Download Buddhism

RELIGION
Buddhism
1. Why did it start? Siddhartha Gautama – son of a king; 563-483 BCE
2. The Four Passing Sights – Siddhartha walking one day comes across:
a. An old crippled man,
b. A sick man,
c. A decaying corpse,
d. A wandering holy man
3. Led him to the realization that birth, old age, sickness and death come to everyone
4. 350-700 million people (3 million in U.S.)
5. Goal – end the cycle of rebirth or “samsara” and reach “nirvana”
6. To achieve this: “karma” – cause and effect
a. Positive actions will create positive results and vice versa
7. What is a Buddha? “One who is awakened” “to be enlightened”
8. What is Dharma? “Law, doctrine, truth”
9. Four Noble Truths (basic Buddhism)
a. All existence is pain
b. All pain is caused by human cravings
c. Suffering is caused by desire and want.
d. By following Eightfold Path, suffering is ended (Nirvana)
1. Right view
2. Right thought
3. Right speech
4. Right action
5. Right livelihood
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right concentration
10. New Dalai Lama – reincarnation; familiarity with the possessions of the previous
Lama
Confucianism
1. 2400 years old; 7 million worldwide
2. Complex system of moral, social, political, and religious thought
3. Official religion of China (?)
4. Mostly in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam
5. In order to govern others one must first govern oneself
6. The Golden Rule – do not do to others what you would not like them to do to you".
7. More political – people have a proper role in society, follow it and social order
follows.
8. Filial Piety – the respect and obedience that a child should show to his parents
9. Altruism – doing things for others before self
10. Goal: Chin-Tzu – state of the perfect individual functioning in a flawless society
Daoism (Taoism)
1. Started by Laozi; “Old one" or "Old Sage"; 300 BCE?
2. Did not believe in social order (opposite of Confucianism)
3. The Dao or Tao – "the way" or "the truth"
4. Yin- cool, dark, submissive???
5. Yang- warm, light, aggressive??
6. 3 million worldwide
Neither Daoism nor Confucianism are honored or allowed by the present-day
Chinese government. Mao tried to suppress and abolish these and Tibet, but realized the
problem... What is it?
Hinduism
1. New ideas:
a. Polytheism – belief in more than one God
b. Social standing
c. Importance of cattle
d. Male dominated society
2. System of varnas – caste system:
a. Born into a class and cannot be changed
b. Intermarriage between castes was not encouraged.
c. Each separate and possessing a social duty (dharma)
3. Belief that if each member followed dharma, no leadership was necessary
4. Belief that all souls were part of one greater soul – Brahma Nerguna
5. Believe that the only way to earn a seat next to the Brahma is through a series of
reincarnation (rebirth of the soul) – samsara
a. Outcome(s) based on karma
6. By following a path and having good karma, person is reborn into a higher Varna and
then ultimately reaches moksha (similar to Nirvana?)
7. Nepal is the only nation in the world with Hinduism as its state religion
8. 837 million worldwide; 82% of India
Judaism
1. God revealed his laws and commandments to Moses
2. God told Abraham to leave his native land for a land that God would show him
3. God promised Abraham a son who would inherit the land
Judaism, cont.
1. Over 3,000 years old; oldest monotheistic religion
2. 13 million total; 42% in Israel, 42% in North America
3. One is Jewish if born to a Jewish mother or converts
4. Ishmael, the first son of Abraham, is the father of some Arabs
5. Follow the 13 Principles of Faith
a. Considered an apostate and a heretic if one rejects even one
Jewish Holidays
1. Shabbat – weekly day of rest – sunset Friday to Saturday night
2. Passover – commemorates the Exodus from Egypt
3. Rosh Hashanah – Jewish New Year
4. Yom Kippur - is the holiest day of the Jewish year
a. Fasting and praying for forgiveness for one's sins
5. Hanukkah – "Miracle of the Oil"