Place of Origin |
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Important Festivals |
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Founder |
Symbols |
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Place of Worship |
Buddhism began in North Eastern
India and is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. The religion
is 2,500 years old and is followed by 350 million Buddhists worldwide.
Buddhism is the main religion in many Asian countries. It is a religion
about suffering and the need to get rid of it.
Buddhists believe that there is a cycle of birth, life and death and rebirth.
This goes on and on. They believe that unless someone gains Enlightenment,
when they die they will be reborn. If a person can gain Enlightenment,
they can break out of this cycle. Breaking out of the cycle is called
Nirvana. It is the end of everything that is not perfect. It is a perfect
peace, free of suffering.
Buddhists try to reach Nirvana by following the Buddha's teaching and
by meditating. Meditation involves training the mind to empty it of all
thoughts. When this happens what is important comes clear.
The Buddhist tradition is founded on and inspired by the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. He was known as the Buddha. He was born into a royal family around the year 580 BC in the village of Lumbini in Nepal. For many years, he lived within the palace walls. He knew nothing of sufferings such as sickness, age, and death.The word 'Buddha' means 'Awakened One'; someone who has awakened from the sleep of ignorance and who sees things as they really are. A Buddha is a person who has become completely free from all faults. There are many people who have become Buddhas in the past and many people who will become Buddhas in the future.
After he married and had a child of his own, Siddhartha, one day, went outside the royal palace and for the very first time he saw, an old man, a sick man, and a corpse. What he saw worried him greatly. He learned that sickness, age, and death were the inevitable fate of human beings — a fate no-one could avoid.
On that same day, Siddharta also saw a monk, and he decided that this was a sign that he should leave his protected royal life and live as a homeless Holy Man. Siddharta's travels showed him much more of the the suffering of the world. He searched for a way to escape the inevitability of death, old age and pain first by studying with religious men. This didn't provide him with an answer.
Buddhists worship at home or
at a temple. Worshippers may sit on the floor barefoot facing an image
of Buddha and chanting. It is very important that their feet face away
from the image of Buddha. They listen to monks chanting from religious
texts and take part in prayers. Buddhists will often have a shrine. There
will be a statue of Buddha, candles, and an incense burner.
Buddhist temples come in many shapes. Perhaps the best known are the pagodas
of China and Japan. Another typical Buddhist building is the Stupa (upside
down bowl shape). All Buddhist temples contain an image or a statue of
the Buddha.
Buddhist worship is called puja. People chant to show their love for the
Buddha. They make offerings of flowers, candles, incense and pure water
at a shrine. People thank Buddha for his teachings. When Buddhist worship
alone they usually meditate and read from the Buddhist holy books.
Every month most Buddhists have
special religious days. These are often days when there is a full moon.
Many Buddhists go to temples to worship on these special days.There are
many special or holy days held throughout the year by the Buddhist community.
Many of these days celebrate the birthdays of Bodhisattvas in the Mahayana
tradition or other significant dates in the Buddhist calendar. The most
significant celebration happens every May on the night of the full moon,
when Buddhist all over the world celebrate the birth, enlightenment and
death of the Buddha over 2,500 years ago. It has come to be known as Buddha
Day.
Buddhist Festivals are always joyful occasions. Typically on a festival
day, lay people will go the the local temple or monastery and offer food
to the monks and take the Five Precepts and listen to a Dharma talk. In
the afternoon, they distribute food to the poor to make merit and in the
evening join perhaps in a ceremony of circumambulation a stupa three time
as a sign of respect to the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha. The day will conclude
with evening chanting of the Buddha's teachings and meditation.
Buddhism is based on Buddha's teachings. At first these were passed down by word of mouth and later were complied into two sets of scripture.
The three sections of the Tripitaka (three baskets of Wisdom) are
- Vinaya Pitaka (the Discipline Basket) - A rule book for monks and nuns. There are 227 rules for monks,and more for nuns!
- Sutta Pitaka (the Teaching Basket)- The actual experiences of Buddha.
- Abhidhamma Pitaka (the Higher Doctrine Basket)- An explanation on the teaching of Buddha. Most of these are called Sutras.
Parts of the Tripitaka such as the Dhamma-pada and the Sutta-Nipata are among the most expressive religious books in the world. Some of Buddha's parables are very similar to those used by Jesus.
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The wheel of life which symbolises the cycle of life, death and rebirth. The eight spokes remind people that the Buddha taught about eight ways of life. |
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The lotus flower symbolises purity and divine birth. The lotus flower grows in mud at the bottom of a pool, but rises above the surface to become a beautiful flower. Buddhists say this is how people should rise above everything which is dukkha. A flower may be very beautiful and have a wonderful scent, but it soon withers and dies. This shows that nothing in life is perfect. |
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Statues of Buddha include lots of symbols. There are 32 symbols in Buddhism which show that the Buddha was a special person. Any of these symbols can be used on statues. For example, the Buddha is often shown with a bump on on the top of his head. This is a symbol that he had special talents. He is often seen with a round mark on his forehead, which is his third eye. This is a symbol to show that he could see things ordinary people cannot see. He may be shown with curled hair, which is a symbol that he was a very holy man. Sometimes he has long ears, which is a symbol that he came from an important family, and also that he could hear things that other people could not. |
