Bell Work

Name the 4 religions that we have already discussed, the founders, and their place of worship

In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher.

Dalai Lama

Objectives

Describe the origins, beliefs, and development of Buddhism

Explain the origins, beliefs, and practices of Buddhism

Buddhism…A 2500 year old tradition that began in India and spread throughout the Far East

People who practice Buddhism are known as Buddhists.

Basic Philosophy…

Persons achieve complete peace and happiness (nirvana) by eliminating attachment to worldly things.

History….Born Siddhartha Gautama – of noble caste in India, 563 B.C.

Raised in great luxury to be a king

Empathy for the suffering of othersat age 29 rejected the life of luxury to seek enlightenment and the solution to suffering

Sat in meditation, achieved Nirvana – an awakening to the truth about life, becoming a Buddha, the “Awakened One”at the age of 35Spent the remaining years of his life teaching others how to achieve the peace of mind he had achieved

The Spread of Buddhism

Within two centuries after the Buddha died, Buddhism began to spread north and east into AsiaBy 13th century Buddhism had disappeared from India

Who is the Dalai Lama?The Dalai Lama is a lineage of religious officials of Tibetan Buddhism.

"Lama" is a general term referring to Tibetan Buddhist teachers.

The Dalai Lama is believed to be the rebirth of a long line of teachers

He is an enlightened Tibetan Buddhist lama who has chosen to be reborn in order to enlighten others.

Buddhists are…

Population of 379 millionSouth East Asia

Led by Buddhist Monks & nuns

Place of worship is the HOME

Day of Worship: EVERYDAY!!!

As a faith, Buddhists believe…

in different gods Polytheistic religion.

In not 1 book, but several sacred texts

Buddhists believe…Reincarnation: rebirth results from attachments (karma)

Nirvana: peaceful, enlightenment

Achieving Nirvana means escape from the cycle of rebirth

Follow the four truths & the eight-fold path

The Four Noble Truths

To live is to sufferThe cause of suffering is self-centered desire & attachmentsTo end suffering is possibleThe solution is to eliminate desire and attachment

achieving Nirvana (“extinction”)The way to Nirvana is through the “Eight-Fold Path”

The Eight-Fold Path

Wisdom:

•Right understanding

•Right motivation

Moral discipline:

•Right speech

•Right action

•Right livelihood

Mental discipline:

•Right effort

•Right mindfulness

•Right meditation

describes the way to the end of suffering, as it was laid out by Siddhartha Gautama.

the goal of freeing the individual from attachments

Web Resources:Buddhanet.net: Buddhist information and education network. Includes

online resource for Buddhist Studies and other Buddhism resources: http://www.buddhanet.net/

Dharma the Cat: a multi award winning, lighthearted but informed look at Buddhism. Includes original comic strip expressing Buddhist teachings, an interfaith forum discussing Buddhist ideas from the perspective of other religions, and many other contributions from a wide variety of folks: http://www.dharmathecat.com/

Learn more about Tibetan Buddhism at Osel Shen Phen Ling Tibetan Buddhist Center: http://www.fpmt-osel.org/

Created by Laura Ellen Shulman