Sociological Impact Of Buddhism

I have chosen to talk about the religion of Buddhism. I will be discussing the cultural background, the sociological impact that Buddhism has on society, the physiological impact that Buddhism has and what are the characteristics that the religion of Buddhism empowers.

Cultural Background

Buddhism was founded by a man named Buddha Shakyamuni who lived in India thousands of years ago. At a young age, Shakyamuni was a prince, but when he discovered the tragedies that was occurring outside his palace walls he retired at the age of 26 and began a spiritual life of meditation in a forest (White, 1993). At the end of his life, Buddha gave eighty-four thousand teachings. The primary reason for finding Buddhism was to lead people to permanent liberation

The basic aspects of Buddhism can be summed up by the Four Noble Truths. The first truth is that life is suffering. We endure different forms of suffering, whether it’s loneliness, fear, anger or embarrassment. The second truth states that suffering is caused by cravings. If we expect people to be like us or if we don’t get something we want, we tend to get angry which leads to suffering. The third noble truth states that suffering is something that can be overcome and happiness is obtainable. If we stop craving things and start helping others, then we can acquire true happiness. This is what’s called Nirvana. The fourth noble truth is that the Noble 8-fold path is what leads to the end of suffering. The 8-fold path focuses on living a morally good life through what we say and what we do. Focusing on the mind and being fully aware of our thoughts and actions and developing the wisdom from the Four Noble Truths and also developing compassion for others. This is what leads to true happiness (Nirvana) in the end (White,

Buddhist have the appearance/skin tone of Asian-Indian. While it’s not required for Buddhists to shave their heads, if you become a Monk or a Nun, you are then required to shave your head. When dealing with illnesses or diseases, there is no specific one that solely affects the Buddhist population. The thing that stands out; however: is how they treat illness and disease. For Buddhism, suffering is a part of life. It’s unavoidable. Within the tradition, physical pain and illness can provide for the cultivation for healthy mental states and patience. It’s not the illness, but their response to it that has spiritual value among Buddhist tradition. In Buddha’s teachings, he condemned the use of self-mortification and mistreatment of the body and the mind. Instead of medicine techniques, Meditation techniques are an essential part of the Buddhist tradition and are designed to prevent and address physical and mental illness (Georgetown University,