Buddhism Joel, Kyle & Rhiannon

What is Buddhism Buddhism is a religion based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who lived about 26 centuries ago in what is now Nepal and northeastern India. He came to be called "the Buddha," which means "awakened one," after he experienced a profound realization of the nature of life, death and existence. In English, the Buddha was said to be enlightened, although in Sanskrit it is Bodhi, "awakened. Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to Insight into the true nature of life. Buddhist practices such as meditation are means of changing oneself in order to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness, and wisdom. The experience developed within the Buddhist tradition over thousands of years has created an incomparable resource for all those who wish to follow a path — a path which ultimately culminates in Enlightenment or Buddha hood.

Symbols The Buddhist Religion has many symbols that depict and convey different and religious meanings. None of the Buddhist symbols contain actual images or recognition of the Buddha as he did not like to be adored as a person This is a major symbol of the Buddhist religion as it symbolises the first sermon that the Buddha himself delivered, and can also represent the eightfold path which is meant to show the clear way to the truth about all things on earth. This is another important symbol of this religion as it represents the time when the Buddha received and achieved enlightenment.

Rituals & Ceremonies Some examples of rituals and ceremonies are the name giving ceremony, marriage ceremony and the funeral ceremony Each ritual and ceremony is done in different ways and they all mean different things in the ones life. The marriage ceremony can be done at any convenient place. There are duties for the husband and for the wife that were laid down over 2500 years ago. Duties for Wife To do domestic work (or to have it done) well in time. To take good care of whatever has been earned by the husband. Not harbour evil thoughts against her husband. Always be attentive and chaste in mind and action. Duties for Husband To treat the wife with due affection. To avoid superiority complex. A husband should be faithful to his wife

Ethics Ethics in Buddhism are traditionally based on what the Buddhist views as the enlightened perspective Essentially a Buddhist should be strong in their faith, speak the truth, behave and work in life affirming ways and be diligent in their efforts towards the spiritual advancement in The Eightfold Path Some examples of some original ethics of the Buddhist religion include; abstaining from harming sentient beings, to abstain from taking what is not freely given, to abstain from eating after midday, and to abstain from perfumes and bodily adornment. The ethical and moral principles are governed by examining whether a certain action, whether connected to body or speech is likely to be harmful to one's self or to others and thereby avoiding any actions which are likely to be harmful.

Sacred Texts & Writings Some of these texts include; the Tripitaka, the Mahayana Sutra and the Tibetan Book of the Dead. The Tripitaka is one of the oldest texts that derived from the Buddhist culture. This sacred text gives the Buddhist followers something to believe in and follow in their everyday lives. This acts as a guide which allows the ‘almost’ dead to get involved in the process of death and rebirth, and focuses on the mind and body and figuring out what is the true nature of their mind

Myths and Stories These Buddhist myths talk about historical event and important concepts that each person believes in. The path of a Buddhist would not be enriched by the teachings of Jesus Christ. In the Buddhist culture there are various stories, which depicts certain events and experiences in their lives. Some examples of these stories include “Love”, and “The Arrival”. “Love” talks about and can influence the Buddhist community to live their lives and to let their feelings wander, and explore their natural emotions. The theory of reincarnation offers the best explanation for evidence of "past-life" experiences. Suffering is caused by the struggle to survive & the need to prove our existence”. Suffering is caused by the struggle to survive & the need to prove our existence”.

Beliefs and Believers Dose not require one to have faith in something that one has not experienced. Buddhist seeks enlightenment and is encouraged to test the teachings of the Buddha The Buddha as a Refuge”, “The Eightfold Path”, and “Karma” are all examples of different ethics that Buddhist’s believe in. These beliefs speak of worshiping the divine being, following through with the cycle of death and after-life, becoming a saviour for ones self, helping to put an end to suffering, learning about the understanding s of truth and life, and the process of ‘karma’, which talks about the theory of ‘what goes around, comes around’.

Social Structures The Buddhist social structure is not one of the religions that classify a person or group to be of higher standards or importance over another person, instead it is a religion that is world wide, and is able to be practiced amongst homes, temples, meeting in small groups or by themselves. However the Buddha is considered to be the ultimate power in this religion as he is the main idol of this particular religion. Another group of important people in the social viewing of Buddhism is the monks The Dali Lama is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan Buddhists followers and he promotes the basic values of life, as well as the ethics of their religion, he is the reincarnation of Buddha himself. Many consider the Buddha then the monks to be at the top of the social structure as they are the ones who help to guide and influence people through their lives.

Religious Experiences The dimension of experience, including associated emotional reactions to the world and to rituals, is often of central importance in the religious history and contemporary practice. Religious experience refers to the connection that someone has discovered between their experiences to their God or divine being. This could be an experience of a lifetime, and the individual may find it as a sign or link between themselves and their supernatural power. This can effect how the individual sees their life, and can be a strong influence to the strength of ones faith in their religion

Evaluation To the approximately 300 million practitioners worldwide, Buddhism is considered their religion. Like all major religions Buddhism contains an explanation of the origin of existence, a morality, and a specific set of rituals and behaviours. However, as generally Buddhists do not ascribe to the belief in a sentient, all-pervasive Creator, some claim that Buddhism fails to be a religion. However, this reflects both an extremely narrow definition of religion and fails to consider what Buddhists would regard as the "nature of god," which is extremely close to the description of God offered by many of the earlier "Fathers" of Christianity. Nevertheless, like the other major religions, Buddhism presents a transformational goal, a desire to improve one's situation, and a distinct moral code.we can also show with evidence that the Buddhist religion contains the eight characteristic that should be evident in order for a religion to be considered a true religion