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Buddhism : Buddhism And Buddhism

Decent Essays

Buddhism is a philosophy that is often viewed as a religion and dates back to approximately 6th century B.C.E. Buddhism originated in the Indian subcontinent by a man known as Siddhartha Gautama. The original language of Buddhism is often debated as some scholars believe that it was first practiced in Pali while other believe it was first spoken in Sanskrit. The practice of Buddhism first spread to China in the 2nd century A.C.E and was translated to Mandarin in 3rd century A.C.E. Today, there are approximately half a billion Buddhists worldwide (CNN). The main branches of Buddhism are: Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism, and Vajrayana Buddhism (Whittlemore). To speak briefly of the three schools; Theravada Buddhism is the most conservative or orthodox of the branches as it uses Buddha’s original teaches and themes without alterations; Mahayana Buddhism teaches that spiritual bliss is universally accessible to everyone no matter of the person’s background or religious belief; Vajrayana Buddhism, also known as Tibetan Buddhism, is the smallest of the three branches and hold many gurus as political leaders. The most well known leader of Vajrayana Buddhism is the Dalai Lama. Buddhism has several main components such as its early teachings from Buddha, co-dependent arising, and the concept of no self. Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the Buddha, which means “the awaken/enlightened” one, is the founder of the Buddhist tradition. Siddhartha lived from 566 BCE to 486 BCE. He

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