Download Hinduism & Buddhism

Roots of Buddhism
Siddhartha Gautama: founder of Buddhism
The Life of Siddhartha
 Born to noble family of kshatriya (warrior)
caste
– Never saw world outside of palace
– Finally left palace – saw old aging, sickness, poverty,
death for 1st time
 Wanted to put an end to
life’s suffering
The Search for Enlightenment on why
we have suffering in the world
 Decided he could not be happy going back to the
life he once lived
 Wandered in forests
 Debated with other religious seekers
 Fasted
 Meditated for 49 days under large fig tree
 Achieved understanding of the cause of
suffering in the world
 Became Buddha, “the enlightened one”
The Four Noble Truths
1) life is filled with suffering and
sorrow
2) the cause of all suffering is
people’s selfish desire
3) Way to end suffering is to end
all desires
4) the way to overcome such
desires and attain
enlightenment is to follow the
Eightfold Path
 "Do not believe in anything simply because you have
heard it.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is
spoken and rumored by many.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is found
written in your religious books.
Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of
your teachers and elders.
Do not believe in traditions simply because they have
been handed down for many generations.
But after observation and analysis, when you find
that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to
the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it
and live up to it."
~Buddha
a.k.a. the Middle Way – avoiding
extremes
Goal was to reach “nirvana” release from selfishness & pain
 Accepted cyclical view of
history – world is created &
destroyed again and again
Buddha also believed in
reincarnation & karma
– Did not believe in caste
system
– No worship of deities or gods
 Sangha – Buddhist religious order
– Includes monks, nuns, & entire Buddhist community
 Dharma – Buddhist doctrine or teachings, universal law
of nature
“Three Jewels” of Buddhism = Sangha, Buddha, &
dharma
 Many of Buddha’s early followers were laborers and
craftspeople
 He reluctantly admitted women to religious orders –
however, he feared that women’s presence would
distract men from their religious duties
 Monks & nuns took vows of poverty,
nonviolence, and not to marry
Teachings of Buddha were written down after
his death (1st century BC)
Buddhist sacred literature includes
commentaries, rules of monastic life, manuals on
meditation, and legends about Buddha’s
previous reincarnations
 India is important place of pilgrimages for
Buddhists
 Visit spots associated with Buddha’s life –
birthplace, the fig tree, site of first sermon, & the
sacred mounds (said to contain his relics)
Spread and Development of
Buddhism
Trade spreads Buddhism to China, Korea, Japan
– SILK ROADS!!!
– Did not become strong in India
– Missionaries
Was a unifying
force in Japan
 Related to the
religion of Jainism
Branches of Buddhism
 Theraveda Buddhism
 Mayahana Buddhism
 Vajrayana Buddhism
 Buddhism in the West
– Zen Buddhism
Overview Questions
 How did Siddhartha Gautama become
known as Buddha?
 How does one reach nirvana?
 How did Buddhism affect society?
 How and where did Buddhism spread?