Introduction
Historical origins of Buddhism may be traced back to the founding father or simply the founder the Buddha or the awakened one. According to Johnson (344), the Buddha was a royal prince named Siddhartha Gautama born in the place now referred to as Nepal. The teachings Buddha taught started in northern India over 500 years before the establishment of Christianity by Jesus Christ. Buddhism has influenced other religions in Asia such as Hinduism. The two religions have developed to maturity levels in constant contact. The impression and mark that Buddhism has made on Hinduism have made Buddhism be able to survive in the Hindu religion.
The influence of Buddha on human life can be compared to the influence of Jesus Christ and Muhammad. Despite its origins in India, Buddhism has spread in the Eastern world and even recorded in a number of different languages. Most of the Buddhism is practiced in the eastern world in countries such as India, China, Japan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. The Buddhism religion has also spread into the United States since the 19th century (Johnson 344). The Asian immigrants were responsible for bringing Buddhism to America. According to Johnson (344), data provided by Pew Research Center indicate that the Buddhist comprises of 0.7% of the American population, and half of them can be linked to Zen, Theravada or Tibetan Buddhism. As Buddhism spreads from its traditional home in Asia, it is undergoing numerous changes and is being able to establish itself as an alternative religion in parts of the world where Christianity is losing its dominance.
Buddhism Philosophy
Buddhist philosophy main aim is to ensure that suffering and pain is lessened. There are a number of philosophical concerns that relate to Buddhism. The philosophical concerns include ethical, metaphysical, hermeneutical and epistemological (Edelglass and Garfield, 9).
Metaphysics forms a foundational aspect since the confusing of nature of reality is the source of suffering in the world. As such, an understanding of the nature of reality is important to the alleviation of suffering. A person’s liberation is determined by the ability to knowing and not allowing to be deceived by the reality of things (Edelglass and Garfield, 2009). Metaphysics is based on four tenets. The tenets include selflessness, impermanence, emptiness, and interdependence. Suffering in terms of emptiness is due to the ignorance humans have of the other three fundamental principles of metaphysics (Siderits, 38). The lack of knowledge about one’s self may result in turmoil in a person life. However through time and learning, this sort of suffering can be changed by improving one’s life in terms of quality. Quality is improved by understating how things are and avoid the wrong views (Edelglass and Garfield, 15). Under impermanence, Buddhism teaches about the idea that nothing lasts forever. All things even human beings will come to be non-existent. As such, according to Yandell and Netland (19), if nothing in this world is permanent then even the souls of man are not permanent. Attributes passed on throughout a human’s life may be attributed to the cumulative effects of certain actions. The effect of karma can continue beyond the existence of any soul (Yandell and Netland 19). The concept of ethics is also a critical part of Buddhism. According to Siderits (69), ethics mainly deals with questions relating on how human beings are supposed to live in this world.
Four Noble truths
These are the most significant aspects of the teaching in Buddhism. One of these truths is the truth of suffering. The truth of suffering outlines that there is indeed suffering in the world. The suffering can come in a mental or physical nature. The second truth is the truth of the cause of suffering. The suffering that happens in the world has to come from somewhere or someone. Suffering can be caused by actions of humans such as the need for pleasure, material possessions and the need to live forever. Additionally, ignorance can also be considered as a causal factor of suffering. The idea that an individual does not understand what suffering is and is not able to comprehend the nature of the world; he or she can be subjected to suffering without even understating what is happening in the world.
The third truth is the truth of the cessation of suffering (Laumakis 45). Suffering can end when an individual dies. That is life on earth ceases to exist for the individual. The fourth truth is that of the path that leads to the extinction of suffering (Laumakis 45). Path of extinction referred to as the Noble Eightfold Path involves eight steps (Yandell and Netland 16). The steps include right views, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration (Yandell and Netland 17). Buddhism has been seen to be religion and a way of life that is applied in many walks of life. The applications of the teachings of Buddha are central to Buddhism.
Works Cited
Edelglass, William, and Jay L. Garfield. Buddhist Philosophy: Essential Readings. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Internet resource.
Johnson, Andy J. Religion and Men's Violence against Women. , 2015. Internet resource.
Laumakis, Stephen J. An Introduction to Buddhist Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2008. Print.
Netland, Harold A, and Keith E. Yandell. Buddhism: A Christian Exploration and Appraisal. Downers Grove, Ill: IVP Academic, 2009. Print.
Siderits, Mark. Buddhism As Philosophy: An Introduction. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2007. Print.
