The Life of Siddhartha Gotama and the Foundations of Buddhism (“Gotama” and “Awakening”) By: Elizabeth Cash, Jessica Hancock, Savannah Hourigan & Jackie Doty Grady LC3 1B

The Foundations of Buddhism: After Buddha’s enlightenment under the bodhi tree at Bodh-gaya, he began to teach others. The Buddha's first sermon after his Enlightenment centered on the Four Noble Truths, which are the foundation of Buddhism. Buddhism began almost 2,500 years ago. The foundation of Buddhism rests on the life of one teacher, an Indian prince named Siddhartha Gotama.

For the next six years, Siddhartha (Buddha) lived an ascetic life He partook in its practices, studying and meditating using the words of various religious teachers as his guide Life of Buddha is Key:

Continued... The five ascetics decided that Siddhartha had given up the ascetic life and would now follow the ways of the flesh, They promptly left him. However, Siddhartha encouraged people to follow a path of balance instead of one characterized by extremism. He called this path the Middle Way.

Differences Between Siddhartha and Buddha Buddha is the enlightened god with perfect spiritual peace. He has reached the stage of Nirvana. Siddhartha Gautama is a physical person

Biography of Siddhartha Gautama: Siddhartha Gautama (also known as the Buddha “the awakened one”) was the leader and founder of a sect of wonderer ascetics (Sramanas), one of many sects which existed at that time all over India. Siddhartha sat under the Bodhi tree, vowing to not get up until the truths he sought came to him, and he meditated until the sun came up the next day. The turning point in Siddhartha’s life was attaining nirvana. The image of the Buddha meditating under a tree is as important in Buddhism as the image of Jesus Christ on the cross is to most Christians. What is the meaning of nirvana? What does it mean that Siddhartha Gautama achieved enlightenment thus becoming the Buddha (awakened)? The precise nature of the buddhahood is debated by various schools. Despite the fact that “nirvana” is a very popular expression in Buddhism, Buddhists have never reached full agreement on its meaning.

Who is Siddhartha? Siddhartha is a Sanskrit personal name which means "He Who Achieves His Goal". The name is best known in English as the title of the novel by Hermann Hesse, in which the main character (who actually is not the Buddha) is named Siddhartha. The Sanskrit family name Gautama means "descendants of Gotama" Gotama is the name of several figures in ancient India, including a poet of the Rig Veda and also Aksapada Gautama (or Gotama), a famous Indian logician. Pali literature normally refers to Siddhartha Gautama as Gotama Buddha. Traditionally, the meaning of the term Buddha is understood as a person who has awakened from the deep sleep of ignorance. In Indian tradition, the expression was already used before, during, and after the life of Siddhartha by many religious communities, but it became most strongly linked to the Buddhist tradition.

At the time when Siddhartha Gautama lived, Northern India was composed of numerous and small independent states competing for resources. This was also a time when the traditional religious order in India was being challenged by a number of new philosophical and religious schools that were not in line with the orthodox Indian religious views. Reliable factual data on the life of Siddhartha Gautama is very scarce. His historical biography can be, to some extent, pieced together by comparing early Buddhist texts from different traditions Continued...

Siddhartha’s Teachings The Four Nobel Truths The Eightfold Path The Five Precepts

The Four Noble Truths Form the Bedrock of Buddhist Belief and is The Buddha’s Analysis of the Human Condition Dukkha: The Noble Truth of Suffering Samudaya: The Noble Truth of the Cause of Suffering Nirodha: The Noble Truth of the End of Suffering Magga: The Noble Truth of the Path

The Eightfold Path Also called the Wheel of Law, contains eight steps for eliminating dukka. Right Understanding (Samma ditthi) Right Thought (Samma sankappa) Right Speech (Samma vaca) Right Action (Samma kammanta) Right Livelihood (Samma ajiva) Right Effort (Samma vayama) Right Mindfulness (Samma sati) Right Concentration (Samma samadhi)

The Five Precepts Represent the third set of laws governing Buddhist thought Do not harm any living thing Do not steal. Only take what is given Avoid over stimulation Do not say unkind things Do not take alcohol or drugs

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