Buddhism
Buddhism is the fourth
largest religion of the world after Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. Although
it originated in India, it has stronghold in countries like Tibet, China, Sri
Lanka, and Southeast Asia where missioaries from India carried its message.
Buddhism was founded in
India by prince Siddhartha Gautam, who was born about 550 B.C. in
Northern India and lived till 485 B.C. Siddhartha lived in wealth
and pleasantness but he found suffering and sickness among people in his
kingdom. He left his home and wandered around to find the meaning of life. One
day he sat under a bodhi tree and got the enlightenment. From that time on he
was called as
BUDDHA. Buddhism has many concepts akin to Hinduism like karma and
reincarnation. Buddha suggested that life is full of sufferings and one must act
in a way to escape from them.
He laid down four basic principles (TRUTHS) to achieve that:
-
All life is sorrow and
suffering
-
Human suffers due to desire or
selfcenteredness
-
Overcome desire
-
Desire can be ended by
following the eight fold path- right belief, intention,
speech, action, work, effort, thinking, and meditation.
A person who follows this path gets rid of desire and hatred and achieves
spiritual peace i.e.NIRVANA. This would then lead to end of KARMA
cycle or rebirth of soul (reincarnation). Buddha founded the Buddhist monastic
order before leaving the wheel of life. The order known as SANGHA lays
down certain principles-
-
no killing of humans or
animals;
-
monks will shave their head and
beard, wear special
yellow robes have a bowl for begging and a string with 108 beads. These monks
never
marry and devote their life to meditation and service.
Buddhism reached its
peak in India during the time of king Ashok in about 320 B.C. but started
declining under Gupta dynasty. Indian Buddhism, in time, restored many of older
Hindu beliefs and gods. By 1100 A.D., Hinduism again became the major religion
of India.
