Buddhism and Women

Buddhism is unique in that Buddha, as founder of a spiritual tradition, explicitly states in canonical literature that a woman is as capable of nirvana enlightenment as a man, and can fully attain all four stages of enlightenment. Buddhism does not restrict either the educational opportunities of women or their religious freedom. 

Information from:
http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/women.htm
Image Source: Google.com

How does Buddhism differ from other religions?

Buddhism has no caste systems such as Hinduism. It teaches us that being a good or bad person does not depend on our social status nor life depends on what religion we believe in. What Buddhism teaches is love, simple love of all creatures without any exception. In Buddhism, you never asked to believe in Buddha, and Buddha never force someone to believe him or in what he has taught. everything about Buddhism is your choice. Buddhism has no god or prophets. Your trip to enlightenment is up to you to                                make although Buddha and his teachings provide all the guidelines you will need.

Photo Credit: 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/awfulsara/67330433/in/photostream/

What do Buddhists believe?

     Buddhists have several cardinal beliefs just as all other religions do... they have sets of rules, principles, moral code and specific goals in life to live by which are the basic concepts taught by Buddha Himself. The most coveted and important beliefs they stand for are the 4 Noble Truths, the Noble 8 Fold Path, Karma, and Reincarnation.

Karma

Karma is a word that literally means "action". The word is used to refer to acts as well as the consequences that arise from these acts. The idea of karma had existed in ancient Indian philosophy before the time of Siddhartha Gautama, and it became an important element of Buddhist philosophy.

Reincarnation

Rebirth has always been important in Buddhism; and it is often referred to as walking the wheel of life (samsara). It is the process of being born over and over again in different times and different situations, possibly for many thousand times.

The Noble 8 Fold Path

In Buddhism, it is believed that one can escape from the vicious cycle of birth and death by following the noble eightfold path, listed on the bottom of the page.

The 4 Noble Truths

They were formulated by the Buddha Gautama in his first sermon. The way to accomplish this is to follow the Eightfold Path. Though differently interpreted, these four truths are recognized by virtually all Buddhist schools. Listed on bottom of page.

Karma and Reincarnations Info from:

http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/karma.html

4 Noble Truths info found on Answers.com 

Where do most Buddhists live?

Buddhism's becoming more popular every year and because of the rise in followers there are actually Buddhist spread throughout the entire world! However, most Buddhists live in India, Tibet, Burma, Thailand, China, Japan and Sri Lanka. The map on the right gives an idea of just how populated these places are with Buddhism.

Origins of Buddhism

Who was the Buddha?

The Buddha who is the founder of the Buddhist religion is called Buddha Shakyamuni “Shakya” is the name of the royal family into which he was born, and “Muni” means “Able One.” Buddha Skakyamuni was born as a royal prince in 624 BC in a place called Lumbini, which was originally in northern India but is now part of Nepal. His mother’s name was Queen Mayadevi and his father’s name was King Shuddhodana.

What did the Buddha teach?

The Buddha taught many things, but the basic concepts in Buddhism can be summed up by the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. (which can both be viewed on the bottom of the page)

Buddhism: The Introduction

To begin the process of learning about Buddhism one should first know the basic elements that make it up. Buddhism isn't so much a religion as it is a Philosophy, Buddhism has a direct path that Buddhists follow which consists of goals such as:

(1) To lead a moral life.

(2) To be mindful and aware

of thoughts and actions.

(3) To develop wisdom and

understanding.

Photo Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/h-k-d/3634611427/in/set-72157620549099273/