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Buddhism
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A Way of Life
To many, Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more
of a philosophy or 'way of life'
The major tenets are …
(1) to lead a moral life
(2) to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions
(3) to develop wisdom and understanding
(“Introduction to Buddhism”)
Who was the Buddha?
 Born Siddhartha Gautama in 563 B.C.E.
 He was of the noble caste in India
 At the age of 29 he rejected the life of luxury
 He sought enlightenment and the solution to
suffering (“Introduction to Buddha”)
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The Wandering Ascetic
 He followed a strict ascetic lifestyle for six years
 Then he realized even this was too extreme
 He became Buddha, the “Awakened One”at the age
of 35
 He spent the remaining 45 years of his life teaching
others how to achieve the peace of mind he had
achieved
(“Introduction to Buddha”)
The Four Noble Truths:
1- To live is to suffer
2- The cause of suffering is self-centered desire &
attachments
3- The solution is to eliminate desire and attachment,
thus achieving Nirvana (“extinction”)
4- The way to Nirvana is through the “Eight-Fold
Path”
(“Introduction to Buddhism”)
What is the Eight-Fold Path?
Wisdom:
•Right
understanding
•Right
motivation
Moral
discipline:
•Right speech
•Right action
•Right
livelihood
Mental discipline:
• Right effort
• Right mindfulness
• Right meditation
Three Marks of Existence
 Anicca (Sanskrit anitya) = impermanence
 Dukkha (Sanskrit duhkha) = unsatisfactoriness
 Anatta (Sanskrit anatman) = non-self
(“Three Marks of Existence”)
Buddhist Metaphysics
 Dukkha: life in this world is filled with suffering
 Anicca: everything in this world is impermanent
 Anatta: the self/soul is also impermanent – there is
no eternal, unchanging self (“no soul” – no atman)
(“Metaphysics”)
What do Buddhists believe?
 Rebirth (reincarnation) results from attachments
(karma)
 Nirvana is a peaceful, detached state of mind
 Once Gautama Buddha died, after 80 years of life in this
world, having achieved Nirvana and teaching multitudes his
way of life, he ceased to exist as a distinct being
 Buddhism is non-theistic: Buddha is not the
Buddhist God – he is just a revered teacher
How are Buddhism and Hinduism Similar?
Buddhists and Hindus believe …
 Karma is a cycle of cause and effect
 “Similar actions will lead to similar results” (Santina)
 Dharma is duty
 Samsara is the cycle of rebirth
(“Major Differences”)
How are Buddhism and Hinduism Different?
Buddhism rejects…
 Authority of the ancient Vedic texts
 The Vedic caste system
 The Vedic and Hindu deities
 The efficacy of Vedic worship and ritual
 The concept of Brahman
(“Major Differences”)
For Example …
 There are no supreme dieties in Buddhism
 Buddha is not an Avatar, he is a holy man
 Buddha is omniscient, not omnipotent
 Moksha is happiness on earth while Nirvana is an
escape from it entirely
(“Major Differences”)
Schools of Buddhism - Theravada
 Oldest school of Buddhism
 Found in southern Asia (Sri Lanka, Burma,
Thailand, etc.)
 Monasticism is the ideal life for achieving
Nirvana
 A “do-it-yourself” approach to enlightenment
 Focus on wisdom and meditation
 Goal is to become a Buddha
 Pāli Canon = word of Buddha
(“Theravada Ideal”)
Buddhanet.net
Schools of Buddhism - Mahayana
 Developed first century C.E.
 Found in Northern Asia (China, Japan, etc.)
 Buddhism “for the masses”
 Group, not individual end to suffering
 Believe Buddha’s can help lead to enlightenment
 "Āgamas" as well as Pali Canon
 Diverse schools and sects
(“Bodhisattva Ideal”)
Buddhanet.net
Schools of Buddhism - Tibetan
 Developed 7th century C.E.
 A mix of Theravada & Mahayana:

Rituals (Tantra):
Mantras (chanting)
 Mandalas & Thankas (symbolic images)
 Mudras (hand gestures)



Buddhanet.net
Bodhisattvas, including living Lamas (Dalai Lama)
Scriptures
Between the 11th and 14th centuries, the Tibetans translated
every available Buddhist text into Tibetan..
 Tibetan Book of the Dead

Schools of Buddhism –Zen
The “meditation” school:
 Seeks sudden
enlightenment (satori)
through meditation,
arriving at emptiness
(sunyata) and the
“Buddha Nature”
 Use of meditation masters
(Roshi)
 Beauty, arts & aesthetics –
gardens, archery, the tea
ceremony, calligraphy,
etc.
What are some Buddhist texts?
 Tripitaka aka the “Three Baskets”:
 Vinaya
(“discipline”) – rules for monastic life
 Sutta (“discourse”) – sermons of the Buddha
 Abhidhamma (metaphysical “teachings”)
 Dhammapada – collected sayings of the Buddha
The Spread of Buddhism
 Within two centuries after the Buddha died,
Buddhism began to spread north and east into Asia
 By 13th century Buddhism had disappeared from
India
Buddhanet.net
Buddhist Populations
Buddhanet.net
A quick note about the Citations
All of the information in this presentation comes from Buddhanet.net
The citations reference the articles on the cite