KEY
Chapter 5: Ancient India
Section 3: Origins of Buddhism
Big Idea Buddhism began in India and became a major religion.
Siddhartha's Search for Wisdom
Vocabulary
1) fasting – going without food.
2) meditation – the focusing of the mind on spiritual ideas.
The Quest for Answers
Siddhartha Gautama
 Born around 563 BC near the Himalayas in northern India.
 He was a prince who grew up in luxury.
 He belonged to the Kshatriya, or warrior, class.
Though he was well-off, Siddhartha was not satisfied. He saw great suffering all around him,
and began to ask questions about the meaning of human life.
He left his home and family and began to travel to many regions in India, looking for wisdom.
The Buddha Finds Enlightenment
Siddhartha wanted to free his mind from daily concerns. He started fasting and meditating.
It is believed that he sat under a tree and mediated for seven weeks. He came to realize the
source of human suffering:
 Wanting what we like, but do not have.
 Wanting to keep what we like and already have.
 Not wanting the things we have that we dislike.
Siddhartha mediated for seven more weeks under the tree, which his followers later renamed the
Tree of Wisdom.
Siddhartha described his ideas to five of his former companions. His followers later described
this as his First Sermon.
Siddhartha was about 35 years old when he found enlightenment under the tree, and became
known as the Buddha, or “Enlightened One.”
He spent the rest of his life traveling around India and teaching people his ideas.
Teachings of Buddhism
Vocabulary
1) Buddhism – a religion based on the teachings of Buddha.
2) Nirvana – a state of perfect peace.
Buddha gained many followers as he traveled, especially among India’s merchants and
artisans. He even taught his ideas to a few kings.
Buddha was raised Hindu, and many of his teachings reflected Hindu ideas, especially about
treating others well.
Four Noble Truths
Buddha’s teachings were based on four guiding principles, called the Four Noble Truths:
1) Suffering and unhappiness are a part of human life, and nobody can escape them.
2) Suffering comes from wanting things. People suffer because they want things they cannot
have.
3) People can overcome desire and ignorance to reach nirvana, a perfect state of peace.
Reaching nirvana frees the soul from suffering and the need for further reincarnation.
4) People can overcome ignorance and desire by following an eight-fold path that leads to
wisdom, enlightenment, and salvation.
The Eightfold Path:
1) Right Thought – believe in the nature and existence of suffering and in the Four Noble
Truths.
2) Right Intent – Be good and kind.
3) Right Speech – Avoid lies and gossip.
4) Right Action – Don’t steal or harm others.
5) Right Livelihood – Reject work that hurts others.
6) Right Effort – Prevent evil and do good.
7) Right Mindfulness – Control your feelings and thoughts.
8) Right Concentration – Practice proper meditation.
Challenging Hindu Ideas
Buddha rejected many ideas found in the Vedas,
such as animal sacrifice.
He did not believe that the rituals of the Brahmins
were necessary for enlightenment. He believed that
individuals could achieve enlightenment themselves
without the aid of priests.
He did believe in reincarnation. If someone failed
to reach nirvana in his/her lifetime, then would
have to be reborn until they did achieve it.
The Buddha was opposed to the caste system. He
did not believe that low social rank was a barrier to
enlightenment. This gained him many followers among the lower classes, because unlike
Hinduism, Buddhism taught them that they had the power to change their own lives.
The Buddha also gained many followers among the higher classes, and by the time of his death
around 483 BC, his influence was spreading rapidly throughout India.
Buddhism Spreads
Vocabulary
1) missionaries – people who work to spread their religious beliefs.
Buddhism continued to attract followers after the Buddha’s death, and began to spread to other
areas as well.
Buddhism Spreads in India
After the Buddha died, 500 of his followers gathered together to discuss how his teachings
would be remembered.
They began to spread his teachings throughout India. The ideas spread quickly because they
were popular and easy to understand.
Within 200 years of the Buddha’s death, his teachings had spread through most of India.
Buddhism Spreads Beyond India
The spread of Buddhism increased when a powerful Indian king named Asoka converted to
Buddhism and built Buddhist temples and schools throughout India.
Asoka sent Buddhist missionaries to other kingdoms in Asia. Buddhism spread to:
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the island of Sri Lanka
the region that is now the country of Myanmar
areas in the north near the Himalayas
lands west of India
Central Asia
Persia
Syria
Egypt
Along the Silk Road into China, Korea, and Japan
Through the work of missionaries, Buddhism was taught to millions of people.
A Split within Buddhism
As Buddhism spread, disagreements about the beliefs and practices led to a split within the
region. There are now two major branches of Buddhism:
1) Theravada – these people try to follow Buddha’s teachings exactly as he had stated them.
2) Mahayana – this branch believes that other people can help people reach nirvana by
interpreting the teachings for them.
Mahayana is by far the larger branch.
The Theravada branch believes that only monks and nuns can achieve nirvana, and only by
dedicating their whole lives to it.
The Mahayana branch believes that everyone can achieve nirvana, and can do so in a single
lifetime.