Buddhism

Examples of Buddhism in the following topics:

• Buddhism

  • After attaining Enlightenment, Siddhartha Gautama became known as the Buddha, and taught a Middle Way that became a major world religion, known as Buddhism.
  • Buddhism is based on an ancient Indian religious philosophy called Sramana, which began as an offshoot of the Vedic religion.
  • The literal meaning of Nirvana in the Sanskrit language is "blowing out" or "quenching," and is the ultimate spiritual goal of Buddhism.
  • In a major break from others rulers of the time, he converted to Buddhism.
  • Today, Buddhism is practiced by an estimated 488 million people.

• Ashoka's Conversion

  • Mauryan emperor Ashoka embraced Buddhism after witnessing the mass deaths of the Kalinga War, which he himself had waged out of a desire for conquest.
  • Basham, Ashoka's personal religion became Buddhism, if not before, then certainly after the Kalinga War.
  • However, according to Basham, the Dharma officially propagated by Ashoka was not Buddhism at all.
  • He sent his only daughter, Sanghamitra, and son, Mahindra, to spread Buddhism in Sri Lanka (then known as Tamraparni).
  • In his edicts, Ashoka expresses support for all the major religions of his time: Buddhism, Brahmanism, Jainism, and Ajivikaism.

• Religion Under the Tang Dynasty

  • Although the ban would be lifted just a few years later, Buddhism never regained its once dominant status in Chinese culture.
  • Wright stated was a "brilliant polemicist and ardent xenophobe"—was one of the first men of the Tang to denounce Buddhism.
  • Nonetheless, Chan Buddhism gained popularity amongst the educated elite.
  • The sect of Pure Land Buddhism initiated by the Chinese monk Huiyuan (334–416) was also just as popular as Chan Buddhism during the Tang.
  • Before the persecution of Buddhism in the 9th century, Buddhism and Taoism were accepted side by side, and Emperor Xuanzong (r. 712–56) invited monks and clerics of both religions to his court.

• Decline of the Maurya Empire

  • The different cultures and economies began to break apart, although the kings maintained Buddhism as the state religion.
  • The Sungas favored Hinduism over Buddhism.
  • He helped Buddhism flourish and established the new capital of Sagala.
  • Buddhism was favored in the Indo-Greek Kingdom.
  • He converted to Buddhism and expanded the Indo-Greek Kingdom.

• The Rise of Hinduism

  • The Upanishads are a collection of Vedic texts that contain the earliest emergence of some of the central religious concepts of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.
  • Sramana, meaning "seeker," refers to several Indian religious movements, including Buddhism and Jainism, that existed alongside the Vedic religion—the historical predecessor of modern Hinduism.
  • After the Gupta period, central power disintegrated and religion became regionalized to an extent, with variants arising within Hinduism and competing with each other, as well as sects of Buddhism and Jainism.
  • Over time, Buddhism declined but some of its practices were integrated into Hinduism, with large Hindu temples being built in South and Southeast Asia.

• Expansion and Decline of the Kushan Empire

  • The Kushan Empire linked the seagoing trade of the Indian Ocean with the commerce of the Silk Road, via the Indus Valley, while providing security that encouraged travel across the Khunjerab Pass and facilitated the spread of Mahayana Buddhism to China.
  • Kushan emperors represented a wide variety of faiths, including Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and possibly Saivism, a sect of Hinduism.
  • The Kushans were influenced by the Hellenistic kingdoms and maintained a wide variety of faiths, including Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.

• Culture Under the Song Dynasty

  • The major deities of Taoism and Buddhism, ancestral spirits, and the many deities of Chinese folk religion were worshipped with sacrificial offerings.
  • This renewed interest in the Confucian ideals and society of ancient times coincided with the decline of Buddhism, which was then largely regarded as foreign and as offering few solutions for practical problems.
  • However, Buddhism in this period continued as a cultural underlay to the more-accepted Confucianism and even Taoism, both seen as native and pure by conservative Neo-Confucians.
  • The continuing popularity of Buddhism is evidenced by achievements in the arts, such as the one-hundred painting set of the Five Hundred Luohan, completed by Lin Tinggui and Zhou Jichang in 1178.
  • These deities included the nationally accepted deities of Buddhism and Taoism, as well as the local deities and demons from specific geographic locations.

• Expansion of the Maurya Empire

  • Although the annexation of Kalinga was completed, Ashoka embraced the teachings of Buddhism, and renounced war and violence.
  • He sent out missionaries to travel around Asia and spread Buddhism to other countries.
  • Ashoka's edicts also mentioned social and cultural attributes of his empire, emphasizing Buddhism, though not condemning other religions.

• Jainism

  • Sramaṇa traditions (or religious and moral practices) later gave rise to varying schools of Hinduism, as well as Yoga, Buddhism, and Jainism.
  • This idea also appears in other Asian religions, including Buddhism.

• The Sramana Movement

  • Sramana was an ancient Indian religious movement that began as an offshoot of the Vedic religion and gave rise to other similar but varying movements, including Buddhism and Jainism.
  • Sramaṇa traditions later gave rise to Yoga, Jainism, Buddhism, and some schools of Hinduism.