Buddhism

Want to read the rest of this paper? Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay and over 50,000 other term papers

of the small kingdom near the Indian/Nepal border. As a child, his future was foretold by sages. They believed that he would someday be a fellow sage or leader of a great empire. He led a very pampered and sheltered life until the age of twenty-nine. It was at that time that he realized that he had led an empty life. He renounced his wealth and embarked on a journey to seek truth, enlightenment, and the cycle of rebirths. In the first years of his journey, Siddhartha Guatama practiced yoga and became involved in radical asceticism. After a short time, he gave up that life for one of a middle path between indulgence and self-denial. He meditated under a bo tree until he reached true enlightenment by rising through a series of higher states of consciousness. After realizing this religious inner truth, he went through a time of inner struggle. Renaming himself Buddha (meaning enlightened one), he wandered from place to place, preaching, spreading his teachings by word of mouth. ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays. Write better papers. Get better grades. Already a member? Login

nature of arhat.
Pataliputra, now Patna, was the sight of the third council. It was called by King Asoka in the 3rd century BC, and was convened by Moggaliptta. The purpose was the purify the sangha of the false monks and heretics who had joined the order because of its royal associations. During the council, the compilations of the Buddhist scriptures (Tipitaka) and the body of subtle philosophy (abhidharma) to the dharma and monastic discipline were completed. Missionaries were sent forth to many countries as a result of the council.
King Kanishka patronized the fourth council in 100 AD. Historians are not sure if it was held at either Kasmir or Jalanhar. Both divisions of ...

Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library. Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports, and research papers in 2 minutes or less.

CITE THIS PAGE: