A Brief History Of Buddhism
Buddhism is one of the major religions of the world. It was founded
by Siddhartha Guatama (Buddha) in Northeastern India. It arose as a monastic
movement during a time of Brahman tradition. Buddhism rejected important views
of Hinduism. It did not recognize the validity of the Vedic Scriptures, nor
the sacrificial cult which arose from it. It also questioned the authority
of the priesthood. Also, the Buddhist movement was open to people of all castes,
denying that a person's worth could be judged by their blood.
The religion
of Buddhism has 150 to 350 million followers around the world. The wide range
is due to two reasons. The tendency for religious affiliation to be nonexclusive
is one. The other is the difficulty in getting information from Communist
countries such as China. It's followers have divided into two main branches:
Theravada and Mahayana. Theravada, the way of the elders, is dominant in India,
Sri Lanka, Burma, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia. Mahayana, the greater vehicle,
refers to the Theravada as Hinayana, the lesser vehicle. It is dominant in
India, Tibet, Japan, Nepal, Taiwan, China, Korea, Vietnam, and Mongolia.
Siddhartha
Guatama was born in Kapilivastu. His father was the ruler of the small kingdom
near the Indian/Nepal border. As a child, his future was foretold by sages.
They believed that he would someday be a fellow sage or leader of a great
empire. He led a very pampered and sheltered life until the age of twenty-nine.
It was at that time that he realized that he had led an empty life. He renounced
his wealth and embarked on a journey to seek truth, enlightenment, and the
cycle of rebirths.
In the first years of his journey, Siddhartha Guatama
practiced yoga and became involved in radical asceticism. After a short time,...
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