From Siddhartha to the Buddha After coming to the conclusion that everything was better in moderation, Siddhartha continued a healthy life and returned to meditation. Sitting under a tree, he was able to achieve a higher consciousness, or a “psychic state”. He saw the death and rebirth of all kinds of Earth’s beings as well as all of his previous lives. This allowed him to realize that good deeds brought better lives, and that bad deeds brought a life of unpleasantness. He realized that desire was the root of all suffering, and was able to get rid of any craving he might have had. In this state of nirvana, he was able to reach enlightenment: he was at absolute peace.

What is nirvana? Nirvana is difficult to understand, and Buddha suggested it had to be experienced in order to be understood. Nirvana has been observed as: A state of total liberation Permanent truth and realization Serenity, tranquility, peace, calm A goal of liberation from suffering Siddhartha stayed in a state of nirvana for 7 days; he then decided to publicize his teachings and ideas.

BUDDHISM’S roots in Hinduism Think about what you know about Hinduism, and your introduction to Buddhism so far. Which of the following concepts do you think were rejected or retained by the Buddha? Gods Rituals Karma Caste System Reincarnation Samsara Questioning of Existence/Eternity Language and Sacred Text

CONCEPT: GODS WHY? BUDDHIST? no Siddhartha's revelation had nothing to do with any god. Remember that Buddhism emphasizes things to DO rather than things to BELIEVE.

CONCEPT: RITUALS WHY? BUDDHIST? no The Buddha saw Hindu rituals such as gods, chants, and sacrifices as “insignificant activities that dominated the religion”. He was determined that Buddhism would be free of meaningless rituals.

CONCEPT: KARMA WHY? BUDDHIST? YES When Siddhartha achieved nirvana, he was able to see many lives of the past and realized the connection between good/bad deeds and a person’s life.

CONCEPT: CASTE SYSTEM WHY? BUDDHIST? no Buddhism believes that all individuals are equal. Buddha disagrees with the notion that only after thousands of lives and achieving the Brahmin caste can one reach nirvana; rather he taught that with personal effort, enlightenment could be achieved by anybody, regardless of their position in society.

CONCEPT: REINCARNATON WHY? BUDDHIST? YES Buddha’s understanding of karma is directly related to his understanding of reincarnation, the transferring of one’s consciousness into a new body after death.

CONCEPT: SAMSARA WHY? BUDDHIST? YES All Buddhist teachings reference samsara, the endless cycle of uncontrolled rebirths. The goal is to achieve nirvana and escape this cycle.

CONCEPT: WHY? BUDDHIST? no QUESTION OF EXISTENCE The Buddha thought it was pointless to question theories of creation and eternity as it was impossible to ever know. Buddhism is considered to be practical and free of mythical obsessions.

CONCEPT: LANGUAGE/TEXT WHY? BUDDHIST? no The Buddha disapproved of the Hindu Vedas being written in Sanskrit, as so few people actually spoke this language. He gave his sermons in the common tongue of the people.

TASK: VENN DIAGRAM Using the Venn Diagram provided, outline the similarities and differences between Buddhism and Hinduism.