Buddhism, part I
Buddhism:
Buddhism, like Hinduism and Jainism, originated in India and is an old religion. However, unlike the others, Buddhism has no particular god, and the Buddha, though and important influence, is not to be worshiped by followers of the faith. Though there are gods mentioned in Buddhist texts, they are not relevant in helping people achieve any kind of spiritual awakenings. In this world religion, it is clear who the founder is despite there not being a whole lot of information about Siddhartha Gautama. Another interesting point about Buddhism is its spread from India into China and Southeast Asia. While it may have its origin and roots in India, its more lasting and greater modern influence is found in China and Southeast Asia. The textbook does a good job of outlining the history of the religion and its founder as well as presenting its brand of Dharma. Here, we learn about the Four Nobles Truths and the Eightfold path, which leads to liberation. There is also a wheel of birth and death, and this rebirth is different from what we see in Hinduism as well as the reuse of the term karma. Finally, for the Buddhist, the final goal is achieving Nirvana. It is more important to achieve the goal than to try to understand its nature.
In the section on the “Spread of Buddhism,” there is mention of King Ashoka, the author of many edicts, who converted to Buddhism and help spread it. Review the video links in Hinduism for The Story of India. There is a nice introduction to Buddhism as well as Ashoka. Buddhism develops two different types of or strands of the religion: Theravada and Mahayana. However, it is more than just these to sects that develop. The authors of the textbook provide a chart on the major branches of Buddhism on page 161 in the 10th edition. It is not uncommon for religions past and present to have different divisions or sects. This is seen in Islam as well as Christianity, for example. Even in Greco-Roman religions and Ancient Mesopotamian ones, there were different sects or different ways of practice and realizing truths. These different strands of the same faith have been cause for much debate. Well-known and influential leaders like the Dalai Lama have brought believers and non-believers together all over the world, yet he is a religious leader in exile from Tibet.
Discussion Post: The following post question is actually divided into two parts, which require some thinking about before posting. It is tempting to develop a quick answer, but I urge you to think about it in some great depth before responding. You may wish to form your answer in a Word document in order to think and modify it before you post.
As mentioned in the notes above, there have been many debates over different denominations, sects, groups, etc… of the same religion. Some of these debates have sparked isolationism, togetherness, violence, peace, and both open and narrow discussions about interpretations, practices and final outcomes. Considering Buddhism, do divisions in religions possibly weaken or even strengthen (or both) faiths? What accounts for so many differing views? Do the forms of Buddhism have clear paths for coexistence? Here you can consider Dali Lama—refer to page 167.
Again, think carefully about the question before posting. With different aspects of Buddhism, this is a good place for us to start considering why and what does it means to have different forms of a religions as we will see this again and again. This is a heavily opinionated question for you, but be sure to back up your answer with sound reason, and be prepared for classmates to have potentially very different answer. This is not an easy question to answer, but it does get you to think about religions and how they can function in various societies, which takes us back to our initial chapter on religions beliefs.