15 December 201415 December 2014Buddhism – How it started, why, and basic Buddhism – How it started, why, and basic beliefs. beliefs.

Bellringer – What are 2 “criticisms” one might make about the caste system in Hinduism?

Buddhism Origins of Buddhism 4 Noble Truths Eightfold Path

HW – Read 5.3 – Questions (Reading Grade) India Assessment – Wednesday & Thursday (last

grade)

Milton Bradley in 1943

Buddhism

Other Buddhist Information Fasting – going without food

Meditation – focusing of the mind on spiritual ideas

Life of Buddha "Awakened One" or “Enlightened One” (Buddha) Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who would one day

be known as the Buddha, began his life as a prince in a kingdom in ancient India. 

Life of Buddha Prince Gautama (Buddha) was born about 553

BCE. He had parents who loved him, many servants to wait on him, the finest clothes, and a different palace for each season of the year. Yet, he found his world full of suffering.

It upset him that painful old age, sickness, and death were all part of life in this world. 

Life of Buddha One day, he met a monk. He was amazed

that this monk could find calm and peace in a world filled with such sufferings. That day he made a very difficult decision. He decided to leave his wealth, his comfort, his wife, and his newborn son, to become a monk.

Life of Buddha For the next six years he

traveled throughout India. But the answers he found were not enough. One day, while sitting under a fig tree, (after meditating for seven weeks) an understanding came to him. This understanding was a way to end suffering. That was the day Prince Siddhartha Gautama began to earn a new title, the Buddha, which means "Awakened One".  

Human Suffering Human Suffering is caused by…1. Wanting what we do not have2. Wanting to keep what we already have3. Not wanting what we dislike but have

Buddhist Basics People that follow the Buddha’s teachings

are called Buddhists. The teaching of Buddhism reflect Hindu ideas.

Buddha has 4 guiding principles that are at the heart of his teaching. They are known as The Four Noble Truths.

He rejected many of the ideas contained in the Vedas, including animal sacrifice.

Buddha was against the caste system; that earned him a lot of followers.

Other Buddhist Information Nirvana – a state of perfect peace

(“heaven”) People that do not reach Nirvana are

reincarnated Buddha was opposed to the caste system He though that it didn’t matter what caste

people belonged to – all that mattered is that they lived the way they should.

Four Noble Truths: 1 Life is painful (dukkha)The first truth is that life is suffering i.e., life includes pain, getting old,

disease, and ultimately death. We also endure psychological suffering like loneliness frustration, fear, embarrassment, disappointment and anger. This is an irrefutable fact that cannot be denied. 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.

Four Noble Truths: 2 Desire (tanha) causes painThe second truth is that suffering is caused by craving and aversion. 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. Wanting deprives us of contentment and happiness. A lifetime of wanting and craving and especially the craving to continue to exist, creates a powerful energy which causes the individual to be born. So craving leads to physical suffering because it causes us to be reborn.

Four Noble Truths: 3 Eliminating desire can eliminate pain

People can overcome desire and ignorance and reach nirvana – a state of perfect peace.

Four Noble Truths: 4The Eightfold Noble Path (the

Middle Way) eliminates desire:

Wisdom Right Understanding/View:

Dhammapada: “Everything you are is the result of what you have thought.”

You must know the Four Noble Truths

You must avoid harmful thoughts

Know the truth Right Intention:

You must try to eliminate selfish desire

Free your mind of evil

Morality Right Speech

Say nothing that harms others

Right Action Avoid harming others World for the good of

others Right Livelihood

Respect life Avoid what requires you, or

even tempts you, to harm others

Ethical restraints

Do not kill Do not steal Do not lie Do not ingest

intoxicants

Mental Development Right Effort

You must work constantly to avoid selfish desire

Resist evil Right Concentration

Practice Meditation You must develop mental

powers to avoid desire “binding mind to a single

spot”, as in Hindu meditation Right Meditation

Like Hindu meditation illumination of object as

object, empty of what it is

Spread of Buddhism According to tradition, after Buddha’s

death 500 of his followers gathered His followers spread his teaching

throughout India His teachings were popular and easy to

understand Asoka (powerful king in India) became

Buddhist in 200s BC and built temples and schools throughout India & beyond

Other Buddhist Information Nirvana – a state of perfect peace

(“heaven”) People that do not reach Nirvana are

reincarnated Buddha was opposed to the caste system He though that it didn’t matter what caste

people belonged to – all that mattered is that they lived the way they should.