Buddhism

Abstract

Buddhism is one of the oldest religions accepted globally with a complex belief system and historical evidence attached to it. History suggests that Siddhartha Gautama is the founder of the religion who leads a religious life and wandered in search for the real meaning to life. He came up with theory of Enlightenment and spent his life in teaching others and journeying the whole of India. The following paper intents to introduce the reader to the history of Buddhism and its fundamentals. It also explains the controversial issues that Buddhism has to face since its dominance and acceptance in the world.

Table of Contents

Abstractii

Introduction1

Discussion2

Four Truths2

Karma2

Rebirth3

Misconceptions about Buddhism4

Chanting is useless4

Buddha is a God4

Concept of Nirvana4

Karma5

Women are inferior5

Reincarnation and Rebirth5

Wearing Robes5

Shin Buddhism6

Gassho6

Meditation6

The Controversies6

Conclusion7

References8

Buddhism

Introduction

Buddhism defines the path to spirituality and practice and understanding the realities of life. According to Buddhism, meditation helps in changing a human being and acquiring the qualities of kindness, honesty, awareness and wisdom. The experiences of the Buddhist religion have helped the people for centuries to identify a path that they wish to follow i.e. the path of Enlightenment. The Enlightened one understands the nature of his creation and lives according to the vision of this reality. Buddhism defines the end of those who follow the right path (www.pbs.org). Buddhism does not consist of any God to be worshipped so, it is considered not a religion by many people. Buddhism just teaches a human being to be straightforward and tells him that change is possible, and this change comes from within. Thus, the roots of Buddhism address everyone irrespective of their nationalities and castes. The methods of teaching used in Buddhism enable a man to realize the value of life and take charge of their lives where a man is responsible for his own actions (www.pbs.org). The following paper discusses the history of Buddhism along with the misconceptions being held about the religion.

Discussion

Four Truths

The Four Truths defined by Buddha define his teachings and identify the concept of sufferings and what is the truth being these sufferings. The concept does not give a negative view rather deals in ways in which actions can be rectified in order to avoid sufferings. The First truth says that there is suffering which maybe caused because of the greediness about worldly pleasures. The Second truth determines why sufferings are caused (thebuddhistcentre.com). According to Buddhism, suffering is caused by the desire of pleasure and ignoring the rules of life. By desire, it is meant to state the human's want of materialistic goods. Ignorance identifies avoiding the principles of lie. The Third Truth is the end of suffering having a dual meaning to it. It defines that sufferings can end in life on earth or through Nirvana in the spiritual life. It is stated that when a human being achieves this state of enlightenment, he is freed from sufferings. The Fourth truth relates to the methods that can be adopted for ending the sufferings (thebuddhistcentre.com). Nirvana can be achieved through right thoughts, actions, speech and ...