BUDDHISM
Dr. Theodore Gabriel
Buddhism is one of the major religions
of Indian origin that is not so widespread in
India now. The original form of Buddhism
known as Theravada Buddhism is more to
be found in other parts of South and South
East Asia, notably in Sri Lanka, Thailand,
Malaysia and Indonesia. A different form
known as Mahayana
originated from the
spread of Buddhism
into the Far East,
China, Japan, Korea
and Tibet and was
mainly due to the
efforts of Emperor
Ashoka, a fervent
Buddhist, who sent
missionaries abroad.
Buddhism has 500
million
adherents
worldwide and is one of the fastest growing
religions in the world, including in the West.
Buddhism is a unique religion in that
there is no belief in God or gods in the faith.
It is therefore a non- theistic religion different
from most other major religions in the world
which believe in God or gods. Buddhism
however believes in reincarnation, and the
state of godhood and Mara or the devil is one
of the phases that an individual could go into
depending on its karma in a particular life but
even the godly state is a passing phase. If in
the course of a life the individual does more
punya (good deeds) than papa (sins) he can
aspire to go higher, become a god and even
a Buddha and if the other way round he can
become a dog and even a devil. Buddhism
is also unique in that it has no belief in a
soul (atman), a belief vital to many religions
such as Christianity, Hinduism and Islam.
Buddhism
has
its
own
unique
views on personal identity believing the
individuals to be made up of five heaps,
1.The body
2. Feelings
3. Perceptions
4.Impulses and emotions
5. Acts of consciousness
These in death can
become reconstituted into
other individuals. These
heaps are constantly
changing so Buddhism
believes that personal
identity is a myth, a
feeling that gives rise
to selfishness, jealousy,
desire and leads to
evil.
So the idea of
individuality gives rise
to desire, the key to the suffering of the world.
The Buddhist ideal is therefore to attain NIbbana
(Sanskrit Nirvana , literally no air) thus the human
being is blown out like a flame that is deprived
of air and does not exist anymore as we know
existence is and does not come back reincarnated.
Buddhism was founded by Siddharta Goutama
(born 5th century BCE) as the son of the king of a
small principality called Kapilavastu. Shortly after
his birth an astrologer predicted that the prince
will either become a great conqueror or a sage.
His father King Shuddodhana decided to keep the
prince secluded away from the seamier side of life
and isolated him in the luxurious palace and its
spacious grounds. But the prince was determined
to know about the world outside the palace walls
and ventured out secretly. Then he saw four sights
for the first time which changed his perspective
and his life entirely. He saw an old man which
set him thinking about old age and its infirmities.
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