Theravada Buddhism Origin Northern India

HERAVADA BUDDHISM Belief in Deity: The concept of a supreme, Creator God is rejected or at least considered irrelevant to Theravada Buddhism. Buddha, "the Awakened One," is revered above all -- not as "God" but as supreme sage, a model of a fully Enlightened person. Many Buddhists hold that there is a spirit world with gods in the heavens, but gods are not supreme and are subject to rebirth, while only humans have the potential to attain Enlightenment and reach Nirvana (eternal bliss), free from rebirth. Incarnations: Buddha was a human, a fully Enlightened spiritual teacher and inspiration. As there no belief in or relevance to God, there are no incarnations of God worshipped. Origins of universe/life: Buddhists consider it the job of scientists to explain origins of the universe and life. Many maintain that the world creates and recreates itself millions of times every fraction of a second, but there is no contradiction with scientific discovery. Questions of origins are considered irrelevant to the goal of enlightenment. After death: There is no transmigration of individual souls, but through the law of karma, one's wholesome or unwholesome intentions become imprinted in the mind. Negative mental states persist through continual rebirth until one's intentions become wholesome. Once fully enlightened, one is liberated from rebirths, reaching a state of absolute selflessness resulting in ultimate bliss called Nirvana--the "Deathless State". One becomes Buddha (or one with Buddha). Some Buddhists, especially modern Western, don't emphasize or believe in literal rebirth. Belief in literal rebirth is not essential to the practice of Buddhism. Why evil? People have free will to commit wrongs or rights. Evil doings may result when egoism, cravings, attachments, and ignorance are expressed as greed, hatred, violence which, if unmitigated, is perpetuated through rebirth. Salvation: Enlightenment is an individual journey to Nirvana (complete bliss), liberation from suffering and cycles of rebirth, by following the Four Noble Truths and Eight-fold path. To eliminate karma, which causes rebirth, one must extinguish self: all cravings, desires, and attachments. The path to enlightenment includes loving-kindness and compassion, moral conduct, charity, wisdom, and meditation. Attaining unnecessary worldly possessions and over-indulgence causes karma to accumulate. Undeserved Suffering: Suffering is inherent in life, and the cessation of suffering is the primary goal of Buddhism - to reach Nirvana, to end cycles of rebirth. Suffering is a result of past-life greed, hatred, and ignorance that has returned suffering (karma). Compassion toward others who suffer reduces the effects of karma. Contemporary Issues: Abortion is generally considered murder, and all violent acts cause horrific karmic consequence. Homosexuality in itself is not specifically condemned by scripture, but opinions vary, especially among various Buddhist cultures -- e.g. USA Buddhists are generally very accepting while Asian Buddhists are generally strongly opposed to homosexuality. It is believed that divorce wouldn't occur if one follows Buddhist precepts, but a couple is not condemned if they separate due to vast personal differences. Gender roles are generally traditional (e.g. woman as child caretakers and men as providers), but less rigid as contemporary demands are made on women (e.g. working women). Nonviolence and non-injury to other life forms and to the environment are fundamental.