The Buddhist Tradition
The Buddhist Tradition Religious Beliefs and Healthcare Decisions by Paul David Numrich uddhism originated as a movement of spiritual Brenunciants who followed Siddhartha Gautama, a prince of the Shakya people in northern India around 500 B.C.E. (before the common era, often designated B.C.). Legend recounts that after Siddhartha confront- ed the realities of old age, illness, and death, he Contents renounced his privileged social position to seek spiri- Beliefs Relating to Healthcare 2 tual salvation. Through years spent studying spiritual Overview of 3 practices and practicing disciplined meditation he dis- Religious Morality and Ethics covered a kind of transcendent clarity of perspective, The Individual and 4 which is referred to as enlightenment or nirvana. The the Patient-Caregiver Relationship prince Siddhartha thereafter became known as the Family, Sexuality, and Procreation 5 Buddha (Enlightened One) and Shakyamuni (Sage of the Shakyas). Genetics 6 Buddhism spread throughout Asia and divided into Organ and Tissue Transplantation 7 three major branches, each with distinctive beliefs, Mental Health 8 practices, and cultural nuances: Theravada Buddhism Medical Experimentation 9 in southern and Southeast Asia (the modern coun- and Research tries of Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Death and Dying 9 Cambodia, and Vietnam), Mahayana Buddhism in Special Concerns 11 eastern Asia (China, Korea, and Japan), and Vajrayana Buddhism in central Asia (mainly Tibet). Each major branch includes various sub-branches and groups; for instance,
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