ü Buddhism
One of the main faiths in the world is Buddhism. With Siddhartha Gautama, it began in India between 563 and 483 BCE, and throughout the following millennia, it expanded throughout Asia and the rest of the world. Buddhists hold that although rebirth and suffering are a constant part of human existence, this cycle may be broken permanently by attaining enlightenment (nirvana).
The first person to achieve this degree of enlightenment was Siddhartha Gautama, who is currently referred to as the Buddha. Buddhists don't believe in any sort of deity or god, but they do believe in supernatural beings who can aid or obstruct a person's journey towards enlightenment.
Indian prince Siddhartha Gautama recognised that human existence is painful after witnessing the suffering of the destitute and the dying in the fifth century B.C.E. He gave up his fortune, lived in poverty for a while, meditated, and travelled, but he was eventually dissatisfied and decided to follow what is known as "the Middle Way." This notion implied that the road to enlightenment was neither one of extreme asceticism nor excessive prosperity, but rather a style of living that fell between the two. He eventually attained enlightenment, or nirvana, beneath the Bodhi tree while engaged in intense meditation (the tree of awakening). His place of enlightenment, the Mahabodhi Temple in Bihar, India, is today a significant Buddhist pilgrimage site.
ü Two major categories:
Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism are the two main schools of Buddhism.
· Buddhist Mahayana
In Tibet, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and Mongolia, Mahayana Buddhism is widely practised. It places a focus on the bodhisattva models (beings that have achieved enlightenment but return to teach humans).
· Buddhism Theravada
Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and Burma are countries that practise Theravada Buddhism (Myanmar). It promotes meditation and a monastic way of living as the path to enlightenment.
Buddhism has a reputation for being divisive. The Dalai Lama, the head of the Tibetan school of Buddhism and Tibet's traditional leader, escaped to India in 1959 from Tibet, which was under the Chinese administration. Numerous Tibetan Buddhists actively oppose Chinese rule in the area. The fourteenth reincarnation of the first Dalai Lama, who is believed to be the present Dalai Lama, has recently questioned if and where he will choose to reincarnate.
ü Buddhist Festivals
Buddhists remember the birth, enlightenment, and demise of Buddha each year with the festival of Vesak.
Buddhists take part in a rite known as Uposatha throughout each lunar quarter. Buddhists are able to reaffirm their dedication to their beliefs at this celebration.
They also take part in a number of other annual celebrations and the Buddhist New Year.
ü The Dalai Lama
The most revered monk in Tibetan Buddhism is the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama is said to be the reincarnation of a previous lama who consented to be born again in order to aid humanity, according to adherents of the faith. Throughout history, there have been 14 Dalai Lamas.
Tibet was likewise ruled by the Dalai Lama until 1959 when the Chinese seized power. Lhamo Thondup, the reigning Dalai Lama, was born in 1935.
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