BASICS OF BUDDHISMA Major World Religion

Siddhartha Gautama: The Buddha

lived from c. 566 to c. 480 B.C Lived extravagant life through early

adulthood (high caste) Wondered into the world in search of

understanding, encountered: an old man, an ill man, a corpse and an ascetic

Was moved by all the suffering he saw and renounced his princely title.

Siddhartha Gautama: The Buddha

Deprived himself of all worldly possessions in hope of understanding the truth of the world.

Reached an epiphany while meditating underneath a tree.

Finally understood how to be free from suffering, and ultimately, to achieve salvation.

Became the Buddha or enlightened one. Spent rest of his life journeying around

India spreading his message.

The Middle Path

Two extremes must be avoided

- Hedonism: the pursuit of pleasure; sensual self-indulgence. - Asceticism: severe self-discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons.

By avoiding these two extremes, we discover a Middle Path, a path which opens the eyes, which bestows understanding, and which leads to peace of mind, to wisdom, to full enlightenment, to Nirvana.

- The middle path is the noble eightfold path

The Four Noble Truths

Comprise the essence of Buddha’s teaching

The truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering.

More simply put, suffering exists; it has a cause; it has an end; and it has a cause to bring about its end.

# 1 Suffering exists

Birth is suffering, aging and deterioration is suffering, disease is suffering, death is suffering. Not getting what we desire is suffering.

Suffering exists and it is constant.

#2 Noble truth of cause of suffering

Desire and ignorance are at the root of suffering

Desire; Buddhists refer to craving pleasure, material goods, and immortality, all of which are wants that can never be satisfied

Ignorance; relates to not seeing the world as it actually is. Vices, such as greed, envy, hatred and anger, derive from this ignorance.

#3 the truth of the end of suffering

Reaching Nirvana, which is a transcendent state free from suffering and our worldly cycle of birth and rebirth. A union with the universe.

#4 the noble truth of the path to end suffering

The Noble Eightfold Path The steps of the Noble Eightfold Path are:

right view or understanding, right thought or attitude, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort or diligence, right mindfulness, right concentration*

Three Themes of Eightfold Path

Wisdom Right view/understandingRight thought/attitude

Right speech Right ActionRight livelihood

Right effort/diligence Right mindfulness Right concentration

Morality

Meditation

Karma

Good Karma-absence of bad actions or actual positive acts bring about happiness in the long run.

Bad Karma- bad actions such as lying, stealing or killing, bring about unhappiness in the long run.

Cycle of Rebirth

Six separate planes into which any living being can be reborn -- three fortunate realms, and three unfortunate realms.

Fortunate realms: demigods, gods, and men.

Unfortunate realms -- animals, ghosts and hell