Download Buddhism Siddhartha Gautama

Buddhism
Rather than worshipping one god, Buddhism centers around the
importance of its teachings.
The image the Buddha meditating under the Bodhi tree is very important
to the religion.
Siddhartha Gautama
He was born into a royal family
of the Kshatriya caste in a
village named Lumbini. His
privileged life isolated him from
the sufferings of life.
One day, under the bodhi tree
of awakening, Gautama was in
meditation and thought about
his life. He then achieved
enlightenment/nirvana and
became the Buddha. Gautama
then started teaching others.
Gautama pursued
the middle way.
This is in between
luxury and
poverty.
Gautama married and had 1
kid. One day, he went outside
his palace and, for the first time,
saw an old man, a sick man, and
a corpse. This was the first time
he was exposed to these, and he
was disturbed by them.
At the age of 29, Gautama left his
royal life to live as a homeless holy
man because encountered an ascetic
man who gave up his life for spiritual
understanding. This encouraged
Gautama to follow a life of extreme
ascetism for 6 years. However, this
did not satisfy him.
Bodhi
 This is also called the “awakening” or “enlightenment”
 Bodhi is the final enlightenment that leads to nirvana
 This is achieved by following the Eightfold Path
The Four Noble Truths:
 These are 4 principles that are the pinnacle of the Buddha’s teachings
 The 4 Noble Truths of the is compared to a physician with a patient—
I.
II.
III.
1st and 2nd Noble Truth- diagnose the problem
3rd Noble Truth- realization of a cure
4th Noble Truth- prescription
1. Dukkha- Suffering
 3 obvious kinds are old age, sickness, and death (all that the
Buddha had originally saw)
 Humans are subject to desires, thus becoming unsatisfied
 This is the truth of suffering that the Buddha taught
2. Samudāya- Origin of Suffering
 The Buddha found the cause of all suffering as tanhā (desire)
 Desire comes in 3 forms, called the Three Roots of Evil, 3 Fires,
or 3 Poisons
3. Nirodha- End of Suffering
 This is the possibility of freeing oneself from desire
4. Magga- Path to the end of Suffering
 This is the Buddha’s prescription to end suffering
 The end of suffering is through a set of principles called the
Eightfold Path/Middle Way
The 3 Roots of Evil
 Also called the 3 Fires or the 3 Poisons
 These are the roots causes of all suffering
1. Greed and desire depicted by a rooster
2. Ignorance depicted by a pig
3. Hatred depicted by a snake
Nirvana
 Extinguishing suffering and getting rid of the 3 roots of suffering is
achieving nirvana
 This puts an end to the reincarnation cycle and what everyone wants to
achieve
 A state of mind that humans can reach
Buddha’s view of the Caste System
The Buddha did not like the caste system. He thought that is was unfair
and unjust because it was not based on a person’s morals.
He once said,
“By birth one is not an outcaste,
By birth one is not a Brahman;
By deeds alone one is an outcaste,
By deeds alone one is a Brahman.”
—Buddha
The Eightfold Path/Middle Way
This is the path to achieve nirvana. This avoids luxury and extreme
ascetism. There are 8 parts, but they do not have to be completed in order.
1. Right Understanding/Sammā ditthi
 Accept Buddha’s teachings
2. Right Intention/ Sammā san̄kappa
 Commiting to a right attitude
3. Right Speech/ Sammā vācā
 Don’t lie and avoid gossip
4. Right Action/ Sammā kammanta
 Behave peacefully and no stealing or killing
5. Right Livelihood/ Sammā ājīva
 Avoid living in a way that is harmful to others
6. Right Effort/ Sammā vāyāma
 Having a positive state of mind
7. Right Mindfulness/ Sammā sati
 Awareness of one’s body and feelings
8. Right Concentration/ Sammā samādhi
 Having mental focus
These can also be grouped into 3 categories:
I.
II.
III.
Wisdom: Right understanding and intention
Ethical Conduct: Right speech, action, and livelihood
Meditation: right effort, mindfulness, and concentration
Stupa
 An old religious monument
 Evolution of stupas:
Prehistory:
Before the Buddha:
During Buddha’s Time:
Mounds of earth
and stones
Places to bury the
king away from
the village
The Buddha’s relics are in
a stupa, and they were
used to remind people of
an awakened mind