Buddhism (الْبُوذِيَّة)
العقيدة الثقافة والدعوة
التعريف :
A religion founded by an Indian religious leader called buddha in the fifth century BC. It advocates austerity and steering away from a life of luxury. It calls for love, tolerance and good action. After buddha’s death, it made him a deity. There are two types of Buddhism: the ancient or the southern Buddhism which is predominant in Burma, Thailand and Sri Lanka. It stresses strict priesthood and considers the buddha as God. Its overall leader, the lama, whose seat is the Tibet, is the representative of God. The other type is neo-Buddhism, or northern Buddhism, is mainly followed in Japan, Korea and China. It is more philosophical, intellectual and polytheist.
المعنى الاصطلاحي :
A pagan religion that regards Buddha as the son of God and the savior of humanity from its sufferings and pains.
الشرح المختصر :
"Al-Boodhiyyah" (Buddhism) is a religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama, also known as Buddha (560-480 BC). "Buddha" means the knowledgeable person. He is also called Shakyamuni, i.e. the one in seclusion and retirement. Buddhists believe that Buddha is the son of God and the savior of humanity from its tragedies and sufferings, and that he will take all their sins upon himself. Buddhism is a man-made philosophy that has taken the form of a religion which first appeared in India, in the fifth century BC, after Brahmanic Hinduism. In the beginning, it was opposed to Hinduism and focused on human beings, and it called upon people to lead a life of asceticism and austerity that is free from luxuries, and it ordered them to show love and tolerance and do good. After the death of its founder, however, it transformed into false beliefs with a pagan character. Its followers went to extremes in extolling its founder until they deified him. Old Buddhism differs from modern Buddhism in that the former had a moral character while the latter is a mix of Buddha’s teachings and other philosophical opinions and mental deductions about the universe and life. Buddhists are divided into two groups: 1. Devout Buddhists, who abide by all the teachings and instructions of Buddha. 2. Civil Buddhists, who abide by some of his teachings and instructions only. Buddhism retained some of its initial forms in South Asia, especially in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and Burma. In the north, especially in China and Japan, it grew more complicated and split into two traditions: 1. Mahayana (tradition of the North), which calls to deifying Buddha, worshiping him, and following closely in his footsteps. 2. Hinayana (tradition of the South), which preserved the teachings of Buddha. The followers of this tradition regard Buddha as the great teacher of ethics who reached the ultimate level of spiritual clarity.