Introductory teachings  
 

Buddha and Buddhism  | Basics of Buddhas teachings  |  Methods  |  Advanced  

Buddha and Buddhism

Buddha and Buddhism 
This introductory chapter describes Buddha’s life, important points of his teachings and how they were spread.

Buddhas Life 
This chapter tells the life story of the historical Buddha.

Historic Survey of the Spreading of Buddhism 
Throughout the last 2,500 years Buddhism spread from India across the various Asian countries. In India, though, it was destroyed by Islamic conquerors since the 11th century, later on in Tibet by the Chinese in the 20th century. It is remarkable, that Buddhism has been meeting with great approval, especially in the Western countries, since the 1960s.

Buddhism and Society 
The influence which the political and social structures of the different cultures had on Buddhism will be illustrated with three examples.

The Face of Buddhism Today
Lama Ole Nydahl 
In Tibet, there were three possible ways of following Buddhism: one might become a monk, practice as a lay person, or be a yogi. Monks and nuns lived separately in monasteries and nunneries and had strict rules of conduct. The lay people had families, a normal occupation and tried to put the teachings into their everyday lives....