m - A Dynamic Faith
| Buddhis |
Buddhism was born and thrived in India for 1700 years. Between the 5th century B.C. and 12th century A.D. the whole of India was rich with the culture of Buddhist life that spread to other parts of the world.
Gautama, born in the sixth century BC, was the son of the ruler of the Sakya clan. His birthplace in the foothills of the Terai is known as Lumbini which is now a part of Nepal. From his early life, Gautama was intensely moved by the agony and suffering of living creatures such as a disabled old man or a wounded dog. His mind wanted to discover the cause of suffering and the way it may be overcome. He attained enlightenment in Bodhgaya under the Bodhi tree, some 10 kilometres from Bodhgaya. The enlightenment came after his deep and prolonged meditation until his deep and prolonged meditation until his body and mind became absolutely still and passed into the vessel of perfect tranquility. Thus he became a Buddha who had attained supreme understanding of the meaning of existence. After attaining enlightenment, legend has it that the Buddha remained seated for a week. This was the starting point of his formulation of the Buddhist faith and his preaching on how sorrow may be conquered through a lifestyle of great simplicity, renunciation and empathy for everything living. Today, there are over 500 millions Buddhists all over the world especially in the far east and south east Asian countries. While the south Asians are followers of the Himalayan sets of Buddhism, the followers of the second sect Mahayana are mostly in Japan, Korea, Tibet, China and Mongolia. Though the sects and beliefs within Buddhism are many, they all look upon these sites in north India with great reverence. The earliest centers of Buddhist pilgrimages were the places associated with the life and Teachings of the great Master. These four places are Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath and Kushinagar. Main events in the life of Buddha
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