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Rel 133 Buddhism Research Paper

580 Words3 Pages

Amy Magness
Buddhism
REL/133
October 25, 2014
Matthew Morrison

Buddhism
The Life of Buddha
The life of Buddha is somewhat of an enigma. Common belief is that he was born a prince in Lumbinī, Nepal in the lowlands of Terai near the Himalayas. Suddhodana, Buddha’s father, was the king of the Sakyas clan, making Buddha a prince. Buddha was given the name Siddhartha Gautama, which means, one who has achieved his aim (O'Brien, n.d.).
There are many disputes regarding the date of his birth. Today’s Theravada Buddhists believe he was born around 624 BCE. Until recent times, various renowned historians estimated his birth around 567 to 487 BCE. Many modern scholars have proposed dates from 420 to 502 BCE. In short, no one truly knows, because …show more content…

A young Siddhartha Gautama encountered great human suffering and decay, which induced in him a great need for a life-transforming experience. It is said that he, at the age of 37, attained the enlightenment he sought. This knowledge became the platform from which he taught his diverse followers for the next forty-plus years ("A history," n.d.). The teachings of Buddha incorporate a succinct examination of the human condition. Achieving release from suffering became attractive to those living in the rigidity of North India. Buddhism welcomed any who wanted to follow this alternative to the ritualistic structure of Hinduism (“A history,” n.d.).
Mahayana Buddhism Mahayana Buddhism developed in the first century CE as a more progressive, available understanding of Buddhism. Known as the Greater Vehicle, it is a school of Buddhism available to people from all lifestyles - not just ascetics and monks ("Buddhist," …show more content…

Theravada Buddhists aim to evolve into arhats, or perfect humans who have achieved nirvana and enlightenment. This evolution is designed only for monks and nuns who have devoted his or her whole lives to the effort. For the laity, being reborn into a life of the monastic is the best he or she can hope for ("Mahayana," n.d.).
On the other hand, Mahayana Buddhists, aspire to develop into boddhisatvas, or saints who are enlightened, but who unselfishly postpone nirvana to help others achieve it as well. More importantly, Mahayana Buddhists teach that enlightenment is reachable in one lifetime, and this can be fulfilled by a layman. The assorted subclasses within the Mahayana tradition, like Nichiren, Pure Land, and Zen, advocate various ways of obtaining this ambition, but each group agrees that it can be reached in a one lifetime by anyone who truly wants it ("Mahayana," n.d.).
Mahayana Buddhism bears more of a religious nature than its Theravadan counterpart does. It many times involves the adoration of Buddhas, celestial beings, boddhisatvas, ceremonies, rituals, and the use of sacred objects. The role of these religious elements changes, but remains essential to Tibetan/Tantric

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