Buddhism is a religion that began in India over 2,500 years ago, and remains the dominant world religion in the east to this day. Worldwide, there are over 360 million Buddhists, and over one million Buddhists currently living in America. Buddhist culture has been influential to the west, generally in the areas of meditation and nonviolence. Buddhism is based on the teachings of the Buddha. Buddhists believe that suffering is inevitable, but there are ways to end it. Though Buddhism has many different forms with different beliefs, they all share the same core concepts and respect the teachings of the Buddha. Buddhism is based on the teachings of an Indian prince named Siddhartha Gautama, who lived around 500 BCE. According to Buddhist tradition,
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The most popular symbol of Buddhism today is a statue of the Buddha, but this was not always the case. In the early stages of Buddhism, statues of the Buddha himself were not used, but instead images symbolizing the teachings of the Buddha. For example, the lotus, the Wheel of Law, the Bodhi tree, and the Buddha’s footprint were common symbols of Buddhism. Though the statue of the Buddha has become the most common symbol, that does not mean that the older ones have been forgotten; in fact many of them are still used to this day. Another important type of symbolism in Buddhism is the use of colors, mainly the five colors of white, yellow, red, blue, and green. Also, symbolic hand gestures which were called Mudras were also significant …show more content…
The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism and, until the establishment of Chinese communist rule, the spiritual and temporal ruler of Tibet. The current Dalai Lama’s name is Lhamo Dondrub and he is the fourteenth Dalai Lama. He was born on July 6, 1935, and is currently 80 years old. He is known for his notable quotes, such as “Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.”, “This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.”, and “Be kind whenever possible. It is always
The most popular symbol of Buddhism today is a statue of the Buddha, but this was not always the case. In the early stages of Buddhism, statues of the Buddha himself were not used, but instead images symbolizing the teachings of the Buddha. For example, the lotus, the Wheel of Law, the Bodhi tree, and the Buddha’s footprint were common symbols of Buddhism. Though the statue of the Buddha has become the most common symbol, that does not mean that the older ones have been forgotten; in fact many of them are still used to this day. Another important type of symbolism in Buddhism is the use of colors, mainly the five colors of white, yellow, red, blue, and green. Also, symbolic hand gestures which were called Mudras were also significant …show more content…
The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism and, until the establishment of Chinese communist rule, the spiritual and temporal ruler of Tibet. The current Dalai Lama’s name is Lhamo Dondrub and he is the fourteenth Dalai Lama. He was born on July 6, 1935, and is currently 80 years old. He is known for his notable quotes, such as “Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.”, “This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.”, and “Be kind whenever possible. It is always