Buddhism was founded in in 563 B.C.E by the Prince of Nepal. The story goes that the prince, Siddhartha had been sheltered form the outside world, confined within the palace walls for protection. Out of curiosity Siddhartha escaped the palace and discovered the anguish of human life, suffering and pain. He was so moved by what he saw, that he devoted the rest of his life to find answers to human suffering. He developed teachings to help others come to terms with the world. When he died it is believed he achieved the ultimate state of enlgihtement called nirvana. His main 4 teachings are as follows: 1) worldly life is suffering. 2) suffering comes from desire attachment 3) the release from suffering is enlightenment. 4) follow the path to achieve enlightenment. He believed life was cyclical, a series of births and deaths. In order to stop the pain of the cycles of rebirth, one must lead a life with the goal of achieving nirvana, release into peace and paradise of the next world. In oder to do so, hse emphasized people should conduct their lives by the right views, aspirations, speeches, livlihood, effort, mindfullness, and contemplation. Monks and nuns in Bidhur, India theologized his teachings and began spreading them through missionaries in the Indian subcontinent. They helped found Buddhism, emphasizing reaching the state of nirvana, where pain and suffering will be eliminated for the individual and for others. To achieve nirvana: must eliminate all bad qualities and attain more through dharma, merit.Early Buddhism was represented through symbols and rituals which became translated through cultural arificats such as the mandala. Budhism Emerges in Tibet: When Buddhism eventually reached Tibet in 700AD, the religion and was reinterpreted and combined with the local Bon relgion. An eclectic form of Buddhism called Tarntric Buddhism emereged and is unique to Tibet. Tantric Buddhism became predominant in all aspects of Tibetan life and society from art to culture and politics. Due to Tibet’s remote mountainous geography, Tibetan way of life remained distinct and unique from all other cultures. In fact, Tibetan way of life was relatively untouched until the late 20th Century. |