where did the religion of buddhism originate?
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IN INDIA........EHIPASIKO.....you are invited to come and investigate the teaching of the BUDDHA!SADHU 3X
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As a definition, religion is a particular institutionalized or personal system of beliefs and practices relating to the divine.\n\nBuddhism is a religion because it contains the previous variables. The system is called Buddhism, the beliefs and practices are based on the teaching of the Buddha and that that a state of enlightenment can be attained by suppressing worldly desires, and the divine is Buddha.
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I was raised by atheists, and am agnostic. I have studied religions comparatively for over 40 years. Most are utter rubbish. Superstition for the ignorant who cannot face their own mortality. Buddhism has the best ethics but it in its uncorrupted form is not a religion. A real religion would have to be stand up to scientific analysis.
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Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to Insight into the true nature of life. 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 a path - a path which ultimately culminates in Enlightenment or Buddhahood.Buddhism does not include the idea of worshipping a creator God, some people do not see it as a religion in the normal, Western sense. The basic tenets of Buddhist teaching are straightforward and practical: nothing is fixed or permanent; actions have consequences; change is possible.\nthe 'devotion' used in Buddhism is not one based on emotion, but one based on reason.\nA Buddha is not omnipotent or all-powerful; otherwise the Buddha would have ended all suffering in the universe....\nHe did not claim that he was a god, the child of a god or even the messenger from a god.\nWhen we bow, we express our gratitude to the Buddha for what his teachings have given us. This is the nature of Buddhist worship.\nWhen someone worships a god, they praise him or her, making offerings and ask for favours, believing that the god will hear their praise, receive their offerings and answer their prayers. Real Buddhists do not indulge in this kind of worship.\n\nhence, the benefits of heart sutra is to understand our realities, not to 'pray' or 'worship' the words in the sutra.
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Japan is a strange pantheistic mix of Shintoism and Buddhism.  There are shinto aspects to weddings, and buddhist aspects to funerals. There are shinto shrines and buddish shrines. You could say that Japan has one religion - a shinto/buddhist hybrid. Different facets of Japnese life involve one or the other. But unlike the USA, no one is zelous about religion, unless they have been converted to christianity anyway - the shinto and buddhist religions in japan are more cultural than religious.
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Not really.\n\nMost religions use an external belief in a 'God' or 'Jesus' to develop love and morality in their minds.\n\nBuddhists believe it is up to the individual to develop these traits. That's why Buddhism is sometimes called 'mind training' or a philosophy and not a religion.
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Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to Insight into the true nature of life. 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 a path - a path which ultimately culminates in Enlightenment or Buddhahood.\n\nBecause Buddhism does not include the idea of worshipping a creator God, some people do not see it as a religion in the normal, Western sense. The basic tenets of Buddhist teaching are straightforward and practical: nothing is fixed or permanent; actions have consequences; change is possible. Thus Buddhism addresses itself to all people irrespective of race, nationality, or gender. It teaches practical methods (such as meditation) which enable people to realize and utilize its teachings in order to transform their experience, to be fully responsible for their lives and to develop the qualities of Wisdom and Compassion.\nBuddhism explains the reality of life and the universe: that all beings are equal by nature and that all teachings are equal. The Buddha said many times that the wisdom to understand the true reality of life and the universe, and the virtuous abilities to cultivate are all already within our true nature. Buddhism teaches us to have a broad mind, one that overflows with sincerity, purity, equality, proper understanding, and compassion. Everyday, we must strive to awaken to this reality. Being contented with all conditions and settings is a good example for all, and striving for attainment of freedom of mind and spirit will help to awaken. From this, we can see that the Buddha is a compassionate multicultural educator who is worthy of emulation.\nBuddhism is Not a Religion. According to the Webster's Dictionary, the definition of religion is as follows, "An organized system of beliefs, rites, and celebrations centered on a supernatural being power; belief pursued with devotion."\nBuddhism is not a religion because:\nFirst, the Buddha is not a 'supernatural being power'. The Buddha is simply a person who has reached Complete Understanding of the reality of life and the universe. Life refers to ourselves, and universe refers to our living environment. The Buddha taught that all beings possess the same ability to reach Complete Understanding of themselves and their environment, and relieve themselves from all sufferings to attain utmost happiness. All beings can become Buddhas, and all beings and the Buddha are equal by nature. The Buddha is not a God, but a teacher, who teach us the way to restore Wisdom and Understanding by conquering the greed, hatred, and ignorance which blind us at the present moment. The word 'Buddha' is a Sanskrit word, when translated it means, "Wisdom, Awareness/Understanding". We call the founder of Buddhism Shakyamuni Buddha because He has attained Complete Understanding and Wisdom of life and the universe. Buddhism is His education to us, it is His teaching which shine the way to Buddhahood.\nSecond, the 'belief' in the Buddha's teachings is not blind belief, or blind faith. Shakyamuni Buddha taught us not to blindly believe what he tells us, he wants us to try the teachings and prove them for ourselves. The Buddha wants us to know, not merely believe. The Buddha's teachings flow from his own experience and understanding of the truth, and shows us a path of our own to taste the truth for ourselves. The Buddha uses a perfectly scientific way of showing us reality in its true form.\nThird, Buddhism is not a religion because all the 'rites and celebrations' are not centered on a supernatural being, but rather the people attending the assemblies. The ceremonies and celebrations in Buddhism all serve an educational purpose, a reminder of the Buddha's teachings an
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Buddhism and Catholicism are religions, not ethnicities.\n\nThere are 55 or 56 officially recognized ethnic groups in China, including the Han (the largest group), the Zhuang, the Manchu, the Hui, the Miao, Mongolians and many others. See list below.
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Buddhism is a religion to about 300 million people around the world. The word comes from 'budhi', 'to awaken'. It has its origins about 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gotama, known as the Buddha, was himself awakened (enlightened) at the age of 35.\nbuddha is not a god. he is a teacher.\nTo many, Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more of a philosophy or 'way of life'. It is a philosophy because philosophy 'means love of wisdom' and the Buddhist path can be summed up as:\n\n(1) to lead a moral life,\n(2) to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions, and\n(3) to develop wisdom and understanding.\n\nBuddhism explains a purpose to life, it explains apparent injustice and inequality around the world, and it provides a code of practice or way of life that leads to true happiness.\nBuddhism is becoming popular in western countries for a number of reasons, The first good reason is Buddhism has answers to many of the problems in modern materialistic societies. It also includes (for those who are interested) a deep understanding of the human mind (and natural therapies) which prominent psychologists around the world are now discovering to be both very advanced and effective.\nScience is knowledge which can be made into a system, which depends upon seeing and testing facts and stating general natural laws. The core of Buddhism fit into this definition, because the Four Noble truths can be tested and proven by anyone in fact the Buddha himself asked his followers to test the teaching rather than accept his word as true. Buddhism depends more on understanding than faith.
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The most prevalent forms are the Mahayana Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.  This has been popularized by the Dalai Lama.  The next is Zen Buddhism which came to us from Japan and is popular because Japanese buddhists have immigrated throughout the US and shared their beliefs with other Americans.
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Buddhism generally explain the cause of our existence , and how to end the rebirth cycle . The main core teaching of The Lord Buddha is the Four Noble Truth and the Noble Eight Fold Path . These teachings or Dharma preach by The Buddha teaches us on how to end our suffering by practicing Morality ( Sila ) , Samadhi ( Concentration ) and Panna ( Wisdom )\n\nFrom the Dharma that The Lord Buddha have preached to us , the cause of Suffering ( our existence ) is due to Tanha ( attachment ).  Literally , Tanha means thirst which covers all the senses of greed , lust , desire, cravings , and likes .\n\nWhen there is Tanha , there will be suffering . For example , people who are very greedy and love their money so much that they do not want to be apart . This is the attachment and when they loss their money , they feel very sad which is clearly a suffering to them . Or when one loss a love one , this is also a suffering because they are very attached to the decease .\n\nAs summary : Suffering is the cause of Attachment . Attachment is the cause of Wrong View . Wrong view is the cause of Ignorant . So , By learning and practicing the Dharma , one is expected to eliminate Ignorant ( Moha / Avijja in Pali Language ) which eventually , eliminates sufferings in the end . \n\nIt may be very hard to understand Budhhism here because you may not understand what i say here . However , what i have written here is only a very general idea on what Buddhism is since there are those who have already told you who the Buddha is .\n\nIf you are interested in knowing more about Buddhism , you can always attend to the nearest Buddhist temple or other Buddhist website. There is no regulation such as if you enter a Buddhist Temple , you must be a Buddhist . Every people ( from other religion or all walks of life )is allowed to come , investigate , question and study the Dharma ( teachings of the Buddha ) without the need to convert to Buddhism if he / she has no intention to do so .\n\nHowever , for those who wish to create havoc by questioning every thing about the teaching of the Buddha in which his / her objective is not towards the understanding of the religion but more to condemning the religion , i urge them all to be more understanding and stop their action as many people will be irritated or hurt by their words.\n\nSadhu , May all be well and happy ..
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LONG ago in Asian history, yes. At least Buddhist fighting each other.  \n  Today, one could hardly imagine "onward Buddhist soldiers, marching as to war" ------- Funny isn't it?\n   I believe the Samurai were Buddhists as well, and they were a warrior class. \n http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/east-asia.htm
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http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/snapshot02.htm  <<< differences on Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism.\n\nBuddhism is the same: there is Theravada Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism, Yogacara Buddhism and Vajrayana Buddhism but it is all Buddhism and it all has the same taste - the taste of freedom. Buddhism has evolved into different forms so that it can be relevant to the different cultures in which it exists. It has been reinterpreted over the centuries so that it can remain relevant to each new generation. Outwardly, the types of Buddhism may seem very different but at the centre of all of them is the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. All major religions, Buddhism included, have split into schools and sects. But the different sects of Buddhism have never gone to war with each other and to this day, they go to each other's temples and worship together. Such tolerance and understanding is certainly rare. \n\nThe Buddha — the "Awakened One" — called the religion he founded Dhamma-vinaya — "the doctrine and discipline". To provide a social structure supportive of the practice of Dhamma-vinaya (or Dhamma for short [Sanskrit: Dharma]), and to preserve these teachings for posterity, the Buddha established the order of bhikkhus (monks) and bhikkhunis (nuns)— the Sangha — which continues to this day to pass his teachings on to subsequent generations of laypeople and monastics, alike. \nAs the Dhamma continued its spread across India after the Buddha's passing, differing interpretations of the original teachings arose, which led to schisms within the Sangha and the emergence of as many as eighteen distinct sects of Buddhism.One of these schools eventually gave rise to a reform movement that called itself Mahayana (the "Greater Vehicle") and that referred to the other schools disparagingly as Hinayana (the "Lesser Vehicle"). What we call Theravada today is the sole survivor of those early non-Mahayana schools. To avoid the pejorative tone implied by the terms Hinayana and Mahayana, it is common today to use more neutral language to distinguish between these two main branches of Buddhism. Because Theravada historically dominated southern Asia, it is sometimes called "Southern" Buddhism, while Mahayana, which migrated northwards from India into China, Tibet, Japan, and Korea, is known as "Northern" Buddhism.\n\nThe main branches:\n1. Theravada / Hinayana (The great tradition or the way of the elders)\n\n2. Mahayana or "Greater Vehicle" : Variants of Mahayana Buddhism:\n-Tibetan Buddhism\n-Zen Buddhism\n-Pure Land Buddhism\n-Nichiren Buddhism\n\nhttp://www.buddhanet.net/worlddir.htm  <<< world buddhist directory (you may want to go to a temple or monastry near you & make enquiries). \nIf for whatever reason Buddhism appeals to you, obviously a bit of reading cannot do any harm. You could try a few introductory books from any tradition to get a closer idea of what Buddhism can mean for you.\n- Try not to get confused with the various traditions: just go for what feels right and ideally do a course. Amazingly, it seems to me that at least 90% of the people stick to the tradition they started in - somehow karma seems to be at work there... Anyway, the biggest differences between the Buddhist traditions are usually more on the surface than in the ideas behind the appearances. Although for example in Zen you will find very little ritual etc., and in Tibetan Buddhism you may be overwhelmed by it, at the core of the practice are the same ideas, just different methods.\n- Once you decide to get involved with a specific tradition, make sure you are not dealing with a controversial/dubious teacher or school; although someone may wear Buddhist robes or calls him/herself a lama, guru or even Acharya, that does not make him or her a saint.... There are unfortunately a fair amount of questionable 'Buddhist' teachers and c
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It's not Buddhism because there are Buddhist warriors. Look it up. I would have to say the most peaceful religion is the one that no one practices.
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For just BUDDHISM:\n\n(1) BODH GAYA, where Gautama Buddha's attained Enlightenment.\n(2) SARNATH, where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma, and where the Buddhist Sangha was founded.\n(3) KUSHINGAR, where Gautama Buddha attained Parinirvana, and was cremated.\n(4) LUMBINI, commonly recognized as the birth site of Gautama Buddha. \n(5) ANURADHAPURA, which contains the 2300 year old holy Bo tree relic Sri Maha Bodhi.\n(6) KANDY, which is the site of the Dalida Maligawa, the Temple of the Tooth. \n\nTIBETAN BUDDHISM:\nMore important than anything inherent to the places is the presence of the holiest leaders, the highest lamas, who are considered reincarnations of their predecessors.\n\n(1) LHASA, seat of the Dalai Lama (now in exile in Dharamsala, India) in the Potala palace, also national (and under Chinese rule regional) capital of Tibet. \n(2) SHIGATSE, seat of the Panchen Lama, also the country's second city. \n(3) TSURPHU, (later in exile Rumtek in Sikkim, India), seat of the Karmapa Lama, not a proper city, rather a monastic site fairly close to Lhasa.\n\nHope that helps! ^_^
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oh ! you didnt read from the website....?\n\nits buddhism....
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china,with 102,000,000 buddhists.\nbut thailand leads with 95% of its population being buddhists.\nhttp://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_buddhist.html