A Look at Buddhism
Jaclyn Tate
Axia College University of Phoenix
Buddhism is a set of philosophies and teachings that is often described as a religion. It is also known as “Buddha Dharma” or “Dhamma”, which means “teachings of the awakened one”. The earliest known origin of Buddhism began in the 5th century BCE (before the current or common era) with the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, also referred to as Buddha. The primary teachings of Buddhism concern the search for enlightenment. Everything in the Buddhist religion revolves around this search which calls for a life of love, justice, kindness to one another, and transcendence of the material world.
Siddhartha was born in Lumbini, a city in Ancient India, in what is now Nepal. The traditionally accepted account of his life says Siddhartha was born a prince, the son of King Suddhodona. King Suddhodona was visited by a wise man shortly after Siddhartha’s birth and was told that his son would grow up to be either a great king or a holy man. Determined to ensure his son’s future as a great king, King Suddhodona shielded his son from the unpleasant realities of everyday life. Siddhartha was constantly surrounded by beauty and health. Despite his father’s efforts, however, Siddhartha discovered the suffering of the common man when he was 29 years old. On various trips outside the palace where he was raised, he encountered an elderly man, a diseased man, a decaying corpse, and a monk. These encounters are commonly referred to as the “Four Sights”. Reportedly, Siddhartha was distressed by these sightings and sought to overcome death, old age, and disease by living the life of a monk. He escaped the palace, leaving behind his wife and infant son, to live the life of a mendicant (an ascetic ...