Name: Mahinour Ehab Elmowafy

ID: 222022020
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion that provides a method for overcoming life's suffering. Samsara, the
unending cycle of birth, death, and reincarnation to which all beings are subject, is the outcome
of one's karma, or the total of one's good and bad deeds accrued throughout a number of lives.
The only way to escape this never-ending cycle is to become enlightened, which is what
Buddhists aim to do. An all-knowing being known as a Buddha (lit., "enlightened one") has
attained the perfect state of transcendent knowledge in which the flames of greed, hatred, and
delusion are extinguished. After entering nirvana (lit., "blowing out, to become extinguished"), a
Buddha is no longer subject to rebirth.

India is where Buddhism first appeared in the sixth century BC. It is made up of the Buddha's
teachings, those of Gautama Siddhartha. The Mahayana, often known as "Greater Vehicle" is the
main school of Buddhism that made its way to Japan.

Buddhism arrived in Japan via China and Korea in the sixth century as a gift from the friendly
Korean kingdom of Kudara (Paikche). Although Buddhism was embraced by Japan's ruling
nobility as the country's new official religion, its complex ideas initially prevented it from
becoming widely accepted by the general populace. Although there were some early
disagreements with Shinto, the original religion of Japan, the two religions soon learned to get
along and even complement one another.

Great monasteries in the capital city of Nara, like Todaiji, acquired significant political clout
during the Nara Period and contributed to the government's decision to relocate the capital to
Nagaoka in 784 and then to Kyoto in 794. Nevertheless, for many centuries, governments
struggled with the issue of politically aggressive and militant monks.

Two Chinese Buddhist sects were introduced during the early Heian Period: Saicho introduced
the Tendai sect in 805 and Kukai introduced the Shingon sect in 806. Later, the Tendai sect split
into additional sects. The following list includes the most significant ones among them:
Honen created the Jodo sect (also known as the Pure Land sect) in 1175. Since its theories were
straightforward and founded on the tenet that everyone can find salvation by fervently believing
in the Buddha Amida, it attracted adherents from all different socioeconomic strata. One of
Honen's students, Shinran, founded the Jodo-Shin sect (True Pure Land sect) in 1224 with even
more streamlined teachings. Millions of people still adhere to the Jodo sects today.

The Zen cult was brought from China around 1191. Its convoluted theories were particularly
well-liked by the military elite. According to Zen doctrine, self-enlightenment can be attained via
discipline and meditation.

Nichiren established the Nichiren sect in 1253. The sect stood out because it was intolerant of
other Buddhist groups. Numerous "new religions" that are based on Nichiren's teachings still
have millions of adherents today.

By fighting the militant Buddhist monasteries towards the end of the 16th century, Oda
Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi essentially eliminated Buddhism's role in politics. In the
early Meiji Period, when the new government preferred Shinto as the state religion and made
steps to separate and emancipate Shinto from Buddhism, Buddhist institutions came under attack
once more.

Approximately two-thirds of Japanese people today identify as Buddhists. The average Japanese
person's daily life is not significantly impacted by religion, nevertheless. Buddhist practices are
typically used during funerals, and many families maintain a tiny house altar as a way to honor
their ancestors.