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Buddhism
World History/Napp
“Buddhism developed out of the same period of religious questioning that shaped modern
Hinduism and Jainism. The founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, was born into a
noble family that lived in Kapilavastu, in the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal. According
to Buddhist legend, the baby exhibited the marks of a great man. A prophecy indicated
that if the child stayed at home he was destined to become a world ruler. If the child left
home, however, he would become a universal spiritual leader. To make sure the boy would
be a great king and world ruler; his father isolated him in his palace. Separated from the
world, Siddhartha married and had a son.
Siddhartha never ceased thinking about the world that lay outside, which he had never
seen. When he was 29, he ventured outside the palace four times. First he saw an old man,
next a sick man, then a corpse, and finally a wandering holy man who seemed at peace with
himself. Siddhartha understood these events to mean that every living thing experiences old
age, sickness, and death and that only a religious life offers a refuge from this inevitable
suffering. Siddhartha decided to spend his life searching for religious truth and an end to
life’s suffering. So, soon after learning of his son’s birth, he left the palace.
Siddhartha wandered through the forests of India for six years seeking enlightenment, or
wisdom. He tried many ways of reaching an enlightened state. He first debated with other
religious seekers. Then he fasted, eating only six grains of rice a day. Yet none of these
methods brought him to the truth, and he continued to suffer. Finally, he sat in meditation
under a large fig tree. After 49 days of meditation, he achieved an understanding of the
cause of suffering in this world. From then on, he was known as the Buddha, meaning “the
enlightened one.” The Buddha preached his first sermon to five companions who had
accompanied him on his wanderings. That first sermon became a landmark in the history
of the world’s religions. In it, he laid out the four main ideas that he had come to
understand in his enlightenment. He called those ideas the Four Noble Truths.”
~ World History
Identify and explain the following terms:
Siddhartha Gautama
The Four Sights
Enlightenment
Meditation
Buddha
The Four Noble Truths
The Eightfold Path
- The Eightfold Path,
a guide to behavior,
was like a staircase.
Comparison
- As in Hinduism,
the Buddha
accepted the idea of
reincarnation
Society
- The five disciples
who heard the
Buddha’s first
sermon were the
- For the Buddha,
first monks admitted
those who were
- He also accepted a to the sangha, or
seeking enlightenment cyclical, or
Buddhist religious
had to master one step repetitive, view of
order
at a time
history, where the
world is created
- At first, the sangha
- Most often, this
and destroyed over was a community of
mastery would occur
and over again
Buddhist monks and
over many lifetimes
nuns; however,
- However, the
sangha eventually
- Right View
Buddha rejected
referred to the entire
- Right Resolve
the many gods of
religious community
- Right Speech,
Hinduism
- Right Conduct
- The religious
- Right Livelihood
- Instead, he taught community,
- Right Effort
a way of
together with the
- Right Mindfulness
enlightenment
Buddha and the
- Right Concentration
dharma (Buddhist
- Like many of his
doctrine or
By following the
time, the Buddha
teachings), make up
Eightfold Path,
reacted against the the “Three Jewels”
anyone could reach
privileges of the
of Buddhism
nirvana, the Buddha’s Brahmin priests,
word for release from and thus he
- The Buddha
selfishness and pain
rejected the caste
reluctantly admitted
system
women to religious
- Nirvana is the end of
orders
suffering, the end of
- The final goals of
reincarnation
both religions –
He feared, however,
moksha for Hindus that women’s
- Buddhists are
and nirvana for
presence would
encouraged to follow
Buddhists – are
distract men from
the “Middle Path” –
similar
their religious duties
to avoid extremes
- Both involve a
- Monks and nuns
- To avoid asceticism
perfect state of
took vows (solemn
or strict denial and to understanding and promises) to live a
avoid extreme
a break from the
life of poverty, to be
indulgence, to be in
chain of
nonviolent, and not
the middle
reincarnations
to marry
India
- During the
centuries following
the Buddha’s death,
missionaries were
able to spread his
faith over large parts
of Asia
- Buddhist
missionaries went to
Sri Lanka and
Southeast Asia in the
third century B.C.
- Buddhist ideas also
traveled along
Central Asian trade
routes to China
- However,
Buddhism never
gained a significant
foothold in India, the
country of its origin
- Several theories
exist about
Buddhism’s gradual
disappearance in
India
- One theory states
that Hinduism
simply absorbed
Buddhism
- Despite the small
number of Buddhists
in India, the region
has always been an
important place of
pilgrimages for
Buddhists
For each term or name, write a sentence explaining its significance.
• Siddhartha Gautama
• Enlightenment
• Nirvana
Trade and Ideas
“As important as missionaries were to the spread of Buddhism, traders played an even
more crucial role in this process. Along with their products, traders carried Buddhism
beyond India to Sri Lanka. Buddhist religion was also brought southeast along trade
routes to Burma, Thailand, and the island of Sumatra. Likewise, Buddhism followed the
Central Asian trade routes, called the Silk Roads, all the way to China. From China,
Buddhism spread to Korea – and from Korea to Japan. The movement of trade thus
succeeded in making Buddhism the most widespread religion of East Asia. Throughout
human history, trade has been a powerful force for the spread of ideas.” ~ World History
- What are the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism?
- How did Buddhism spread?
- How might the belief in reincarnation provide a form of social control?
-How did the experiences of Siddhartha Gautama influence his religious and ethical
beliefs? Write a brief biography of his life. Include family background, accomplishments,
and a list of his beliefs.
“According to Buddhist tradition,
Siddhartha Gautama’s mother had dreamt
of a beautiful elephant that was bright as
silver. When asked to interpret the dream,
Brahmin priests declared that the child to
be born would either be a great monarch or
a Buddha (an enlightened one). Tradition
also relates that at Gautama’s birth, he
exhibited the signs of a child destined for
greatness. There were 32 such signs,
including golden-tinged skin, webbed
fingers and toes, a knob on the top of his
skull, a long tongue, a tuft of hair between
his eyebrows, and a thousand-spoked wheel
on each foot. Some images of the Buddha
display these traits.” ~ World History
The Buddhist religion teaches that salvation
is earned by
(1) following the Ten Commandments
(2) worshiping Allah as the one true god
(3) learning to give up selfish desire
(4) being baptized and confirmed
All of the following are steps or actions on
the Noble Eightfold Path EXCEPT
(1) Right Mindfulness
(2) Right Effort
(3) Right View
(4) Right Movement
The Eightfold Path, the Four Noble Truths,
and the concept of nirvana are associated
with the religion of
(1) Islam
(2) Jainism
(3) Shinto
(4) Buddhism
Buddhism originated in
(1) Japan
(2) China
(3) India
(4) Korea
Which values are most closely associated
with the fundamental principles of
Buddhism?
(1) competition and financial success
(2) maintaining the caste system and
providing education for all people
(3) practicing nonviolence and giving up
worldly desires
(4) self-determination and democracy
The Buddha's first disciples were
(1) His wife and child.
(2) His five former ascetic companions.
(3) The great King Ashoka.
(4) Members of the warrior-noble caste.
The founder of Buddhism circa 500 B.C.
was
(1) Guru Nanak
(2) Confucius
(3) Siddhartha Gautama
(4) Abraham
The primary goal of Buddhism is
(1) Samsara
(2) Moksha
(3) Heaven
(4) Nirvana
Unlike Hinduism, Buddhists reject
(1) Karma
(2) Reincarnation
(3) Nirvana
(4) Caste
All of the following are “truths” of the Four
Noble Truths EXCEPT
(1) Life has suffering
(2) Selfish desire causes suffering
(3) Suffering can never end
(4) Follow the Noble Eightfold Path
Siddhartha’s father prevented him from
leaving the palace because he feared
(1) That Siddhartha would become a
fearsome warrior
(2) That Siddhartha would lead a life of
pleasure
(3) That Siddhartha would give up his
princely title and become a religious man
(4) That Siddhartha would want a more
magnificent palace
All of the following are the “Three Jewels of
Buddhism” EXCEPT
(1) The Sangha
(2) The Dharma
(3) The Buddha
(4) The Land that is India