Buddhism as a Religion and a State of Philosophy - Research Paper Example

Buddhism is among the few leading religions. This religion started about 2, 600 years ago in India. Sakya is believed to have started it as a prince of the tribe called Siddhartha Gautama (Kozak, 2011). The basic teachings of Buddha came from the time he became enlightened after a certain farmer had beaten his ox in a grazing field.

Buddha wondered why the farmer had beaten up his ox and why a living thing like an animal ought to feed on another creature to survive (Kozak, 2011). He was able to discover three prominent marks of reality. Three marks of reality nothing are lost in the universe Everything that exists is due to conversion from one form to another. Nothing new has been formed, or nothing destroyed completely but simply changed (Kozak, 2011). If a man destroys something around the environment, he is destroying himself.

Buddha was aware of this truth. For this reason, Buddhists did not kill animals (Kozak, 2011). Everything changes This is a universal truth that he strongly believed. Everything is constantly changing, and this is the reason why there is a different history from the life that is lived now. People and other living things die out and are replaced by others. The environment also changes from one state to another (Kozak, 2011). Law of cause and effect He also believes in constant transformation, and the universe, which is stated as karma.

Nothing ever takes place in our lives unless we ought to have it. The measure of what we receive either good or bad is exactly what we earn. This is a lesson that teaches individuals to create a bright future (Kozak, 2011). The four noble truths He believes that suffering is common to all. Everyone gets to suffer from life situations that make us unhappy. The reasons for these sufferings are due to people’s ignorance and greed. Every person should enjoy life without being greedy. To do this, all the greediness and ignorance should be cut off entirely (Kozak, 2011).

The fourth noble truth is the pathway to the end of misery, which has been well-known as the middle way. The Noble Eightfold Path Buddha chose the wheel and its eight spokes to act as a symbol of the Noble Eightfold Path. The way the eight spokes are needed for the wheel to run is the same way that people need to follow each footstep of the pathway for a better life. People need to have the right view in seeing things, the right thoughts, the right speech, the right conduct with other people, the right way of life, the right endeavours, the right mindfulness, and the right concentration (Kozak, 2011).

Three major Buddhist traditions Three major traditions of the Buddhist are the Mahayana, Theravada and Vajrayana. Mahayana is the biggest tradition of Buddhism in the whole world. It originated in India but has spread to some Asian nations. Emphasis has been on the Bodhisattvas. These are humans who have been enlightened and instead of going to heaven, they have remained to influence humans as supernatural beings (Kozak, 2011). Theravada is the second largest tradition. Here, the teachings emphasize valuing personal experience and critical thinking.

Vajrayana appeared later after the third century. It was profoundly influenced by Hinduism, and it consists of strong rituals and yogic practices (Kozak, 2011). It mostly uses rituals and ritualistic tools. During the life of Buddha, the teachings were passed by oral means; there were no written records. He did not set up any infrastructure or anticipated any elevated position for himself. He strongly emphasized that all people are equal. After several years, substantial changes have been noticed to embrace a new style of Buddhism.

These differences brought about different traditions (Kozak, 2011). Conclusion This religion has around 300 million followers and believers. Over the years, many people see it as philosophically oriented, in that; it offers a better explanation of the way of life. It gives a better set of laws, which in practice; end up leading to true happiness.