Buddhism Facts: History of Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion close to my heart and one that never ceases to fascinate me. I first visited a Buddhist temple when we went to enroll my cousin into college (a long time ago!). I had never experienced so much peace as I did that day. As I climbed the meandering road that led to the temple I saw little shrines that had been constructed all along and people making offerings there. The colorful flags caught my attention as they were swaying in the breeze, as I climbed higher up the hill and was closer to my destination, I could hear the monks chanting, the sound grew louder with every step I took. I waited outside the temple with my head bowed in reverence and then I walked around the temple and the large area covering it, soaking up everything that I wanted to remember (that is almost everything).

The origin of Buddhism can be traced back to around 563 BCE. Buddhism is a religion that is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who was the son of a King. Siddhartha was in search of spiritual peace, it was on this search of his that he renounced his worldly advantages and became known as Buddha or The Enlightened One.

Buddha wanted to share his wisdom with all around him, to do that he traveled all over India and Nepal preaching and educating others about the middle path. Buddha further created a theology which he based on moderation and the necessity to separate the physical from the spiritual existence.

Buddhism is therefore a practice of finding peace with oneself, a religion formulated to win happiness during the present life as well as the next. Buddhists believe it is important to find the God within everything! Buddhist followers do not worship any God and follow the eightfold path in order to lead a meaningful life.

Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world today. Other facts about Buddhism are as follows:

• Buddhism means system taught by Buddha.
• Buddhism is further dived into the Mahayana, Theravada and Najrayana sects.
• The religious leaders of the Buddhists are called Monks.
• The Buddhists worship in a temple
• The three jewels or three refuges of Buddhism are - The Buddha, the Sangha or the monastic community and The Dharma or truth or teachings.
• The four noble truths of Buddhism are - Life is filled with suffering, this suffering is caused by human desires and attachments, suffering can be elimanated and this can be done by following the Eight-fold path.
• The four reminders of Buddhism are - Human life is precious, death is inevitable, the laws of karma cannot be avoided and suffering permeates all existence.
• The noble eightfold path is – Right beliefs, right aspirations, right speech, right livelihood, right conduct, right effort, right mindfulness, right meditional attainment.
• The four Bodhisattva vows are - I vow to rescue the boundless living beings from suffering, I vow to put an end to the infinite afflictions of living beings, I vow to learn the measureless Dharma-doors and I vow to realize the unsurpassed path of the Buddha.
• Buddhism is a religion which believes in Nirvana or rebirth, which is seen as a halt of suffering by some whereas others look upon it as a heavenly paradise.
• The sacred text of the Buddhists is known as Pali Canon or Tripitaka. There are also various Mahayana sutras.
• The eight auspicious Buddhist symbols are – The parasol (chattra), the golden fish (suvaranamatsya), the treasure vase (kalasha), the lotus (padma), the conch shell (sankha), the endless knot (shrivasta), the victory banner (dhvaja) and the wheel (dharmachakra).