Running head: BUDDHISM

The Origin of Buddhism

Noah Estes
The University of Kentucky

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Abstract
Buddhism has been a well-known spiritual practice for many centuries. Originating in
Asia, it has slowly made its way to the United States. Until recently, I was not aware of just how
many of my peers and those in my community practiced Buddhism. The origin of this culture
and the teachings of Buddha are fascinating. Buddhists are shunned and even persecuted in many
parts of the world. Fortunately, they are more readily accepted in the United States even if many
people do not have the knowledge to accept this spiritual and religious practice with much
comfort. Hopefully, time and knowledge will change what can only be described as ignorance of
the Buddhist culture.

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Buddhism
In experiencing cultures that make up the world surrounding me, I have decided to learn
and explore Buddhism. I will admit that experiencing a service/meeting at the Shambhala
Meditation Center of Lexington felt slightly uncomfortable. Practices differed a great deal more
than what I am accustomed to in my own culture. After interviewing people that practice
Buddhism and learning more about Buddhist culture which had been previously foreign to me;
Uneasiness is no longer a feeling I get when surrounded by this culture. Educating myself about
the origins and beliefs of others that practice Buddhism has helped me to understand such a
diverse culture.
After my visit to the Shambhala Meditation Center of Lexington, I had many questions
regarding the origins of Buddhism and how Buddhism came to be practiced. I spoke to a longtime friend whose family originated from China. She had been raised as a Buddhist and still
practices Buddhism. She eagerly tried to answer my questions about Buddhism, but when I asked
how the practice of Buddhism came to be, she could not verbalize an answer. She practices
Buddhism because her parents, her husband, and all of their relatives practiced Buddhism. The
most I could take from interviewing her seemed to be Buddha was good just like Jesus is
good. (B. Cheung, personal communication, October 4, 2014).
My conversation with Bob and Donna helped me to understand much more about the
practices of Buddhism. They clarified that Buddhists strongly believe in selflessness,
compassion, and connecting with one another through the mind. The culture is based on one of
peace and meditation plays a large role in the practice of Buddhism. (Bob, personal
communication, October 7, 2014). (Donna, personal communication, October 7, 2014).

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My casual chats with Buddhists peaked my curiosity and made me want to learn more about how
Buddhism came to be. The Pluralism Project at Harvard University estimated in the 1997,
between three and four million practicing Buddhists lived in the United States. The figures
translate into approximately 1.6 percent of the American population. So who is Buddha and why
do so many people follow his teachings? What draws so many people into the practice of
Buddhism?
Most historians agree that Buddhism began in India sometime
during the fifth century B.C.E. At this time, Buddha was known as
Siddhartha Gautama (his given name). Not until later did he earn the name
of Buddha (which translates into Enlightened One). To the right is a sketch
drawn when he was 41 years old. Siddharthas family had a great deal of
wealth. Raised in a Hindu family in northern India, Siddharthas parents
ensured he wanted for nothing from a material aspect and he had been
protected from all things sad or depressing in the world that surrounded him. He was sheltered to
say the least. The earliest accounts of his life differ in small ways, but the most well- known
story of his life is quite modest. Within a week of his birth, Siddharthas father called upon the
wise men and sages under his rule to tell him what his sons future would hold. Most agreed that
Siddharthas destiny would be to become a wise king like his father or a sage. Robert C. Neville,
a prominent philosopher and professor, offers a very descriptive definition of a sage;
Sages understand memories and expectations, guilt and frustrations, joys
and sorrows, suffering, pain, triumph, ecstasy, nobility, depravity, honor,
degradation, sincerity, mendacity, stress and release. They understand the
combinations and ambiguities of these in the lives of persons and in the affairs of

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peoples, and their understanding allow them so to follow the trail of what is
important through the underbrush of triviality that they cleave to what is
essential. Sages are those who understand people. What people? Anyone. Sages
must live from long experience, not from intuitive encounters.
Siddharthas father wanted his son to choose the path to become a king and did
everything in his power to make sure Siddhartha had a picture-perfect life. He had the best of
everything and, as stated earlier had been sheltered from all things sad, depressing or unhappy.
Manuscripts continue by describing Siddharthas walk through a park one day where he saw four
things that forever changed his life. As he strolled along the path, he saw a very sick person, an
old person suffering from the physical limitations of aging and finally a dead person. Shock
entered Siddhartha for the first time in his life. He had never seen any events or images like this
due to the sheltered life he led. A sage that strolled by all of these people (the ill, old, and dead)
was the fourth thing Siddhartha saw. Siddhartha observed the sage as he walked by. The sages
facial expressions and actions showed compassion, peace, and happiness. At that moment,
Siddhartha understood illness, death and sadness affected everyone. Anyone can become ill,
most live until an old age with physical limitations and all will one day die. He deduced that if
the sage could show such uplifting emotions in spite of what he saw, that he would choose the
path of the sage instead of becoming a king.
Siddhartha renounced his old life and took to the simple life of living among the trees in
the forests. He meditated constantly, harnessed the powers of his mind and broke down the
barriers of ignorance. In short, Siddhartha became enlightened or a Buddha.

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He gave his first sermon several years after becoming a sage. Manuscripts say the sermon
Buddha gave spoke of suffrage and how to end suffrage. He also talked about the eight-fold
path. Simply put the path explains that one should have the right: belief, meditation, aspiration,
speech, conduct, occupation, endeavor, and memory. Buddha taught his audiences and followers
this would assist in reaching the true enlightenment each one sought. He developed many
supporters and followers throughout his lifetime.
Another main principle of Buddhism is the Four Noble Truths: the noble truth of
suffering, the noble truth of the origin of suffering, the noble truth of the path leading to
cessation, and the noble truth of the cessation of suffering.
Unfortunately, no one during Buddhas lifetime thought to record his sermons, lectures or
wisdom. Manuscripts had not been written to preserve the accounts of his life and teachings until
centuries after Buddhas death. Unfortunately, the ancient documents had been based on memory
of past and present followers and teachings passed down from generation to generation. The
writings had been preserved in such a way that they could be used for memorization and
repetition. Many teachings have a poetic format that better assists Buddhists in remembering the
importance of the sacred teachings. Although the manuscripts did not exist until centuries after
the death of Buddha, they remain a heavily relied on source of wisdom by Buddhists.
Several references speak of over 84,000 teachings left by Buddha. Many of his teachings
and parables can be translated differently, thus misconstruing the true meaning. Many parables
should not be taken literally. For example, the teachings regarding reincarnation seem to be
misinterpreted more often than not and those who read them believe that if a person is born as a
human in this life, after death they will be reincarnated as an animal (perhaps a horse or cat).

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Buddhist does not teach about reincarnation in this way. Buddha taught that ten realms of
existence make up our world or realm. The highest level of existence is the enlightened stage
where a person can become like Buddha. At the bottom of the realms is to be a depraved or
hellish person. Realms exist in between such as an enlightened person perhaps destined to
become a Buddha, called Bodhisattva, and heavenly beings. The Asura live as beasts and the
Preta are also called hungry ghosts. Human beings hold a place within the ten realms of being.
The realms can be described as extremely spiritual and Buddhists strive to achieve enlightenment
through keeping their actions, and words pure and in line with the teachings of Buddha.
With the world so full of religious groups, cults, and other spiritual assemblies, many
spiritual and religious groups find their way to the United States in one form or another. As a
whole, people fear what they do not know and change frightens them. Although most Buddhists
appear peaceful and selfless, they are not as readily accepted in the United States. Groups such as
Baptists or Catholics established hundreds of years ago in the United States have come to be
common and acceptable. This is not yet the case for Buddhists. Some Buddhists in the United
States know the feeling of persecution and being shunned but not to levels of persecution and
torture in other parts of the world. Persecution of Buddhists continues to take place world-wide.
A recent instance of severe persecution occurred in Afghanistan when the Taliban executed
Buddhists and destroyed the giant stone there. Surprising enough, the Peoples Republic of
China is also a current source of constant persecution of Buddhists.
Many Buddhists have migrated to the United States to avoid persecution of their beliefs.
People often stereotype Buddhist, which is ironic because they want nothing more than peace.

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The United States remains one of the more tolerant countries when accepting the beliefs
of Buddhism. Temples and gathering places for Buddhists steadily grow across the country. In
Kentucky, fifteen temples dedicated to forms of Buddhism currently exist. Several temples have
been established in Louisville, but others located in smaller towns such as Florence, Clay City,
Independence and Lexington.
Services differ depending on the sect of Buddhism practiced, but common denominators
at all gatherings include; meditation, controlling the mind, body,
and spirit. The term to describe this is zazen. Posture during
meditation greatly enhances the experience and is not what many
people imagine as a posture of meditation. Sitting with your legs
crossed in an Indian style fashion serves as an acceptable Buddhist
meditation stance. A position called the lotus or half lotus. Posture
should be grounded, well balanced and open. Sitting on a zafu
(pillow) may be preferred to sitting in a chair as long as posture feels open and balanced. For
instance, slumping over will not suffice for meditation because of the stress placed on the back
and closed off posture it portrays. To the right is a picture of a woman mediating.
In order to become a Buddhist, a person takes vows. Vows may vary slightly depending
on which form of Buddhism you wish to practice. The vow (typically called the vow of refuge) is
more important to some groups of Buddhists than others. Some Buddhists take vows in a formal
ceremony while others make personal decisions on their own. The vows involve admitting that a
hole in your life exists and a void that nothing can fill. The decision involves a personal wish to
try and become complete and fill this void by looking to Buddhism and its teachings. Vows also
include denouncing worldly gods and distractions such as money, power and beauty among

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other distractions from this world. The vow also discusses determination to become enlightened
through following Buddhist practices and teachings. A Buddhist wants to continually expand
their mind and spirit in order to pay honor and respect to those who teach them and offer wisdom
and experience.
My short experience during this assignment has given me a much better understanding of
the Buddhist culture. I may not wish to convert to Buddhism, but I have a much better grasp of
those who practice Buddhism and the origins of the practice. I am not as timid around anyone I
meet that I know to be a Buddhist. The people I have interviewed and met are just as common as
anyone else (myself included) and we have things in common as well. I am still learning about
the Buddhist culture that surrounds me, but I feel much more enlightened for learning what I
have so far.

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References:
"Buddhism.org - Digital International Buddhism Organization." Buddhism.org - Digital
International Buddhism Organization. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.
"How Siddhartha Gautama Became the Buddha." How Siddhartha Gautama Became the
Buddha. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.
"Library." Buddhism Origins, Buddhism History, Buddhism Beliefs. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.
"Pro Commerce: Zafu." 'Pro Commerce' N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.
"The Pluralism Project at Harvard University." Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.
"Yo, Get on the Train!" EastBounds Community Discussion RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.