Introduction
Buddhism is among the most ancient religions that have followers in the modern world. It is regarded as one of the major religions in the world with approximately 500 million followers globally. However, as Buddhism originated in India more than 2,500 years ago, the vast majority of its followers are located in East and Southeast Asia (Concu, 2017). Even though many principles and values of Buddhism overlap with other religions, its approach to faith and life philosophy is relatively unique. Moreover, there is no concept of god or deity in Buddhism, which is a distinctive feature. It may be challenging for people of other confessions to understand Buddhism. Therefore, it may be essential to communicate with Buddhism followers to establish an adequate view of that religion.
Working Bibliography
As already mentioned, Buddhism introduces a relatively unique approach to faith. Hence, it may be critical to utilize various sources to understand its principles comprehensively. My working bibliography was designed to reflect diverse aspects of Buddhism, including its fundamental beliefs, history, and ethics. Each source investigates religion from different perspectives, providing sufficient information regarding its role in the community. Moreover, such an approach enables an examination of the interrelation between these three elements of Buddhism.
The first source is Buddhism, Philosophy, and History. On Eugène Burnouf’s Simple Sūtras by Martino Concu. It focuses on investigating the origins of the religion as well as core events throughout history that shaped Buddhism. However, the article does not only study the impact of historical events on the development of Buddhism but also the role of religion throughout history. Another aspect that is reflected in that article is related to the role of Buddhism in philosophy. Buddhism received its recognition as a part of philosophy during the nineteenth and twentieth century as it became a popular source of simple moral principles. To some extent, its philosophical meaning became more important than its role as a religion.
The second source is A mirror for reflection: Understanding Buddhist ethics by Jake Davis. The article provides insight into the origin of Buddhist ethics as well as their role in modern society. The source provides valuable data regarding the impact of Buddhist ethical frameworks in a wide variety of fields. Including politics, equality, mindfulness, and personhood. Therefore, the article is highly beneficial in terms of understanding the cultural importance of Buddhism.
The third reading material is A Three-Way Method for the Buddhism-Christianity-Science Trialogue by John King. The article studies the interrelation between the concepts of Buddhism and Christianity. Moreover, it provides a practical methodology to encourage interactions between Buddhism, Christianity, and science. Therefore, it investigates the differences and similarities between these two religions and focuses on finding common ground for their followers. Such data may be beneficial in terms of understanding the unique features of Buddhism as well as its similarities with other religions.
Reading Notes
Buddhism was founded by Buddha approximately 2,500 years ago in the 5th century. According to some sources, Buddhism originated in India and began to spread beyond its borders in the 2nd century B.C. (Concu, 2017). Religion was broadly recognized during this period until the Huns invaded India in the 6th century. Consequently, Buddhist monasteries were destroyed, and other religions, including Islam, began to spread.
Therefore, the concepts of Buddhism transformed and changed throughout time.
In terms of ethics, Buddhism introduces eight fundamental principles of conduct. According to Davis (2017), these principles include right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. Buddhism relies on three holy books, including Tipitaka, Sutras, and The Book of the Dead. According to King (2016), the core values of Buddhism, Christianity, and other world religions interrelate. Therefore, Buddhism may be viewed through the prism of other religions.
Buddhism reflects the concept of self uniquely and excitingly. Religion suggests that there is nothing like ego in the spiritual world. Thinking usually indicates that there are no loser cases. But you admit that there are rays that move from one life to another. The type of rotation envisioned, in this case, has sparked many emotional debates in many other areas, including philosophy.
Interview Notes
Each religion can be studied through the prism of several essential elements. It may be challenging to understand these elements comprehensively without sufficient experience in practicing Buddhism. Therefore, an interview was conducted to identify features of Buddhism regarding its practices, views on life and death, belief in gods or deities, understanding of sins, human nature, goals, and philosophy.
Practices
Meditation and the Eightfold Path represent the most important practice in Buddhism.
Concept of Life and Death
Rebirth is one of the central concepts that implies that individuals exist in a cycle of death and rebirth, which can be escaped by achieving Nirvana.
Gods or Deities
Buddhists do not believe in Gods or deities, and hence Buddhism might be followed by an atheistic person.
Views on Sin
There is no such concept as sin in Buddhism, yet individuals should follow the Eightfold Path.
Human Nature
Buddhists view human nature as imperfect and full of challenges that people should overcome throughout life.
Goal of Buddhism
As already mentioned, the goal is to achieve Nirvana and break the cycle of death and rebirth.
Philosophy
The core goal of Buddhist philosophy is to mitigate mental suffering by following the Eightfold Path.
References
Concu, M. D. (2017). Buddhism, Philosophy, History. On Eugène Burnouf’s Simple Sūtras. Journal of Indian Philosophy, 45(3), 473–511. Web.
Davis, J. H. (2017). A mirror is for reflection: understanding Buddhist ethics. Oxford University Press.
King, J. B. (2016). A three-way method for the Buddhism-Christianity-science trialogue. Buddhist-Christian Studies, 36(1), 185–202. Web.