Introduction to World Religions

Welcome to my introduction to world religions. If you are moving forward with Religious Studies or Philosophy of Religion at A-Level or university, having a basic understanding to the 6 main world religions is essential. Judaism Judaism was the first to teach the idea of monotheism. They believe in one G-d who not only created … Read more

The Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path of Buddhism

The four noble truths and eightfold path of Buddhism are crucial aspects of Buddhist philosophy and key teachings of the Buddha. Siddhartha Gotama Buddha – the Story of the Buddha leaving the Palace The Buddha, the founder of the Buddhist religion was called Prince Siddhartha Gotama. Siddhartha Gotama was sheltered from the suffering of the world … Read more

Buddhism in Sri Lanka in the Colonial Era

Buddhism in Sri Lanka in the Colonial Era With a history of colonisation since the sixteenth Century, the development of Buddhism in Sri Lanka (previously Ceylon) was immense.  In response to the colonising forces of the Portuguese (early 1600s), Dutch (from 1636) and British (Gradually suppressing the Dutch resulting in complete ownership of the Island … Read more

Chinese Buddhism: Was there a Buddhist Revival?

Historically, Buddhism has disappeared from most communist countries, but not China or Vietmnam. Chinese Buddhism did change, due to the encounter with other religions, and with the Western world. My main argument here is that revival is not a useful term to describe modern Chinese Buddhism because it creates misconceptions about such developments that occured between 1850 … Read more