Chapter 8: The Geography of Religion

8.4.3 Buddhism

Religion

Buddhism is an offshoot of Hinduism that dates to the fifth century BCE. It was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, i.e., The Buddha, near the modern border between Nepal and India. Gautama was born into an affluent family, rumored to be royalty. As a young man, he enjoyed the privileges of his birth. As he got older, he began to notice the suffering around him. He spent the latter part of his youth traveling and pondering the cause of suffering. While meditating under a Bodhi tree he experienced “The enlightenment,” where he understood the cause and solution to suffering was the “Middle Way.” Gautama developed the Four Noble Truths as a means to end suffering and the “Eight-Fold Path” as a blueprint for living the Middle Way.

The Four Noble Truths are as follows

  1. All lives contain suffering.
  2. The cause of this suffering is desire or wants.
  3. One must stop these desires or unnecessary wants to end suffering.
  4. The pathway to stop suffering is to follow the “Middle Way” and to use the Eight-Fold Path to do so.

The Eight-Fold Path6 is summarized in the following:

  1. Right View or Right Understanding: Insight into the true nature of reality.
  2. Right Intention: The unselfish desire to realize enlightenment.
  3. Right Speech: Using speech compassionately.
  4. Right Action: Using ethical conduct to manifest compassion.
  5. Right Livelihood: Making a living through ethical and non-harmful means.
  6. Right Effort: Cultivating wholesome qualities and releasing unwholesome qualities.
  7. Right Mindfulness: Whole body-and-mind awareness
  8. Right Concentration: Meditation or some other dedicated, concentrated practice.

The three largest branches of Buddhism are Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana (Figure 8.4.3.1). The main differences between the branches are their approaches to canonized doctrine.

File:Buddhism Map.png
Figure 8.4.3.1 The distribution of the various branches of Buddhism in Asia. (Click the image to see it on Wikimedia.)
Source: “Buddhism Map” by SY via Wikimedia Commons is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

For a good map showing the global distribution of Islam by percentage of country population   click here and scroll down to the map right before the last.

According to estimates conducted by the Pew Center, half the world’s Buddhists live in China. Still, they make up only 18% of the country’s population. Most of the rest of the world’s Buddhists live in East and South Asia, including 13% in Thailand (where 93% of the population is Buddhist). Buddhism in Asia is a matter of both identity and practice. Scholars and journalists have documented that many Asian countries may engage in Buddhist practices without considering themselves part of any organized religion.

Diffusion

Buddhism originated near the current Nepalese-Indian border. Like many other religions, it spread in other directions, particularly to the south and east

image
Figure 8.4.3.2 Diffusion of Buddhism from its hearth in Northern India. (Click the image to enlarge it.)
Source: “Figure 6.12 Diffusion of Buddhism” in “Introduction to Human Geography” by David Dorrell via LOUIS Pressbooks is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Due to its position as the oldest large, universalizing religion, Buddhism is a good example of the lifecycle of a religion. From its origins, the religion spread across what is now India and Nepal. It spread in all directions, but looking at a current religious map reveals that the process did not end 1500 years ago. Much of its territory on the Indian subcontinent would become mostly Hindu or Muslim. To the east and south, however, the religion continued and expanded. It is not unusual for a religion to prove popular far from its place of origin. That is the key to a successful universalizing of a religion.

Appearance in the Landscape

Figure 8.4.3.3 The Thuparamaya Stupa, the earliest stupa after Theravada Buddhism became the official religion in Sri Lanka, dating back to the reign of King Devanampiya Tissa (247–207 BCE (Click the image to see it on Wikimedia.)
Source: “Thuparamaya Stupa and Stone Pillars” by Exploreslk via Wikimedia Commons is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Buddhism manifests in the cultural landscape through various tangible and intangible elements. In particular there are architectural features such as  Buddhist temples, monasteries, stupas, and pagodas. These structures often have distinctive architectural styles, including intricate carvings, statues of Buddha, and colorful decorations.

Figure 8.4.3.4 Pagoda – or Stupa in Myanmar. Theravada Buddhism. (Click the image to see it on Wikimedia.)
Source: “Shwedagon Pagoda 2017” by Bjørn Christian Tørrissen via Wikimedia Commons is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Figure  8.4.3.5 Wat Phra Kaew in Thailand. Major temple – Theravada Buddhism (Click the image to see it on Wikimedia.)
Source: “Wat Phra Kaew by Ninara TSP edit crop” by Ninara via Wikimedia Commons is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Figure 8.4.3.6  Borobudur – a Mahayana Buddhist temple in Indonesia. (Click the image to see it on Wikimedia.)
Source: “Pradaksina” by Heri nugroho via Wikimedia Commons is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

In addition, there are sacred Sites which are related to locations of significant events in the life of the Buddha, such as Bodh Gaya (the site of enlightenment), Lumbini (birthplace), Sarnath (first sermon), and Kushinagar (death), are important pilgrimage sites and influence regional development.

Statues of Buddha and other deities, prayer flags, wheels, and other religious symbols are prevalent in public and private spaces.

Monasteries and nunneries often serve as community centers and educational institutions, shaping the social and cultural fabric of their regions.

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Introduction to Cultural Geography Copyright © 2024 by Barbara Crain is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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