MICHELLE LEEDIANNE LIN

HISTORY OF BUDDHISM THE HISTORY OF BUDDHISM SPANS IN THE 6TH CENTURY

BCE TO THE PRESENT IT STARTED WITH THE BIRTH OF BUDDHA SIDDHARTHA

GAUTAMA ON THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT. THE RELIGION EVOLVED AS IT SPREAD FROM THE

NORTHEASTERN REGION OF THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT THROUGH CENTRAL, EAST, AND SOUTHEAST ASIA.

THE HISTORY OF BUDDHISM IS ALSO CHARACTERIZED BY THE DEVELOPMENT OF NUMEROUS MOVEMENTS, SCHISMS, AND SCHOOLS, THE Theravāda Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna TRADITIONS WITH CONTRASTING PERIODS OF EXPANSION AND RETREAT.

Buddhism take the spirit world and the Buddhist community of the whole universe to assigned into the 10th world, "hell boundary, hungry ghosts sector and beasts, community the Asura sector, the human world, and heaven sector " or the “Six fans sector ” which are “The Shengwen sector, Pratyeka sector, Bodhisattva, the Buddhist community, more than ‘four Gordon profession’.”

In other words, the Buddha is the highest, the Bodhisattva followed.

Also known as BUDDHA, Gautama Buddha or Siddhārtha

BUDDHA was a spiritual teacher from the Indian Subcontinent, on whose teaching BUDDHISM was founded

THE WORD “BUDDHA” MEANS “AWAKENED ONE” OR “THE ENLIGHTENED ONE”

如來佛祖(RU LAI FO ZU)

Buddha

Where the Buddhism's most respected, is the most advanced and most worshiped by the others between the Fifteen Buddhist gods.

"Buddha", Sanskrit Buddha, which means "knowledge” or "Awakening", originally referred to the Buddhist cultivator knows to understand the teachings of Buddhism "karma.”

Descendants of Sakyamuni by Buddhists to be deified Buddha Sakyamuni also become like God in general.

Bodhisattva Group

In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is either an enlightened (bodhi) existence (sattva) or an enlightenment-being or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satya rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one (satva) for enlightenment (bodhi)."

Traditionally, a bodhisattva is anyone who, motivated by great compassion, has generated bodhicitta, which is a spontaneous wish to attain Buddha hood for the benefit of all sentient beings.

The bodhisattva is a popular subject in Buddhist art.

In early Indian Buddhism, for example, the term bodhisattva was primarily used to refer specifically to the Buddha Shakyamuni in his former lives. 

Bodhisattva Group

Shrine to Mazu

Goddess of the sea Inside a typical temple, it

is considered quite common to see elements of Buddhism and Taoism mixed together.

A statue of Guan Yin may be present alongside traditionally Taoist deities such as the Jade Emperor or Mazu.

Temple

Temple A Chinese temple can refer to any temple which

is used for the practice of Chinese folk religion, a conglomeration of China's three main religions: Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.

Chinese Buddhist temples are different from these temples, most of which also act as a monastery.

Chinese temples are also a common sight outside of Mainland China, including most parts of East Asia and across the world where there is a plurality of Chinese-descent residents.

Architecture of Temple Chinese temples are usually red in color, although

gold ones exist as well. The architecture is traditionally Chinese in style, and they are decorated extensively with sculptures and sometimes traditional Chinese paintings. Larger temples may be built as a compound, with an outer wall and often a courtyard. In the courtyard there may be a chimney-like structure made of bricks, or this may be located outside the temple. This is used for burning joss paper to the Gods, ancestors or spirits. The temple may include a section for burning large incense coils. Over the entrance of the temple compound there will be a plaque with the name of the temple in Chinese (usually the characters are read from right to left).

Burning of Joss papers

At the entrance to the main temple area, there will be a large container for burning joss sticks or incense. It will generally be filled with ash, and it is into the ash that the incense or joss sticks are placed. In some temples, however, the incense burner may be placed further inside. If the incense burner is placed on a table, oil lamps may be placed beside the incense burner, to allow worshippers to light the incense. If the incense burner is free-standing there will generally be a table in front of it with a lamp to light the incense from. Some temples have three or more incense burners. There may also be holders for stick candles, and "wish candles" may be placed in front of the incense burner.

Joss sticks

On the far wall of the temple will be placed the main shrine. There are usually three main shrines in a temple, and there may be smaller ones as well in other parts of the temple. For example, the Thean Hou Temple in Kuala Lumpur has three shrines: One to Shui Wei Sheng Niang, the waterfront goddess, one to Mazu, the sea goddess, and one to Guan Yin, the benevolent goddess.

Shui Wei Sheng Niang Guan Yin Mazu

The altar is usually made out of wood, and it usually has several different levels, with the statue placed on the highest one. Usually two vases of flowers will be placed in front of and to the side of the statue. Offerings of fruits are placed on the altar, arranged in a pyramid shape. Oil lamps are also placed on a lower level of the altar, and typically consist of a glass filled with oil, with a wick placed in a cork floater. Sometimes the statues are placed in glass-fronted cabinets, and wooden tables are placed in front of them to hold the required paraphernalia. Padded cushions for kneeling are usually placed in front of the altar.

Altar