Buddhism

John Gravely and Ryan Gant and Neil Amin

The Buddha• Siddhartha Gautama was the founder of Buddhism and is

commonly referred to as “the Buddha”. • He was born in Lumbinio around 563 BCE • Legend says that seconds after birth, Gautama performed

his first miracles. • At the age of 29, the Buddha began to

travel around the city of Kapilavastu, andsaw the poverty and destruction in his town.

• Due to these different encounters,Gautama decided to separate himself from society and follow a spiritual quest.

• Ultimately Siddhartha Gautama decided to sit under a fig tree until he achieved Nirvana, and after hundreds of days of meditation, he became a Buddha, and also attracted several followers.

Buddhist Beliefs

• The Buddhists believe in: – Karma – Rebirth– Liberation from karma – The Four Noble Truths – Enlightenment – Dharma

The Practice of Buddhism

• Buddhists refer to “the practice of Buddhism” which usually includes meditating and alter worship.

• Many Buddhist keep and maintain an alter at their homes. A typical alter includes a picture of the Buddha, flowers, candles, incense, and a small bowl of water.

• The Buddhist also practice the Eightfold Path. The Eightfold Path is then divided into three sections: wisdom, ethical conduct and mental discipline.

• The Buddhists are also taught to let go of their anger through the act of meditation.

• Buddhists are often told to attempt to practice Buddhism every moment of their life, but as one Buddhist reports, “Of course, we all fall short at times.” (O’ Brien)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd7a9Ur2x0o

Buddhist Women• In some cases Women in Buddhism are respected

more than some men.• For example “According to accounts by Chinese

pilgrims, Faxuan and Xuan-zang, when crowds of people gathered at Shankashya eagerly awaiting the Buddha's descent from the Trayastrimsha Heaven a nun called Utpali vowed to be the first one to greet him.  But what chance had a simple nun to compete with powerful heads-of-state amidst their entourages that were there at the foot of the threefold stairway? Yet because of her earnest devotion, she was transformed into an emperor”

• Overall women in Buddhism were respected and generally looked at as equals to the men.

Buddhist Texts

• Buddhists texts were found in sutras which were texts that claim to represent his actual teachings

The Books– The Dhamma Pada– Abidhamma Pitaka– Vinaya Pitaka

Missionary work and outreach

• The first Buddhist missionaries were called Dharma Bhanaks.

• The Emperor Ashoka of India was a very significant early Buddhist missioner, and in third century BCE, followers were sent out by Ashoka to spread the belief of Buddhism.

• This practice of Buddhism was spread into Pakistan, Kashmir, and Afganistan.

Before 600 CE• In 424 BCE the Buddha preaches his first

sermon at Sarnath and thus the spread of Buddhism commences.

• By the time of his death, all of Buddha’s followers are established as communities of monks in northern India

• In the 3rd century BCE the king, Asoka, rules over much of the Indian subcontinent. His inscriptions, carved on pillars and rocks throughout his realm, show both the spread of Buddhism and to his own benevolent support of the Buddha's principles. Through the inscriptions and the pillars, this successful king promoted Buddhism.

Buddhist conflicts

• Buddhism conflicted with Confucianism due to the Han dynasty making it the national religion

• As well Confucianism, Buddhism conflicted with Daoism because both religions were present in China at the same time period.

Buddhist Quotes (First said by the Buddha)

“A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker.”

“A jug fills drop by drop.” “All that we are is the result of what we have

thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.”

(continued)• In the 1st century CE, Buddhism began to spread

into the country of China.• As Buddhism spreads to Eastern China, the areas

that eventually choose Buddhism are Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.

• In the 2nd century AD northern India and Afghanistan are ruled by the Kushan dynasty, one of whose kings, Kanishka, is a follower of Buddhism. So obviously Buddhism was spread to the northern areas of India and Afghanistan.

• Obviously, as the Emperors began to convert to the study of Buddhism, so did the followers of these different emperors.

Bibliography• http://buddhism.about.com/od/becomingabuddhist/a/practic

e.htm

• http://www.karma-people.com/Images/karma.gif• http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/religion/buddhism/

1-Flag_of_Buddhism.png• http://www.meditationguidance.com/wp-content/uploads/20

09/05/buddhist-meditation.jpg• https://jspivey.wikispaces.com/file/view/buddha.jpg• http://www.khandro.net/Buddhism_women.htm • http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/

PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ab77 • http://buddha-buddhism.com/Buddhist%20Scriptures.jpg • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_texts • http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/buddha.html