Andrea Blake Blake I

Dr. Arini
English 101
Oct. 3, 2019
Ethnography
Buddhism

Buddhism is one of the oldest religions still practiced today

and even though it is well-known in the west there are still many

westerner’s that have never heard of it. One might have seen an

Asian man draped in orange garbs and are instantly curious of who he

is and where he is from. Other’s might have heard of the Dali Lama,

but do not know of his religion or what he teaches. Buddhism is a

powerful religion, and one should know what it is, where it comes
The Dali Lama
from, and if it is practiced in the United States.

Buddhism comes from India, and it began with a man named Siddhartha Gautama who

was born a prince around 563 B.C. Siddhartha was an only child, and his father (the King)

pampered him and kept him hidden from all the ugliness of the world. In his twenties, he came

across old age, sickness and death, which caused a discontent to settle over him. He then left

his palace, his wife, his child, and went on a six-year quest in search

of enlightenment. He studied with Hindu Masters, who taught him a

great deal of Raja Yoga, but after picking their brains for wisdom and

not finding what he sought, he moved on. He then studied with

Ascetics, starving himself, but to no satisfaction. Finally, he sat under

a Bo Tree, returning to his teaching of Raja Yoga, and after forty-nine

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days of meditation, he woke up. He became Buddha: “The Enlightened One” or “The Awakened

One.”

Buddha immediately went among the world spreading his enlightenment, first coming

across the Ascetics, who became his first followers. The word of Buddha immediately spread far

and wide. Buddha, entertained all, whether poor or noble, always with begging bowl in hand.

Kings bowed to him and many wished to proclaim him a god, but he rebuffed all that never

letting his fame affect him.

“Do not accept what you hear by report,

do not accept tradition, do not accept a statement

because it is found in our books, nor because it is

the saying of your teacher. Be lamps unto

yourselves. Those who shall rely upon themselves

only and not look for assistance to anyone besides

themselves, it is they who shall reach the topmost

height.” (Buddha)

Buddhism is a religion devoid of authority, tradition, the supernatural and skirted

speculation. Buddha knew personally that the human mind was capable of supernatural powers

and because of this he disallowed his followers to play with such powers. Buddha said, “It is

because I perceive danger in the practice of mystical wonders that I strongly discourage it.”

Original Buddhism can be characterized as being empirical, scientific, pragmatic, therapeutic,

psychological, egalitarian, and it was directed at individuals (Smith.) Buddhism teaches the Four
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Noble Truths: Dukkha: The Noble Truth of Suffering (Not getting what we desire), Tanha: The

Noble Truth of the Cause of Suffering (Craving for pleasure or seeking satisfaction), Nirvana:

The Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering (The giving up of or the being free of), and The

Noble Truth of the Path that Leads to the Cessation of Suffering (the right Eightfold Path.) The

Eightfold Path is the path to overcome self-

seeking/the path out of captivity, through

wisdom, morality and meditation. The steps to

the Eightfold Path are right thought,

understanding, speech, conduct, livelihood,

mental attitude, mindfulness and

concentration. The three jewels of Buddhism are belief in the Buddha, Dharma (Teachings) and

Sangha (Community). Sacred Buddhist objects/symbols are, the singing bowl (Promotes

relaxation and offers powerful healing properties), Dharma wheel (Represent the eight parts of

the path to wisdom), Bodhi Tree (Where Buddha achieved enlightenment), Elephants

(Represent the mental strength and resilience needed to achieve enlightenment), and the Lotus

flower (Symbolizes purity

of the body, speech, and

mind.) If one wishes to be

come a Buddhist, one

must take responsibility

for creating one’s own life.

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The Buddha did not choose a successor because he wanted his followers to follow their

own path to enlightenment within themselves. After Buddha’s death, Buddhism broke off into

two different schools, the Theravada School and the Mahayana School. The Theravada School,

is considered the smaller vehicle because it strictly focuses on a solitary life of personal

discipline, with the giving up of the world, therefore, fewer individuals ride this vehicle. The

Mahayana School is more flexible, focusing more on the importance of compassion to others,

without the giving up of the world. Mahayana Buddhism, also split off into different branches

and even migrated into different lands. The Pure Land Sect (similar to Christianity), Ti’en Tai

(Asian), Vajrayana Buddhism (Tibet and the Dali Lama), and Zen Buddhism (Japan.) Buddhist

refrain from, destroying living creatures, taking that which is not given, sexual misconduct,

incorrect speech and intoxicants.

Buddhism cultures started migrating from Asia and into the west in the late 1800. They

brought their ancestral worship patterns with them. The

twentieth century is shaping a new form of Buddhism,

especially in the west, Vajrayana and Zen being the most

popular practiced. American Buddhism, practices equal

treatment of men and women, and is offered to all who are interested. “According to Gregory,

American-style Buddhism is defined by six traits: strong lay involvement, a focus on meditative

practices, democratic ideals, parity for women, social action, and openness to Western

psychology” (Feurerherd.)
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https://www.lionsroar.com/becoming-a-buddha-lessons-from-little-girls/ (A link to a Story of a
girl becoming Buddha.)
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Works cited:
Feurerherd, Peter. “How American Buddhism is Like an Elephant.” Jstor Daily, April 10, 2018.
https://daily.jstor.org/american-buddhism/ .

Irons, Edward A. "Buddhism in the United States." Encyclopedia of World Religions:

Encyclopedia of Buddhism, Edward A. Irons, Facts on File, 2nd edition, 2016. Credo Reference,
https://libproxyccc.nau.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/fofbud
dhism/buddhism_in_the_united_states/0?institutionId=3245 . Accessed 26 Sep. 2019.

Jun, Chan Master Guo. “Essential Chan Buddhism”. Spiritual, First Edition, Monkfish Book
Publishing, 2013, Rhinebeck, New York.

Smith Hudson. “The World Religions”. Religion, 50th Edition, Harper Collins Publishers, 1991,
New York.