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BUDDHISM
BASICS
Buddhism focuses on the teachings of
Siddhartha Gautama “The Buddha”
 With as many as 500 million
followers, Buddhism is the 4th largest
religion in the world
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SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA

Siddhartha was born a Hindu
had a difficult time believing the teachings because of all of
the suffering he saw in the world
 also rejected the caste system.
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Siddhartha was born a wealthy prince

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He was called “The Buddha”, or the enlightened
one
Siddhartha viewed life as a time of great suffering

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gave up everything to find a true understanding of the
world
He basically said, 'life is suffering... but there is a path to
end the suffering"
He said we must detach from the world around us
GOD

Buddhism is not based on the idea of God—it’s
more of a way of life
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it is actually a philosophy, but most people still call
Buddhism a religion
Siddhartha believed in a powerful spirit force,
but not a god
BELIEFS
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Buddhists respect all life and encourage nonviolence and
kindness
Buddhism encourages its followers to reach enlightenment
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understanding the true meaning of life and truth about the
world
The aim of Buddhist life is to put an end to the sorrow of
life
When someone understands the world’s reality
(enlightenment), all of his or her suffering will end. If a
person can end the sorrow of life they will reach Nirvana.
Nirvana is the end of all desire, ignorance, and sorrow. The
spirit is freed from all possessions; it is the realization that all
human desires are pointless.
 Nirvana is the end of reincarnation, so it is similar to heaven.
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Buddhists also believe in reincarnation and karma.
THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS
1.
Life is full of suffering
2.
People suffer because of
their wants and needs
3.
The way to end suffering is
to stop desiring things
4.
The way to stop desires is
to follow the Eightfold
Path
EIGHTFOLD PATH
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Know and understand the Four
Noble Truths
Give up on worldly things, and
don’t harm others
Tell the truth, don’t gossip, and don’t
speak badly of others
Don’t commit evil acts, like killing or
stealing
Do rewarding work that does not
involve harming others
Work for good and oppose evil
Control your thoughts and minds
Practice meditation as a way of
understanding reality