Zen Buddhism

Buddhism is so popular because it is more scientifc and practical than other religions.

Zen Buddhism became popular in Japan because the people in Japan wanted to keep their own religion but also wanted to use Buddhism so they blended them together and created Zen Buddhism.

Estimates vary widely. Typically they range from 300 to 500 million people. The highest estimate is about 1.2 to 1.6 billion people. The data is difficult to determine as practices in high population countries such as China which discourage religious activities are not available.

There are around 375 million Buddhists worldwide. == There are about 1.2 to 1.6 billion Buddhists throughout the world as of 2008.

The legend of the Eastern martial arts is that they originated in the temples of the Shoalin priests and were created by the Bodhidharma, the individual credited with really establishing Zen, to keep the priests in physical shape so they could understand what he was teaching. Many equate the mental focus required to do martial arts with the concentration required to meditate. Zen archery is probably the most intertwined of the two.

It stands for "goodness" The Blue Lotus symbolizes the victory of the spirit over the senses; of the wisdom of knowledge.

No. That being said, there are many different kinds of meditation practices that people who think of themselves as Buddhists use-and some of them may use music. However, there is nothing in the material that has come down from the Buddha himself that involves playing music while meditating.

It would greatly depend upon the definition of martial art and the sub-categories within them.

The Japanese Sword can be broken down into many different styles. So can Japanese karate.

In general, here is a partial listing:

* Iaido * Judo * Aikido * JuJitsu * Aikijitsu * Japanese Karate * Sumo * Ninjitsu * Kendo

Both Zen and Amida are forms of Mahayana Buddhism.

Zen is the Japanese form of Ch'an Buddhism and is found in several schools (Soto, Rinzai, & Obaku Zen). Zen is called the "Sudden Teaching" as it endeavours to bring forth enlightenment (Satori or Kensho) by living and focusing on the here and now.

Amida or "Pure Land" Buddism is found in Japan in Jōdo-shū, Jōdo Shinshū and Shingon sects. It is an esoteric form of Buddhism that focuses on ritual, visualization and mantras.

19 May 2008 Visakha Bucha Day / Visakha Puja / Buddha Day Also spelled Vesak, Wesak or Vaisakha and it is the name of this month in the Indian calendar. Celebration of Lord Buddhas birthday, enlightenment and death (attainment of Nirvana).

One might say a persons many views turn into "understanding" through Dhamma practice. That understanding then starts liberating the mind. Dhamma principles center around mindfulness of the present moment, and Buddhism's views come from this observation. This question is loaded and is like asking a master carpender what his views are on carpentry. So no one can fully answer but I can cover the basics. 1. Is the observation of cause and effect, Kamma. Kamma simply put means that what you think, say, and do really makes a difference. The beginnings of Dhamma practice comes through self responsibility, and taking responsibility for our own happiness, and misery. 2. Is the observation of impermanence. If you focus on your mind, feelings, body, mental objects is always changing. As ones mind runs off to play with sights, sounds, ......etc. with mindful attention one can sober the mind to this impermanence. 3.Another observation is "not self" seeing through the illusion of a Big "I" behind all things. The "i" of seeing is the same as the "i" of thinking, the "i" of feeling is not the same as the "i" body parts. So this Big "I" breaks apart into streams of little "i"s arising and passing away every second. As the eight mindful steps of the Buddhas path begin to develop so does the powers of observation, insight, and views.

I would say that the four holiest sites are:

1) Lumbini, Nepal - The Birthplace of Buddha

2) Bodhgaya, India - The place at which Buddha became enlightened.

3) Sarnath, India _ the place where Buddha gave his first sermon; and

4) Kushinagar, India- The place where Buddha left this world.

Theravada, Mahayana, and Tibetan.

Guatama Buddha was born in what is now Lumbini, Nepal. After he left his father's house he traveled to various places in Nepal and India, and then he became enlightened while sitting under a Bodhi tree in what is now Bodh Gaya, India.

The Tripitaka is the earliest collection of Buddhist writings. Initially, they were orally transmitted, but were written down by the third century BCE. The word means "the three baskets," and refers to the way the texts were first recorded. The early writing material was long, narrow leaves, which were sewn together on one side. Bunches of these were then stored in baskets. This is a large collection, running 45 volumes in one modern edition.

The Tripitaka is comprised of the Sutras, sermons and teachings of Buddha; Abhidharma, discourses on interpretation of the doctrine; and Vinay, rules for monks and nuns in monastic life. So the Tripitaka defines what Buddhism is and how we are to live our lives.

It is the Vedas and the Upanishads which form the authority in Hinduism. There are myriad other supporting books, commentaries and literature which mainly interpret and elucidate these prime authorities. There are Puranas and epics like Ramayan and Mahabharat. The Bhagwadgita looked upon as the 'Book' of Hinduism is an extract from Mahabharat wherein the Lord Krishna bares open the philosophy of the Sanatan Dharma - The Eternal Religion - to his disciple Arjun. There are very many compilations in regional languages besides Sanskrit which is the classical language of the Vedas and and the Upanishds.

A sangha may be defined in different ways. Initially one may define a sangha as fellow followers of the Dharma (fellow Buddhists).

As one's practice matures & strengthens, we begin to see that all people - regardless of Faith (or lack thereof) are our Teachers - and are also part of our sangha.

If you consider prayer to be an homage to a deiry or a request or assistance from this same deity, then Buddhist monks don't pray at all as Buddhism has no deity, The monk's chanting helps them meditate and fix their minds on the aspects of Buddhist thinking that lead to enlightenment.

Is an image that depicts the stages of life from the Buddhist perspective. It shows various states of existence from the suffering of hell realms to the mundane existence of animals to liberation of Buddhahood. It's a visual picture of Buddhist cosmology.