Dua Fatima

BBA171037
Assignment 7
Buddhism Points

1. Buddhism is a Western term used today to describe the teachings of Siddhartha Gotama,
or Gautama, son of a wealthy Hindu ruler in the north of India. He is believed to have
lived from 563-483 BC and was a member of the Kshatriya class and the Sakya tribe.
2. He preached his first sermon at the Deer Park, near Benares, on the Ganges, when he
addressed five ascetics who had travelled with him on his earlier search for truth. He
presented them with his 'dhamma', the Pali word for the Sanskrit 'dharma', which here
means 'teaching'.
3. The Buddha's ardent hope was that the Sangha would continue in strength after his death.
For this reason, it was established that any male over the age of twenty could apply for
membership as a 'samanera', or novice.
4. The personal possessions of a Buddhist monk are few. Apart from a begging bowl he will
have only a razor, a toothpick, a fan, a needle, a stick, a water filter to prevent him from
eating live creatures, and perhaps some beads to assist with meditation.
5. The only clothes he will wear are his yellow cloak (in Sri Lanka and Thailand), or an
orange cloak (in Burma), together with an inner and outer coat.
6. At a formal initiation ceremony, a would-be follower must first make an Act of Homage
towards Buddha, the enlightened one.
7. In the real sense of the word it is difficult to say whether Buddhists worship since there is
no belief in a deity who could be called the object of such worship, though developments
in later Mahayana Buddhism do seem to suggest worship of a god.
8. Pagodas, shrines and temples are commonplace in Buddhist countries but Buddhists may
equally meditate in their own homes, where they sit, usually cross-legged, on the floor.
9. The principal purpose of meditation is to assist them to quieten the normal activities of
the mind. Incense and prayer beads may be used to concentrate the mind.
10. The most important festival is Wesak. This is celebrated by Buddhists throughout the
world. On this occasion they remember the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha,
since it is believed that all of these events happened on the same day of 'Wesak', a
Sinhalese word for the month April-May.
11. It is important to note that from about 100 years after the death of Buddha two main
schools of thought developed within the religion: Theravada Buddhism, or the "Small
Vehicle', and Mahayana Buddhism, called the 'Greater Vehicle'. The word 'vehicle' is
used when referring to both Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism because the Buddha's
teaching is seen as a great ship guiding people to enlightenment.
12. Asoka, ruler of the Magadha, which consisted of much of north and central India, was
largely responsible for the spread of Theravada, or Southern Buddhism, as it is
sometimes called.
13. Asoka is said to have sent missionaries to Burma who established the religion there. Later
Theravada Buddhism reached Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Indonesia.
14. The Mahayana school has a much more universal, more popular approach than the
Theravada school and embraces many variations of belief.
15. With this school the Buddha has become an eternal, divine principle, and hence the object
of worship. He is regarded as a savior, rather than as a guide.
16. The Mahayana scriptures consist of the Pali Canon of the Theravada school translated
into Sanskrit, together with various collections written in other languages, such as
Chinese and Tibetan, depending on the country where the religion is practiced.
17. The Bodhisattva (S), or Buddha-to-be, assumes an important role in Mahayana
Buddhism. The term is derived from two Sanskrit words, 'bodhi', which means
'enlightenment' and 'sattva', which means 'being'.
18. It denotes a person who has reached the state of enlightenment but has chosen to guide
others along the same path that he has taken, rather than pass straight on to the Buddha
stage.
19. In Theravada Buddhism there was only one bodhisattva and this was Siddhartha Gotama,
who became the Buddha. In Mahayana Buddhism there are many buddhas. The Sutras,
for example, refer to innumerable buddhas who take on the role of saviors assisting
followers in their search for enlightenment.
20. The Pure Land School of China believed in the idea of rebirth in one of the many
paradises belonging to the bodhisattvas who act as guides
21. The Pure Land School of China believed in the idea of rebirth in one of the many
paradises belonging to the bodhisattvas who act as guides.
22. The origin of the Ch'an School is uncertain, though the title is Chinese for 'dhyana', the
Sanskrit word for meditation.
23. According to tradition the founder of the sect was the Indian teacher Bodhi- dharma who
lived in the sixth century AD.
24. The written word was of little consequence to them, whereas 'prajna (S), meaning
'wisdom', or 'insight', was held in high esteem.
25. It is likely that the Ch'an school, was derived from a com- bination of the teachings of
Mahayana Buddhism with the Chinese concept of Tao, meaning 'the Way'.
26. The Nichiren sect in Japan was founded by a Japanese reformer of this name in the
thirteenth century. Members considered 'The Lotus of the Good Law' as their only
scripture and aimed to purify the religion of extraneous influences.
27. The Japanese Zen sect finds its origins in the Chinese Ch'an sect in the ninth century AD
but it has been particularly popular in Japan since the thirteenth century.
28. The Japanese Zen sect finds its origins in the Chinese Ch'an sect in the ninth century AD
but it has been particularly popular in Japan since the thirteenth century.
29. The 'koan', a kind of riddle was introduced to develop the intuitive processes of the mind,
so that the disciple could reach a stage beyond reasoning.
30. In Tibet, where until 1959 Buddhists were governed by their spiritual ruler the Dalai
Lama who was assumed to be a reincarnation of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of
Compassion, we find many ideas that have been assimilated into Buddhism from the
earlier animistic and polytheistic Bon religion which was practiced in Tibet.
31. Magic spells and incantations are regular features of Tibetan Buddhism, which has been
called 'Tantrism', as well as 'Lamaism'.
32. The title 'Lamaism' comes from the word 'Lama', which means 'superior', and is another
word for an abbot.
33. The term 'Tantrism' is derived from the Tibetan Buddhist scriptures called the Tantras.
34. Today Buddhism receives positive state support in Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand. It is
universally recognized as one of the few world religions which has never been
responsible for a holy war and it is particularly tolerant of other religions.
35. Though it was 1908 before the religion found its way to Europe, all of the Buddhist
schools of thought, particularly Theravada, Tibetan and Zen Buddhism, are represented in
European countries.