NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
Though some of the religions of the ancient world have disappeared, their heritage continues to influence the religions of today. In the following essay I will discuss Buddhism. I will focus on key concepts, beliefs, practices, developments and how they are manifested in everyday life. Buddhism is a religion founded by an ex-Prince Siddhartha Gaumata.
Gaumata was a prince who was brought up in a perfect surrounding. When the prince left the palace he saw all the poverty in the land. At the age of twenty nine, the prince left his wife and his infant son to meditate and practice Yoga to find peace and enlightenment. Gaumata was meditating for a long time when finally, while sitting under a Bo tree, he attained the enlightenment he was looking for. It is for this reason he got the name Buddha, meaning the enlightened one. Buddha became a traveling teacher and taught everyone his discovery.
Buddha did not write any of his lessons down. They believe he taught about the Four Noble Truths, (1) life is suffering, (2) all suffering is caused by ignorance, (3) Ending ignorance will end suffering, and (4) The path to the destruction of suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path. The Eightfold Path consists of (1) Knowledge of the truth, (2) the intention to resist evil, (3) not saying anything that will hurt someone else, (4) respecting life, (5) having a job that doesnt injure anyone, (6) striving free ones mind of evil, (7) controlling ones feelings, and (8) concentrating properly. Buddha preached that the life was a continuing cycle of death and rebirth.
The well being of oneself was determined on your behavior in your previous life. Buddha said that by ridding oneself of worldly things he would be in nirvana, peace and happiness. After Buddhas death, his followers collected his teachings that became the dharma. A key concept is the sangha, which is sometimes referred to as an ideal Buddhist community. All the people in the community follow all the laws and seek nirvana. The monks arrangement kept the preserving and the spreading of Buddhism.
In many Buddhist countries the monks had to live in poverty and meditate. The Buddhists also have a book called Tripitika, meaning three baskets. The first part of the book is about the Basket of Discipline, which talks about regulating the order of Buddhist monks. The second part is the Basket of Discourses, which talks about the sermons of Buddha. The last part is about the Basket of the Higher Dharma, which talks about systematic discussions of principle. All Buddhists have the obligation to pray to Buddha whenever they see a statue of him.
There are different customs in Buddhism. The three places that these different customs come from are from the Theravada's, the Mahayanas, and the Zens. The Zens are the group that originated in China. The marriage and death follow the different customs. The Theravada's have a wedding by going to a monastery, after the legal wedding. There they give a generous gift to the sangha.
They get a special chant for themselves to have a great future. When someone dies their body is sent to the monastery and is burned by the monks. A key practice in the Buddhism community is a special holiday. Wesak is known as a Tibetan holiday. It is celebrated every year in May to honor the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha. Some people fast but others are picnicking, dancing, acting and playing sports.
Buddhism refers to a diverse array of beliefs and practices. They apply the principles of The Eightfold Path. The final goal is to achieve pure ecstasy that follows on meditative exercises. By doing so, one turns away from the unhappy world to spiritual realities beyond sense.
Buddhism sounds like a funny religion, but in fact there are about 300 million Buddhists in the world.
Free research essays on topics related to: eightfold path, buddha, enlightenment, monks, buddhism
Research essay sample on Eightfold Path Prince Left Buddha
