Buddhism

Lord Buddha courtesy Pannirselvam Kanagaratnam

Buddhism dates from around 500 B.C. when the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama founded the religion in northern India. It eventually expanded to all of India and most of Asia, gaining great influence in the courts of China and Japan by 1000 A.D.

Buddhism in the 20th century has not been so fortunate. Like many other religions, Buddhism faces various challenges that threaten their traditional practices. To stall this trend, Buddhist leaders have tried to appeal to more
people by focusing or the more rational aspects of Buddhist thought and meditation, as opposed to tradiational practices.

Still, once Buddhist nations are no longer adherents. In Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, war and the resulting political shift shattered what were once thriving Buddhist cultures. Nothing illustrates this more vividly than the pictures of calm Buddhist monks and nuns, driven to the desperate act of self-immolation to draw the world's attention to the oppression that the religion suffered. In China, the Cultural Revolution dealt a near-fatal blow to Buddhism already weakened after years of political turmoil. A thriving Buddhist community, however, still exists in Thailand and Myanmar.

Worshippers of Buddhism usually go for prayers at the nearest temple at their home and tend to worship any gods that are in the temple. They buy joss-stick or in some cases, flowers, as offerings. Some Buddhists chant as well for an extended period of time.