Buddhism
By Sam Thompson and
Matt Parker
Founder of the religion
A statue of
the Buddha in
meditation
• Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Guatama. He was a
prince born into a royal Hindu family, and was originally Hindu
himself. He is regarded as the supreme Buddha, and is revered
by the religion.
Historical Context
• Siddhartha Guatama, a son of Hindu royalty, became the founder of
Buddhism.
• He lived a fairly plush life, and had little to worry about himself. One
day, he took notice of a group of beggars, poverty-stricken and
starving, and realized that life was filled with suffering. He went on
a journey to enlightenment, and when he achieved it, he spread his
word among the people, and Buddhism became a major religion.
Symbols of Buddhism
• Swastika- The swastika in Buddhist religion is a symbol of peace and
goodwill, contrary to the view that modern society has on it due to
the Nazi party’s involvement in World War II.
• The Buddha’s Eye shows that Buddha is always watching over you,
and helping to guide you to attain enlightenment.
• Every form of a Buddhist deity is connected in some way to the
Lotus.
• The 8-Fold Path represents the path to follow that would lead to a
release from the suffering of life.
Location of Origin
• Buddhism arose first in India, before it spread outside of its borders
and into other cultures and civilizations.
Deity’s name
• The name of the Buddhist deity depends on which version of
Buddhism is being looked at.
• In Theravada, they hold no real deity, but follow the teachings of
Buddha and his lessons.
• In Mahayana, Buddha was revered and portrayed as both a teacher
and as a deity.
Major Locations
• After Buddhism was founded, it spread to many parts of the world.
In some of these, it fizzled out and left the culture, and in others it
took root and grew even more.
• Buddhism today is most prominent in areas such as China, Japan,
and Southeast Asia.
• Ironically, Buddhism is NOT the primary religion in India.
Number of Followers
• Buddhism today, in all of the cultures where it is prominent, boasts
an approximate figure of 360 million followers, making it the 4 th
most popular religion in existence, not counting atheism.
How/Why did it spread?
• Buddhism spread, for the most part,
because of its simplicity. It didn’t
take too much to understand it. If
you did this, you would get this, and
so on.
• Buddhism also spread because it was
more appealing to the lower classes,
and didn’t focus on keeping the elites
in power, and it didn’t give them
advantages.
• One major catalyst in the spread of
Buddhism was the rule of Asoka in
India. After Asoka converted to
Buddhism, he worked to spread the
religion throughout his empire.
Holy Books and important texts
• Depending on the region of the world that one practices Buddhism,
the holy texts differ.
• In Tibetan Buddhism, the holy book that is used in worship is known
as the Kangyur.
• In the Theravada Buddhism, the book was known as the Pali Canon.
The Tipitaka,
another
Buddhist text.
BUDDHIST PLACES OF
WORSHIP
• Buddhists practice
their worship in
designated temples,
monasteries, stupas,
or meditation halls.
• Some of these temples
are used as retreats,
and can involve longterm religious practice
instead of a single
service on a regular
basis.
Roles of Men and Women in Buddhism
• Buddhist religion considers men and
women as equals in society. Although it is
customary for a woman to play the role
of a housewife, they are not viewed as
inferior. Women are meant to familiarize
themselves with the husband’s trade in
the case of his absence or incapacitation.
• Men, on the other hand, are expected to
learn a trade/profession and support the
family. Aside from that, they are also
expected to share household duties with
their wife.
Holy sites in the
Buddhist Religion
 A shrine to
Buddha in Lumbini
• Aside from the average Buddhist temple, which is a holy
site to those who attend, Buddhism holds multiple other
holy sites that are identical throughout the religion.
They are:
• Lumbini- The place of Buddha’s birth.
• Bodh Gaya- The place where the Buddha achieved enlightenment.
• Sarnath- The site where the Buddha delivered his first sermon after
achieving his enlightenment.
• Kusinagar – Site where the Buddha attained Parinirvana (Final Nirvana),
which occurs upon the death of the body of someone who has attained
complete awakening
Buddhist Holidays
• Buddhism celebrates various holidays as part of the religion.
• Buddha’s birthday, or Vesak, is the most important holiday, but is
not determined with 100% accuracy. As such, it is generally
celebrated on the first full moon in May, and is held in June on a
leap year.
• Buddhists also celebrate “Bodhi Day”, or the day that the Buddha
experienced enlightenment. Bodhi Day is celebrated on December
8th.
• Buddhists also celebrate various festivals in time with the lunar
quarters.
A shrine dedicated to
Buddha on Bodhi Day 
Major Beliefs of Buddhism: Creation Story

A model of the
theory of the big
bang.
• Buddhist religion denies the existence of a specific “Creator God.”
They also deny belief in a “creation-story” in the general Christianlike way of explaining the beginning of the universe. No god
exclaimed “let there be light,” preceding the sudden appearance of
the sun and the stars. After seven days, there was no god to need
rest. Some stories have been created that are used as allegories for
theories such as the big bang, and
Major Beliefs of Buddhism: End Times Story
• Buddhism views time as eternal. As
such, they also lack a solid endtimes story. Instead, they view time
in segments in which humanity
passes through in cycles.
• Within these cycles, the world and
time itself will never cease to exist,
but different phases of humanity
will come and go in their own time.
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Photo depicting Jesus’ second coming and
the rapture (Christianity) as opposed to
nothing (Buddhism)
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Major Beliefs of Buddhism: Important Laws
• Buddhism centers along the view of an 8Fold-Path to achieve nirvana. The 8-Fold-Path
is a correlation of 8 virtues that a Buddhist
should practice in order to reach nirvana.
Ethical Conduct
Mental Development
Wisdom
• Right
Speech
• Right
Action
• Right
Livelihood
• Right effort
• Right
Mindfulness
• Right
Concentration
• Right
View
• Right
intention
Major Beliefs of Buddhism: Important Laws
• Aside from the 8-fold path that Buddhists follow, they also hold fast
to the Four Noble Truths. These truths are facts that Buddhists live
by and influence the 8-fold path.
1. All life is marked by suffering.
2. Suffering is the product of
desire and attachment.
1. Suffering can be stopped.
2. The way to end suffering is
through the 8-fold path.
Major Beliefs of Buddhism: Purpose of Life
• Buddhist belief includes the principle that life
is filled with suffering. This suffering is the
product of things such as greed or envy or
want.
• The Purpose of Life, according to Buddhism, is
to relieve this suffering, through reaching
nirvana. In order to shed oneself of this
suffering, a person must follow the 4 Noble
Truths and adhere to the 8-Fold-Path out of
suffering and into enlightenment.
Buddhist Influence in Art and Architecture.
• Buddhist influence on art and
architecture is still strongest in India,
from the time when Buddha walked on
its ground until today. A large portion of
architecture in India can trace its roots
back to early Buddhism. These include
the temples and shudras that house
Buddhist religion.
• Buddhist art has spread more than the
architecture has over the years since it
arose. Buddhist art spread parallel to the
religion, and as Buddhism itself spread
out of India and into other nations, the
art came with it. In India itself, Buddhist
art flourished, and eventually came to
influence Hindu artistic styles.
Bibliography
• . "Buddhism and Women." Buddhanet. BDEA Inc., n.d. Web. 17 Oct
2012.
• Anonymous, . "Buddhism." Religion Facts. N.p., 04 2007. Web. 17 Oct
2012.
• Richert, Bailey. "The Role of Men in Buddhism." EHow. N.p.. Web. 17
Oct 2012.
• "The Four Noble Truths." TheBigView. N.p., 17 2012. Web. 17 Oct
2012.
• Schell, Brian. "Creation and Evolution in Buddhism." DailyBuddhism.
N.p., 17 2008. Web. 17 Oct 2012.
• Wikipedia in general