K. Armstrong's "Buddha"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Gotama, the Buddha, changed common perceptions in many ways because, at this time Buddhism, was essentially a new religion preceded by Hinduism based on the
Vedic teachings. The author points out that Gotama made Buddhism a religion by extending the common perceptions of Buddhism from a code of living for individuals to a code for the greater collective. The paper agrees with Armstrong's book in asserting that the Buddha was an axial person, who changed the fabric of the society he was living, testing the bounds of convention and personally creating a new school of thought and living into existence.

From the Paper:

"It is common knowledge that in Buddhist thought, which originated in India and made significant inroads into Chinese and other east Asian societies, there is a belief in the concept of karma. This karma can be likened to the Western concept of fate, although it is not quite the same, in that it shows the importance of destiny and the supposition that the individual's destiny is preordained. This changed the common perception significantly. It was also a factor that Gotama offered universally accessible enlightenment that was not restricted by class or social structure."

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