Buddhism

Lama Surya Das is a prominent Western-born teacher continuing to bring the teachings of Buddhism to Westerners. See also:. Another example of a school evolving new idioms for the transmission of the dharma is the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order, founded by Sangharakshita. Here is a list of teams with the league they are a part of and the venue the play in:. Chögyam Trungpa, the founder of the Shambhala meditation movement, claimed in his teachings that his intention was to strip the ethnic baggage away form traditional methods of working with the mind and to deliver the essence of those teachings to his western students. Houston is home to several professional sports franchises. This dynamic aspect is particularly evident today in the West. See also:.

A distinctive feature of Buddhism has been the continuous evolution of the practice as it was transmitted from one country to another. It's "en su defensa" (In Your Defense) segments have garnered regional acclaim, and En Su Defensa month was proclaimed by Mayor Bill White in 2004. Buddhism had become the fastest-growing religion in Australia and many other Western nations by the 1990s, in contrast to the steady decline of traditional western beliefs (see Christianity). Univision Affiliate KXLN-TV is among the highest rated Spanish language television stations in the United States. This Tibetan form of Buddhism proved especially intriguing to quite a number of westerners. These reports garnered the reporters and the station national and international attention and awards. During and after the Chinese occupation of Tibet, many of them fled to Nepal and India, including most renown Buddhist masters. KHOU-TV's team of "Defenders" began and lead a national investigation on the failure of Firestone Wilderness AT tires in several vehicles.

Many people, including celebrities, traveled to Asia in pursuit of gurus and ancient wisdom. The station also employs Marvin Zindler, whose week-long exposé on the Chicken Ranch brothel later became the basis for the Broadway musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. The cultural re-evaluations of the hippie generation in the late 1960s and early 1970s led to a re-discovery of Buddhism, which seemed to promise a natural path to awareness and enlightenment. Since then, the charity's donations dwindled, leaving the owner fuming. The Buddhist Society, London was founded by Christmas Humphreys in 1924. ABC-13 KTRK TV's Wayne Dolcefino released a controversial report that allegedly showed bad business practices of a charity called "Kid Care". See the article on Buddhism in America for further information. Houston also is home to the TV stations and radio stations that serve the metro area.

Hired as cheap labor for the railroads and other expanding industries, they established temples in their settlements along the rail lines. Houston has a variety of newspapers, with the Houston Chronicle (which is the only major daily newspaper in Houston receiving wide distribution) being read all across the South-Central United States. The first Buddhists to arrive in the United States were Chinese. See also:. In 1899 Gordon Douglas became the first Westerner to be ordained as a Buddhist monk. Other alternative of higher learning includes the Houston Community College System, which has several campuses around Houston to serve all areas and is one of the largest community college system in the United States. The flag was accepted as the International Buddhist Flag by the 1952 World Buddhist Congress. Houston is world renowned for health and medicine research facilities located in the Medical Center such as the Baylor College of Medicine and many others.

Its stripes symbolise universal compassion, the middle path, blessings, purity and liberation, wisdom, and the conglomeration of these. Houston is the location of a well known prestigious private institution of Rice University, which boasts the largest financial endowment of any university in the world. In 1880 J.R. de Silva and Henry Steel Olcott designed the International Buddhist flag to celebrate the revival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. The UH Law Center's Health Law and Policy Institute is ranked number one in the nation while the Intellectual Property Law Program is ranked fifth, according to U.S. News & World Report. At first Western Buddhology was hampered by poor translations (often translations of translations), but soon Western scholars began to learn Asian languages and translate Asian texts. Amongst the most prestigious of the University of Houston's colleges is the University of Houston Law Center (law school). Spiritual enthusiasts enjoyed what they saw as the exotic and mystical tone of the Asian traditions. UH is also home to over forty research centers and institutes.

German writer Hermann Hesse also showed great interest in the eastern religion, even writing a book entitled Siddhartha. The interdisciplinary research conducted at UH breaks new ground in such vital areas as superconductivity, space commercialization, biomedical engineering, economics, education, petroleum exploration and management. These included the pessimistic German philosopher Schopenhauer and the American philosopher Henry David Thoreau, who translated a Buddhist sutra from French into English. Their flagship institution is the University of Houston, the only doctoral degree granting extensive research institution in Houston and is the third largest in the state of Texas with an enrollment of over 35,000. In the latter half of the 19th century, Buddhism (along with many other of the world's religions and philosophies) came to the attention of Western intellectuals. Houston is served by the University of Houston System, the largest urban state system of higher education in the Gulf Coast, which has four universities with three located in Houston. Buddhist organizations in Asia frequently are well-funded and enjoy support from the wealthy and influential. In some cases, this has led critics to charge that certain monks and organizations are too closely associated with the powerful and are neglecting their duties to the poor. See also:.

While in the West Buddhism is often seen as exotic and progressive, in the East Buddhism is regarded as familiar and part of the establishment. As of 2005, several candidates for the Houston City Council have brought up the issue of whether term limits should be amended or eliminated. Kalmykia, while geographically located in Europe, is culturally closely related to Mongolia and thus its Buddhism is more properly grouped with Asian than with Western Buddhism. A proposal to amend the Houston city charter where the current 2-year term will be amended to 4 years in office has been debated. Vajrayāna is predominant in Tibet, Mongolia, portions of Siberia and portions of India, especially those areas bordering Tibet. There are several issues brought up in the Houston area with term limits - during Mayor Lee Brown's final term in office, he refers to term limits as a dis-service for elected officials since incumbents do not gain the needed experience in city government. It has seats in Malaysia and Singapore. Controller Annise Parker is the only ex-council member who ran for a nonpartisan office.

Theravāda predominates in most of Southeast Asia, including Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, as well as Sri Lanka. Several former city officials - Anthony Hall, Rodney Ellis, Sheila Jackson-Lee, Sylvia Garcia, Martha Wong, Chris Bell, and Annise Parker - had to run for another elected position either as a Democrat or Republican once their term expires. In northern Asia, Mahāyāna remains the most common form of Buddhism in China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, (parts of) Indonesia and Singapore. The City of Houston has been enforcing the 3-term rule since November 1991 after a referendum passed. Estimates of the number of Buddhists vary between 230 and 500 million, with 350 million as the most commonly cited figure. [4] (http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html). Local municipal government in the City of Houston is considered as a home-rule city, and members of city council and the Controller's position are nonpartisan. Dialogues between the Buddha's disciples and Mahāvīra are recorded in Jain texts, and dialogues between Mahāvīra's disciples and the Buddha are included in Buddhist texts. At-large council members represent the entire city, as well as collaborate with district council members in response to district concerns.

One of its two most revered teachers, Mahāvīra (599 - 527 BC), was a senior contemporary of the Buddha whose philosophy, sometimes described as dynamism or vitalism, was a blend of the earlier Jain teacher Pārśvanātha's order and the reforms instituted by Mahavira himself. City Council members, who make up the legislative branch, are elected from nine districts in the city, along with five at-large positions. Jainism is an ancient religion and school of thought that predates Buddhism. A mayor, who is the executive branch of the city government, can be elected consecutively for three terms. Some Muslims believe that Gautama Buddha is Dhul-Kifl, one of the prophets mentioned in the Qur'an. The current mayor of Houston is Bill White, who is serving his first term. Siddhartha Gautama is thought to have been sanctified by the Roman Catholic Church as Saint Josaphat based on a mistaken account of his conversion to Christianity. A portion of southwest Houston, east of Missouri City, extends into Fort Bend County and also portion of northeast Houston extends into Montgomery County.

The Bahá'í Faith states he was an independent Manifestation of God. Houston is the county seat of Harris County. In the Japanese religion of Shintoism Buddha is seen as a Kami (god). See also:. Traditionally, there has been a sharp distinction between Buddhism and what is today called "Hinduism"; this distinction is more accurately between Astika and Nastika philosophies, that is, philosophies in India which either affirmed the Vedas as divinely revealed scriptures or else regarded them as fallible human inventions. Thus Buddhism is essentially a heresy vis à vis orthodox Indian philosophy, though there are many syncretic or ecumenical tendencies within either group which are accepting of the beliefs and practices of the other. cities, and the housing in Houston is among the most affordable in the Nation. The avatar theory came into existence in approximately the 9th century CE. The city has the second lowest cost of living in comparison to other major U.S.

This is not a majority view, however. Houston is unique in being the largest American city without zoning regulations. Some Hindus (primarily in the northern regions of India) believe that Gautama is the 9th incarnation (see avatar) of Vishnu; there are accounts of the Buddha as an incarnation of Vishnu that are pro- and anti-Buddhist (i.e., either that Vishnu "really meant" what he said while incarnated as Buddha or that he was intentionally tricking those who follow unorthodox doctrines). Real Estate is also a large business in the Houston area, and NASA's presence in the city's southeast side has provided an additional economic boost. Donated to the British Library in 1994, they are now being studied in a joint project at the University of Washington[3] (http://depts.washington.edu/ebmp/). It still is vital to the region, but most of the banks operating there are not based in Houston. These fragments, written on birch bark, are dated to the 1st century and have been compared to the Dead Sea scrolls in importance. Houston has attempted to build a banking industry in the city, but all of the companies which had been started in Houston were merged with other companies nationwide.

Recently an important archaeological discovery was made, consisting of the earliest known Buddhist manuscripts, recovered from somewhere near ancient Gandhara in northwest Pakistan. However, Pasadena still has its refineries, and the Port of Houston is among the busiest in the world. Vajrayāna practitioners also study distinctive texts such as the Buddhist tantras. When the embargo was lifted, the growth stopped. This is split into those texts attributed to be authored by the Buddha (Kanjur), and those texts which are understood to be commentaries by Indian practitioners (Tenjur). Demand on Texas oil increased, and many people from the northeast came down to profit from the trade. Arguably the most thorough compilation of Mahayana works is found in the Tibetan canon. The city's second growth spurt occurred in the late 1970s, with the Arab Oil Embargo.

These included, for example, in Korea, some of the writings of Jinul, and in Japan, works such as Dogen's Shobogenzo. The 1920s had Houston's first growth spurt. In the course of the development of Korean Buddhism and Japanese Buddhism, further important texts were composed. Houston became a major port as a result of the downfall of Galveston and the rise of the Houston Ship Channel. Later writings include the Linji Lu of Chan master Linji. Unlike most places, where high gas prices are seen as harmful to the economy, they are generally seen as beneficial for Houston as many are employed in the energy industry. On the other hand, there were texts, such as the Platform Sutra and the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment did not pretend to be of Indian origin, but are widely accepted as valid scriptures on their own merits. Houston has had several growth spurts in relation to the Texas oil industry.

Some of these works are considered by modern scholars to be spurious. A new 20,000 SF Terminal and a 60-acre GA Complex, are currently under construction, with the Terminal completion expected in Spring 2006. The Mahāyāna corpus of sutras further expanded after Buddhism was transmitted to China, where the existing texts were translated, and new texts were composed for the purpose of adapting the Indian tradition to the East Asian philosophical mindset. The airport mostly serves corporate, governmental, and private clienteles, while it is owned and operated by the City of Sugar Land. Many of the Mahayana sutras were translated into Tibetan and classical Chinese and are also now read in the West. Sugar Land Regional Airport is the fourth largest airport in the Houston—Sugar Land—Baytown Metropolitan Area, and the only general reliever airport in the southwest sector. These include the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, the Avataṃsaka, the Lotus Sutra, the Vimalakīrti Sutra, and the Nirvana Sutra. To the southwest of Houston, in Sugar Land, is the Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR), formerly Sugar Land Municipal Airport.

The appearance of the Mahāyāna tradition brought with it a collection of new texts, composed in Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit, many of which were also described as actual sermons of the Buddha. Ellington Field is in danger of closing down, as of February 2004. Full versions of the original text[1] (http://jbe.gold.ac.uk/palicanon.html) and partial English translations[2] (http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/) are now readily available on the internet. Passenger flights ended on September 7, 2004. The most notable set of texts from the early period is the Pali Canon, which was preserved in Sri Lanka by the Theravāda school. The sutras it contains are also part of the canon of every other Buddhist sect. The only passenger traffic that Ellington Field (EFD) ever handled consists of passengers going to and from Galveston County flying to Bush Airport to reduce travel time to that said airport. A given school of Buddhism will generally have its own distinctive canon of texts, which will partially overlap with those of other schools. Hobby has a lot of the intra-United States traffic that is headed for downtown, southern Houston, Galveston, and the southern suburbs; it also handles all flights by Southwest Airlines from Houston.

During the first few centuries after Gautama Buddha, his teachings were transmitted orally, but around the 1st Century CE they began to be written down. Bush Airport handles all of the city's international traffic. These terms literally mean "three baskets" and refers to the three main divisions of the canon, which are:. Houston is served by George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU). The Buddhist canon of scripture is known in Sanskrit as the Tripitaka and in Pāli as the Tipitaka. Brown and former METRO chairwoman Shirley DeLibero. See also: History of Buddhism and Timeline of Buddhism. Two METRORail cars - #101 and #102 - are the only METRO vehicles with dedication plaques to former mayor Lee P.

However, it is thought by others that meditative Shiva sects seem to have existed from pre-Vedic times; also, from scriptural citations and study of the Vedas, some say Tantra saw its philosophical basis in the mystical rites and mantras of the Atharva Veda (and later the Hindu Upanishads and Mahayana school of Buddhism). Although now only about 8 miles (13 km) long a long term plan is being developed for several more much longer line segments connecting diverse corners of the metropolitan area. Buddhist literature tends to predate the later puranic Tantras, and there is some evidence to suggest that the basic structure of tantra depends upon the Mahayana Buddhist philosophical schools. This is Texas's second major light rail service, after DART's light rail service in Dallas, Texas. There is still an active debate as to whether or not Tantrism was initially developed within Buddhism or Hinduism. METRO hopes to expand the Light Rail to the 2 major airports, as well as the Bay Area, Katy, Spring and along the Southwest Freeway. An early form of esoteric Vajrayana known as Shingon was also transmitted by the priest Kūkai to Japan, where it continues to be practiced. A 27 mile (43 km) expansion has been approved to run the service all along the central Houston area, including Uptown.

There it initially coexisted with native belief systems such as Bön, but later came to largely supplant or absorb them. It runs primarily along Main Street from central Downtown Houston to the Texas Medical Center and Reliant Park. Vajrayana also evolved at this stage carried from India to Tibet from around 800 by teachers such as Padmasambhava and Atisha. The city got the METRORail, a light rail service, on January 1, 2004. However, Buddhism there was supplanted by the introduction of Islam around 1000. Uptown, METRO provides free service on the Uptown Shuttle. At one time, different Turkic and Tocharian groups along the northern fringe of East Turkestan (modern Xinjiang in western China) adhered to Nikaya Buddhism. The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas, or METRO, provides public transportation in the form of buses, trolleys, and lift vans.

These Chinese travel records constitute extremely valuable sources for information concerning the state of Buddhism in India during the early medieval period. Residents often refer to Freeways and Tollways by their names instead of numbers. During the first millennium, monks from China such as Faxian, Yijing and Xuanzang made pilgrimages to India and wrote accounts of their travels when they returned home. For a road map of Houston, click here (http://www.soulofamerica.com/images/maps/houston_map.jpeg). In 475, the Indian monk Bodhidharma travelled to China and established the Chan (Chinese; Japanese: Zen), school. Highway 59 to Texas Highway 288 in Brazoria County. Mahayana Buddhism established a major regional center in what is today Afghanistan, and from there it spread to China, Korea, Mongolia, and Japan. The next portion to be constructed is from the current terminus at U.S.

It reached as far as Turkmenistan and Arabia to the west, and eastward to southeast Asia, where the first records of Buddhism date from around 400. Highway 59 and was completed in 1994. Around the 1st century, Buddhism spread from India through successive waves of merchants and pilgrims. A controversial proposed highway project, Texas Highway 99, would form a third loop outside of Houston. Currently, the completed portion of Texas Highway 99 runs from just north of Interstate 10 east of Katy in Harris County to Sugar Land in Fort Bend County at U.S. During and after the 2nd century explicitly Mahayana philosophies were defined in the works of Nagarjuna, Asanga, Shantideva, Ashvagosha, and Vasubandhu. Most of this freeway requires payment of $1 or more toll every five or ten miles. For this reason, all major Budhist scholars in India thereafter wrote their commentaries and treatises in Sanskrit. The roughly square "Loop-610" is quartered into "North Loop," "South Loop," "West Loop," and "East Loop." The roads of Beltway 8 and their freeway core, the Sam Houston Parkway, are the next loop, at a diameter of roughly 25 miles.

Although this change was probably effected without significant loss of integrity to the canon, this event was of particular significance since Sanskrit was the learned language of scholars in India, regardless of their specific religious or philosophical allegiance, thus enabling a far wider audience to gain access to Buddhist ideas and practices. The innermost is Interstate 610, forming approximately a 10 mile diameter loop around downtown. Scholars beleieve that it was also around this time that a significant change was made in the language of the Sarvāstivādin canon, by converting an earlier Prakrit version into Sanskrit. Houston has a hub-and-spoke freeway structure with multiple loops. The main fruit of this Council was the vast commentary known as the Mahā-Vibhāshā ("Great Exegesis"), an extensive compendium and reference work on a portion the Sarvāstivādin Abhidharma. New landscaping projects and a longstanding ban on new billboards are two ways that Houston is trying to back away from this side effect of convenience. It is said that Kanishka gathered 500 monks, headed by Vasumitra, primarily, it seems, to compile extensive commentaries on the Abhidharma, although it is possible that some editorial work was carried out upon the canon itself. The frontage roads make freeway access very easy, but due to their visibility to passing traffic, they have attracted most of Houston's gas stations and major retail stores.

A Fourth Council is said to have been convened by the Kushan emperor Kanishka, around 100 CE at Jalandhar or in Kashmir, although it seems to have been primarily a Sarvāstivāda affair. For this reason, Theravāda Buddhism does not recognize the authenticity of this council, and sometimes they call it the “council of heretical monks”. Alongside most freeways are two to four lanes in each direction parallel to the freeway permitting easy access to individual city streets. Between the 1st century BCE and the 1st century CE, the terms Mahayana and Hinayana were first used in writing, in, for example, the Lotus Sutra. One unusual characteristic of Houston's freeways are its frontage roads. Moreover, the origins of specifically Mahāyāna doctrines may be discerned in the teachings of some of these early schools, in particular in the Mahāsānghika and the Sarvāstivāda. Houston has an extensive network of freeway cameras linked to a transit control center to monitor and study traffic. Unfortunately, with the exception of the Theravāda, none of early these schools survived beyond the late medieval period by which time several were already long extinct, although a considerable amount of the canonical literature of some of these schools has survived, mainly in Chinese translation. Timed freeway entrances, which regulate the addition of cars to the freeway, are also common.

All of these early schools of Nikayan Buddhism eventually came to be known collectively as the Eighteen Schools in later sources. The primary method currently in use is the High-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane for vans and carpools. Whatever might be the truth behind the Theravādin account, it was around the time of Asoka that further divisions began to occur within the Buddhist movement and a number of additional schools emerged, including the Sarvāstivāda and the Sammitīya. Texas Department of Transportation (TX DOT) planners have been running experiments to reduce traffic congestion at rush hour. The Pali Canon remains the only complete set of Nikaya scriptures to survive, although fragments of other versions exist. Interstate 45 south has been in a continuous state of construction, in one portion or another, almost since the first segment was built in 1952. There it was eventually committed to writing in the Pali language. Houston freeways are heavily traveled and often being reconstructed to meet the demands of continuing growth.

The version of the scriptures that had been established at the Third Council, including the vinaya, sutta and the abhidhamma commentaries (collectively known as Tripitaka), was taken to Sri Lanka by Emperor Ashoka's son, the Venerable Mahinda. Houston is ranked among the most ozone-polluted cities in the United States. This school of thought was termed Vibhajjavada (Pali), literally "Teaching of Analysis". This dependence on cars causes various pollution problems, including excessive ozone levels. The council sided with Moggaliputta and his version of Buddhism as orthodox; it was then adopted by Emperor Ashoka as his empire's official religion. Houston's size and lack of zoning have contributed to decentralization, or urban sprawl, which, combined with the humidity and hot summers, has made the automobile the favored means of transportation. At the council, small groups raised questions about the specifics of the vinaya and the interpretation of doctrine. The chairman of the council, Moggaliputta Tissa, compiled a book called the Kathavatthu, which was meant to refute these arguments. For a full list of the cities in the Houston area, see:.

However, according to the Theravadin account, this Council was convened primarily for the purpose of establishing an official orthodoxy. Areas far north, west, east and south of the inner-city also use 936 and/or 409. In the 3rd century BCE, Theravadin sources state that a Third Council was convened under the patronage of Emperor Ashoka, but since no mention of this council is found in other sources and because of various implausible features in this account, most scholars treat the historicity of this Third Council with skepticism although it is generally accepted that one or several disputes did occur during Asoka's reign, involving both doctrinal and vinaya matters, although these are likely to have been too informal to be called a Council. However, the geographic division between 713, 281, and 832 has been eliminated, and newly issued phone numbers (especially for cell phones and fax machines) within that zone may be assigned any of the three codes. However, if one group disputed the vinaya of another, this would often prevent common practice. Those outside the 610 Loop that are within the city limits normally receive the 281 or 832 area code. So if two schools shared a vinaya, but were in dispute over doctrinal matters, it was likely that they would continue to practice together. Locations within the Houston city limits that are inside the 610 Loop traditionally used the 713 area code.

Schism in early Buddhism was typically not on points of doctrine (orthodoxy), but in the area of practice (orthopraxy). Yet a third - the "Grand Parkway", has begun construction roughly 10 miles (16 km) beyond that around the outer suburbs and currently extends from Katy to Sugar Land. However, after this initial division, more were to follow. Another ring road, Beltway 8 (also known simply as the "Beltway"), encircles the city another 5 miles (8 km) further out. According to this version, the Mahāsānghikas were not the defeated party, but the conservative party that preserved the original vinaya unchanged against the reformist attempts of the Sthāviras to establish a reorganized and stricter version. The outlying areas of Houston, as well as the rest of Bellaire, the airports and the suburbs and enclaves are outside the loop. Apart from Pāli sources, an important independent account of this split is found in the Shāriputra-pariprcchā (The Enquiry of Shāriputra), an eclectic text of Indic origin, which differs radically from the received Theravādin version. Locations in Houston are generally classified as either being inside or outside Interstate 610, known as the 610 Loop which include the Central business district and the 'island' cities of West University (West U.), and Southside Place, and a portion of Bellaire.

Opinions differ on the cause of the split: the Sthaviravādins described their opponents as lax monks who had ceased to follow all the vinaya rules, while the Mahāsānghikas argued that the Buddha had never intended a rigid adherence to all the minor rules. Kemah is surrounded by Galveston Bay to the east and Clear Lake (a brackish-water boater's paradise with open pass through to Galveston Bay) to the west. This resulted in the formation of the Sthaviravādin and Mahāsānghika schools. Another tourist hot spot is Kemah where visitors see the Kemah Boardwalk, which has many seafood restaurants and local tourist attractions. At the Second Council, one hundred years later, it was not the dharma that was called into question but the monks' code of rules or vinaya. Beach houses owned by Houstonians have sprung up in other cities along the shoreline to the Gulf of Mexico. These groups of people often cross-checked with each other to ensure that no omissions or additions were made. The city's vulnerability on a narrow barrier bar island led to the creation of the mainland Houston Ship Channel made by the dredging of shallow Buffalo Bayou and Galveston Bay to form a protected port some 40 miles (64 km) inland of the open Gulf and less than 10 miles (16 km) from Houston's central business district.

At this point, no conflict about what the Buddha taught is known to have occurred, so the teachings were divided into various parts and each was assigned to an elder and his pupils to commit to memory. Before near destruction in 1900 Galveston was the larger and wealthier of the two cities and dubbed "The Wall Street of the Southwest", and was on par with New Orleans as the Gulf Coast's premier city. All Arahants unanimously agree that no disciplinary rule laid down by the Buddha should be changed, and no new ones should be introduced. A popular day trip may include Galveston where people can visit Moody Gardens or visit a nearby beach. The Dhamma and the Vinaya were recited at the First Council. However, a small portion of northeast Houston has the zip codes of 77339 and 77345. Maha Kassapa, the most respected and elderly monk, presided at the Council. Zip codes in Houston range from 77002 to 77099.

Three months after the passing of Gautama Buddha, The First Council was held at Rajagaha by his immediate disciples who had attained Arahantship (Enlightenment). The following are areas of the inner-city:. In Tibet, the Tantric Vajrayana lineage was preserved after it disappeared in India.
. Note that if these business districts were considered one, they would form the third largest in the United States. The city also has the third largest skyline in the United States (after New York City and Chicago, Illinois), but because it is spread over a few miles, pictures of the city show, for the most part, the Downtown area. Buddhism also remained in the rest of the world although in Central Asia and later Indonesia it was mostly replaced by Islam. In China and Japan, it adopted aspects of the native beliefs of Confucianism, Taoism and Shinto respectively. Rather than a single “downtown” as the center of the city's employment, five additional business districts have grown throughout the inner-city. Other areas of India have never parted from Buddhism, including Ladakh and other areas bordering the Tibetan, Nepali and Bhutanese borders. Houston, being the largest city in the United States without zoning laws, has grown in an unusual manner.

Elements of Buddhism have remained within India to the current day: the Bauls of Bengal have a syncretic set of practices with strong emphasis on many Buddhist concepts. See also:. This was partially due to Muslim invasions and partially due to Hinduism's revival movements such as Advaita and the rise of the bhakti movement. Furthermore, aided by the popularity of the late hip-hop artist DJ Screw, Houston is known among youth, primarily in the South, as having its own distinctive style of hip-hop commonly known as screw music or referred to locally as simply "screw." Many young Houstonians of all ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds who were in touch with the local hip-hop culture may remember the advent of this form of Southern rap which began to take place around late 1999. After about 500 CE, Buddhism showed signs of waning in India, becoming nearly extinct after about 1200 CE. The design for the first Compaq computer was sketched on a napkin at House of Pies, a notable diner near the Montrose area. His promotion led to construction of Buddhist religious sites and missionary efforts that spread the faith into the countries listed at the beginning of the article. Several Houston-based restaurants, such as Ninfa Laurenzo's Mama Ninfa's Mexican restaurant chain, Johnny Carrabba's Carrabba's, and Kim Su Tran La's Kim Sơn Vietnamese restaurant chain, have become well known in Texas and throughout the country.

Buddhism spread slowly in India until the powerful Mauryan emperor Asoka converted to it and actively supported it. For example, although Dallas has more restaurants per person than even New York City, Houstonians eat out more often than residents of any other city in the United States, and the only city in which eating out is cheaper than Houston is New Orleans, Louisiana. At the present time the teachings of all three branches of Buddhism have spread throughout the world and are now easily available in the developed countries, and increasingly translated into local languages. This rivalry often leads to comparison of the assets of one city to the assets of the other. Each branch sees itself as representing the true, original teachings of the Buddha, and some schools believe that the dialectic nature of Buddhism allows its format, terminology, and techniques to adapt over time in response to changing circumstances, thus validating dharmic approaches different from their own. Houstonians often consider themselves more "down to earth" than their neighbors to the north. Of the Nikaya schools, only the Theravada survives. Because the Houston—Sugar Land—Baytown and the Dallas—Fort Worth—Arlington metropolitan areas are both the major economic centers of the state, they enjoy a friendly rivalry.

Buddhism has evolved into myriad schools that can be roughly grouped into three types: Nikaya (also called Hinayana), Mahayana, and Vajrayana. In some neighborhoods, street signs are seen in Chinese and Vietnamese. Lay Buddhists generally follow dietary rules less rigorously than monks. Like many other large cities in the United States, Houston is a very diverse city with a variety of different ethnic groups. About 90 languages are spoken in the area. In the West, of course, a wide variety of practices are followed. Houston also boasts of having a population with a younger age than the national average. In Tibet, where vegetable nutrition was historically very scarce, and the adopted vinaya was the Nikaya Sarvāstivāda, vegetarianism is very rare, although the Dalai Lama and other esteemed Lamas invite their audiences to adopt vegetarianism when they can. Houston has the second highest South African population in the United States, after Miami, Florida.

In Japan and Korea, some monks practice vegetarianism, and most will do so at least when training at a monastery, but otherwise they typically do eat meat. Recent redevelopment of Midtown from run-down to upscale has increased property values and property taxes thus forcing the Vietnamese American out of their current neighborhood into other areas. In the Theravada countries of Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka, monks are bound by the vinaya to accept almost any food that is offered to them, often including meat, while in China and Vietnam, monks are expected to eat no meat. Houston has two Chinatowns, as well as the third largest Vietnamese American population in the United States. In the modern world, attitudes toward vegetarianism vary by location. Houston has the third largest Hispanic population in the United States. People from Asia such as China, South Korea, Japan, India, Pakistan, and Vietnam have been immigrating to Houston. From those days onwards Chinese monastics, and others who came to inhabit northern countries, cultivated their own vegetable plots and bought everything else they needed in terms of food in the market. The Hispanic population in Houston is increasing as more and more people from Latin countries try to find work in Houston. Hispanics make up a significant amount of the population.

A solution to this problem was given when monks from the Indian sphere of influence migrated to China, as of the year 65 AD. There they met followers who provided them with money instead of food. Out of the total population, 26.1% of those under the age of 18 and 14.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. Several other Mahayana sutras also emphatically prohibit the consumption of meat. 19.2% of the population and 16.0% of families are below the poverty line. A long passage in the Lankavatara Sutra shows the Buddha weighing strongly in favor of vegetarianism, since the eating of the flesh of fellow sentient beings is said by him to be incompatible with the compassion which a Bodhisattva should strive to cultivate. The per capita income for the city is $20,101. The Buddha also predicts in this sutra that later monks will "hold spurious writings to be the authentic Dharma" and will concoct their own sutras and mendaciously claim that the Buddha allows the eating of meat, whereas in fact (he says) he does not. Males have a median income of $32,084 versus $27,371 for females.

In the Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra, the Buddha states that "the eating of meat extinguishes the seed of great compassion", adding that all and every kind of meat and fish consumption (even of animals already found dead) is prohibited by him. The median income for a household in the city is $36,616, and the median income for a family is $40,443. On the other hand, the Buddha in certain Mahayana sutras strongly denounces the eating of meat. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 97.8 males. Therefore, eating commercially purchased meat is not prohibited. For every 100 females there are 99.7 males. This rule was not applied to commercial purchase of meat in the case of a general who sent a servant to purchase meat specifically to feed the Buddha. The median age is 31 years.

Monks are also prohibited from consuming meat if the monk witnessed the animal's death or knows that it was killed specifically for him. In the city the population is spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who are 65 years of age or older. There were, however, rules prohibiting certain types of meat, such as human, leopard or elephant meat. The average household size is 2.67 and the average family size is 3.39. In fact, at one point the Buddha specifically refused to institute vegetarianism and the Pali Canon records the Buddha himself eating meat on several occasions. 29.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. In one of the Pali sutras belonging to the Theravada lineage of Buddhism, Buddha says that vegetarianism is preferable, but as monks in ancient India were expected to receive all of their food by begging they had little or no control over their diet. Furthermore, Buddha did not wish to lay an extra burden on his lay followers by demanding that the food should be vegetarian. During the Buddha's time, there was no general rule requiring monks to refrain from eating meat. There are 717,945 households out of which 33.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2% are married couples living together, 15.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% are non-families.

The Buddha made distinction between killing an animal and consumption of meat, stressing that it is immoral conduct that makes one impure, not the food one eats. 37.41% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. However, this is not necessarily the case. The racial makeup of the city is 49.27% White, 25.31% Black or African American, 0.44% Native American, 5.31% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 16.46% from other races, and 3.15% from two or more races. Many see this as implying that Buddhists should not eat the meat of animals. There are 782,009 housing units at an average density of 521.1/km² (1,349.6/mi²). The first lay precept in Buddhism prohibits killing. The population density is 1,301.8/km² (3,371.7/mi²).

The doctrine of the Tathagatagarbha/Buddha-dhatu is stated by the Buddha of the Mahaparinirvana Sutra to be the "absolutely final culmination" of his Dharma. As of the census² of 2000, there are 1,953,631 people, 717,945 households, and 457,330 families residing in the city. Once the Buddha-dhatu is finally seen and known by the faithful Buddhist practitioner, it has the power to transform that seer and knower into a Buddha. Like many areas of Texas, Houston suffers from the Red Imported Fire Ant. This Tathagatagarbha/ Buddha-dhatu, inherent in all beings, can never be destroyed or harmed, and yet is concealed from view by a mass of obscuring mental and moral taints within the mind-stream of the individual being. While Dallas gets hotter temperatures, Houston's heat index is often higher. It is no less than the unfabricated, uncreated, uncompounded, immaculate, immortal, all-knowing, radiantly shining Principle of blissful Buddhahood - the very Dharmakaya. Dallas has a hot and dry climate while Houston has a hot and humid climate.

In the Nirvana Sutra, it is called by the Buddha the "True Self" (to distinguish it from the "false" worldly self of the five skandhas). Houston's climate is often compared to that of Dallas, Texas. This Buddha-dhatu is empty of all that is contingent, painful and impermanent. Many neighborhoods have changed since the storm; older houses in some afflicted neighborhoods have been torn down and replaced with larger houses with larger foundations. This immanent yet transcendent essence is variously called, in the key tathagatagarbha sutras which expound it, the Buddha-dhatu ("Buddha-element", Buddha-nature) or the Tathagatagarbha. Houston's worst contemporary flood was Tropical Storm Allison which passed through the city in June, 2001. The Buddha's Mahayana doctrines contain a set of "ultimate" (nitartha) teachings on the immanence of a hidden core Reality within all sentient beings which is linked to the eternality of the Buddha and Nirvana. Flooding has proved to be an increasingly serious problem in Houston.

See also: three marks of existence. The last hurricane of consequence to hit Houston was Hurricane Alicia in 1983, but Tropical Storm Allison in 2001 caused billions of dollars in damages.
It is by realizing (not merely understanding intellectually, but making real in one's experience) the three marks of conditioned existence that one develops Prajñā, which is the antidote to the ignorance that lies at the root of all suffering. The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 led to Galveston losing its status as the major port city and economic power in Southeast Texas; development of the Ship Channel and its port refineries shifted the honor to Houston.
. Hurricanes have slammed into the Texas Gulf Coast on numerous occasions; several have passed through Houston, causing death and destruction.
. Land subsidence forced the city to turn to ground-level water sources such as Lake Houston.

According to the Buddhist tradition, all phenomena (dharmas) are marked by three characteristics, sometimes referred to as the Dharma Seals:. The city once relied on groundwater for its water needs. See also: Pancasila and Buddha Statues of Bamiyan. Most of Houston is very flat and is about fifty feet above sea level in elevation; the Houston Heights area has the highest elevation in the city. Fully ordained Mahayana monks and nuns follow 348 equivalent rules with an additional set of, generally, 41 bodhisattva vows. The Ship Channel goes past Galveston, Texas into the Gulf of Mexico. Fully ordained monks and nuns of the Theravada school also vow to follow the 227 patimokkha rules. The Buffalo Bayou, which runs into downtown, the Brays Bayou, which runs along the Texas Medical Center, White Oak Bayou runs through the Heights and near northwest area and the Sims Bayou in the south of Houston merge in downtown Houston into the Houston Ship Channel.

For example, the precept pertaining to sexual misconduct becomes a precept of celibacy; the fourth precept, which pertains to incorrect speech, is expanded to four: lying, harsh language, slander, and idle chit-chat. Houston has four major bayous passing through the city. In some schools of Buddhism, serious lay people or aspiring monks take an additional three to five ethical precepts, and some of the five precepts are strengthened. Snow is almost unheard of, and typically does not accumulate when it is seen. It should be noted that the literal, and possibly original, meaning of the third precept covers more than the now generally standard meaning "sexual misconduct" and actually involves refraining from "wrong indulgence in all sensory pleasures". The coolest period is usually in January, when north winds bring winter rains. The five precepts are:. Winters in Houston are cool and temperate.

The Five Precepts are not given in the form of commands such as "thou shalt not ...", but rather are promises to oneself: "I will (try) to...". Afternoon rains are not uncommon, and Houston meteorologists are not given to predicting a zero percent chance of rain on most days. Laypeople generally undertake five precepts. Summer thunderstorms sometimes bring the moderately common tornadoes to the area. Buddhists undertake certain precepts as aids on the path to coming into contact with ultimate reality. To cope with the heat, people use air conditioning in nearly every car and post-war building in the city. The Path may also be thought of as a way of developing śīla, meaning mental and moral discipline. The air tends to feel still and the humidity (often 90 to 100% relative humidity) makes the air feel hotter than it really is.

benefiting living beings is the converse of the first precept of harmlessness). In summertime, daily high temperatures are in the 90 to 105 °F range throughout much of July and August. The Eightfold Path essentially consists of meditation, following the precepts, and cultivating the positive converse of the precepts (e.g. Prevailing winds are from the south and southeast during most of the year, bringing heat from the deserts of Mexico and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. Sometimes in the Pāli Canon the Eightfold Path is spoken of as being a progressive series of stages which the practitioner moves through, the culmination of one leading to the beginning of another, but it is more usual to view the stages of the 'Path' as requiring simultaneous development. Average yearly precipitation levels range from 36 to 48 inches. In order to fully understand the noble truths and investigate whether they were in fact true, Buddha recommended that a certain lifestyle or path be followed which consists of:. Much of Houston was built on forested land, marshes or prairie, all of which can still be seen in surrounding areas.

Main article: Noble Eightfold Path. The city is located in the gulf coastal plains biome, and the vegetation is classified as a temperate grassland. This teaching is called the Four Noble Truths:. Houston's climate is classified as being humid subtropical. The Buddha taught that life was dissatisfactory because of craving, but that this condition was curable by following the Eightfold Path. The total area is 3.70% water. See also: Three Jewels. 1,500.7 km² (579.4 mi²) of it is land and 57.7 km² (22.3 mi²) of it is water.

In the 11th century, Lamp for the Path by Atisha, and in the subsequent Lamrim tradition as elaborated by the Tibetan master Tsongkhapa, the several motives for refuge are enumerated as follows, typically introduced using the concept of the "scope" (level of motivation) of a practitioner:. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1,558.4 km² (601.7 mi²). His idea was to use these different motivations as a key to resolving any apparent conflicts between all the Buddha's teachings without depending upon some form of syncretism that would cause as much confusion as it attempted to alleviate. Main article: History of Houston. Although Buddhists concur that taking refuge should be undertaken with proper motivation (complete liberation) and an understanding of the objects of refuge, the Indian scholar Atisha identified that in practice there are many different motives found for taking refuge. The city has also the recipient of this award in years prior, including 2001, 2002, and 2003. Methodology for determining for the 2005 status included the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's survey which listed 23% of Houston residents as clinically obese, as well as other less serious statistics, such as Houston having twice the number of donut shops per capita compared to the national average. On the other hand, the main goal of Buddhism is to escape from the suffering of cyclic existence. In 2005, Men's Fitness magazine named Houston the fattest city in the U.S.

This simple misunderstanding has led some Western scholars to conclude that Buddhism is "a religion for sticking one's head in the sand", when most Buddhists would assert quite the opposite. Rice Stadium, at Rice University, was the home to the Super Bowl VIII, and Super Bowl XXXVIII was played at the Reliant Stadium in February 2004. It is good to note that in Buddhism, the word "refuge" should often not be taken in the English sense of "hiding" or "escape"; instead, many scholars have said, it ought be thought of as a homecoming, or place of healing, much as a parent's home might be a refuge for someone. (Other nicknames include "H-Town", "Clutch City", and "Magnolia City".). However, the personal choice for taking ones' life-path in this direction is more important than any external ritual. It is known by the locals, however, as the Bayou City. In all— forms of Buddhism, refuge in the Three Jewels are taken before the Sangha for the first time, as a part of the conversion ritual. "Houston" was the first word uttered on the moon, as Neil Armstrong reported back to NASA.

Many Buddhists take the refuges each day, often more than once in order to remind themselves of what they are doing and to direct their resolve inwardly towards liberation. Officially, Houston has been nicknamed the Space City. It contains an element of confidence that enlightenment is in fact a refuge, a supreme resort. Other major institutions of higher learning in Houston include University of Saint Thomas, Houston Baptist University, University of Houston-Clear Lake, University of Houston-Downtown, and Texas Southern University. To one who is seeking to become enlightened, taking refuge constitutes a continuing commitment to pursuing enlightenment and following in the footsteps of the people who have followed the path to enlightenment before. Houston is also home to Rice University, a well known private institution which boasts one of the largest financial endowments of any university in the world. However, the real refuge is on the other side of the river. Houston is home to many institutions of higher learning such as the University of Houston, which is Texas' premier metropolitan extensive research university and also the flagship institution of the University of Houston System.

Dharma, used in the sense of the Buddha's teachings, provides a raft and is thus a temporary refuge while entering and crossing the river. Houston is considered a "Gamma World City" by the GaWC. In this way, dharma offers a refuge. states, as well as hundreds of countries worldwide. While it is impossible to escape one's karma or the effects caused by previous thoughts, words and deeds, it is possible to avoid the suffering that comes from it by becoming enlightened. Because of the economic trades, many residents have moved in from other U.S. Buddhists seek refuge in what are often referred to as the Three Jewels, Triple Gem or Triple Jewel. These are the Buddha, the Dharma (or Dhamma), and the "noble" (Sanskrit: arya) Sangha or community of monks and nuns who have become enlightened. The Port of Houston is one of the busiest ports in the United States, second in the world as far as foreign tonnage.

In fact the Jain culture, or religion as we may call it, was founded just prior to Buddhism, and both philosophies shared the same area in which they taught a Dharma that admits no "creator" or an omnipotent being. Houston is world renowned for its energy industry (particularly oil), aeronautics industry and ship channel. It has also been advanced that the influence of Jain culture and philosophy in ancient Bihar gave rise to Buddhism. Today, the city limits cover about 600 square miles (1,600 km²) in area, and it's also the largest city in the United States which does not have zoning laws. Therefore, it is believed that the Buddha's father was not a king in the sense of an absolute ruler, but rather an influential tribal figure. However, regardless of the details of his early life, the evidence strongly indicates that the Buddha was indeed a historical person living in approximately the same time and place in which he is traditionally placed. The city of Houston was incorporated in 1837. The state of Shākya, where he was born, was an oligarchic republic at that time, so there was no royal family of which to speak. 29°40' N
95°18' W.

In other versions of his life-story, the Buddha leaves home in the "prime of his youth", his parents weeping and wailing all the while. Latitude
Longitude
. They, together with Buddha, formed the first sangha, the company of Buddhist monks.
2,009,690
4,986,399. At the Deer Park near Benares in northern India he set in motion the Wheel of Dharma by delivering his first sermon to the group of five companions with whom he sought for enlightenment before.  - City (2003)
 - Metropolitan. With his great compassion, the Buddha agreed to become a teacher. There are now approximately over 5,000,000 people living in the Houston—Sugar Land—Baytown Metropolitan Statistical Area, the eighth largest metropolitan area in the United States.

A god, Brahma Sahampati, however, interceded, and asked that he teach the Dharma to the world, as "There will be those who will understand the Dharma". In 1900, the population in Houston was about 45,000 and it was the 85th largest town in the United States. He was concerned that, as human beings were overpowered by greed, hatred and delusion, they wouldn't be able to see the true Dharma which was subtle, deep and hard to understand. Houston is one of the newest and fastest growing major cities in the United States. According to one of the stories in the Āyācana Sutta (Samyutta Nikaya VI.1), a scripture found in the Pāli and other canons, immediately after his Enlightenment the Buddha was wondering whether or not he should teach the Dharma. Census estimate placed the city's population at 2,009,690. His mind became concentrated and pure, and then, six years after he began his quest, he attained Enlightenment, and became a Buddha. Census 2000, the city had a total population of 1,953,631, but a July 1, 2003, U.S.

He developed a new way of meditating, which began to bear fruit. As of the U.S. Taking a little buttermilk from a passing goatherd, he found a large tree (now called the Bodhi tree) and set to meditating. A portion of southwest Houston extends into Fort Bend County and a small portion in the northeast extends into Montgomery County. Then he remembered a moment in childhood in which he had been watching his father start the season's plowing, and he had fallen into a naturally concentrated and focused state in which time seemed to stand still, and which was blissful and refreshing. The city is the county seat of Harris County, the third most populous county in the country. After nearly starving himself to death with no success (some sources claim that he nearly drowned), Siddhārtha began to reconsider his path. The City of Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States and one of the two largest economic areas in the state of Texas.

However, he found no answer to his problem and, leaving behind his teachers, he and a small group of companions set out to take their austerities even further. Toyota Center. Siddhārtha proved adept at these practices, and was able to surpass his teachers. Robertson Stadium. It was thought that by enduring pain and suffering, the ātman (Sanskrit; Pāli: atta) or "soul" became free from the cycle of rebirth with its pain and sorrow. Rice Stadium. Indian holy men (sādhus), in those days just as today, often engaged in a variety of ascetic practices designed to "mortify" the flesh. Reliant Stadium.

to take up the life of a wandering holy man in search of the answer to the problem of birth, old age, sickness, and death. Reliant Astrodome. He decided to abandon his worldly life, leaving behind his wife, child and rank, etc. Minute Maid Park (formerly Enron or Astros Field). These four sights led him to the realization that birth, old age, sickness and death come to everyone, not only once but repeated for life after life in succession since beginningless time. Hofheinz Pavilion. Nevertheless, at the age of 29, he came across what has become known as the Four Passing Sights: an old crippled man, a sick man, a decaying corpse, and finally a wandering holy man. Former professional sports teams.

The legends say that a seer predicted shortly after his birth, that Siddhartha would become either a great king or a great holy man; because of this, the king tried to make sure that Siddhartha never had any cause for dissatisfaction with his life, as that might drive him toward a spiritual path. Hockey: Aeros - AHL - Toyota Center. His father was a (Hindu) king, and Siddhārtha lived in luxury, being spared all hardship. Energy - WPFL - Rice Stadium. His birthplace is said to be Lumbini in the Shākya state, one of a small group of old Hindu oligarchic republics, in what is now Nepal. Texans - NFL - Reliant Stadium. Legend has it that he was born around the 6th century BCE. American Football

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Here is one:. Comets - WNBA - Toyota Center. As with any history so old, there are many different stories of how the Buddha to be, Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit; in Pāli, Siddhattha Gotama) made his way to enlightenment. Rockets - NBA - Toyota Center.
. Basketball

. The principles by which a person can be led to enlightenment are known as the Buddhadharma, or simply the Dharma, meaning (in this context) "law, doctrine, or truth". Baseball: Astros - MLB - Minute Maid Park.

(Buddhas are not omnipotent, like the god of Judaism, Christianity or Islam.) Anyone can free themselves from suffering as Gautama did, regardless of age, gender, or caste. List of radio stations in Houston (http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/locate?select=city&city=houston&state=tx&sid=&x=21&y=11). A Buddha is anyone who has fully awakened to the true nature of existence, liberated from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth and has achieved omniscience. List of movies set in Houston. Gautama, who is referred to by Buddhists as Shakyamuni Buddha, did not claim any divine status for himself, nor did he assert that he was inspired by a god or gods. List of television stations in Houston. (As an analogy, the term "American President" refers not just to one person, but to everyone who has ever held the office of American presidency.) The Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, then, is simply one member in the spiritual lineage of Buddhas, which stretches back into beginningless past and forward into the distant horizons of the future. List of newspapers in Houston.

The word "Buddha" denotes not just a single religious teacher who lived in a particular epoch, but a type of person, of which there have been infinite ones throughout the course of cosmic time. List of events in Houston. It is derived from the verbal root "budh", meaning "to awaken" or "to be enlightened", and "to comprehend". The University of Texas Medical Branch. Buddha is a word in ancient Indian languages including Pāli and Sanskrit which means "one who has awakened". Anderson Cancer Center. Like humans, they are regarded as having the power to affect worldly events, and so some Buddhist schools associate with them via ritual. D.

While Buddhism does not deny the existence of supernatural beings (indeed, many are discussed in Buddhist scripture), it does not ascribe power for creation, salvation or judgement to them. The University of Texas M. Mental training focuses on moral discipline (sila), meditative concentration (samadhi), and wisdom (prajñā). The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Buddhist morality is underpinned by the principles of harmlessness and moderation. The University of Texas System

. The aim of these practices is to end the suffering of cyclic existence, samsara, by awakening the practitioner to the realization of true reality, the achievement of Nirvana and Buddhahood. University of Saint Thomas.

Buddhism teaches followers to perform good and wholesome actions, to avoid bad and harmful actions, and to purify and train the mind. University of Phoenix. Originating in India, Buddhism gradually spread throughout Asia to Central Asia, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Southeast Asia, as well as the East Asian countries of China, Mongolia, Korea, and Japan. University of Houston-Downtown. Buddhism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, who lived between approximately 563 and 483 BCE. University of Houston-Clear Lake. Though the Theravādin Abhidhamma is well preserved and widely known, it should be noted that a number of the early Eighteen Schools each had their own distinct Abhidharma collection with virtually no common textual material. University of Houston.

The Abhidhamma (Skt: Abhidharma) or commentary Pitaka, containing a philosophical systematization of the Buddha's teaching, including a detailed analysis of Buddhist psychology. University of Houston System

. The Sutta Pitaka (Pāli; Sanskrit: Sutra Pitaka), containing discourses of the Buddha. Texas Woman's University. The Vināya Pitaka, containing disciplinary rules for the Sangha of Buddhist monks and nuns, as well as a range of other texts which explain why and how rules were instituted, supporting material, and doctrinal clarification. Texas Southern University. Native Vajrayana is practiced today mainly in Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia, Kalmykia, areas of India, and -- among the Shingon (Zhènyān, 真言) and Tendai schools -- in China and Japan. Institute of Biosciences and Technology.

In addition to the Theravada and Mahāyāna scriptures, Vajrayāna Buddhists recognise a large body of texts that include the Buddhist Tantras. Texas A&M University System

. Using these techniques, it is claimed that a practitioner can achieve Buddhahood in one lifetime, or even as little as three years. South Texas College of Law. These profound states are in turn to be used as an efficient path to Buddhahood. San Jacinto College. One component of the Vajrayāna is harnessing psycho-physical energy as a means of developing profoundly powerful states of concentration and awareness. Rice University.

The Vajrayāna or "Diamond Vehicle" (also referred to as Mantrayana, Tantrayana, Tantric or esoteric Buddhism) shares the basic concepts of Mahāyāna, but also includes a vast array of spiritual techniques designed to enhance Buddhist practice. Houston Community College System. Native Mahāyāna Buddhism is practiced today in China, Japan, Korea, and most of Vietnam. Houston Baptist University. The Pure Land is normally conceived of as a state which is not enlightenment in itself but which is a highly conducive environment for working toward enlightenment, although some sources indicate that it is synonymous with enlightenment. DeVry University. Because of this immense timeframe, some Mahāyāna schools accept the idea of working towards rebirth in a Pure Land. Baylor College of Medicine.

These scriptures were written in some form of Sanskrit, except a few manuscripts in Prakrit, and are concerned with the purpose of achieving Buddhahood by following the path of the bodhisattva over the course of what is often described as countless eons of time. The Art Institute of Houston. In addition to the Nikaya scriptures, Mahāyāna schools recognize all or part of a genre of scriptures that were first put in writing around 1 CE. Public schools and libraries in Houston. The Mahāyāna (literally "Great Vehicle") branch emphasizes universal compassion and the selfless ideal of the bodhisattva, whose goal is to achieve Buddhahood in order to be of greatest benefit to other sentient beings. List of sister cities. Native Theravada is practiced today in Sri Lanka, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and portions of Vietnam and Malaysia. List of mayors in Houston.

Nikaya Buddhism and consequently Theravada are sometimes referred to as Hinayana or "lesser vehicle", although this is considered by some to be impolite. List of major companies in Houston. Theravada is the only surviving representative of the historical Nikaya branch. Texas Highway 288 - South Freeway, Nolan Ryan Expressway. The nikaya sutras are generally considered by modern scholars to be the oldest of the surviving types of Buddhist literature, and they are accepted as authentic in every branch of Buddhism. Texas Highway 249 - Tomball Parkway. The Theravada school, whose name means "Doctrine of the Elders", bases its practice and doctrine exclusively on the Pali Canon, which is a collection of what are known as agamas or nikaya sutras. Texas Highway 225 - Pasadena Freeway, LaPorte Freeway.

The full realization of the absence of an eternal self or soul (the doctrine of anatta (Pāli; Sanskrit: anātman)) breaks this cycle of birth and death (samsara). Texas Highway 122 - Fort Bend Parkway. This being said, action in a past life takes effect in this one, making a chain of existence. Texas Highway 99 - Grand Parkway. Rebirth, which is closely related to the law of karma. An action in this life may not give fruit or reaction until the next life time. Highway 290 - Northwest Freeway, Hempstead Highway. Most teachers are, however, quick to point out that though it may be a result of someone's past-life karma that they suffer, this should not be used as an excuse to treat them poorly; indeed, all should help them and help to alleviate their suffering, leading to them working to alleviate their own suffering. U.S.

Some actions bring instant retribution while the results of other actions may not appear until a future lifetime. (Houston's first and only "mini-freeway"). These actions are expressed by the way of mind, body or speech. Highway 90A - South Main St. Central to Buddhist doctrine and practice is the law of karma and vipaka; action and its fruition, which happens within the dynamic of dependent origination (pratītya-samutpāda). Actions which result in positive retribution (happiness) are defined as skillful or good, while actions that produce negative results (suffering) are called unskillful or bad actions. U.S. Meditation or dhyāna of some form is a common practice in most if not all schools of Buddhism, for the clergy if not the laity. Highway 90 - Beaumont Highway.

We perceive a self, and act to enhance that self by pursuing pleasure, and seek to prolong pleasure when the self too is a fleeting phenomenon. U.S. We desire lasting satisfaction and happiness, but look for it amongst constantly changing phenomena. Highway 59 - Southwest Freeway to southwest / Eastex Freeway to northeast. Dukkha (Pāli; Sanskrit: duḥkha): Because we fail to truly grasp the first two conditions, we suffer. U.S. Nothing lasts. Interstate 610 - North Loop, South Loop, West Loop, and East Loop.

Things are constantly coming into being, and ceasing to be. Interstate 45 - North Freeway (to north) / Gulf Freeway (to southeast). Everything is in constant flux, and so conditions and the thing itself are constantly changing. Interstate 10 - Katy Freeway (to west) / Baytown East Freeway (to east). (Practically) everything is made up of parts, and is dependent on the right conditions for its existence. Beltway 8 - Sam Houston Parkway (Beltway 8 refers to the frontage road). Anicca (Pāli; Sanskrit: anitya): All compounded phenomena (things and experiences) are inconstant, unsteady, and impermanent. Montgomery County.

It is finally revealed (in the last of the Buddha's Mahayana sutras, the Nirvana Sutra) not as the circumscribed "non-Self", the clinging ego (which is indeed anatta / anatman), but as the ever-enduring, egoless Great Self or Dharmakaya of the Buddha. Liberty County. It is presented by the Buddha in the relevant sutras as ultimately inexplicable, primordially present Reality itself - the living potency for Buddhahood inside all beings. Harris County. It does not "exist" in the time-space conditioned and finite mode in which mundane things are bodied forth. Galveston County. The paradox is that as soon as the Buddhist practitioner tries to grasp at this inner Buddha potency and cling to it as though it were his or her ego writ large, it proves elusive. Fort Bend County.

It is the opposite of a personalised, samsaric "I" or "mine". Chambers County. On the other hand, this Buddha-essence or Buddha-nature is also often explained as the potential for achieving Buddhahood, rather than an existing phenomenon one can grasp onto as being me or self. Brazoria County. This immaculate Buddhic Self (Atman) is in no way to be construed as a mundane, impermanent, suffering "ego", of which it is the diametrical opposite. It is home to the 14,000-acre master-planned community of Kingwood. the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, the Tathagatagarbha Sutra, the Srimala Sutra, amongst others), the Buddha is presented as clarifying this teaching and saying that, while the skandhas (constituents of the ordinary body and mind) are not the Self, there does truly exist an eternal, unchanging, blissful Buddha-essence in all sentient beings, which is the uncreated and deathless Buddha-nature ("Buddha-dhatu") or "True Self" of the Buddha himself. The Kingwood—Humble area is in the northeast part of town and part of this portion area is in Montgomery County.

However, in a number of major Mahayana sutras (e.g. Another city is Deer Park, which is home to the San Jacinto Monument. He taught that all concepts of a substantial personal self were incorrect, and formed in the realm of ignorance. The cities of Baytown, La Porte, and Channelview are filled with refineries and chemical plants. The Buddha rejected all concepts of ātman, emphasizing not permanence, but changeability. To the east is the city of Pasadena. This concept and the related concept of Brahman, the Vedantic monistic ideal, which was regarded as an ultimate ātman for all beings, were indispensable for mainstream Indian metaphysics, logic, and science; for all apparent things there had to be an underlying and persistent reality, akin to a Platonic form. This area has grown farther out from the Downtown area than most suburbs have.

Anatta (Pāli; Sanskrit: anātman): In Indian philosophy, the concept of a self is called ātman (that is, "soul" or metaphysical self), which refers to an unchanging, permanent essence conceived by virtue of existence. Katy is about 30 minutes west of Downtown. To refrain from intoxicants which lead to loss of mindfulness. League City, just south of this area, is home to a few water-side resorts. To refrain from incorrect speech (lying, harsh language, slander, idle chit-chat). The Clear Lake area was annexed into the city of Houston in 1979. To refrain from sexual misconduct. It is home to NASA, the master-planned community of Clear Lake City, the University of Houston-Clear Lake, and a very large Asian American community.

To refrain from taking that which is not freely given (stealing). The Clear Lake area is a southeast suburb of Houston. To refrain from harming living creatures (killing). Most of The Woodlands lies in the city of Houston's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) and the city limits of Shenandoah. Right Concentration. This is one of the largest and most popular master-planned communities in the country. Right Mindfulness. The Woodlands is a large master-planned community about 30 miles north of Downtown Houston in Montgomery County.

Right Effort. Sugar Land is now a principal city of the Houston—Sugar Land—Baytown Metropoli