4. Buddhism (1)

Buddhism is not a religion, but more accurately described, it is a philosophy. It encompasses a system to enhance life by “waking up” to the true beauty of reality.

Buddha means “one who has woken up.” Most people live asleep, never knowing or seeing life as it really is, and as a consequence they suffer. A Buddha is someone who has awakened to the knowledge of the world as it truly is and in doing so finds release from suffering. A Buddha teaches out of sympathy and compassion for the suffering of others and for the benefit and welfare of all beings.

Background

The number of Buddhists worldwide is thought to vary between 250 to 500 million. Data from several countries are uncertain and the lack of formal organization in the Buddhist community makes it hard even to estimate. A “best guess” seems to be 375 million followers.

Buddhism does not actively seek converts, but it thoroughly welcomes any who do want to convert. Buddhism can coexist with other faiths.

It was founded in Northern India by the first known Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. Around 535 BC, he attained enlightenment and took the title Lord Buddha. As Buddhism expanded across Asia (following the travels of the Lord Buddha and those of later generations of Buddhist monks), it evolved into three geographically separated forms, each of which has evolved largely independently:

• Southern Buddhism (Theravada Buddhism).  This form represents the majority (a little over half of the total Buddhist following). It is practiced mainly in Southeast Asia, including Thailand , Burma , Sri Lanka , Cambodia , and Laos .
• Eastern (or Chinese) Buddhism (Mahayana Buddhism).  Eastern Buddhism (about 35% of all Buddhists) is practiced predominantly in China , Japan , Vietnam , Korea , Tibet , Mongolia , and parts of Russia .
• Tibetan Buddhism (also called Lamaism). Lamaism (about 10% of the worldwide Buddhist following) developed in isolation from Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism due to of the remoteness of Tibet .

Modern day Buddhism has emerged as a true international movement. It started as an attempt to produce a single form of Buddhism, without local accretions, that all Buddhists could embrace. In the West it has grown due to its non-dogmatic nature, rationality, possibility of a spiritual guide, and opportunity for personal transformation; all of which have made it attractive to our post-modern, pluralistic society.

Belief About God

In its original forms, Buddhism did not teach the existence of a transcendent, imminent, or any other type of god or gods. However, many Buddhists  – particularly in Japan – do believe in a variety of deities. Like Hinduism, these gods are arbitrary chosen by Buddhists.

(2) Buddhism - teachings, the founder, writings