Buddhism

What is the Purpose of a Religion? Purposes of Religion:

Help people understand their world Explain things people can’t explain otherwise Provide moral guidelines for living

Studying World Religions So why study world

religions? To see historical

significance of that religion in the world.

To better understand the people in the world who accept that religion.

How do you study a world religion? Examine the historical

development. Identify the core

teachings.

Origins of Buddhism Buddhism began in India through the

teachings of a prince named Siddhartha Guatama. Siddhartha Guatama’s father sheltered him

and never let him leave the palace to protect him from all the bad things in life.

Siddhartha Guatama didn’t leave his palace until he was 30 years old.

When he left, he saw four things that changed his life forever.

The Trip of a Lifetime On Siddhartha’s trip, he saw four things

that changed his life: An OLD MAN which made him see people age

and become weak. A SICK MAN which made him see there is pain

and sickness in the world. A FUNERAL which made him see there is death

in the world. A MONK which made him see it is possible still

to be happy.

Life’s Mission Siddhartha wanted to find out what causes

suffering. Through meditation, he came to the conclusion that:

Selfishness causes suffering.Selfishness causes suffering. At this point of enlightenment, Siddhartha

Guatama became the Buddha or “enlightened one”.

Because the religion is based on the teachings of one man and does not believe in a god, Buddhism is atheistic.

Four Noble Truths The Buddha’s beliefs about suffering are

called the Four Noble Truths: Suffering is a part of life. Suffering comes from desire. There is an end to suffering. To end suffering a person must obey the

Noble Eight Fold Path.

The Noble Eight-Fold Path The Noble Eight Fold Path is the Buddha’s

guidelines for ending suffering. Right Understanding Right Intention Right Speech Right Action Right Livelihood Right Effort Right Mindfulness Right Concentration

The Ultimate Goal Buddhists believe in a cycle of life, death

and rebirth called reincarnation. A person’s thoughts and actions (karma)

affect how that person is reincarnated. Buddhists seek to reach a state of lasting

peace called nirvana by reaching enlightenment and breaking the cycle of reincarnation.

Spreading Buddhism Buddhist fables (Jataka) teach the ideas of

Buddhism in place of a single sacred text. Buddhist fables teach a lesson about how to act or live

life. Buddhist fables have a single character that represents

and incarnation of the Buddha in the story (called the Bodisat).

The story gives and example of the basic belief of Buddhism: selfishness causes suffering.

Bodhisattvas are partially enlightened individuals on earth who help guide others to enlightenment and nirvana.