Download Buddhism - Australian Lutheran World Service

Village Life in Cambodia—ALWS Awareness Week 2014
Buddhism
At the heart of the
Buddha's teaching
lie ‘The Three signs
of Being’, ‘The Four
Noble Truths’ and
‘The Eightfold
Buddhists believe that the Buddha
saw the truth about what the world is Path’ which lead
the Buddhist tolike. They believe that nothing in the
wards the path of
world is perfect, and that the Buddha
Enlightenment.
found the answer to why it is like this.
They do not believe that the Buddha was a god, but a
3 Buddhist central beliefs are known as the 3 jewels.
human being just like them. He was important because he 1. Belief in Buddha
gained Enlightenment, and he chose to teach other
2. Dharma - the teachings of Buddha
people how to reach it too.
3. The Sangha - the Buddhist community made up of
ordinary people as well as the monks and nuns.
Buddhism is the main religion in
Cambodia and is deeply engrained in
the Cambodian culture. Over 96% of
the population are Buddhist.
3 main symbols of Buddhism are:
The wheel of life which symbolises the
cycle of life, death and rebirth.
The lotus flower, a symbol of purity and
divine birth. It grows in mud at the bottom
of a pool, then rises above the surface to
become a beautiful flower.
Images of Buddha There are 32 symbols in
Buddhism to show that the Buddha was a
special person.
5 Moral teachings are also rules to live by. The main 5 are:
1. Do not take the life of anything living. (Do not kill).
2. Do not take anything not freely given. (Do not steal).
3. Abstain from sexual misconduct and sensual
overindulgence.
4. Refrain from untrue speech. (Do not lie).
5. Do not consume alcohol or other drugs.
Buddhists worship at home or at a temple.
Buddhists will often have a shrine. They make offerings of
Buddhism is founded on and inspired by the teachings of flowers, candles, incense and pure water at the shrine.
Siddhartha Gautama. This Holy Man was born into a royal Worshippers sit on the floor barefoot facing an image of
family, around the year 580 BCE in Nepal. As he grew he Buddha and chant. People chant to show their love for the
learned that sickness, age, and death were a fate no-one Buddha. Buddhist worship is called puja.
could avoid. Siddharta believed that, after seeing a monk
one day, this was a sign to leave his royal life and live as a
homeless Holy Man.
When Siddharta left his family he saw much suffering and
searched for a way of escaping this.
Siddhartha eventually found the path to Enlightenment
and became known as the Buddha or "awakened one".
Buddhists believe that unless someone gains
Enlightenment, when they die they will be reborn. This is
There are 2 main kinds of Buddhist temples: the pagoda
reincarnation: the idea that one must go through many
(right) and the Stupa (left).
cycles of birth, living, and death. After
many such cycles, if a person releases
The sacred book of Buddhism is called
their attachment to desire and the self,
the
Tripitaka. It is written in an ancient
they can attain Nirvana. If a person can
Indian
language called Pali which is very
gain Enlightenment, they can break out of
close
to
the language that the Buddha
this cycle. Nirvana is the end of
himself spoke. The Tripitaka is a very
everything that is not perfect. It is perfect
large book.
peace, free of suffering.
For further information contact
Email: [email protected]
Ph: 1300 763 407
Web: www.alws.org.au
Australian Lutheran World Service
Awareness Week 2014
Village Life in Cambodia
Dare to Dream a
Different World