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Buddhism
Who is Buddah?
Born Prince Circa 563 BC
His father, Suddhodana, was king of the clan.
His mother was named Maya.
Born at the foot of the Himalayas, between
Nepal and Tibet.
He was given the name Siddhãrtha
Gautama. Siddhãrtha means "one who has
achieved his aim." Gautama was his clan
name. He was sometimes referred to as
Śãkyamuni which means "the sage of the
Śãkyas."
Siddhãrtha
Raised a Hindu
At the age of 16, he was married to his
wife Yaśodharã. When he was 29, his
wife had a son, Rãhula.
He left his wife, child, luxurious lifestyle,
and future role as a leader of his
people in order to seek truth
Enlightenment
One night In 535 BCE, at the age of 35,
he was seated underneath a large
tree -- later known as the Bodhi tree
(species Pipal or ficus religiosus). He
began to experience some major
spiritual breakthroughs:
Enlightenment
During the first watch of the night, he
developed the ability to recall the
events of his previous reincarnations
in detail.
During the second watch, he was able
to see how the good and bad deeds
that many living entities performed
during their lifetimes led to the nature
of their subsequent reincarnation into
their next life.
Enlightenment

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During the third watch, he learned that he
had progressed beyond "spiritual
defilements," craving, desire, hatred,
hunger, thirst, exhaustion, fear, doubt, and
delusions. He had attained nirvana. He
would never again be reincarnated into a
future life.
He had attained enlightenment! "He
became a savior, deliverer, and redeemer."
Significance of
Enlightenment
The events under the Bodhi tree are
often described in mythological terms
in Buddhist literature and art. His
experiences are portrayed as a battle
with Mãra, the Buddhist equivalent of
the Judeo-Christian-Islamic Satan.

He assumed the title Lord Buddha
(one who has awakened; the one who
has attained enlightenment by
himself).
7 Days of pondering
He wanted to decide whether to enter a
lifetime of seclusion or share his
Middle Way teaching
He chose to teach (Shocking!?)
Fabulous Five
He found 5 guys he fasted with for 6
years earlier in his life and they
accepted his teachings. After his 2nd
sermon, they all achieved
Enlightenment.
They were ordained as monks and after
Enlightenment became
Arhants(saints)
What next?

He wandered around Northeast India for
decades, teaching all who would listen. He
covered a "territory some 150 miles long by
250 miles wide, an area somewhat smaller
than Ireland or the state of Pennsylvania." 2
He had tens of thousands of disciples and
accumulated a large public following. He
later established an order of monks and a
corresponding order of nuns. His wife
Yaśodharã became the first nun.

His health began to fail when he was
in this late 70s. After forty-five years of
teaching, he died in a small town
named Kuśinagara, apparently of
natural causes. His final words were:
"Decay is inherent in all things. Be
sure to strive with clarity of mind" for
Nirvana. The traditional date of his
death is 483 BCE. However, some
recent research indicates that he
actually died circa 405 BCE.
Successor
One was not chosen. He felt Dharma and the Vinaya
would be the best tools to guide his followers.
250 years later a group of monks collected his
teachings and oral traditions of faith and put them
into writing in the Tripitaka.
What is Buddhism?
Buddhism is a path of practice and
spiritual development leading to
Insight into the true nature of life.
The basic tenets of Buddhist teaching
are straightforward and practical:
nothing is fixed or permanent; actions
have consequences; change is
possible.
What is Buddhism?

It teaches practical methods (such as
meditation) which enable people to
realize and utilize its teachings in
order to transform their experience, to
be fully responsible for their lives and
to develop the qualities of Wisdom
and Compassion.
All traditions are characterized by nonviolence, lack of dogma, tolerance of
differences, and, usually, by the
practice of meditation .
IS IT A RELIGION? Yes
 IS IT A PHILOSOPHY OR WAY OF
LIFE? Yes
 A PATH TO ELIMINATE SUFFERING
 DOES NOT ENDORSE THE
EXISTENCE OF A SOUL

WORLD THINGS ARE NOT
PERMANENT
 DOES NOT ENDORSE THERE IS
WORLDLY HAPPINESS
 IT IS DOCUMENTED in the Tipitaka,
written in about 84 BC, in Sri Lanka, it
is 11 times the size of the Bible.

4 Noble Truths




There is suffering.
There is cause for suffering.
There is cessation of suffering.
There is path leading to the
cessation of suffering.
1st Noble Truth

is the existence of suffering. Birth is
painful and death is painful; disease
and old age are painful. Not having
what we desire is painful and having
what we do not desire is also painful.
2nd Noble Truth

is the cause of suffering. It is the
craving desire for the pleasures of the
senses, which seeks satisfaction now
here, now there; the craving for
happiness and prosperity in this life
and in future lives.
3rd Noble Truth

is the ending of suffering. To be free of
suffering one must give up, get rid of,
extinguish this very craving, so that no
passion and no desire remain.
4th Noble Truth

leads to the ending
of all pain by way of
the Eightfold Path.
8 Fold Path




The first step on that path is Right Views: You must
accept the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
The second is Right Resolve: You must renounce the
pleasures of the senses; you must harbor no ill will
toward anyone and harm no living creature.
The third is Right Speech: Do not lie; do not slander
or abuse anyone. Do not indulge in idle talk.
The fourth is Right Behavior: Do not destroy any living
creature; take only what is given to you; do not commit
any unlawful sexual act.
8 Fold Path




The fifth is Right Occupation: You must earn your
livelihood in a way that will harm no one.
The sixth is Right Effort: You must resolve and strive
heroically to prevent any evil qualities from arising in
you and to abandon any evil qualities that you may
possess. Strive to acquire good qualities and
encourage those you do possess to grow, increase,
and be perfected.
The seventh is Right Contemplation: Be observant,
strenuous, alert, contemplative, and free of desire and
of sorrow.
The eighth is Right Meditation: When you have
abandoned all sensuous pleasures, all evil qualities,
both joy and sorrow, you must then enter the four
degrees of meditation, which are produced by
concentration.
5 Precepts to follow
1. Kill no living thing.
2.
Do not steal.
3.
Do not commit
adultery.
4.
Tell no lies.
5.
Do not drink
intoxicants or
take drugs.
Other Precepts that apply to
Monks and Nuns
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Eat moderately and only at the
appointed time.
Avoid that which excites the senses.
Do not wear adornments.
Do not sleep in luxurious beds.
Accept no silver or gold.
Scripture
Southeast Asia:
Vinaya Pitakacontains rules
Sutta Pitaka-contains
discourses of
Buddha
Abidhamma PitakaContains Buddha
Theology
Mahayana
5,000 volumes of
Holy writings.
Who is a Buddhist?
Who is a Buddhist?