Buddhism In India And Other Parts Of Asia?

The Rise of Buddhism in India
Individuals around the world have been continuously seeking for answers to humanity’s importance in the universe. During the 6th century in South Asia, the question stirred a small revolution. The inaccurate Hindu teachings on the importance of humanity upset the religious sages and Indian philosophers. Furthermore, the Brahmin priests who made up the Hindu caste system were considered corrupt, and as a result, individuals sought new intellectual knowledge and philosophies. This encouraged Siddhartha Gautama to seek enlightenment. Born as a prince in the foothills of Himalayas, Siddhartha abandoned his rich and comfortable life to search for enlightenment by abandoning the basic necessities. However, this self-denial only led to malnutrition and bad health. Instead, Siddhartha decided to seek enlightenment through concentration by resisting worldly temptation and practicing intense meditation. Having done so for 40 days, Siddhartha achieved nirvana. It was during this period that he became a Buddha and began to share his experience across India. Buddha spread his message to individuals regardless of their caste or gender, and this encouraged many individuals to convert, including Brahmins. After his death, groups of followers referred to as bhikkhus continued with Buddha’s teachings, but the dominant Hindu religion was stronger than Buddhism. It was not until the third century that King Ashoka converted to Buddhism and sent monks to various parts of India to spread the teachings. Through the monks, large numbers of people in India and across other parts of Asia joined Buddhism. The Buddhists monks traveled past the Silk Road to parts of China and Central Asia. In the fifth century, the monks ...