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Origin:
:The religion of Buddhism was popularised by Gautam Buddha
(563 BC to 483 BC) , who was born toThe royal family of Kapilavastu
as Sidhartha Gautam in Lumbini. At age of 28 years he renounced
hisFamily life & Royal title to wander in the forests as an ascetic.
He initially
meditated in the hills of Rajgriha & said to have become
The Buddha (literal meaning"Attained Enlightenment"
) in a forest near Gaya, under a Banyan Tree. It is
said that Gautam Buddha was the Fourth Enlightened One &
there will be many more Buddha in future. The first sermon by Gautam
Buddha (setting in motion The Wheel of Truth) was delivered
To four disciples in a Deer Park at Sarnath, near Varanasi.
In the next 24 years he extensively toured various Kingdoms until
he preached his last sermon at Vaishali. & later cremated
at Kushinagar Gautam Buddha never wrote down his teachings
& within 100 years of his death Buddhism splitInto two main schools
of thought - The Hinayana (lesser vehicle) & The Mahayana (greater
vehicle) sects of Buddhism. Initially Thervada Buddhists never represented
Gautam Buddha in human form, but alluded to His Presence as Bodhi
Tree Or as an Elephant.
It was Emperor Ashoka (273-232 BC) of Mauryan Dynasty who converted
to Buddhism & popularised teachings of Gautam Buddha in India
& surrounding South East Asian countries by carvings in Pali script
on Stone-edicts, Pillars & Stupas.
The basic message (Dharma) preached by Lord Buddha was that all humans
are bound by Karma (law of cause & effect) & one will keep
on taking re-birth till they achieve Nirvana.(release from the cosmic
cycle Of re-incarnation). The enlightenment received at Gaya by Lord
Buddha is said to be of the Four Noble Truths: To live is to suffer;
Suffering is because of Desire; Desire can be overcome by Nirvana;
The way to achieve Nirvana (freedom from desire) is to follow the
Middle Or Eight Fold Path. The Eight Fold path as laid down by Gautam
Buddha was: Correct Thought; Correct Perception; Correct Effort; Correct
Style of living; Correct Deed; Correct Speech; Correct Memory &
Meditation. Lord Gautam Buddha was against use of animals for religious
sacrifices; discrimination on basis ofCaste system & monopoly
of the Priests to have the exclusive right to interpret religious
works.Buddhism received a great setback in India after 7TH Century
AD with revival of Vaisnaivite & ShivnaiteCults. To again assert
their superiority, the Brahmin Caste propagated that Gautama Buddha
was the Ninth Avtara of Lord Vishnu & gave him monolithic shape
in Hindu temples.
Today the Hinayana Sect is more popular in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand
& Cambodia; while Mahayana Sect is more widely practiced in Japan,
China & Vietnam. The Hindu-Tantric Buddhism of Tibet can also
be seen in Ladakh, Lahaul-Spiti & Sikkim areas of India.
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