Needs slide with
terms
Buddhism
Honors World History 12.2.2 World Religions
So…what is Buddhism?
 Goes beyond religion as more as philosophy, or “way of life”
 Originated 2,500 years ago
 Main goals:
 Lead a moral life
 Be mindful/aware of thoughts and actions
 Develop wisdom and understanding
 Believes in:
 Middle Way
 Eightfold Path
 Four Noble Truths
 Karma
 Rebirth
Who was the Buddha?
 Siddhartha Gautama born as prince 563 to King
Shuddhodhana
 Prophecy that he would be great warrior/religious leader
 shielded from religion and world suffering
 Kapilvastu was were he was born
 Considered holy pilgrimage by Buddhists to visit there
The Buddha
 At age 29, Sickened by sight of old man, sick man, and a
corpse
 Shaved his head, disguised as a beggar, and searched for
enlightenment
 Sat under sacred fig tree (Bodhi
Tree) and meditated
 Realized enlightenment and became Buddha
 Found happiness in the “middle way”
(I COULD NOT FIND A DECECENT PICTURE OF THE TREE)
so imagine this one 5000 times huger.
Teachings of the Buddha
 Siddhartha Gautama began teaching people about his
enlightenment until he was 80 years old
 Wheel of Life
 Four Noble Truths
 Eight Fold Path
 Dharma
First Noble Truth
 Truth of Suffering
 Portrays physical suffering such as pain, getting old, disease, and
death as realistic parts of life
 It also states psychological suffering like loneliness frustration,
fear, embarrassment, disappointment and anger as part of life
 Buddhism explains how suffering can be avoided and how we
can be truly happy
Second Noble Truth
 Suffering is caused by craving and aversion
 Getting what you want does not guarantee happiness
 Craving to continue to exist creates a powerful energy which
causes the individual to be born.
 Causes us to be reborn
Third Noble Truth
 Suffering can be overcome and happiness can be attained
 lf we give up useless craving and learn to live each day at a time
 Nirvana can be attained
 Nirvana is the supreme state free from suffering and
individual existence
Fourth Noble Truth
 Noble 8-fold Path is the path which leads to the end of
suffering.
 THE 8-FOLD PATH:
 being moral (through what we say, do and our livelihood)
 focusing the mind on being fully aware of our thoughts and
actions
 developing wisdom by understanding the Four Noble
 Having compassion towards others
Dharma
 Differs on branch of Buddhism
 2 main meanings
 Universal Law of Nature
 Teachings of Buddha that lead to enlightenment
 Understanding the characterizes of elements
Idols
 sometimes pay respect to images of the Buddha, but do not
worship images or ask for favors
 Statues of the Buddha with hands rested gently in its lap and
a compassionate smile are to remind people of peace and
love within themselves.
 Bowing to the statue is an expression of gratitude for the
teaching
Other Symbols/Idols
 Mantra
 words or phrases that are chanted out loud or internally as
objects of meditation
 Buddhists memorize these chants and say them mediation
 Wheel of Life
 symbolizes the Buddhist perspective on life and contains
numerous symbols of Buddhist themes and teachings
 Six realms
A Growing Religion
 Stupas were constructed in early days of Buddhism.
 mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the
remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship.
 represent the enlightened mind of the Buddha
Birth
Enlightenment
Turning of the
Wheel
Miracles
Today there are about 350 million Buddhists
This would be 6% of the world’s population, making Buddhism the fourth most
popular religion
News Articles
Buddhist offering
honors those affected
by 9/11
 Melanie Foerschler, who's
organizing the event, will
perform a Tsock (powerful
ritual) to bless Americans on
9/11
 Link
Some Texas inmates
learn from meditation
 inmates at Beaumont's Mark
Stiles state prison practice
meditation weekly
 Link 2
Other Current Happenings
 Indonesian government's "panchashila" policy says all religions
must assert belief in God
 “Adibuddha” is the omniscient creator of all appearances, beyond
time, words and other limitations
 Buddhism is accepted
 Buddhism is still considered the enemy of the statein Vietnam
 Many monks still put in jail there
 Some Buddhist Funerals in Nepal spread ashes down Ganges
River
 Ganges River is considered sacred by some buddhists
 http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/5minbud.htm
 http://www.netplaces.com/world-religions/buddhism/the-
four-noble-truths-buddhas-moral-doctrine.htm