Download 1. Intro Buddhism

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Nepal is a large country
The Northern part of the country is in the Himalayan Mountains and includes
eight of the tallest mountains in the world including Mount Everest.
The population is 27 million people
Most people live in villages although there are some big cities such as Kathmandu
The southern part of the country is good farmland and humid
Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, is located in this region. Lumbini is a place of
Buddhist pilgrimage.
Nepal is one of the least developed nations in the world
The Gurkha regiment come from Nepal.
Buddhism is 2,600 years old and began in Nepal
There are currently 376 million followers worldwide
There were around 152,000 Buddhists in Britain [according to the 2001 census ]
Buddha is a term not a name it means ‘enlightened one’. Buddha is derived from the
Hindi word Budhi , which means WISDOM. In that sense Buddha means wise man
Buddha’s name was Siddartha Gautama
Buddhism arose as a result of Siddhartha Gautama's quest for Enlightenment in
around the 6th Century BCE
Buddhism is a religion which has variety of traditions, beliefs and
practices, largely based on teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, commonly
known as the Buddha.
Where did it all happen?
L Lumbini – Siddhartha
Gautama’s place of birth
A Bodh Gaya – Where
Siddhartha Gautama
reached enlightenment
and became the Buddha
Buddhism was developed in India by a
man called Siddattha Gotama. His father
was the ruler of a small kingdom in the
area of Nepal and Siddattha was born in
Lumbini in about 563 BC. His parents
lived in a splendid palace.
Siddartha was brought up as a Hindu
More than 50% of Buddhism Teachings are part of Hinduism, the most
popular religion in India.
The Life of Buddha – Special Signs
• Before and after his
birth there were
signs that the child
would be important.
• One is that his
Mother Queen
Maya had a dream
a special dream
which meant the
Buddha was going
to be important
If this boy ever
sees suffering, he
will never become
King. Instead, he
will become a great
spiritual leader.
My son WILL
become the King. I
decree that he will
never be allowed to
see a person suffer.
The Life of Buddha – life at the
palace
• What they said
worried the King as
he wanted Siddartha
to reign after him. He
realised that he might
become a holy man.
So the King kept him
in the palace. Well
away from suffering.
He had everything he
could ever want and
at an early age
married a beautiful
princess Yasodhara.
They had a son.
The life of buddha – The Four signs
• The King attempted to protect Siddartha
from the realities of the world but Siddartha
was not happy. So one day he went out with
his servant and he saw the four sights
– Old age
– Sickness
– Death
– A holy man
He asked his
Servant to
Explain these
Sights to him
And he could
Not.
The life of buddha – the great renunciation
Each of the four sights
made Siddartha sad,
and made him think
about life.
The day after his son
was born Rahula,
Siddartha decided that
he must leave home in a
search for an answer to
his questions, it was
tough for him to leave
his family but he thought
he was doing it for the
best and as soon as if
he reached
enlightenment he would
return.
Life of buddha – a life of asceticism
• The search for
enlightenment led
him from one
extreme to the other
Siddartha lived as a
Holy man. He had no
money, clothes or
luxury. He ate very
little and was near to
death when he
realised this was not
the answer.
• He gave it up and
decided a middle
way was better
between extreme
luxury and extreme
The life of buddha - enlightenment
• Siddartha did not give
up his search, instead
he sat himself under a
Bodhi tree in a place
called “Bodh Gaya”and
meditated, determined
to find the truth.
• Whilst under the tree he
was faced with many
temptations sent by
Mara – the force of evil.
• Finally he found
enlightenment-he
realised that the way to
end suffering was to
follow the “Middle way”
between having nothing
and having everything.
The life of buddha – his first teachings
• Siddartha Gotama
was now the
enlightened one –
The Buddha, and
had reached
enlightenment.
• He decided to share
his teachings and
ideas.
• The Buddha then
went and taught his
first sermon in the
Deer Park at
Sarnath.