Rel 133 - the Schools of Buddhism

The Schools of Buddhism

Christina Ellis

January 10, 2016

REL/133

Dr. Gary Harris

The Schools of Buddhism

        Buddhism is the most important religion in Asia.  Buddhism began around 430 BC by the Prince of Nepal.  There was another man that started the path of Buddhism a few years prior to Siddhartha Gautama’s journey in the form of Janism.  As Buddhism expanded around Asia, it formed into three entities.  The basic teachings consist of The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path.  Buddhism is taught in schools which are; Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana, with the exception of special teachings in Zen Buddhism.

History of Buddhism

        Buddhism’s birth is accredited to a Prince named Siddhartha Gautama of Nepal.  He was not a God, a prophet, or any other supernatural figure, but a remarkable person who sought enlightenment.  After he was married, he ventured into the city and discovered four passing’s.  When discovering life outside of the palace, he decided he wanted to learn more and find inner peace.  Through his compassion for life, it leads to his departure from the palace for reunification.  For six years, he lived as a homeless person traveling through different cities until he reached enlightenment from mediation and suffering.  Along his path, he taught others how to find inner peace and how to mediate.  His teachings began as truths and compassions about life and suffering.

        Siddhartha became the Buddha –the enlightened or awaken one.  Many shared his compassion and began to follow his teachings.  The religion spread from India throughout Asia.  In the last few Centuries, the religion is known worldwide.  

Teachings of Buddhism

Buddha teachings do not worship a God, rather that suffering can be overcome through the Law of Dharma with wisdom and compassion so freedom can be achieved.  The three signs of being are; change, suffering, and no I.  Change represents that nothing is permanent.  Suffering is the imperfections of life.  The no “I” represents that everyone consists of elements or aggregates; simplifying feeling, perception, volitional mental activities, and sense consciousness (The Dalai Lama).  The Four Noble Truths teach the truth about life and they are; suffering exists, it has a cause, it has an end, and there is a way to attain release from suffering (Molloy, 2013).  The Eightfold Path is the wheel of symbol of Dharma and is the path to seek inner peace. Combined together the ultimate goal is to “face life objectivity, live kindly, and cultivate inner peace” (Molloy, 2013, p. 134).  This represents the goal for living as a Buddhist.  The steps are right understanding, awareness, speech, action, livelihood, effort, thought, and concentration.