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FROM SIDDHARTHA TO THE BUDDHA
 After coming to the conclusion that everything was better in moderation, Siddhartha
continued a healthy life and returned to meditation.
 Sitting under a tree, he was able to achieve a higher consciousness, or a “psychic state”.
 He saw the death and rebirth of all kinds of Earth’s beings as well as all of his previous
lives.
 This allowed him to realize that good deeds brought better lives, and that bad deeds
brought a life of unpleasantness.
 He realized that desire was the root of all suffering, and was able to get rid of any
craving he might have had.
 In this state of nirvana, he was able to reach enlightenment: he was at absolute peace.
WHAT IS NIRVANA?
Nirvana is difficult to understand,
and Buddha suggested it had to be
experienced in order to be
understood. Nirvana has been
observed as:
 A state of total liberation
 Permanent truth and realization
 Serenity, tranquility, peace, calm
 A goal of liberation from suffering
Siddhartha stayed in a state of
nirvana for 7 days; he then decided
to publicize his teachings and ideas.
BUDDHISM’S ROOTS IN HINDUISM
Think about what you know about
Hinduism, and your introduction to
Buddhism so far. Which of the following
concepts do you think were rejected or
retained by the Buddha?
• Gods
• Rituals
• Karma
• Caste System
• Reincarnation
• Samsara
• Questioning of Existence/Eternity
• Language and Sacred Text
CONCEPT:
GODS
BUDDHIST?
NO
WHY?
Siddhartha's revelation had nothing to do with
any god. Remember that Buddhism emphasizes
things to DO rather than things to BELIEVE.
CONCEPT:
RITUALS
BUDDHIST?
NO
WHY?
The Buddha saw Hindu rituals such as gods, chants,
and sacrifices as “insignificant activities that
dominated the religion”. He was determined that
Buddhism would be free of meaningless rituals.
CONCEPT:
KARMA
BUDDHIST?
YES
WHY?
When Siddhartha achieved nirvana, he was able to
see many lives of the past and realized the
connection between good/bad deeds and a person’s
life.
CONCEPT:
CASTE SYSTEM
BUDDHIST?
NO
WHY?
Buddhism believes that all individuals are equal. Buddha
disagrees with the notion that only after thousands of
lives and achieving the Brahmin caste can one reach
nirvana; rather he taught that with personal effort,
enlightenment could be achieved by anybody, regardless
of their position in society.
CONCEPT:
REINCARNATON
BUDDHIST?
YES
WHY?
Buddha’s understanding of karma is directly
related to his understanding of reincarnation,
the transferring of one’s consciousness into a
new body after death.
CONCEPT:
SAMSARA
BUDDHIST?
YES
WHY?
All Buddhist teachings reference samsara, the
endless cycle of uncontrolled rebirths. The goal is to
achieve nirvana and escape this cycle.
CONCEPT:
BUDDHIST?
QUESTION OF EXISTENCE
NO
WHY?
The Buddha thought it was pointless to question
theories of creation and eternity as it was
impossible to ever know. Buddhism is considered to
be practical and free of mythical obsessions.
CONCEPT:
LANGUAGE/TEXT
BUDDHIST?
NO
WHY?
The Buddha disapproved of the Hindu Vedas being
written in Sanskrit, as so few people actually spoke
this language. He gave his sermons in the common
tongue of the people.
TASK: VENN DIAGRAM
Using the Venn Diagram provided, outline the similarities and
differences between Buddhism and Hinduism.
BUDDHIST “BELIEFS”: READ P. 168
Recall that Buddhism is more about
things to DO rather than things to
BELIEVE, outlined in the following
Buddhist concepts:
• 3 Characteristics of Existence
• 5 Precepts
• 4 Noble Truths
• Noble 8 Fold Path
• 3 Refuges
• 6 Perfections
THE THREE CHARACTERISTICS OF EXISTENCE (P. 170)
IMPERMEANCE
SUFFERING
NO-SELF
This means that
everything is
always changing.
The world is in
constant flux, and
nothing can ever
stay the same for
long.
All humans and all
animals experience
suffering. There is no
such thing as
continuous
happiness, since all
feelings are
constantly changing.
It is impossible to
point to any one
thing and say
“that is self”. Is it
an eye? A mind?
A heart? No – a
combination!
THINK:
HOW MANY
OF THE
FOLLOWING
RULES DO
YOU FOLLOW?
1.DO NOT KILL OR HARM LIVING BEINGS.
2.DO NOT STEAL.
3.ABSTAIN FROM IMPROPER SEXUAL
CONDUCT.
4.ABSTAIN FROM TELLING LIES, BEING
MEAN, OR SPREADING RUMORS.
5.ABSTAIN FROM DRUGS OR ALCOHOL.
THE FIVE PRECEPTS
(P. 170-171)
The Five Precepts are rules that
Buddhist’s follow in order to avoid
anything that might cause suffering
(outlined on previous slide).
There are also another 5 precepts
that Buddhist monks and nuns take
on, but these are not followed by
the average Buddhist…
ADDITIONAL PRECEPTS
6) No eating after noon.
7) No looking at dancing, singing, drama.
8) Abstain from perfumes/beauty
products.
9) No comfortable beds.
10) Accept no gifts of gold or silver.
THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS (P. 171-172)
What would you do if you were sick?
You would go to a doctor to find the cause
and how to treat it, right?
Buddha knew that a problem of all
humans, at some point, was unhappiness.
Just as a doctor looks for the root of the
problem and how to fix it, Buddha looked
at the cause of unhappiness, and how to
treat it.
He came up with the Four Noble Truths, an
essential part of Buddhism.
THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH (P. 172-173)
The 4th Noble Truth is that
there is a path to eliminate
suffering. That path is “The
Noble Eightfold Path”.
Buddhists do not see the
path as steps to be taken
one after the other, but
rather to be used together
to help a person live a life of
self-understanding,
happiness, and peace.
THE THREE REFUGES (P. 173)
REFUGE = PLACE OF SAFETY FROM
DANGER
In order to make it easier to follow his teachings,
Buddha came up with the Three Refuges, or the
Triple Jewel.
The Three Refuges are a symbol for Buddhists that
help them on their journey and represent:
1. The Buddha (the guide)
2. The Dharma (the path)
3. The Sangha (companions and teachers)
THE SIX PERFECTIONS (P. 174)
When a Buddhist reaches nirvana, they are called a
Bodhisattva.
Sometimes these people choose to remain in
samsara to help others on their path. These people
practice the 6 perfections:
1. Giving
2. Morality
3. Patience
4. Vigour
5. Meditation
6. Wisdom: An indication of full awareness.
ASSIGNMENT: “ACHIEVING ENLIGHTENMENT
IN BUDDHISM”
• Create a poster or a handout based on one of the Buddhist concepts
covered in class.
• 3 people maximum
• 2 classes to work
• Concepts will be drawn at random
• Posters must be visually appealing, organized, and an informative
classroom resource
• Handouts will be photocopied and distributed to the class and must be
visually appealing, organized, and informative