Essay On Buddhism In America

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Buddhism makes up only 6 percent of the worlds population, but holds approximately 360 million people around the world in countries such as China, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Tibet. Buddhism is said to go as far back as around 491 B.C.E, and was founded in North India (Buddhist Temples, 2007). This is when Siddhartha Guatama lived. He is known as the first Buddha, and was believed to be a perfect person in his days of living. He was born in Nepal, practiced Asceticism, and ate only one grain of rice per day. He nearly died, and six years later after much meditation he found enlightenment. In the year 247 BC Asoka’s son and a missionary named Mahinda established Buddhism in Sri Lanka. The third Buddhist Council was held. At the time, Asoka was still Emperor. Also in that same century, the modern Pali Tipitaka was now considered to be complete. In the 2nd Century, Mahayana Buddhism was put in place. Different literature was starting to be…show more content…
Americans who convert to Buddhism is around 800,000. The two Buddhist communities have become very weak and the future cooperation remains uncertain. There is no disagreement among researchers that Asian immigrant Buddhist communities and American convert communities engage in significantly different Buddhist practices. With the exception of those who have taken up the practices of Soka Gakkai, American converts' almost exclusive focus on meditation has created conflict with and concern in some Asian immigrant communities (Prebish, 2008). Americans who convert to Buddhism are those who are looking for more than organzized religion and looking more for spirituality. The longing is for something more personal, more private and more narrlowly focused on “me” and how I feel about myself -- what might be called "I-dolatry” (Bielefeldt,
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