Title: The Beginnings of Buddhism 4-3
1The Beginnings of Buddhism4-3
- Objectives
- Learn about the Buddha and his teachings.
- Find out how Buddhism was received inside and
outside India.
2Siddhartha Gautama
- He was a spiritual teacher from India and the
historical founder of Buddhism. - He was born a prince in or close to Nepal.
- He left the palace one day to see much misery,
and gave up his wealth to find the causes of
human suffering. - He prayed, fasted and gave up all of his material
possessions.
3What was Gautama searching for?
- He was searching for the cause of suffering and
understanding. - To do this he would meditate.
- He could not accept the Hindu belief that only
priests could pass on knowledge.
4What did Gautama decide to do?
- He traveled across India and shared his knowledge.
5meditate
- To focus the mind inward in order to find
spiritual awareness. See words of meditation
Om Ma Ni Pad Me Hum
6What did Gautamas followers call him?
- His students called him the Buddha or the
Enlightened One. - When he was searching for enlightenment, he
became an ascetic (one who gives up all worldly
possessions/ pleasures and denies their bodies of
basic needs.) - He decided to balance himself between the
extremes- which is known as the Middle Way.
7The Four Noble Truths
- The truths found by the Buddha under the tree of
wisdom are the basis for Buddhism - They are
- Suffering is present in all things and nothing
lasts forever - Suffering is caused by cravings (desires and
wants) - The way to end suffering is to give up all
cravings - The way to give up all cravings () is to live
life according to the Eightfold Path
8The Middle Way (also called the Eightfold Path)
- Right Understanding - Having faith in the
Buddhist view of the universe - Right Intension Making a commitment to practice
Buddhism - Right Speech Avoiding lies and mean or abusive
speech - Right Action Not taking life, not stealing and
not hurting others - Right Livelihood Rejecting occupations that
conflict with Buddhist ideals - Right Effort Avoiding bad attitudes and
developing good ones - Right Mindfulness being aware of ones own
body, feelings, and thoughts - Right Concentration Thinking deeply to find
answers to problems. - MUSICALE
9Why do Buddhist Follow the Middle Way?
- Buddhists try to follow the Middle Way so that
they can avoid suffering. - The Middle Way avoids the two extremes- too much
pleasure, and too much unhappiness.
10Nirvana
- Nirvana is the supreme state free from
suffering and individual existence. It is a state
Buddhists refer to as "Enlightenment". It is the
ultimate goal of all Buddhists. The attainment of
nirvana breaks the otherwise endless rebirth
cycle of reincarnation. Buddhists also consider
nirvana as freedom from all worldly concerns such
as greed, hate, and ignorance. No one can
describe in words what nirvana is. It can only be
experienced directly.
11Missionaries
- A person who spreads his or her religious beliefs
to others.
12What does Buddhism Teach? The Four Noble Truths
- Life is suffering
- Suffering has a cause cravings and attachment
- Cravings and attachment can be overcome
- The path toward the cessation of craving and
attachment is an Eightfold Path (the Middle Way) - It is also taught that nothing is permanent or
endures forever.
13What happened to Buddhism over time?
- Missionaries traveled to other countries to
spread Buddhas teachings. - Travelers who came to India learned the religion
during their stay and took it home with them. - After Buddha died, the religion eventually died
out in India, but had spread to other countries.
14How are Hinduism and Buddhism alike?
- Buddha was born of a Hindu family.
- They both believe it is wrong to harm living
creatures. - Both value nonviolence and believe in dharma and
the cycle of rebirth. - Both practice meditation, but they practice it in
different forms.
15- Both Hinduism and Buddhism emphasize the illusory
nature of the world and the role of karma in
keeping men bound to this world and the cycle of
births and deaths. - According to the Buddha, desire is the root cause
of suffering and removal of desire results in the
cessation of suffering. Some of the Hindu texts
such as the Upanishads (Isa) and the
Bhagavad-Gita consider doing actions prompted by
desire and attachment would lead to bondage and
suffering and that performing actions without
desiring the fruit of action would result in
liberation. - Both religions believe in the concept of karma,
transmigration of souls and the cycle of births
and deaths for each soul. - Both emphasize compassion and non violence
towards all living beings. - Both believe in the existence of several hells
and heavens or higher and lower worlds. - Both believe in the existence of gods or deities
on different planes. - Both believe in certain spiritual practices like
meditation, concentration, cultivation of certain
bhavas or states of mind. - Both believe in detachment, renunciation of
worldly life as a precondition to enter to
spiritual life. Both consider desire as the chief
cause of suffering. - The Advaita philosophy of Hinduism is closer to
Buddhism in many respects. - Buddhism and Hinduism have their own versions of
Tantra. - Both originated and evolved on the Indian soil.
The founder of Buddhism was a Hindu who became
the Buddha. Buddhism is the greatest gift of
India to mankind.
16How are Hinduism and Buddhism different?
- Hinduism appealed to the lower classes.
- The Buddhists do not embrace the sacred texts of
the Hindus (Vedas) - Hindus do not worship the Buddha as an avatar.
171. Hinduism is not founded by any particular
prophet. Buddhism was founded by the Buddha. 2.
Hinduism believes in the supremacy of the Vedas.
The Buddhist do not believe in the Vedas or for
that matter any Hindu scripture. 3. Buddhism
does not believe in the existence of souls whom
we generally call God. Hinduism believe in the
existence of Atman , that is the individual soul
and Brahman, the Supreme Creator. 4. Hinduism
accepts the Buddha as an incarnation of
Mahavishnu, one of the gods of Hindu trinity. The
Buddhist do not accept any Hindu god either as
equivalent or superior to the Buddha. 5. The
original Buddhism as taught by the Buddha is
known as Theravada Buddhism. 6. The Buddhists
consider the world to be full of sorrow and
regard ending the sorrow as the chief aim of
human life. The Hindus consider that there are
four chief aims in life which every being should
pursue. They are dharma (religious duty), artha
(wealth or material possessions), kama (desires
and passions) and moksha (salvation.) 7. Hindus
also believe in the four stages in life. This is
not followed in Buddhism. People can join the
Order any time depending upon their spiritual
preparedness. 8. Buddhists organize themselves
into a monastic Order and the monks live in
groups. Hinduism is basically a religion of the
individual. 9. Buddhism believes in the concept
of Bodhisattvas. Hinduism does not believe in
it. 11. Buddhism acknowledge the existence of
some gods and goddesses of Hindu pantheon, but
give them a rather subordinate status. 12. Refuge
in the Buddha, the Dhamma are the three cardinal
requirements on the eightfold path. Hinduism
offers many choices to its followers on the path
of self-realization. 13. Although both religions
believe in karma and rebirth, they differ in the
manner in which they operate and impact the
existence of individual beings.
18What other countries has Buddhism spread to?
Buddhism has spread to China, the Koreas, Japan,
Tibet and Vietnam, as well as many others.
19In what countries is Buddhism a large part of
their culture?
- There are approximately 328,000,000 Buddhists
worldwide. Buddhism is mainly practiced in Asia,
in countries such as Vietnam, Japan, Sri Lanka,
Kampuchea, S. Korea, Taiwan, Laos, Cambodia,
Thailand, Myanmar and China. - Buddhism started in India, but is really only
practiced now on its margins, in areas such as
Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan. There are however
Buddhist Centers throughout the world.