Page 21 - Islam and Buddhism

bout 2500 years ago, Buddhism arose in northeast
India and, in time, extended its influence throughout
Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Kampuchea, China,
Japan, Tibet, Mongolia, Manchuria, Korea, and Nepal.
Today, it has about 330 million followers.
Definitions of Buddhism have always varied,
along with how Buddhists understand life's meaning.
For some, Buddhism is a religion; others regard it as a
sect or school of philosophy. But from its view of life and all its prac-

tices, it is ultimately clear that the doctrine of Buddhism is idolatrous
and superstitious. Since Buddhism is an atheist religion that lacks any
belief in God, it also rejects the existence of angels, the eternal after-
life, Hell, and the Day of Judgment.
Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, was born in
the Indian city of Kapilavastu and lived between 563 and 483
B.C. At this time, India's dominant religion was

Brahmanism, the religion of Aryan invaders.
According to the Aryans' rigid and unbreachable
caste system, all of society was divided into
four groups, each of which in turn was di-
vided into sub castes. Brahman

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