An Illustrated Outline of Buddhism: The Essentials of Buddhist Spirituality (7 page)

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(4) Buddhism Amongst the World Religions

Before turning our attention to the internal features of Buddhism, it is

important to know how to situate it amongst the religions of the world.

The great religions fall into three fundamental categories: the Hyper-

borean shamanisms (comprising Confucianism, Taoism, and Shinto),

the Aryan mythologies (comprising Hinduism, Buddhism, and the re-

ligion of Ancient Greece and Rome), and the Semitic monotheisms

(comprising Judaism, Christianity, and Islam).

In terms of this classification, Buddhism (as an “Aryan mythol-

ogy”) fal s in a different category from the religion best known to

Westerners, namely Christianity. However, from another point of view,

it can be said that the central role played by the person of the Bud-

dha in Buddhism is analogous to the central role played by Christ in

Christianity. This means that Buddhism can be classified, along with

Hinduism and Christianity (and in contradistinction from Judaism

and Islam) as “incarnationist”. An important concomitant of incarna-

tionism is iconography. In the incarnationist religions, iconography

plays an essential sacramental role. Whereas Judaism and Islam are

“iconoclastic” or “aniconic”, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity

are “iconodulic”. (See p. 23.)

It can also be said that, notwithstanding each religion being an

original and distinct revelation in its own right, Buddhism emerged

from the world of Hinduism, rather as Christianity emerged from the

world of Judaism.

Furthermore, Buddhism (especial y in its
Hīnayāna
or
Theravāda

form) is more or less unique in espousing the point of view that “Ul-

timate Reality” is a Supreme State, rather than a Supreme Being. As

mentioned on p. 1, however, this is, on the one hand, a question of

point of view, and on the other, a question of emphasis, as the “theistic”

perspective is not only prominent in
Mahāyāna
Buddhism, but also by

no means entirely lacking in
Theravāda
Buddhism.

Final y, it should be mentioned that Buddhism, like Christian-

ity and Islam, is a “universal” religion, willingly accepting converts

amongst “all nations”, whereas Hinduism and Judaism are restricted

to virtual y one people. In general terms (and remembering that there

are certain exceptions), one must be born a Hindu or a Jew, whereas

anyone can become a Buddhist, Christian, or Muslim.

The basic classification of the religions referred to in the first para-

graph is given in diagrammatic form on the following page.

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An Illustrated Outline of Buddhism

Classifififification of the Religions

I. The Hyperborean Shamanisms

Taoism

Confucianism

Shinto

Siberian Shamanism

American Indian

Religion

Bön (the pre-Buddhist Religion of Tibet)

II. The Aryan Mythologies

Hinduism

Buddhism

Greco-Roman Religion*

Ancient Germano-Celtic Religion*

Jainism

Zoroastrianism (Parsiism)

*extinct

III. The Semitic Monotheisms

Judaism

Christianity

Islam

Buddhism Amongst the World Religions

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China’s Three Messengers:

(
left
) Confucius (551-479 B.C.), (
right
) Lao Tzu (604-531 B.C.),

and (
center
) the Buddha (563-483 B.C.)

It is compassion that constitutes the very heart of the Buddha.

Hōnen

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(5) Life of the Buddha, Origin of Buddhism

The religion of Buddhism derives from the one who was called the

Buddha
(Sanskrit for “Enlightened” or “Awakened”). His family name

was Gautama, and his given name was Siddhārtha. Siddhārtha Gau-

tama was born about 563 B.C., in the Lumbinī Grove near Kapilavas-

tu, in what is now Nepal. His father, Shuddhōdana, was raja of the

Aryan Shākya tribe. His mother, Māyā, was the daughter of the raja

of the neighboring Koliyan tribe. Their families belonged to the Hin-

du
kshatriya
caste (i.e. the royal, aristocratic, or “warrior” caste). The

dormition of Queen Māyā took place seven days after she gave birth:

“having beheld the glory of her new-born child, she could not sustain

the joy he brought her, and, so as not to die of it, she ascended into

Heaven” (The
Buddha-Charita
of Ashvaghosha, II, 18).

When Siddhārtha Gautama was sixteen years old, he was mar-

ried to his cousin Yashodharā. Gautama lived happily with his wife in

princely luxury, free from the knowledge of care and want. After ten

years of marriage, they had a son who was named Rāhula.

Siddhārtha Gautama’s father had ordered that, whenever he rode

out in his chariot from the palace into the city, no aged, no sick, and

no funeral procession should be in sight—only young and beautiful