Chapter 5 – Ancient India Origins of Buddhism

Essential Question How has the spread of Buddhism affected other areas?

I. The Quest for Answers In the late 500s BC, a young man named Siddhartha Gautama was born a prince and did not have many struggles, but he was not satisfied. He saw people around him suffering and working hard, so he began asking questions about the meaning of life. He traveled throughout India for six years looking for answers.

I. The Quest for Answers During his travels he often fasted and devoted much of his time to meditation.

I. The Quest for Answers He sat under a tree for seven weeks in deep meditation, and came up with three ideas on why human suffering happens: Wanting what we like, but do not have Wanting to keep what we like and already have Not wanting what we dislike but have.

I. The Quest for Answers He found enlightenment under that tree and would spend the rest of his life traveling and teaching people his ideas. He became known as Buddha, or the “Enlightened One.”

Discussion Question What did Buddha conclude about the cause of suffering? He realized that human suffering comes from 3 things: wanting what we like but don’t have, wanting to keep what like and already have, and not wanting what we dislike but have.

II. Teachings of Buddhism Buddha’s followers became known as Buddhists. Buddha was raised Hindu, so many of his teachings reflected Hindu ideas. Like Hindus, he believed that people should act morally and treat others well.

III. Four Noble Truths Suffering and unhappiness are a part of human life. No one can escape it. Suffering comes from our desires for material goods. People cause their own misery because they want things they cannot have.

III. Four Noble Truths People can reach nirvana, a state of perfect peace. Reaching nirvana frees the soul from suffering and from the need for further reincarnation. People can follow an eight-fold path that leads to wisdom, enlightenment, and salvation.

IV. Challenging Hindu Ideas Some of Buddha’s teachings challenged Hindu ideas, including animal sacrifice. Buddha challenged the authority of the Hindu priests, the Brahmins. He believed that it was the responsibility of each individual to work on their own salvation. He did not reject the Hindu teachings of reincarnation.

IV. Challenging Hindu Ideas He was opposed to the caste system. He made the people of lower caste levels feel as though they had the power to change their lives.

Discussion Question Compare and contrast Buddhist teachings with Hinduism.

V. Buddhism Spreads Beyond India The spread of Buddhism increased after one of the most powerful kings in India, Asoka, became Buddhist in the 200s BC. He built Buddhist temples and schools throughout India. He also worked to spread Buddhism outside of India by sending Buddhist missionaries to other kingdoms in Asia.

V. Buddhism Spreads Beyond India Missionaries sailed to Sri Lanka, went north to areas near the Himalayas, west to lands in Central Asia and Persia, Syria, Egypt, China, Korea, and Japan.

Discussion Question What are missionaries and what role did they play in spreading Buddhism? Missionaries are people who work to spread their religious beliefs. They played an important role because they traveled to distant lands to spread Buddhist teachings.