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Buddhism
The Four Noble Truths,
The Eightfold Path,
&
The Five Precepts
Who is Buddha?
• Siddhartha Gautama
–Wanted to know why there was suffering
& how to stop that suffering
–Meditated and traveled to find the answer
• Took 6 years!
–Became enlightened
–Spent the rest of his life
spreading his message
–Became known as Buddha
Why was Buddhism appealing?
• Hindus dissatisfied
–Wanted a way to escape the cycle of
reincarnation
–Wanted to find Nirvana, or enlightenment
–Felt that not everyone in society was
doing their jobs for the common good
–Buddha’s teaching gave
them hope
The Middle Way
• Buddha taught that the way to
spiritual enlightenment was to follow
The Middle Way
–Promoted BALANCE!!!!
–Avoid extremes in life
• Wanting it all
• Giving it all up
• To follow The Middle Way, one needs
to understand the Four Noble Truths
Four Noble Truths
• Life is full of suffering
• Suffering comes from desire/wanting
• Suffering stops when desire/wanting
stops
• In order to stop those desires/wants,
follow the Eightfold Path
Eightfold Path
• Right Understanding
–Know & understand the Four Noble
Truths
• Right Aims
–Give up worldly things
–Love & help others
–Do not cheat
Wisdom
Eightfold Path
• Right Speech
–Tell the truth
–Do not gossip
–Listen & communicate with others
• Right Action
–NEVER steal, kill, or be jealous
–Do good for others’ gain, not your own
reward
Eightfold Path
• Right Livelihood/Proper Work
–Do work that does not cause harm
Morality
Eightfold Path
• Right Thinking/Right Effort
–Focus on positive thoughts
–Get rid of the negative
• Right Awareness/Right Mindfulness
–Mind should control the body
–Know when to say no to what your body
wants
Eightfold Path
• Meditation
–Train your mind to concentrate
–Think deeply
–Find peace within yourself
Meditation
Five Precepts
• The Eightfold Path helps Buddhists to
follow the Five Precepts (moral code)
–Do not take the life of anything living
–Do not take anything not freely given
–Abstain from sensual overindulgence
–Refrain from untrue speech
–Avoid intoxication