What is Buddhism?
 Buddhism is a religion to about 300 million people
around the world.
 “Buddhism” comes from the word “budhi".
Early Buddhism
 Siddhartha Gautama, the the
founder of Buddhism came
from the Kshatriya family, but
he gave up his position and
inheritance in order to seek
salvation.
 About 534 B.C.E Gautama left
his wife, his family, and the
comforts of home to lead the
existence of a holy man.
 He brought around the
religion known as early
Buddhism (a.k.a. Thervada
Buddhism)
Buddha’s followers
 The Buddha publicly announced his doctrine for the
first time in 528 B.C.E at the deer park of Sarnath,
near the Buddhist holy city of Banaras (modern
Varanasi), in a sermon delivered to friends who have
formerly been his companions in asceticism.
The Dharma
 The dharma is the basic doctrine shared by
Buddhists of all sects consisting of the Four Noble
Truths and the Eightfold Path
What is the First Noble Truth?
 The first truth is that life is suffering
 life includes…





pain
getting old
disease
death
psychological suffering (loneliness frustration, fear,
embarrassment, disappointment and anger)
 It is realistic rather than pessimistic because pessimism is
expecting things to be bad. lnstead, Buddhism explains
how suffering can be avoided and how we can be truly
happy.
What is the Second Noble
Truth?
 The second truth is that suffering is caused by desire.
 We will suffer if we expect other people to conform to our
expectation, if we want others to like us, if we do not get
something we want,etc.
 In other words, getting what you want does not guarantee
happiness.
 Rather than constantly struggling to get what you want, try to
modify your wanting
What is the Third Noble
Truth?
 The third truth is that suffering can be overcome and
happiness can be attained; this is known as nirvana.
 When one achieves Nirvana, they escape the cycle of
the otherwise endless reincarnation cycle
What is the Fourth Noble
Truth?
 The fourth truth is that the Noble 8-fold Path is the
path which leads to the end of suffering.
The Eightfold Path
 In summary, the Noble 8-fold Path demands…








Right belief
Right resolve
Right speech
Right behavior
Right occupation
Right effort
Right contemplation
And…
What are the 5 Precepts?
 The moral code within Buddhism is the precepts, of
which the main five are…





Not to kill
Not to steal
Not to lie
Not to be unchaste
And to avoid drugs and intoxication
What is Karma?
 Karma is the law that every cause has an effect
 How can we test the karmic effect of our actions?
The answer is summed up by looking at…
 the intention behind the action
 effects of the action on oneself
 the effects on others.
What is Wisdom?
 Buddhism teaches that wisdom should be developed with
compassion.
 At one extreme, you could be a goodhearted fool and at
the other extreme, you could attain knowledge without
any emotion.
 True wisdom is not simply believing what we are told but
instead experiencing and understanding truth and reality.
 Wisdom requires an open, objective, unbigoted mind. The
Buddhist path requires courage, patience, flexibility and
intelligence.
What is Compassion?
 Compassion includes qualities of…





sharing
readiness to give comfort
sympathy
concern
Caring
 In Buddhism, we can really understand others, when we
can really understand ourselves, through wisdom.
Ashoka’s Support
 The early Buddhism
movement benefited from
the support of the
Mauryan dynasty
 Ashoka adopted Buddhism
about 260 B.C.E. after the
war against Kalingans
 Saddened by the violence
by the violence of the war
and the suffering of the
Kalingans, Ashoka decided
to live peacefully
Ashoka’s Influence
 Ashoka…
 Banned animal sacrifices
 Gave up his beloved hunting expeditions
 Eliminated most meat dishes from the tables of his
court
 Ashoka rewarded Buddhists with grants of land
 He built monasteries and stupas and made
pilgrimages to the holy sites of Buddhism
 Sent missionaries to Bactria and Ceylon
Development of Buddhism
 Early Buddhism, Thervada, did not promise to make
life easy for its adherents
 three new developments in Buddhism
 Between 3rd century B.C.E and 1st century C.E.
 thought and practice
 reduced obligation of believers
 opened new avenues to salvation
 brought explosive popularity to the faith.
 This change became known as Mahayana Buddhism
Mahayana Buddhism
 First, although Buddha did not
identify himself as divine,
some of his later followers
began to worship him as a
god.
 This allowed them to identify
themselves closer with their
religion.
Mahayana Buddhism
Second, theologians articulated the notion of
bodhisattva (“enlightened being”)
 Reached perfection and was merited the reward of
nirvana, but he intentionally delayed their his to help
others who were still struggling
 Some believe that bodhisattva’s could even perform
good deeds on behalf of their less spiritual brethren
 Bodhisattva’s served as examples of spiritual
excellence
Mahayana Buddhism
 Finally, Buddhist monasteries began to except gifts
from wealthy individuals
 They regarded these bequest as acts of generosity
that merited salvation
 In this way, wealthy people could avoid the sacrifices
demanded by early Buddhist teachings, and still
ensure their salvation.
The Spread of Buddhism
 Mahayana Buddhism flourished partly because of
educational institutions that promoted the faith
 When monasteries were created, they established
educational institutions
 Best known of all was the Buddhist monastery of
Nalanda
 Nalanda soon became so famous as an educational
center that foreigners came there to study with the
most renowned masters of the Buddhist doctrines
 Like so, Buddhism was able to spread quickly
The Spread of Buddhism
Sources
 http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/5minbud.htm
 Traditions & Encounters: A Global Perspective on the
Past Fifth Edition (AP Edition) by Jerry H. Bentley
and Herbert F. Ziegler