ORIGINS OF BUDDHISM

By: Annes Kim

What is Buddhism?
The title Buddha means Enlightened one or Awakened one.

Buddhism is unique among the major world religions in that it is not based upon belief in a personal god, but on human experience and human potential. It was founded in India about 500B.C. Buddhism explains the purpose of life, injustices and inequality around the world. It also helps people by providing a way of life that will lead to true happiness.

The History of Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion which is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, the son of a wealthy landowner born in northern India around 560 B.C. It all started when Gautama saw four things that forever changed his life: o old man o a sick man o a dead man and o a beggar Deeply distressed by the suffering he saw, he decided to begin a quest to find the answer to the problem of pain and human suffering. After his long journey and much meditation he was finally enlightened. He found the middle path, the key to human happiness. For the rest of his life he wandered Asia, preaching his new religion.

The Spread of Buddhism

Spread of Buddhism in Sri Lanka: Emperor Asoka sent his son, Mahindra, to Sri Lanka to spread Buddhism in the state. He succeeded in converting the King of Sri Lanka to Buddhism and soon, Buddhism became the state religion of the country. Spread of Buddhism in China: Buddhism started gaining entry into China around 1st century CE. Spread of Buddhism in Japan: In the fourth century CE Buddhism started spreading in Korea and from there it spreaded to Japan in 538 CE. By the end of the century, Buddhism had became the state religion of the country. In 8th century CE, the religion further spread under the support of Emperor Shomu. Spread of Buddhism in Tibet: The arrival of an Indian tantric master, known as Padmasambhava, was instrumental in the spread of Buddhism in Tibet. Spread of Buddhism in the West: The efforts towards spread of Buddhism in the western countries were made in the 19th and early-20th century. T W Rhys Davies laid the foundation of the Pali Text Society towards the end of the 19th century. Other names worth mentioning in this context are those of Edward Arnold, a poet; Christmas Humphreys, an English barrister; Alan Watts and Dennis Lockwood; founder of the Friends of Western Buddhism Order (FWBO). Buddhism started spreading amongst the native population of America in the 1950s. Presently, one can find all schools of Buddhism in the USA.

How has Buddhism changed over time and location?

Throughout its cultural and historical context, Buddhism has been extremely successful as a missionary religion. Today, Buddhism has spread to almost all the countries of the world, with the population of Buddhists estimated to be around 350 million

Bibliography
http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/5minbud.htm http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistorie s.asp?historyid=ab77 http://www.khandro.net/Bud_context.htm http://www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism1.htm http://www.buddhist-temples.com/history-ofbuddhism.html http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/japan/japanworkbook/r eligion/origins.html Living Religion (Third Edition)