buddhism history siddhartha

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    Buddhism: HistoryBy- Olga Cotter and Priscilla Navas

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    Buddhism in Britain

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    How was Buddhism developed in Brita

    ● Buddhism was first introduced in Britain in the 19th century through

    translations of scriptures from the schools in the different eastern areas.

    ● In 1879, Sir Edwin Arnold composed the epic poem, The Light of Asia,

    which described the Buddha’s life.

    ● Once enough people got a hold of this book, it inspired them to start

    practicing Buddhism as a way of life.

    ● In 1907 a group of people got together and established The BuddhistSociety of Great Britain and Ireland.

    ● In succession to The Buddhist Society of Great Britain and Ireland,

    Christopher Humphreys founded The London Buddhist Society in 1924.

    ● The Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950 exodus of thousands of

    Tibetans with the Dalai Lama in 1959 and the move of the lamas to the

    west led to new Buddhist groups. As a result, today almost all Buddhist

    tradition is represented in Britain.

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    How many Buddhists are there in Brita

    ● As reported by the 2001 census, there are 151,816

    Buddhists in Britain.

    ● Though this number doesn’t include those who

    consider themselves to be both Buddhist and

    Christian, Jewish, Taoist, or anything else.● There are also some who wish to not label

    themselves as “Buddhist” because it contradicts

    the principles of egolessness and selflessness.

    ● There is an undeniable growing interest of

    Buddhism in Britain.

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    Does Buddhism in Britain differ from thin the East?

    ● A few of the monasteries andtemples almost exactly replicatetheir counterparts in the east.

    ●  Food is taken to the temples bysupporters or cooked on site.

    ● Monks can walk down t

    their saffron robes carry

    bowls without getting a

    reaction from passing p

    ● It is customary to put fo

    Monk’s alms bowl for h

    meal.

    BRITAIN  EAST

    The cultural customs and traditions differ in Britain and in the East but the cucustoms are the only differences. The teachings of Buddhism in the East and

    have generally remained true to its origins.

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    Converts to Buddhism

    ● Some Buddhists view themselves as converts, i.e.

    they have rejected their religion they were born into

    for Buddhism.

    ● Buddhism doesn’t demand a commitment to it

    alone, many can happily harmonise more than onereligion or way of life.

    ● There are also people who were only ever nominally

    a certain religion but found their true spiritual

    calling to Buddhism- they, too, wouldn’t have a deep

    feeling of converting from one religion to another.

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    How are festivals celebrated in Britain

    ● The celebrations take place in the monasteries and

    temples.

    ● Food is prepared and taken to the celebration

    ● Gifts are presented by lay people to the monks to show

    support for the temple and their way of life.

    ● The festivals are not only spiritual days of chanting andsinging but social occasions that are enjoyed like

    practicing Christians may enjoy Christmas or Easter

    ● The traditional festivals and holidays aren’t as popular in

    Britain. This is not saying that the Buddhists in Britain

    don’t attend or enjoy them, but often there is no cultural

    connection.

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    What sort of Buddhist Centres there?

    ● A few of the numerous centres in Britain are established for the we

    betterment of their own ethnic communities

    ● Other centres use specific Buddhist practices and traditions and c

    with a western culture to create authentic traditions that can then

    ● Yet other groups focus on the practice of meditation in Buddhism little attention to the rest of the teachings.

    ● There are a couple of organizations which give a platform for all sc

    traditions of Buddhism from around the world. They don’t wish to m

    anything in the different forms of Buddhism, yet they are open to th

    what could eventually become a British form of Buddhism.

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    The Buddha

    In general, ‘Buddha’ means ‘Awakened One’, someone who

    has awakened from the sleep of ignorance and sees things

    as they really are. A Buddha is a person who is completely

    free from all faults and mental obstructions. He benefits all

    living beings without exception by emanating various forms

    throughout the universe, and by bestowing his blessings on

    their minds.

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    The Prophecy

    One night, Queen Mayadevi dreamed that a white elephant descended from heaven and enter

    white elephant entering her womb indicated that on that very night she had conceived a child

    powerful being. When the king saw the child he felt as if all his wishes had been fulfilled and

    prince “Siddhartha.” The king then invited a seer to peer into the child's future. The seer said:

    the boy could become either a chakravatin king, a ruler of the entire world, or a fully enlighten

    since the time for chakravatin kings is now past it is certain that he will become a Buddha, aninfluence will pervade the thousand million worlds like the rays of the sun.”

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    Life of Luxury

    As the young prince grew up he mastered all the traditional

    arts and sciences without needing any instruction. He knew

    sixty-four different languages, each with their own alphabet,

    and he was also very skilled at mathematics. At his father’s

    request he joined a school where, in addition to various

    academic subjects, he became skilled at sports such as

    martial arts and archery. The prince also gained several

    faithful followers through heroic acts of strength. One of the

    many stories tells that when he was taking part in an archery

    contest, he declared, “With the bow of meditative

    concentration I will fire the arrow of wisdom and kill the tiger

    of ignorance in living beings.” He then released the arrow and

    it flew straight through five iron tigers and seven trees before

    disappearing into the earth.

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    Witnessing Suffering

    Sometimes Prince Siddhartha would go into the capital city of his father’s kingdom to see how

    During these visits he came into contact with many old people and sick people, and on one o

    corpse. These encounters left a deep impression on his mind and led him to realize that all liv

    exception have to experience the sufferings of birth, sickness, aging and death. Realizing tha

    enlightened Buddha has the wisdom and the power to help all living beings in this way, he res

    palace and retire to the solitude of the forest where he would engage in profound meditationenlightenment.

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    The Path to Enlightenment

    Siddhartha escaped from his father and then made his way to a place near

    Bodh Gaya in India, where he found a suitable site for meditation. There he

    remained, emphasizing a meditation called “space-like concentration on the

    Dharmakaya” in which he focused single-pointedly on the ultimate nature of

    all phenomena. After training in this meditation for six years he realized that

    he was very close to attaining full enlightenment, and so he walked to BodhGaya where, on the full moon day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar,

    he seated himself beneath the Bodhi Tree in the meditation posture and

    vowed not to rise from meditation until he had attained perfect

    enlightenment. With this concentration, which is the very last mind of a

    limited being, he removed the final veils of ignorance from his mind and in

    the next moment became a Buddha, a fully enlightened being.

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    Works Cited

    A sign of Buddhism.Digital Image. The Philosophy of Buddhism. 2000. Web. 22 February 2016

    The British flag. Digital Image. The Pound or the Euro?. 1997. Web. 22 February 2016

    An early copy of the Light of Asia. Digital Image. Keys fine Art Auctioneers. 2016. Web. 22 February 2016

    Tick the box for Buddhism. Digital Image. Network of Buddhist Organizations. 2011. 22 February 2016

    A symbol of harmony. Digital Image. Flower of Life. Web. 22 February 2016

    Women carrying gifts. Digital Image. BBC . 2014. Web. 22 February 2016

    Ruth, Diana St. "British Buddhism." BBC. BBC, 18 Aug. 2005. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.

    Website

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    Works Cited (continued)

    "The Awakened One Sleeps • MindPodNetwork." MindPodNetwork . N.p., 14 June 2015. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.

    "The Awakened One Sleeps • MindPodNetwork." MindPodNetwork . N.p., 14 June 2015. Web. 24 Mar. 2016.

    "The Great Eastern Philosophers: The Buddha." Philosophers Mail . The Philosophers Mail, n.d. Web. 24 Mar.

    "The Life of Buddha." , Siddhartha Gautama by Asienreisender . N.p., 28 Sept. 2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.

    "The Life of Buddha." N.p., 28 Sept. 2011. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.

    "Life of the Buddha." AwesomeStories.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.

    "About Buddha." Life of Buddha. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.