What is buddhism Is it a philosophy or a religion Essay

What is buddhism Is it a philosophy or a religion - evidence Examples study on whether Buddhism is a religion or a philosophy lay into consideration some of the theories applied, the history of Buddhism, Buddha its religious figure and its literature. The paper will not lie on one side of the thesis question i.e. whether Buddhism is a religion or philosophy, alone it will guess both notions mostly according to Olsons conclusions on the matter.In the book The Different Path of Buddhism Olson starts by first making a quick account of the early Buddhist tradition of how an old woman, friends with the monks, died and the monks were inconsolable. aft(prenominal) which Buddha told them the story about kaka Jataka, the crow and the day when one of the crows got very drunk and was swept out to the ocean and drowned he used the story for symbolism where the sea was a metaphor for the suffering associated with life and the crows delineate the human beings (Olson 1). Olson says that durin g this time of Buddhism, Buddha was considered an common man of flesh and blood, and an exceptional fascinating teacher not a manifestation of divine being. He is best known as an educator, philosopher, and founder of a major founding religion significantly, he is not like other religious figures that were considered to be holy beings like savior (Christianity) or Muhammad (Islam). However, like these other religious figures, Buddha gathered a small group of followers who were attracted to his personal magnetism and teaching, but insisted on the creation of a monastic community that shaped those who joined it and influenced Indian assimilation, and the laity who were necessary for its support (Olson 3).Before the formation of Buddhism, there were only two religious movements in India the Brahmins Brahmanical culture and the holy wanderers Indian culture notably, the Buddhists supported the holy wanderers and rejected certain ways of the Brahmanical religion but accepted other s (Olson 5). Buddhism was later formed from an incorporation of some features