Glossary: Reincarnation: The belief that the soul or spirit, after biological death, can begin a new life in a new body.

Part 1: Buddhism

Early Buddhism in India Founded by Siddhartha Gautama (born about 563 B.C.E.) According to legend, Gautama was raised a rich and sheltered life in a palace. When he left he encountered an old man, a sick man, a corpse, and a monk –Gautama was impressed by the monk and himself determined to take up a basic, wandering life to help him understand the phenomenon of suffering

Siddhartha Gautama About 534 B.C.E., Gautama left his family to take up the existence of a holy man Intense meditation and extreme self denial did not enlighten him sufficiently One day he resolved to sit under a large bodhi tree until he understood the problem of suffering For 49 days he withstood various temptations and threats from demons and finally received enlightenment –Thus Gautama became the Buddha– “the enlightened one” The Buddha by Odilon Redon

Four Noble Truths All life involves suffering Desire is the cause of suffering Elimination of desire brings an end to suffering A disciplined life in accordance with the Noble Eightfold Path brings the elimination of desire

Noble Eightfold Path Lead a balanced and moderate life Reject both the devotion to luxury often found in human society and the regimes of extreme asceticism favored by hermits Right belief Right resolve Right speech Right behavior Right occupation Right effort Right contemplation Right meditation

Gods There are no gods in Buddhism – Buddhists do not worship a supernatural power. Instead Buddhism provides guidelines for living a good life and achieving Nirvana Sacred Texts Sutras – collection of teachings of the Buddha Tripitaka – collection of writings by Buddhists (but not by Buddha)

Nirvana Living this lifestyle will lead to personal salvation– escape from the cycle of reincarnation and the attainment of nirvana –Nirvana is the state of perfect spiritual independence The Wheel of Dharma symbolizes samsara, the continuous cycle of birth, life, and death. One is liberated from this endless cycle of rebirth when nirvana is achieved.

Establishment of Buddhism Buddhism spread from India along trade routes into China By the 4 th Century A.C.E. a large Buddhist community had emerged at Dunhuang in western China where two branches of the Silk Road join together

Part 2: Hinduism

Roots of Hinduism Unlike most other religions, Hinduism has no single founder, no single scripture, and no commonly agreed set of teachings. Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world. It began in India over 5,000 years ago and the majority of Hindus still live in this region. It is based on many diverse traditions and ideas from the area. The Vedas (“Wisdom”) are collections of prayers and hymns. –Reflect the knowledge that priests needed to carry out their functions

Four Principal Aims of Human Life Dharma –Obedience to religious and moral laws Artha –The pursuit of economic well-being and honest prosperity Kama –The enjoyment of social, and physical, pleasure Moksha –The salvation of the soul A proper balance of dharma, artha, and kama would help an individual attain moksha

Karma and Reincarnation Hindus believe that all of our actions are either positive or negative and at the end of our life these actions are weighed up. This is karma. Upon death your karma and actions in your past life will influence your next life. You will continue the cycle of reincarnation until you achieve moksha.

Gods and Goddesses Hinduism is polytheistic. Some of the many gods/goddesses include: –Ganesha –Brahma –Vishnu –Shiva –Krishna –Rama

Symbols Om

Assignment 3: Hinduism has A LOT of gods! In assignment 3 you will learn about some of them. Finished? Work on: Comparison chart: finish all 5 religions Assignment 2 Monotheistic cultures activity Check out essay assignment coming up