Buddhism

An Introduction to Buddhist Archaeology, Gina L. Barnes. World Archaeology, Vol.27, No. 2, Buddhist Archaeology. (Oct., 1995), pp. 165-182. Taylor & Francis, Ltd.

This reading on Buddhism and it's Archeology was not only very interesting and informative but it was also written very strait forward and easily understood by the reader. The points were clear and reinforced with factual information. It talks about the origin and concepts of what makes up the Buddhist religion. Along with the organization of chronic logical order which helps the reader better understand this concept because it can be read from beginning to end.

Siddhartha Guatama was the prince responsible for the historical teachings of Buddhism was created. He resented the beliefs that the Vedas, religious texts, were the religious truths and rebeled against the brahmans by denouncing his luxurious ways and lived without worldly materialism and desire in order to achieve enlightenment, which occurred to him when he was 35 years old. The lecture he was giving under the Bodhgaya tree when this occurred became the basis for the Buddhist doctrine. From thereen after he became Buddha the one who had attained enlightenment.

For the rest of his life he continued to teach his newly found doctorine up until his death at 80 years of age. When he died he then achieved absolute Nirvana and escaped the cycle of reincarnation. Since his death there have been pilgrimages to many of the sites that he taught from. When he died he was cremated and his remains were distributed and incorporated into shrines called stupas. His teachings/ Dharma was taken from contemporary Brhamanism which has dominated Indian thought for centuries. All of Buddha's followers were urged to denouce their materialistic lives and become monks to spread the religion all over the world.

These groups that the monks formed were called sangha's . The first monasteries were carved into cliffs. There has been speculation that there were as many as 18 different forms of Buddhism at one point in time. These were challenged by a new philosophy in the 1st century BC that stated that enlightenment was not the abolition of desire but instead universal compassion. The latter was then called the greater vehicle which carried you towards enlightenment and the former mens was then referred