Buddhism And Its Impact On Society - 1982 Words

Buddhism was founded in India by Buddha Shakyamuni thousands of years ago. He based centered his religion on peace and loving kindness. He established positive and negative states of mind. He created paths to find happiness and everlasting peace. There are many different form of expressing Buddhism that have evolved over the years, all of which originated from the teachings of Buddha. Buddhism practices positive thinking, emphasizes meditation, lays the path to find happiness, and does not believe that the world was created by a god or gods. Buddhism is also a faith that is flexible and practiced by anyone regardless of their religious and ethnic background. Buddhism was created in the fifth century B.C.E. by Buddha, the â€Å"enlightened†¦show more content†¦Now is the time for you to accomplish this.† (Kadampa) Buddha escaped from the palace after his father would not grant him permission to leave. Buddha went to the forest to follow a life focused on meditation and asceticism to obtain said enlightenment. He accepted gifts from gods of the Land of the Thirty-three Heavens such as saffron robes in exchange for his royal clothing. This action ordained him as a monk. During his time of meditation, in which he focused on the nature of all phenomena, Buddha established the Buddhist Middle Way, a correct view of life with actions and attitudes that will lead to happiness for oneself and others. After six years of meditation, Buddha realized that he was nearing full enlightenment. At this time he sat beneath the Bodhi Tree to meditate. He made a vow that he would not leave this spot until he reached enlightenment. Evil tried to disrupt him during this time. Devaputra Mara, chief of demons, sent demons to surround Buddha in attempts to break his concentration. Buddha was in such a state of meditation that he viewed these demons and their attempted distractions as peaceful. He saw the fire and spears they threw at him as rainbows and flowers. He was sent into deeper concentration and meditation as Mara sent beautiful women his way as another attempt to distract. He could not be frightened away from his meditation. Because of this, he was deemed the â€Å"Conqueror Buddha.† (Kadampa) Buddha’s meditation