Download The Birth of Buddhism

The Birth of Buddhism
The Founder of Buddhism
•
•
•
•
•
•
Siddhartha Gautama grew
up as a prince.
Gautama began to search for
wisdom after living a life
without sadness or ugliness.
In his search for wisdom, he
spoke with Hindu priests, but
he could not accept their
answers.
He traveled across northern
India for six years, begging
for food and seeking truth. He
tried to focus his thoughts by
refusing to eat, or fasting. He
began to eat again when he
nearly starved to death.
After meditating for several
days, great understanding
came to the prince as he sat
under a fig tree.
Buddhist texts tell us that the
wisdom he received that day
made him the Buddha, or
“Awakened One.”
• The Buddha used some
Hindu ideas and changed
others.
• Like Hindus, the Buddha
believed that all people
went through cycles of
birth, death, and rebirth
called reincarnation. He
also accepted the Hindu
idea of Karma. Karma is a
force caused by a
person’s good and bad
acts. Karma is said to
affect future lives.
Beliefs of Buddha
• Unlike Hindus,
however, Buddha
did not search for
the one powerful
force believed to
connect all of life.
• He believed that the
most important task
in life was to reach
peace by ending
suffering.
The Four Noble Truths
• The Buddha decided that
life is ruled by Four Noble
Truths.
1. Life is filled with suffering.
2. Suffering is caused by
people wanting more
pleasure, more power, or a
longer life.
3. Suffering can end if people
stop wanting things.
4. People must follow eight
basic laws if they are to
stop wanting things.
The Eightfold Path
• The Buddha explained the
Four Noble truths to his
followers.
• He called the way to end
suffering the Eightfold
Path.
• The Eightfold Path is a set
of instructions on the
proper way to live.
• These laws were neither
too strict nor too easy.
They represent a Middle
Way of living.
The Eightfold Path
• 276. You yourself
must make the effort.
The (Buddha) can
only point the way….
• 277. Temporary are
all…things; he who
sees the truth of this
becomes disgusted
with the world of
suffering. This is the
path to purity.
Buddha Travels and Teaches
• There were thousands
of Buddhists in
northern India by the
time the Buddha died at
the age of 80.
• Buddhist monks, like
the Buddha, gave up all
they owned and
depended on other
Buddhist believers to
give them food each
day. They tried to live
peacefully and to love
all living things.
The Spread of Buddhism
• Buddhism
spread to what
are today China,
Japan, Korea,
Tibet, Sri Lanka,
Thailand,
Cambodia, and
Vietnam.
Different Schools
• Some followers
believe that the
Buddha was a god.
• Others thought that he
was a person who
found a way to end
suffering.
• Buddhists also argued
about how to live the
Middle Way.
• These differences
continue among
Buddhists today.