The Buddhist Tradition Religious Beliefs and Healthcare Decisions by Paul

Buddhism originated as a movement of spiritual renunciants who followed Siddhartha Gautama, a prince of the Shakya people in northern India around 500 B.C.E. (before the common era, often designated B.C.). Legend recounts that after Siddhartha confronted the realities of old age, illness, and death, he renounced his privileged social position to seek spiritual salvation. Through years spent studying spiritual practices and practicing disciplined meditation he discovered a kind of transcendent clarity of perspective, which is referred to as enlightenment or nirvana. The prince Siddhartha thereafter became known as the Buddha (Enlightened One) and Shakyamuni (Sage of the Shakyas). Buddhism spread throughout Asia and divided into three major branches, each with distinctive beliefs, practices, and cultural nuances: Theravada Buddhism in southern and Southeast Asia (the modern countries of Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam), Mahayana Buddhism in eastern Asia (China, Korea, and Japan), and Vajrayana Buddhism in central Asia (mainly Tibet). Each major branch includes various sub-branches and groups; for instance, Chan Buddhism in China (known as Zen Buddhism in Japan) and the Dalai Lama’s Gelugpa lineage in Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism. A voluminous body of scriptures developed among these Buddhist traditions, including texts of the Buddha’s teachings, known as dharma, as well as monastic disciplinary rules and commentaries by later religious authorities.1 The Buddhist Tradition