What Is Buddhism - 1046 Words

What is Buddhism? Buddhism is a path of teaching and practice. 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 the path of spiritual development. Ultimately, the Buddhist path culminates in Enlightenment or Buddhahood. Who was the Buddha? The word Buddha is a title not a name. It means ‘one who is awake in the sense of having ‘woken up to reality. The title was first given to a man called Siddharta Guatemala, who lived about 2,500 years ago in Northern India. When he was 35 he found†¦show more content†¦Of all the six realms, the realm of human beings is considered the most desirable. In the realm of human beings, the conditions for attaining Nirvana are better. In general, in the unhappy realms, the suffering of living beings is so intense and their ignorance so great that they are unable to recognize the Truth and follow the path to attain freedom. Alternatively, living beings in the realms of the gods and demigods experience so much happiness and have so many distractions that they do not think of rebirth until it is too late. Then they may be reborn in one of the lower realms of suffering. In the realm of human beings, however, people experience both happiness and suffering, and are intelligent enough to recognize the Truth and follow the path to attain freedom from the cycle of birth and death. Therefore, one is indeed fortunate to be born as a human being, and should remember that the principal cause of birth in the realm is Good Conduct. The Cycle of Birth and Death The Buddha pointed out that whenever one is reborn, whether as a human being, as an animal, or as a god, non of these states of exticence is permanent. The average life span of the living beings in the six realms of existence differ but none of them lasts forever. Eventually, rebirth will take place. The realm into which one is reborn and ones conditions of rebirth are determined by ones past and present actions. This is the law of Karma at work. BecauseShow MoreRelatedBuddhism : What Is Buddhism? Essay1659 Words   |  7 PagesWhat is Buddhism ? Some may say it is a religion while others say it is a philosophy. Buddhism is many things. Buddhism was and still is to this day a religion practiced by many. Its teachings are known worldwide. The founder and many of the teachings of Buddhism are the reason it is so significant still to this day. Suddhodana and Maya gave birth to a man by the name of Siddhatta Gotam or Shakyamuni who later would become the founder of Buddhism (Laumakis 7). He was a prince who lived a very privilegedRead More What Is Buddhism? Essay1046 Words   |  5 Pages What is Buddhism? nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Buddhism is a path of teaching and practice. 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 the path of spiritual development. Ultimately, the Buddhist path culminates in Enlightenment or Buddhahood. Who was theRead MoreWhat Are the Beliefs and Values of Buddhism1848 Words   |  8 PagesWhat are the beliefs and values of Buddhism? Buddhists follow the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama who is known as the Buddha, meaning the enlightened one. Buddhism originated in northern India and is the fourth largest religion of the world. 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