Essay on Buddhism is quite frequently asked in various levels of
competitive exams. The following essay on "Buddhism" is a sample
essay for school and college students. We will be uploading different versions
of the essay over time.
[#
Sample 1]: Essay on
Buddhism (322 words)
Buddhism is one of the famous
religions in the world, which has its origins in the teachings of Siddhartha
Gautam, a king’s son who was born about 553 BC in Lumbini, Nepal. It is about
250 kilometers southwest of the capital city, Kathmadu. At the age of 29, he
renounced family and home, spent six years in meditation, and studied until he
attained enlightenment. Thereafter, known as the Buddha, the enlightened one,
he devoted the rest of his life to preaching his doctrine.
Gautam Buddha promulgated the four noble truths. The first truth is that
suffering dominates life. His next truth is that desire causes suffering.
Furthermore, he claims that desire leads to and ends in Nirvana, and that
Nirvana can be attained by relinquishing yourself and absorption into the
supreme spirit. The path to Nirvana is an individual struggle and results in
the passing of the individual self into the eternal self. Individual morality,
not caste or priestly rituals, is the means of attaining Nirvana.
The two main forms of Buddhism are those of Hinayana, which is the
earliest form, and Mahayana, which developed at the beginning of the Christian
era and was based more on the example of the Buddha than on his specific
statements. Buddhism in Nepal took on a new dimension with the creation of
Vajrayana Buddhism, an offshoot of Mahayana. It was not widely practiced by the
Newars in the Kathmandu valley.
A stupa is a place where an image of Buddha is placed, and an edifice
built for worship and meditation is called a "Gumba" or
"Bihar". The main holy book of Buddhism is "Tripitak".
Besides Nepal, Buddhism is practiced in India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Korea,
Thailand, Myanmar, and several countries in the world.
In sum, Buddhism, with mainly two forms and four truths, is being widely
practiced throughout the globe. It is expected that it will even grow around
the world in the days ahead.