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Early texts have the Buddha's family name as "Gautama" (Pali: Gotama), while some texts give Siddhartha as his surname. He was born in Lumbini, present-day Nepal and grew up in Kapilavastu, a town in the Ganges Plain, near the modern Nepal–India border, and he spent his life in what is now modern Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. | Early texts have the Buddha's family name as "Gautama" (Pali: Gotama), while some texts give Siddhartha as his surname. He was born in Lumbini, present-day Nepal and grew up in Kapilavastu, a town in the Ganges Plain, near the modern Nepal–India border, and he spent his life in what is now modern Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. | ||
Gautama was moved by the suffering of life and death, and its endless repetition due to rebirth. He thus set out on a quest to find liberation from suffering. After leaving his family behind, he first studied under two teachers of [[Hinduism|Hindu]] philosophy and learned the art of meditation. Finding these teachings to be insufficient to attain his goal, he joined a group of [[Jainism|Jain]] monks who practiced severe asceticism, which included a strict fasting regime and various forms of breath control. | Gautama was moved by the suffering of life and death, and its endless repetition due to rebirth. He thus set out on a quest to find liberation from suffering. After leaving his family behind, he first studied under two teachers of [[Hinduism|Hindu]] philosophy and learned the art of [[meditation]]. Finding these teachings to be insufficient to attain his goal, he joined a group of [[Jainism|Jain]] monks who practiced severe asceticism, which included a strict fasting regime and various forms of breath control. | ||
When he was unable to achieve enlightenment through either method, he went off on his own and meditated by himself. He sat in meditative absorption under a Bodhi tree near the town of Bodh Gaya and attained enlightenment. On awakening, the Buddha gained insight into the workings of karma and his former lives, as well as achieving the ending of the mental defilements, the ending of suffering, and the end of rebirth in saṃsāra. This event also brought certainty about the Middle Way as the right path of spiritual practice to end suffering. As a fully enlightened Buddha, he attracted followers and founded a monastic order. | When he was unable to achieve [[enlightenment]] through either method, he went off on his own and meditated by himself. He sat in meditative absorption under a Bodhi tree near the town of Bodh Gaya and attained enlightenment. On awakening, the Buddha gained insight into the workings of karma and his former lives, as well as achieving the ending of the mental defilements, the ending of suffering, and the end of rebirth in saṃsāra. This event also brought certainty about the Middle Way as the right path of spiritual practice to end suffering. As a fully enlightened Buddha, he attracted followers and founded a monastic order. | ||
The Buddha's teachings were propagated by his followers, which in the last centuries of the 1st millennium BCE became various Buddhist schools of thought, each with its own basket of texts containing different interpretations and authentic teachings of the Buddha; these over time evolved into many traditions of which the more well known and widespread in the modern era are Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. | The Buddha's teachings were propagated by his followers, which in the last centuries of the 1st millennium BCE became various Buddhist schools of thought, each with its own basket of texts containing different interpretations and authentic teachings of the Buddha; these over time evolved into many traditions of which the more well known and widespread in the modern era are Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. | ||
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The first Buddhist canonical texts were likely written down in Sri Lanka, about 400 years after the Buddha died. The texts were part of the Tripitakas, and many versions appeared thereafter claiming to be the words of the Buddha. Scholarly Buddhist commentary texts, with named authors, appeared in India, around the 2nd century CE. These texts were written in Pali or Sanskrit, sometimes regional languages, as palm-leaf manuscripts, birch bark, painted scrolls, carved into temple walls, and later on paper. | The first Buddhist canonical texts were likely written down in Sri Lanka, about 400 years after the Buddha died. The texts were part of the Tripitakas, and many versions appeared thereafter claiming to be the words of the Buddha. Scholarly Buddhist commentary texts, with named authors, appeared in India, around the 2nd century CE. These texts were written in Pali or Sanskrit, sometimes regional languages, as palm-leaf manuscripts, birch bark, painted scrolls, carved into temple walls, and later on paper. | ||
Unlike what the [[Bible]] is to [[Christianity]] and the Quran is to [[Islam | Unlike what the [[Bible]] is to [[Christianity]] and the Quran is to [[Islam]], but like all major ancient Indian religions, there is no consensus among the different Buddhist traditions as to what constitutes the scriptures or a common canon in Buddhism. The general belief among Buddhists is that the canonical corpus is vast. The Chinese Buddhist canon, for example, includes 2,184 texts in 55 volumes, while the Tibetan canon comprises 1,108 texts – all claimed to have been spoken by the Buddha – and another 3,461 texts composed by Indian scholars revered in the Tibetan tradition. The Buddhist textual history is vast; over 40,000 manuscripts – mostly Buddhist, some non-Buddhist – were discovered in 1,900 in the Dunhuang Chinese cave alone. | ||
==Global spread of Buddhism== | ==Global spread of Buddhism== | ||
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While Buddhism in the West is often seen as exotic and progressive, in the East it is regarded as familiar and traditional. In countries such as Cambodia and Bhutan, it is recognised as the state religion and receives government support. In certain regions such as Afghanistan and Pakistan, militants have targeted violence and destruction of historic Buddhist monuments. | While Buddhism in the West is often seen as exotic and progressive, in the East it is regarded as familiar and traditional. In countries such as Cambodia and Bhutan, it is recognised as the state religion and receives government support. In certain regions such as Afghanistan and Pakistan, militants have targeted violence and destruction of historic Buddhist monuments. | ||
In the Western world, Buddhism has had a strong influence on modern New Age spirituality and other alternative spiritualities. This began with its influence on 20th century Theosophists such as [[Helena Blavatsky]], which were some of the first Westerners to take Buddhism seriously as a spiritual tradition. More recently, Buddhist meditation practices have influenced the development of modern psychology, particularly the practice of Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and other similar mindfulness based modalities. The influence of Buddhism on psychology can also be seen in certain forms of modern psychoanalysis. | ==Occult traditions== | ||
In the Western world, Buddhism has had a strong influence on modern [[New Age]] spirituality and other alternative spiritualities. This began with its influence on 20th century [[theosophy|Theosophists]] such as [[Helena Blavatsky]], which were some of the first Westerners to take Buddhism seriously as a spiritual tradition. More recently, Buddhist [[meditation]] practices have influenced the development of modern psychology, particularly the practice of Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and other similar mindfulness based modalities. The influence of Buddhism on psychology can also be seen in certain forms of modern psychoanalysis. | |||
===Mysticism in Buddhism=== | |||
Since the time of the second Dalai Lama, all Dalai Lamas of Tibetan Buddhism have utilized a personal [[oracle]] called the [[Nechung Oracle]]. This person is also the head of the Nechung Monastery, where he resides. | |||
[[Category:Religions]] | [[Category:Religions]] | ||
[[Category:Eastern Religions]] | |||