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A young prince who lived a
sheltered life
A seer predicted he would
become either a mighty king
or a great religious leader
His father made sure he would
not have to endure any
hardships and gave
Siddhartha the most luxurious
life possible
He was given three different
palaces to live in and servants
to attend to his every need
Siddhartha (Cont.)
 One day Siddhartha asked to
leave his palace and go for a ride
 During this ride Siddhartha saw
people living in pain, misery and
poverty – he was shocked that
people had to endure it
 On one of his next rides outside
of the palace Siddhartha saw a
man who had given up all his
possessions and comforts to
overcome old age, disease, and
death
 Siddhartha decided to follow
this man’s example by leaving
his palace and becoming a monk
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Siddhartha spent six years
meditating and studying with
gurus and monks, but could
not find enlightenment
He finally found the path to
enlightenment after
meditating all night under a
tree – surrounded by violent
storms and temptations that
tested his will
He became known as the
Buddha, and his teachings
developed into the religion of
Buddhism
The Four Noble Truths
 Life is full of suffering
and sorrow
 Suffering comes from the
desire of pleasure
material things
 Overcoming these
desires during your life
will bring the suffering
to an end
 People can overcome
suffering by following
the Eightfold Path
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Right View – accepting the Four Noble Truths
Right Attitude – moderation in all things
Right Speech – avoiding lying, bragging, and hurtful words
Right Action – treating others fairly
Right Livelihood – avoiding jobs that bring harm to others
Right Effort – always trying to improve yourself
Right Mindfulness – being aware of the world around you
Right Concentration – ignoring temptation and discomfort while
meditating
If you follow the Eightfold Path you can attain Nirvana – a state of
perfect peace that frees the soul from suffering
Nirvana can take many lifetimes to achieve
The Middle Way – live your life by avoiding extremes
Divisions of Buddhism
 Theravada – The Way of the Elders, the oldest
Buddhist tradition; people should become monks or
nuns and spend all their time meditating to find
enlightenment – very personal
 Mahayana – people can help each other find
enlightenment; those who have found enlightenment
but have not passed on to nirvana can help others on
their path
 Tibetan – similar to Mahayana, but followers believe
they can use special techniques to harness spiritual
energy and achieve nirvana in one lifetime
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Buddhist teachings spread
across India long after the
Buddha’s death
Ashoka, an Indian emperor,
encouraged missionaries to
spread Buddhism outside of
India
Buddhism also spread
because of trade with China
As the religion spread it
continued to change and
develop