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Buddhism
“All that we are is founded in
our thoughts. With our
thoughts we make the world.”
Basic Buddhism
• Founder - Siddhartha Gautama, or
Buddha, which means
"enlightened one.“
• Geographic Origin - Developed
in India.
• Currently Practiced - Most
common in Southeast Asia and
Japan.
• Significant Writings - Tripitka, or
Three Baskets of Wisdom.
Basic Buddhism
• Places of Worship – Buddhism
may be practiced individually,
but temples and monasteries
do exist.
• Significant Religious People
–
– Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader
of the Tibetan sect of Buddhism
– Buddhist monks
The Buddha
• Siddhartha Gautama, the
founder of Buddhism,
• born about 566 BCE & raised
in luxury;
• around age 29, Gautama left
his wife & newborn son &
wandered throughout India in
search of a way to end
people's suffering
Buddha
• Gautama lived as a hermit for
seven years, seeking the truth
through fasting & self-denial;
• one day he gained a flash of
insight into the problem of
suffering, & he began to share
this insight w/ others,
• earning the title the Buddha,
or "Enlightened One."
Buddha
• The Buddha
developed a
new
religious
philosophy,
based on
the Four
Noble Truths
Four Noble Truths:
1. “dukkha” - all people suffer & know
sorrow
2. people suffer b/c of their desires /
craving
3. people can end their suffering by
eliminating their desires
4. people can eliminate desire, achieve
nirvana, by following the Eightfold
Path
The Noble Eightfold Path – Traditional Description
1. Right View
2. Right Intention
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right
Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right
Mindfulness
Wisdom
Ethical Conduct
Mental
Development
Eightfold Path – Plain English
The Wheel of Life is one of the most important symbols of
Buddhism, as it represents the endless cycle of life through
reincarnation and because each of its eight spokes
represents one of the teachings of the Eightfold Path.
1. Know that suffering is caused by desire.
2. Be selfless and love all life.
3. Do not lie, or speak without cause.
4. Do not kill, steal, or commit other unrighteous acts.
5. Do not do things which promote evil.
6. Take effort to promote righteousness.
7. Be aware of your physical actions, state of mind, and
emotions.
8. Learn to meditate.
Reincarnation Debate
• Buddhists believe in an endless cycle of
reincarnation, or samsara, which is similar to
beliefs of Hinduism.
– Buddhists do not believe that deities are responsible
for the phenomenon.
– Buddhists do not believe in a soul
– Zen ideal – reincarnation = reawakening in each
moment to suffering
• Caste System is rejected by Buddhists
– person's place in life depended on the person, not on
the person's birth
Nirvana
• By avoiding extremes & following the
Eightfold Path a person could attain
nirvana, a state of freedom from the
cycle of rebirth.
• “See life as it really is”
• “You are your own salvation”
• “Don’t believe it unless it agrees with
your own common sense”
Buddhism’s take on reincarnation
• Anatman - “no-soul” –
• Individ = temporary combination of
stuff
• stream of renewed existences, rather
than a permanent being that moves
from life to life—in effect a belief in
rebirth without transmigration.
• The pieces regroup again b/c of craving
and suffering
Buddhism’s take on gods
• “No comment” b/c it
doesn’t matter b/c
cannot prove one way
or another.
• Non-issue.
• Parable: arrow
Spread of Buddhism
After the
Buddha's death,
his thousands of
disciples carried
the new religion
beyond India to
other parts of
Asia.
Spread of Buddhism
The rise of Buddhism
led to a flowering of
architecture & the
arts.
“First Buddhist Council”
• As Buddhism spread,
disagreements developed
among the Buddha's followers.
• “First Buddhist Council”
– Century after death
– 2 camps
– Argued over carrying condiments
over to next day and handling
gold & silver
Spread of Buddhism
• Theravada, in South Asia & Southeast Asia,
regarded the Buddha as a teacher;
• Mahayana, dominant in China, Korea, &
Japan, encouraged the worship of the Buddha
as a divine being & savior.
• Also…
– Zen, Hinayana, Pure Land, variations evolving in
North America
Spread of Buddhism
• Today, most Indians
= Hindus, w/
Muslims, Jews, &
Christians making up
the rest of the
population;
• recently, however,
Buddhism has
gained new followers
in India, as well as in
the West.
Dies out in India…
• Invaders from Afghanistan
11th-12th century
• Monasteries along Ganges
river vulnerable to attack &
persecution
• Served as universities
religious and secular
• Never fully recovered in
India