Sarah Osorio MCHS Essays - Indian Religions, Buddhism, Religion

Sarah Osorio MCHS Jae/Final Project 12/5/16 The Principles of Buddhism Buddhism is a widely followed religion by many countries. It was founded about 2,500 years ago by an Indian prince named Siddhartha Gotama. The prince grew up in northeast India, in a place which is known today as Nepal. The prince was born around 563 BCE , to King Sudhodana and Queen Maya. The prince lived in a palace with his family, which was gifted to him by his father. As Siddhartha matured, he became known as the Buddha, which means the enlightened one . Buddhism is derived from Hinduism, but there are still many differences. For example, Hindus follow polytheism, while Buddhists follow atheism. Also, Hinduism has the caste system, which is based on skin color and wealth. The reason Hinduism and Buddhism have such a strong relationship is because the in the area in which Buddhism was born, there were many practicing Hindus. They also have things in common such as reincarnation, they both believe in Nirvana, and they both believe that life is suffering. As the religion evolved, people interpreted things Siddhartha said in two different ways. These are known as Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism. Theravada teaches its followers to worry more about themselves than others and that reaching N irvana is their ultimate goal in life. Nirvana is similar to heaven for Buddhists. In Nirvana, there is no suffering, desire, or sense of self. Unlike Mahayana, they strive for wisdom first, meaning they strive to be as open minded and well informed as the Buddha. While Mahayana teaches to always put others needs before one's own needs, Mahayana believes that compassion is the highest virtue. Specifically, caring and being empathetic towards others is the best quality to have and shows great humbleness. While the people who follow Theravada have the ultimate goal to reach Nirvana for themselves, the followers of Mahayana strive to help the people around them reach Nirvana. Although Buddhism has these two different views, they both believ e in the four noble truths and the 8 fold path. These are guidelines that tell Buddhists how to live their lives. The 8 fold path teaches people to always have respect for one another and to focus on what is important . Such as having right intention, understanding, and action. The 4 noble truths teach you that although life is suffering, it always has an end. Buddhist's have two ways of looking at the belief system, both with a different perspective on life, but the belief system of Buddhism and the Buddha are selfless. Siddartha Gotama, the Buddha, made sure that all beings were taken care of even if it meant damaging his own relationships. One day the prince came across a white swan that was injured, he saw the bird and immediately began to help it. For example, "He said that he had saved the swans life, and therefore it belonged to him" (3). This shows that the prince is selfless because he didn't care about the fact that the swan technically belonged to his cousin, only that he was able to save it. Although it might have angered and hurt his cousin, the prince was more worried about the fact that the swan was injured and was willing to risk anything to save it. Both boys wanted the bird so badly that they took it to the court, but as expected Siddartha won and got to save the bird's life. In following the Buddha's example , Mahayana Buddhism teaches its followers to help all members of the community and to put others before themselves. According to the class lecture on November 14, 2016, the Mahayana version asks its followers to hold off on entering Nirvana, "To help all others...enter first . " Siddhartha shows this when he goes on his journey to cure people's fear of old age, disease, and death. Although this took a great toll on his body and eventually made him extremely thin and endure whatever mother nature had to offer him, he persevered and was focused on the well being of his community and helping put an end to sorrow. He was more worried about the well being of his