I think it might be useful to put up a post about the history of Buddhism.
Modern scholars date Buddha's birth to 480 BCE and his death to 400 BCE. Buddhists in Asia often give different, older dates.
Buddha was born Siddhartha Gautama in Lumbini (then Northeastern India, now Nepal). At this time in India there were many Sramanic (Sramanic= Renunciant = renouncing conventional society, i.e. work and family) traditions. It was commonplace for some men to give up a family life and become religious wanderers living on alms food and sleeping in forests and caves. Farmers and workers happily supported these wanderers because they were considered devout and holy people.
Buddha himself practiced this renouncer's lifestyle after he left his parent's palace. Then he had his awakening (Buddha means "awakened one") under a tree in Bodhgaya, India. The core of his awakening is typically presented as an insight into the interdependence of all causes and thus all things. After this, he became a teacher and established monasteries (called Sanghas = group) to support other people in their practice.
Buddhism centers around monasteries, groups, not solitary wanderers. Buddha established the monastery as a kind of middle path between undisciplined lay life and self-mortifying ascetic forest dwelling. The "middle path" means we should neither follow all our bodies desires nor neglect our bodies.
Buddhism is probably the world's first genuinely monastic religion and this feature is what distinguished it from most other forms of religion in India at the time and what helped it spread into China, central asia, southeast asia, japan and tibet between 100 BCE and 700 CE. Buddhism was the only pan-asian religious tradition then and it remains the most visible one today.
Buddhism spread because in part because it did not describe merchants and traders as impure, it accepted them. Monasteries gave merchants places to stay as they travelled, like an ancient hotel chain. Merchants gave to monasteries to keep them available for use and so Buddhism developed along all the trade routes of Asia (what is called the Silk Road).
Over centuries Buddhism became the dominant religion in Asia, though it became less and less practiced in its birthplace of India. Still today, Buddhists are rare in India, but found in great numbers in Sri Lanka, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Korea and Japan.
Modern scholars date Buddha's birth to 480 BCE and his death to 400 BCE. Buddhists in Asia often give different, older dates.
Buddha was born Siddhartha Gautama in Lumbini (then Northeastern India, now Nepal). At this time in India there were many Sramanic (Sramanic= Renunciant = renouncing conventional society, i.e. work and family) traditions. It was commonplace for some men to give up a family life and become religious wanderers living on alms food and sleeping in forests and caves. Farmers and workers happily supported these wanderers because they were considered devout and holy people.
Buddha himself practiced this renouncer's lifestyle after he left his parent's palace. Then he had his awakening (Buddha means "awakened one") under a tree in Bodhgaya, India. The core of his awakening is typically presented as an insight into the interdependence of all causes and thus all things. After this, he became a teacher and established monasteries (called Sanghas = group) to support other people in their practice.
Buddhism centers around monasteries, groups, not solitary wanderers. Buddha established the monastery as a kind of middle path between undisciplined lay life and self-mortifying ascetic forest dwelling. The "middle path" means we should neither follow all our bodies desires nor neglect our bodies.
Buddhism is probably the world's first genuinely monastic religion and this feature is what distinguished it from most other forms of religion in India at the time and what helped it spread into China, central asia, southeast asia, japan and tibet between 100 BCE and 700 CE. Buddhism was the only pan-asian religious tradition then and it remains the most visible one today.
Buddhism spread because in part because it did not describe merchants and traders as impure, it accepted them. Monasteries gave merchants places to stay as they travelled, like an ancient hotel chain. Merchants gave to monasteries to keep them available for use and so Buddhism developed along all the trade routes of Asia (what is called the Silk Road).
Over centuries Buddhism became the dominant religion in Asia, though it became less and less practiced in its birthplace of India. Still today, Buddhists are rare in India, but found in great numbers in Sri Lanka, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Korea and Japan.
I am glad that you emphasize the fact that Buddhism centers around groups. There are so many misconceptions about Buddhism from a western point of view. One being that Buddhists just sit around in solitude meditating all day in complete disconnect from the rest of the world. From what I've learned and experienced in Buddhist teachings is the exact opposite. The essence of Buddhism lies in connectedness, togetherness, and whole-ness. In my experience, the deeper you dive into some of these eastern religions like Buddhism, the more you realize that you have been fed misinterpreted, dumbed down versions of these beautiful, intricate belief systems since grade school. All this to say, I am excited to learn more!
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