, ones soul reincarnates into another body of any being, based on the deeds of the present life. One attains salvation as per ones own fate and deeds. Believe that there are many paths to attain enlightenment

Reincarnation

Salvation

Enlightenment

Suffering

Yogic Practices

Tantric Practices

One has to work for salvation oneself and therefore, cannot blame others for the same. Believe that there are many paths to attain enlightenment such as overcoming through your feelings and desires Believe that excessive attachment to things and people in the physical world causes pain and suffering. Gives an emphasis on the practice of meditation and other forms of yoga, which concentrate on the truth of life Buddhism major sect, Tantrayana, is mainly based upon the tantric practices

Believe that excessive attachment to things and people in the physical world causes pain and suffering. Gives an emphasis on the practice of meditation and other forms of yoga, which concentrate on the truth of life Tantric practices are prevalent in Hinduism. The Mahayana Buddhism believes that the original teachings of the Buddha are from the Hindu practices

Contrast between Buddhism and Hinduism

God

Buddhism Does not entail any Godly figures

Hinduism Believe in 300,000 Gods

World Religion Report Rituals Do follow some rituals but only in the form of mediation, and bowing and different forms of worship while offering prayer in the Buddhist temples. Buddhist practices also do not require any priests. There are four major sub sects in Buddhism, but none of them follows the caste system. As the middle way, Buddhism rejects extreme asceticism as well as great wealth. The Buddhists do not believe in the Vedas. They firmly believe in the teachings of the Lord Buddha and Buddhist scriptures. The Buddhists do not believe in the stages of life.

The rituals, being followed by the Hindus are more complex and vary from birth to death of a person. Priests do play important role in all the rituals. There are a number of castes and sub-castes in Hinduism, and the Hindus follow them rigidly. Most of the Hindus believe in extreme asceticism. Hinduism believes in the supremacy of four VedasRigveda, Samveda, Yajurveda, and Atharvaveda. The Hindus believe in the four stages of life- Brahamacharya, Grihastha, Vanprastha, and Sanyasa.

Caste System

Asceticism

Vedas

Stages of Life

Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world behind, Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism, with 360 million followers. Buddhist teaching is straightforward and practical: nothing is fixed or permanent; actions leave consequences; change is possible (2007). Buddhism is virtually extinct in India, the birthplace of Buddhism, but it is prevalent throughout China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. In the 20th century, Buddhism has expanded to the Western regions, and there is over 1 million American Buddhist today. With all that is going on in the world today, many people are interested in learning the peaceful philosophy of Buddhism. One main reason for the interest is people want to learn how to meditate, which people can overcome stress and anxiety, and to deepen a person spiritual experience.

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References

(2007). Buddhism facts. Retrieved from http://.www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/facts.htm

(2007). About Buddhism. Retrieved from http://www.aboutbuddhism.org/what-is-buddhism.htm Fisher, M.P. (2005). Living religions (6th ed). New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Rodgers, G. (2009). Visiting Buddhist temples-do's and don'ts. Retrieved from
http://goseasia.about.com/od/travelplanning/a/visiting_buddhist_temples.htm

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