Buddhism
"One thing I teach: suffering and the end of
suffering.
It is just ill and the ceasing of ill that I proclaim."
-- The Buddha
Origins
• Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha
Gautama (the Buddha) in approximately
520 BCE in Northeast India.
Origins - Siddhartha Gautama
Origins - Siddhartha Gautama
• Wanting to free his
mind of daily
concerns, Siddhartha
began fasting and
meditating.
• Eventually, he came
to understand the
answers to questions
he had about human
life.
Adherents
• Buddhism is the fourth largest world
religion with approximately 360 million
followers.
Adherents
• People who follow the religion of
Buddhism are called Buddhists.
Views
• Buddhists do not believe
that this world is created
and ruled by a God.
• Buddha did not want his
followers speculating
about such matters as
God, the nature of the
universe, and the afterlife.
• Instead, Buddha urged
his followers to focus
instead on the Four Noble
Truths by which they can
free themselves from
suffering.
The Four Noble Truths
• Suffering Exists.
The Four Noble Truths
• Suffering arises from attachment to
desires.
The Four Noble Truths
• Suffering ceases when attachment to
desire ceases.
The Four Noble Truths
• Freedom from suffering is possible by
practicing the Eightfold path.
The Eightfold Path - Morality
• Right Speech –
Speaking in a
non hurtful, not
exaggerated,
truthful way.
• Avoid lies and
gossip.
The Eightfold Path - Morality
• Right Action –
Avoiding
harmful
actions.
• Don’t steal from
or harm others.
The Eightfold Path - Morality
• Right
Livelihood - Not
harming in any
way oneself or
others; directly or
indirectly.
• Reject work that
hurts others.
The Eightfold Path - Meditation
• Right Effort –
Making
constant effort
to improve
oneself.
• Prevent evil and
do good.
The Eightfold Path - Meditation
• Right
Mindfulness Mental ability to
see things for what
they are with clear
consciousness.
• Control your
feelings and
thoughts.
The Eightfold Path - Meditation
• Right
Contemplation Being aware of the
present reality
within oneself,
without any
craving or
aversion.
• Practice
meditation.
The Eightfold Path - Wisdom
• Right View Understanding
reality as it is, not
just as it appears
to be.
• Incline towards
goodness and
kindness.
The Eightfold Path - Wisdom
• Right Thought Change in the
pattern of thinking.
• Believe in the
nature of existence
as suffering and in
the Four Noble
Truths.
Views
• However, disbelief in a creator God does
not mean that Buddhism is atheistic.
• While Theravada Buddhists are atheistic;
Mahayana Buddhists are more polytheistic.
Views
• In Mahayana Buddhism, the universe is populated with
celestial buddhas, bodhisattvas, and deities that assist
and inspire Buddhists.
Views
• With regard to the universe, Buddha taught
nothing is permanent.
• The Buddha said of death:
• Life is a journey.
Death is a return to earth.
The universe is like an inn.
The passing years are like dust.
Regard this phantom world
As a star at dawn, a bubble in a stream,
A flash of lightning in a summer cloud,
A flickering lamp - a phantom - and a dream.
Life’s Purpose
• In Buddhism, the
purpose of life is to end
suffering.
• The Buddha taught that
humans suffer because
we continually strive
after things that do not
give lasting happiness.
• During life, humans should
also strive to gain
enlightenment and release
from cycle of rebirth, or at
least attain a better rebirth
by gaining merit.
Afterlife
• Buddhists believe
people are
reincarnated when
they die.
• This is different than
reincarnation in
Hinduism because
Buddhists do not
believe the soul
passes on to the next
body.
Afterlife
• Buddha compared
reincarnation to lighting
successive candles using
the flame of the
preceding candle.
• Although each flame is
causally connected to the
one that came before it, is
it not the same flame.
• Thus, in Buddhism,
reincarnation is usually
referred to as
"transmigration."
General Practices
• Meditation
• Mantras
(sacred sounds)
• devotion to
deities
(in some sects)
• mandalas
(Tibetan)
Holy Text(s)
• Tripitaka (Pali Canon) is the earliest collection of
Buddhist teachings
• Mahayana sutras (like
the Lotus Sutra)
• Tibetan Book of the
Dead - describes in detail
the stages of death from
the Tibetan point of view
Buddhism Internet Link - Summary
• Essentials of Buddhism - core concepts