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A brief summary of Buddhism
Material donated by Dimuthu Calyaneratne of Sri Lanka
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| Question | Answer |
| Is it a religion? | Yes |
| Is it an applied philosophy? | Yes* |
| Founded by: | Siddhartha Gauthama |
| Is it a path to eliminate suffering? | Yes (noble eight fold path) * |
| Does it endorse the existence of soul? | No* |
| Does it endorse that worldly things are permanent? | No* |
| Does it endorse the existence of worldly happiness? | No* |
| Is it documented? | Yes, in the Tipitaka |
| When was Tipitaka documented? | 83 BCE |
| Where was Tipitaka documented? | Sri Lanka |
| In What Language was Tipitaka Documented? | Pali |
| In what Script was Tipitaka Documented? | Sinhala |
| How large is the Tipitaka? | 11 times the size of the Bible |
* Unlike most other major world religions.
Other information:
 | The birth, enlightenment and parinirvana (death with no rebirth) took place on the day of the full moon during the month of May. This has been declared Buddha Day by the United Nations. |
| As of 2006-MAY, Buddha's parinirvana was 2550 years ago. |
Buddha’s Teaching:
The four noble truths are:- There is suffering.
- There is cause for suffering.
- There is cessation of suffering.
- There is path leading to the cessation of suffering.
One does not have to read the Tipitaka from beginning to end to understand the four noble truths. Each chapter is a sutra (synopsis), which Buddha would have used to explain the same four noble truths to his audiences under different circumstances.
Attainment of enlightenment:
| Aim : To attain final liberation called Nibbana. |
| Instruments : Mind and Body (Nama-rupa). |
| Procedure : Follow the Noble eight-fold path i.e.
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Home page > World Religions > Buddhism > here |
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Home page > Visitors' essays > here |
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Home page > Website features > Visitors' essays > here |
Originally posted: 2004-DEC-29
Latest update: 2006-DEC-29
Author: Dimuthu Calyaneratne
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