Carl - February 2006
Buddhism is one of the biggest religions founded in India in the 6th and 5th century B.C. by Siddhartha Gautama, also known as "the Buddha." As one of the greatest Asian religion, it teaches the practice and the observance of moral perceptions. The basic teachings of "the Buddha" were mainly emphasized by the four noble truths. Since it was first introduced into China from India, Buddhism has had a history that has been characterized by periods of sometimes awkward and irregular development. In spite of these difficulties, Chinese Buddhism has come to have an important influence on the growth and development of Buddhism in general and this has occurred largely because of its own innovatory contributions. (Eliade16)
"Buddhism begins with a man. In his later years, when India was afire with his message, people came to him asking what he was. Not ?Who are you?' but ?What are you?' ?Are you god?' they asked. ?No.' ?An angel?' ?No.' ?A saint?' ?No.' ?Then, what are you?' Buddha answered, ?I am awake.' His answer became his title, for this is what Buddha means. The Sanskrit root budh means to awake and to know. While the rest of humanity was dreaming the dream we call the waking human state, one of their number roused himself. Buddhism begins with a man who woke up."(Smith 60)
Buddha was born a prince named Siddhartha Gautama in a small kingdom in what is now Nepal in 563b.c.e. Gautama's birth is described as a miraculous event, his birth being the result of his mother's impregnation by a sacred white elephant that touched her left side with a lotus flower. The scriptures claim that when Gautama was born "immeasurable light spread through ten thousand worlds; the blind recovering their sight, as if from desire to see his glory" (Eva ...