Buddhism

Major Beliefs -
 * Based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama
 * Buddhism could be considered a religion under some definitions of religion, but not be considered as one under another definition
 * Many of Buddha’s teachings were in direct contrast with the practice and customs of the Hindus.
 * He was strongly opposed to ritual, the worship of idols and sacrificing animals.
 * Samsara is the cycle of birth- death, and then rebirth.
 * Karma relates to the effect of good or bad deeds in life determining the nature of someone’s rebirth.
 * Wheel of existence is endless cycle of rebirths full of suffering and misery.
 * Nirvana is a way to end the existence.
 * Four noble truths, 1- life is full of suffering 2- cause of suffering which leads to endless rebirths 3- release from suffering can only be achieved by abandoning desire 4- stop suffering includes right views and right conduct.
 * One core belief of Buddhism is belief in reincarnation
 * Three trainings/practices: sila (good conduct, virtue, morality), samadhi (concentration, meditation, mental development), and prajna (discernment, insight, wisdom, enlightenment)
 * The Eightfold Path: 1) right understanding of the four noble truths 2) right thinking 3) right speech - no lying, condemning, criticizing, gossip, or harsh language 4) right conduct following the five precepts 5) right livelihood - support yourself without harming others 6) right effort - promote good thoughts and conquer evil thoughts 7) right mindfulness - become aware of your body, mind, and feelings 8) right concentration - meditate to achieve a higher state of consciousness
 * Buddha rejected the authority of the Vedas, which were the sacred books of the Hindus, the superiority of the Brahmans and the whole idea of the caste system.

Lifestyle - - The Buddhist lifestyle can be practiced by any person if they choose, to reach happiness and it doesn’t matter the age, race or background - Any negative thought or “delusions” can be overcome by meditating - They believe that meditating can develop peaceful and a positive mental state, or “virtues” can solve problem involved with daily living - Buddhists believe that when you die you are reborn through multiple cycles of birth, life, death and rebirth - When this happens enough times and you release yourself in a state of freedom and liberation from suffering, this state is called Nirvana - Nirvana is the overall goal of Buddhism and it is the destination in which all Buddhists hope to get - Three main practices of Buddhism, first is Sila, the second is Samadhi, last is Prajna - Sila is base on two principles, equality meaning they believe that every living thing is created equal and that no one thing is better then another, the second is reciprocation meaning they believe that you should treat others the way you want to be treated - Samadhi deals with concentration, mediation and mental development. Meaning that Buddhist believe that developing that mind is the path to wisdom, leading to personal freedom - Prajna deals with discernment, insight, wisdom and enlightenment - Five very important believes are, do not kill, be kind to all creatures, do not steal, give rather than take, do not lie, be honest and open, do not misuse sex, do not consume alcohol or use recreational drugs. - Basic beliefs of the Buddhists also include “The Four Noble Truths” which explore human suffering. - The first truth is Dukkha and this on says that suffering exists and is universal - Next is Samudaya, that explain that all suffering has a cause - Third is Niroda, this states that there is an end to suffering, for Buddhism that would be Nirvana - Last is Magga and that say that in order to end suffering you must follow the Eightford Path - The Eightford Path is one of the most important belief it includes Panna and Sila. - It begins with Panna or wisdom and discernment, it also includes Samma Ditthi or the understanding of the Four Noble Truths, last Samma Sankappa or to follow the right path in life with correct thinking - Next is Sila or the practice of virtue and morality, Sila also includes the next six paths, which are Samma Vaca, Samma Kammanta, Samma Ajiva, Samma Vayama, Samma Sati and Samma Samadhi. - Samma Vaca is the practice of right speech or not lying, no criticism, no condemning, no gossiping or no harsh language - Samma Kammanta is the practice of right conduct which is attained by following the Five Precepts - Samma Ajiva is to live the right livelihood without hurting others in the process - Samma Vayama is to try to have good thoughts and dissuade evil ones. - Samma Sati is about mindfulness, like becoming aware of your mind, your feelings and your body. - Last is Samma Samadhi this means to have correct concentration or to achieve a higher state of consciousness. - one part of the Buddhists daily life is meditation - there are types of meditation //vipassana// and //samatha// - vipassana is for insight - samatha is to still the mind

Discrimination -
 * August 27, 2008: about 200,000 Buddhists and 10,000 Buddhist monks from Korea held a protest rally in Seoul
 * Scholars see that the discrimination against Buddhas comes from aggressive Protestant missionaries disregarding other religions in Korea
 * In Sri Lanka, the Portuguese brought Christianity to their island of Buddhists and Hindus and violently forced it upon the citizens
 * The ancient shrines and temples of Sri Lanka were destroyed and churches were built over them
 * Buddhist schools in Sri Lanka were burnt and monks were killed
 * Buddhas in China and Tibet have fought over government politics
 * The Dalai Lama led a revolt that failed with the People's Republic of China conquering theocratic Tibet
 * The Dalai Lama is viewed as an enemy of the state
 * China is undermining the Dalai Lama's authority by passing a law that says that, "no person may reincarnate without government permission"
 * When the Dalai Lama dies, the government can either state that he broke the law about reincarnation or they can replace him with a new Dalai Lama that shares the government's views
 * Human Rights Violations -
 * Mao Zedongs red army seized control of China in 1949.
 * One year later Mao took control of Tibet and declared that it was now part of China.
 * Mao was very hostile to religion. He converted monostaries and temples into state operated organizations.
 * In 1953 all of Chinese Buddhism was organized into the Buddhist Association of China. In 1966 Mao’s red army did severe damage to Buddhist temples and art.
 * Buddhisim Tibet to this day have many restriction on what they can and can't do.
 * They are not allowed to sacrifice a lamb without government approval, along with many other things that Buddhists do.
 * Buddhisim Tibet to this day have many restriction on what they can and can't do.
 * They are not allowed to sacrifice a lamb without government approval, along with many other things that Buddhists do.

Number of Followers/Population -


 * =====Top 10 Buddhist Countries =====

China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, India, South Korea and Taiwan.

 * =====As a total Buddhism has nearly 365 million religious followers. =====
 * =====Listed as the world's fourth largest religion after Christianity, Islam and Hindusim. =====

Impact of Religion on Governments -
 * Mostly based in Tibet, China.
 * Mao Zedong and Red army destroyed most of Buddhist books, art, literature, and monasteries.
 * Government put many restrictions on what all religions or beliefs can do.
 * The Burma military has taken strict control of Buddhism in their country under the Ministry of Religion

Conflicts -
 * Some believe that conflicts between the Chinese government and Buddhists may have began as early as the year 842
 * The conflict could have started because King Lang Dharma violently persecuted Buddhists
 * King Lang Dharma persecuted Buddhists because he wanted the Bon religion to be the main religion of Tibet (Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Bon)
 * In the 12th century Islamic conquest was making its way through India.
 * Muslims killed Buddhist monks, bunt their books, and destroyed their monasteries and centers of learning.
 * It is unlikely that Buddhism will ever again achieve its former prominence in India.
 * By 877, Buddhism is almost completely wiped out in Tibet
 * From the mid 17th century Tibet had been a Theocracy.
 * Dalai Lama was the spiritual leader of the Tibetan Buddhists
 * For centuries Tibet was a in effect an independent country until 1950 when China invaded.
 * Resentment at Chinese attempts to undermine Buddhism led to an unsuccessful uprising by the Tibetan people.
 * The Chinese army did considerable brutality and in 1959 Dalai Lama and some 100,000 of his followers fled to India.

Links - >
 * http://www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism.htm
 * http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=45,7298,0,0,1,0
 * Worldmark Encyclopedia
 * http://freetruth.50webs.org/A4d.htm
 * http://religious-persecution.suite101.com/article.cfm/buddhism_and_islam_in_china
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 * http://buddhism.about.com/od/vajrayanabuddhism/a/Chinareport.htmhttp://buddhism.about.com/od/vajrayanabuddhism/a/Chinareport.htm
 * http://buddhism.about.com/od/vajrayanabuddhism/a/Chinareport.htm
 * http://www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism1.htm
 * http://viewonbuddhism.org/tibet.html
 * http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/tib_timeline.htm
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