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Section 19.3
Origins of Buddhism
The Quest for Answers
Gautama – aka “Buddha”
Born a Kshatriya, 563 BC (a prince)
Saw human suffering & pain
Questioned why people suffer
Journeyed through India
No one could give him answers
 Siddhartha
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Finding Enlightenment
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He wanted to free himself of daily concerns
(For a while he didn’t even bath -starts
fasting and meditating)
Fasting- going without food
Meditation- the focusing of the mind on
spiritual ideas
Siddhartha spent 6 years
wandering in India
Finding Enlightenment
 Sat
down under a tree & meditated for 7 weeks
 He had an epiphany & realized human suffering
came from 3 things…
 1)
Wanting what we like but do not have
 2) Wanting to keep what we like & already have
 3) Not wanting what we dislike & have
Finding Enlightenment
 From
then on he was known as….
“Buddha”
A.K.A “The Enlightened One”
(He spent the rest of his life
traveling in N. India &
teaching people his ideas)
Teachings of Buddhism
 Buddha
gained followers as he traveled
(These people were the first Buddhists)
 Similarity
with Hinduism =
Belief in reincarnation
 Reincarnation
until you reach
nirvana – a state of perfect
peace
Challenging Hindu Ideas
 Buddha
rejected many rituals
from the Vedas (Like animal
sacrifice)
 Challenged
authority of
Brahmins (Priests cannot help
you reach salvation)
 Disagreed
with the caste
system
 Buddhism attracted herders,
farmers, artisans, &
untouchables
Buddhism Spreads
By Buddha’s
death in 483
BC,
Buddhism
had spread
throughout
India by
missionaries
A Split within Buddhism
 Two
major branches:
Theravada & Mahayana
Theravada - believe in following Buddha’s
teachings exactly
Mahayana – believes others can interpret teachings
to reach nirvana
 Mahayana
is by far the larger branch
Famous Buddhists
 Approximately
7% of world population