Buddhism
By: Amanda Reeves
Main Beliefs
Their holy book is the Tipitaka. They worship their religion in a temple. There is no certain time to worship and it can be done however many times they want. Buddhists believe that as long as they are living in this world, they are without a soul. When a Buddhist dies they believe they will either be reborn into a new body or enter Nirvana. Their goal in life is to break the cycle of death and birth and to attain Nirvana. The only way to attain it is by being as nice as you can be such as being compassionate and sympathetic of all others, having patience in everything, and showing love for others. There are 5 things a Buddhist must never do such as swearing, stealing, killing, sexual immorality, and the use of toxic substances.
Rituals
Meditation: mental concentration and mindfulness
Mantras: sacred sounds
Mudras: symbolic hand gestures
Prayer Wheels: reciting mantras with the turn of a wheel.
Important Areas of Land
Lumbini is an important place to all Buddhists. It is the birthplace of Buddha. Bodhgaya is another important place to Buddhists. It is the place where Buddha actually became Buddha.
Central Figure
Their central figure is Buddha. There have been more than one Buddha. Buddha means awakened one or enlightened one. A Buddha is a person who has eliminated all negative qualities and developed all positive qualities.
Current Event
On March 21st in Myanmar a riot broke out between the Muslims and Buddhists. A Buddhist monk grabbed a girl as hostage and held a knife up to her neck. Within a couple hours at least 25 Muslims were killed and drug up a hill to be set on fire. Later bodies were also found butchered in a nearby swamp. There were at least 43 people killed over the next four days.
Local Place of Worship
Buddhist members can practice their religion at Lamrim Kadampa Buddhist Center in Davenport, IA. About 1.5 million people practice Buddhism in the United States. There are around 350 million people that practice Buddhism in the world.