BuddhismIs one of the most religious religions in the world, especially forEast Asia、Central Asia、Southeast AsiawithSouth AsiaThe region once had a wide range of influence.
learn
Buddhism from ancient India (todayNepalDomestic)Siddhartha GautamaFounded at the age of 35, there are two opinions about the birth year of Prince Siddhartha, and there are two different opinions about the time when Buddhism began. One is believed to be on the full moon day of May 543 BC, and the other is believed to be in 589 BC. Or 588 years ago. At that time Siddhartha was in the Phibala tree (a respected name for Buddhist followersBodhi tree) Under the enlightenment, and later walked across the banks of the Ganges to preach to others. The five ministers who followed him in his practice at the time received Siddhartha's teachings and became bhikkhus, the first batch of sanghas. People from all walks of life and all identities came to listen to his lectures and became his disciples. In the following decades, he marched around and recruited many disciples, and the influence of Buddhism gradually expanded. After his death at the age of 80 (called Nirvana in Buddhism), he was revered as Buddha Shakyamuni.
Starting from the Maurya Dynasty, Buddhism spread in two directions, north and south. Southern Buddhism (also known as Theravada Buddhism) spread to Southeast Asia through Ceylon, mainly affectingSoutheast AsiaIndochina and other places. Northern Buddhism (also known as Mahayana Buddhism)KashmirarriveXinjiang, Buddhism was introduced as early as the Eastern Han Dynasty in the 1st centuryChina, Followed byAncient korean、Japan; Northern Buddhism was formally introduced to India’s northern neighbors in the 8th centuryTibet; So far, Northern Buddhism is divided into two branches: Han Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism has a great influence on the life and culture of the Tibetan people, and it was later introducedMongoliawithnortheast of ChinaAnd other regions. By the 16th or 17th century, Tibetan Buddhism had laid its foundations throughout the Far East.
Currently Buddhism is mainly distributed inChina Mainland、Hongkong、Macao、Taiwan、Japan、South Korea、Mongolia、Vietnam、Laos、Cambodia、Thailand、Myanmar、Singapore、Malaysia、Sri Lanka、Nepal、Bhutan、BruneiAnd AustralianChristmas Island, Also atIndia、Bangladesh、the Philippines、Indonesia、RussiawithKazakhstanThere are sporadic distribution in other countries, in additionKoreaBecause of the suppression of the local North Korean government, the number of people who believe in Buddhism has become very rare. 99% of Buddhists live in Asia. Among them, Buddhism was established as the state religion in Thailand, Cambodia and Bhutan. In recent years, Buddhism hasAmerica、Canada、AustraliaThere are also developments in Western countries. 72% of Buddhists belong to a religious minority in their country of residence, 28% belong to a religious majority, and live in 7 countries (Mongolia, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Sri Lanka). There are 500 million Buddhist believers in the world, second only toChristianity(About 2.4 billion followers) andIslam(About 1.5 billion believers), one of the world's three largest religions.
Common images and symbols
- Shakyamuni. Among the most common images in Buddhist temples, the main one depicts the Buddha sitting in a lotus pose with the tip of his right finger touching the ground.
- Dara Bodhisattva. This goddess can be depicted in various colors, with green or white being the most common. The Green Dara Bodhisattva represents the enlightenment of the Buddha. The white Dara Bodhisattva represents compassion.
- Lotus Also known as Guru Rinpoche. In the eighth century, the saint was hailed as the founder of Vajra Buddhism. The most common image depicts him in a sitting posture, wearing a delicate hat. His eyes were wide open and he seemed to be staring into the distance.
- Prayer wheel(Tibetan: མ་ནི།, Willy: ma ni). There are several types of prayer wheels, and the following are some of the most common: The bronze wheels are installed on the walls surrounding the temples and pagodas, and the large wooden wheels are alone near the entrance of the temple. In addition, there are some hand-held wheels carried by believers. All the prayer wheels rotate in a clockwise direction, benefiting all beings with sincere motives. In this way, they think it is an effective method from generosity and pure heart.
Other destinations
South Asia
The following is one of the 14 most famous Buddhist sites in the subcontinent:
- Bodh Gaya,lie inIndiaBihar — The place where Shakyamuni Buddha enlightened.
- Boudhanath Stupa,lie inNepalBudanat — A sacred site for Buddhists.
- Bumthang Valley,lie inBhutan — The valley is considered the spiritual heart of Bhutan and contains many sacred sites, includingJakalThe famous Gujie Temple.
- EloraandAjanta,lie inIndiaMaharashtra — Spectacular rock monasteries and temples, holy places for Buddhists, Jains and Hindus.
- Kushinagaro,lie inIndiaUttar Pradesh — The place where the Buddha reached Nirvana and was cremated.
- Lumbini,lie inNepal — The place where Buddha Shakyamuni was born.
- Lavalsal,lie inIndiaHimachal Pradesh — A sacred lake and a popular pilgrimage site for Tibetan Buddhism.
- Sarnath,lie inUttar Pradesh — This is the first time that Sakyamuni taught the Dharma, and the Buddhist Sangha was also established here. It is also one of the four holy places of Buddhism in ancient India.
- Taksan Temple(Tiger's Cave Temple or Tiger's Nest Temple), located atBhutanParo — The monastery related to Padmasambhava. It is the most sacred place in Bhutan.
- Buddha Tooth Relic Temple,lie inSri LankaKandy — The temple contains the tooth relic of Buddha Shakyamuni, which is a national treasure of Sri Lanka.
- Stargarha,lie inIndiaJakhandThe Mawatri Basin of Stagalha Mountain. The site of a major Buddhist temple and stone stupa dates back to the Peacock Empire.
- Taxila,lie inPakistanPunjab — The main locations of the Buddha's relics, including teeth and bone fragments, as well as many stupas and monasteries.
go sightseeing
Big Buddha
- Great Buddha of Todaiji Temple，JapanNara — The largest Buddha statue in Japan
- Central Plains Buddha，ChinaHenanLushan County — Located at a height of 128 meters, it is the tallest Buddha statue in the world
- Leshan Giant Buddha，ChinaSichuanLeshan — World HeritagePart of the stone Buddha statue carved out of the cliff
- Reclining Buddha，ThailandBangkok — Probably the largest reclining Buddha in the world
- Ushiku Giant Buddha，JapanIbaraki prefectureUshiku — Built in 1989, it is a building of the Jodo Shinshu Higashi Honganji School (Honyama: The Shandong Honganji of the Jodo Shinshu Higashi Honganji School in Taito-ku, Tokyo).
- Tian Tan Buddha，HongkongLantau Island — A large bronze Buddha statue on top of the 240th step
Activity
festival
Secret Mahayana Buddhist Tradition
- new Year, The first full moon of the year (usually in February).
- Sakyamuni Buddha Enlightenment Day(Laba Festival), the seventh day of November in the Tibetan calendar (January 5).
- Buddha Enlightenment and Nirvana Day, The fifteenth of April in the Tibetan calendar.
- Guru Rinpoche’s Birthday. The tenth day of the sixth month of the Tibetan calendar.
- First Turn of Falun Day, The fourth day of June in the Tibetan calendar (usually July). Buddha Shakyamuni proclaimed the "Four Noble Truths" and was called the First Turn of the Dharma Wheel.
Theravada Buddhism Tradition (Southern Buddhism Tradition)
- Buddha Auspicious Day(Wesak Day), the first full moon in May (April 15th in the lunar calendar). It is a festival in the tradition of Southern Buddhism to commemorate the birth, enlightenment and Nirvana of Buddha Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism.
- Magic Day, (The eighth synodic month) the day of the full moon. It was the first time after the Buddha enlightened, as the five monks, that he declared the supreme righteousness of the Dharma-namely (turning the righteous Dharma Wheel Sutra), the cause of suffering, the extinction of suffering, and the way of eliminating suffering (the Eightfold Path).
Dining
- Luo Han Zhai, Traditional Buddhist vegetarian dishes.
- vegetarian diet, Food served in Buddhist monasteries for monks and tourists. May include vegetarian meat made from soy or wheat gluten.
Learn
manner
- Wear clothing that shows respect for the local sacred nature.
- Go barefoot in the main temple/buddhist hall or indoors.
- Rotate the pagoda and other sacred objects clockwise.
- Turn the prayer wheel clockwise.
- Please keep quiet and not clamoring.
- Please do not climb on idols or other sacred objects.
- Please do not sit at the feet facing Buddha statues (especially in important temples).