Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the origins of the Buddhism, how did it all start and where is its origins? The reader will retrieve an insight about its beliefs, teachings and ceremonies; what is the core of this religion? The exact rules and scriptures by which the Buddhists live with, what are the forbidden acts and the favourable ones? The paper will also answer to the most important question; what is the reason behind its spread? This paper will demonstrate the evolution of this religion throughout different centuries and the obstacles it faced during its spread. It will discuss in details how the Buddhism expanded in the East and what were the reasons for its decline and vanish in some areas, we will also discuss what were the reasons for its expansion in the West and how it reached this part of the world in the first place.Let`s take a closer look about how it all started.
The Origins.
This unique religion was dated back to 2500 years ago (Religion Facts). It all started in India in 500 BCE, when Buddha Shakyamuni who was named later as Siddharta Gautama by his parents, realized that materialism is not the answer to happiness. He was born as a royal prince in 624 BC in Lumbini, a city that was located in northern India and now it is in Nepal. Siddharta is considered to be the “enlightened one” or in other words the Buddha. He left the luxurious life that he was living to find answers for happiness in the forest and that is when he came up with the Dharma under the Bodhi Tree in Godh Gaya, which he spent 45 years teaching it to the Sangha (the community of monks).
Teachings & Beliefs.
The basic teaching of Buddhism is self-awareness; learning how to reflect, meditate and achieve happiness without depending on materials. Buddhism goes way beyond a religion; it is a philosophy and a lifestyle. The Dharma consists of three wheels; each has its own teachings.
The first wheel, includes the Sutra of the four noble truths; the first noble truth reveals realism as a way of thinking to accept illness, getting old and experiencing hardships in general as a fact of life. The second noble truth states that suffering is caused by craving and always wanting to achieve something; controlling what we want will offer happiness to the individual.
The third noble truth is that suffering can be overcome through happiness by living each and every day at a time. The fourth noble truth states that the Noble 8-fold path is the one that will end suffering. Last but not least, the Noble 8-fold path basically teaches people morality, through being aware of their thoughts and actions and develops wisdom through following the four noble truths and developing compassion for others.
We also have the 2nd and 3rd wheels of Dharma that Buddha taught others. The 2nd one consists of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras and the 3rd has the Discriminating the intention one. Those teachings are the source of the Mahayana (About Buddhism). In addition, there are the 5 precepts which prohibit taking the life of any living thing, don`t take anything that was not given for free, stay away from any sexual misconduct or lying and avoid intoxication.
There are three major types of Buddhism; Theravada Buddhism that is popular in Southeast Asia, it is more philosophical and atheistic, while the Mahayan Buddhism that is popular in China and Japan is more involved in traditional religious rituals. The third school is the Vajrayana Buddhism is mainly located in Tibet and Nepal and it is not widely spread.
The Evolution &Spread of Buddhism.
As it was previously mentioned, Buddhism started in northern India. Throughout times, the expansion was altered and affected by conflicts with other religions and ideologies, such as Islam and Communism. At first, Buddhism started to expand towards the south, reaching Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and other south-eastern countries. It also expanded towards the north to reach Kashmir, Afghanistan moving along the Silk Road through the Himalayans Kingdoms such as Tibet and Mongolia reaching China, Korea and even Japan. As you can see, geographic wise, this religion controlled vast lands.
Yet, that all changed with the arrival of Muslims to this part of the earth in the old times and Communism during the modern ones. Communism affected specific countries in a strong way, leading them away from Buddhism. These countries are China, Vietnam, Tibet and Mongolia among others. The spread of Buddhism was at its peak during the 3rd century B.C. that the Indian emperor Asoka sent Buddhist missionaries to distant places to spread the word, to the extent of reaching Syria. The Hindu also participated in weakening the Buddhist presence in the region.The multiple invasions performed by the White Huns during the 6th century were another reason for the decline of Buddhism too. With the arrival of Muslims in the 11th century, the virtual presence of Buddhism was nearly gone in India by the 13th century.
During the first five centuries, Buddhism was widely spread in Southeast Asia. Buddhism reached China during the 1st century and the four consecutive centuries witnessed the rise of Buddhism in this area. This rise was intercepted by the Taoistic ideas during the 3rd and 4th centuries, but Kumarajivaand Hsüan-tsang who were both unique translators back then, released better translations for the Buddhism concepts which strengthened the Buddhism presence for a while.
During the 6th century, there was a boost in the philosophical schools of Buddhism that were all derived from a central scripture, yet having many teachers. The T'ien-t'ai and the Hua-Yen were among those schools that were established in China and India along with the Branches of Madhyamika and Yogacara that were also founded during this era.
The Chinese Buddhism was resisted from Taoism and Confucianism as well as opposition from the government. The only schools that were left over were the Zen and Pure Land. From China to Korea and Japan, schools of philosophy also emerged between the 6th and the 8th century. However, more conservative forms of Buddhism became popular after the World War 2 especially in Japan.
The West had its share too from Buddhism, even though emperor Ashoka sent Buddhist missionaries to the west, yet these missions were not as fruitful as it was expected. Thanks to the western scholars in the field of philosophy, writing and art, the Buddhism was transferred to the West. Moreover, the Asian immigrants in modern times resulted in the spread of this ancient religion in the Western world. Also, with all the technological advancement that facilitated communication and travelling, people from the Netherlands, Britain and other European countries, paid multiple visits to the East. When those people came back, souvenirs were not the only thing that they brought back with them to the West. Eastern culture and theology where the Buddhism plays a major part of being among the package.
Immigrants and travelling enthusiasts were not the only people who participated in transferring Buddhism to the West. Eastern refugees that flee their countries due to conflicts had their impact too; the Tibetans who fled their country during the Chinese takeover for example made its remarkable print on the Buddhism transfer. The Vietnamese also moved to the West during the Indochina conflict during the 1950s and 1960s. Technically speaking, if we are going to trace the start of the Buddhism transfer to the West, it all started during the Western colonization of the East; a lot of of Buddhist scriptures were taken by the West and translated later on.
The United States had its share too from Buddhism. Chinese immigrants who settled in Hawai and California, moved Buddhism along with them. Mahayana rituals were performed inside Buddhist temples on the American soil for the very first time (Budhhist Studies). The Buddhism remarkable rise in the United States was clearly seen during the second half of the twentieth century, especially after the end of the Second World War and the Korean War. US army personnels who were moving back to their motherland, grabbed a piece of the Eastern culture with them, in this case it was Buddhism. The Academic interest in studying Buddhism increased during that period too, leading to the expansion of religious studies to include Buddhism. Last but not least, Australia had its share too from Buddhism; you can spot multiple Buddhism practicing places through the island. Sitting and meditating and sometimes making offerings to the Buddah image. Basically, most of the Western culture countries have been affected some way or another by this religion.
All in all, Buddhism remains one of the most peaceful and meditating religions. Its beliefs and teachings reflect compassion and tolerance against differences and other religions too. Reflection and self meditation are the principles of this religion in order to achieve happiness away from the materiliastic world.The expansion of this unique religion has faced multiple obstacles; invasions from different religions and being subjected to extinction due to the presence of other ideologies, yet it didn`t only manage to survive, but to expand to the West too through multiple channels. Monks with the orange outfit and bald heads remain an international symbol for this peaceful religion. It remains one of the most popular religions in the East until the present day.
Works Cited
Buddhist Sects and Schools. ReligionFacts. 19 Nov. 2015. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
History of Buddhism. About Buddhism. 2007. Web. 21 Apr.2016.
Buddhism In the West. Buddhist Studies. 2008. Web. 21.Apr.2016.
