Introduction to Buddhism

Founder  Buddhism was founded in the 6th century BCE by Siddhartha Gautama in India (present day Nepal)  He was born a Hindu prince in 563 BCE (Kshatriya caste) and had a miraculous birth  He saw four instances of extreme human suffering and vowed to find a way to end this for humankind  For 7 years he tried various Hindu means to find Truth (raja yoga, asceticism) to no avail  He found a new method “The Middle Way” which led him to Enlightenment

Enlightenment of the Buddha  Siddhartha meditated under the Bodhi Tree where he remembered the events of all of his past lives  He was tempted by the evil demon Mara but resisted and removed all cravings from his life  When he was 35 years old, he successfully realized the Truth of Life and found the path to salvation (Nirvana) where he was released from samsara and stayed in this state for 7 days  When he returned from this enlightened state, he shared his experiences with others and attracted a group of followers

 These followers became ordained as the first Buddhist community known as the Sangha (Buddhist monks and nuns)  Taught the importance of salvation through Buddhist Teachings  Teachings then spread and Buddhism became a recognized religion  After becoming ill, the Buddha attained parinirvana (complete nirvana) in 486 BCE

Teachings  Buddhism seeks to deal with the harsh realities of life provides adherents an ultimate goal of absolute peace and tranquility and the cessation of suffering  Buddhism is more focused on actions than beliefs and avoids speculation about the nature of things such as creation and a Supreme power as there is little possibility of definitive answers to such questions  Main teachings include: The Four Noble Truths, The Eightfold Path, Three Levels of Existence, Triple Jewels, Five Precepts etc., all attempt to find a solution to human suffering and offer a correct path to salvation

Practices  Meditation, offerings and chanting mantras  Karma/accumulation of good merit  Puja and offerings  Donations  Monastic life is best

Adherents  Today there are over 200,000 adherents predominantly in South East Asian countries of Burma, Thailand, Indo- China, Japan  There are approximately 10,000 Buddhists in Canada

Religion or Philosophy?  Although the Buddha stressed that rituals were unnecessary to salvation, after his death he was deified by some followers and in some sects, Buddhism has taken on specific rituals, temple worship and scriptural doctrines  Buddhism also attempts to finds the meaning of life, provides followers with ethical standards of living, keeping in mind the goal of salvation

 Philosophically – Buddhism can be practiced without worship, sacrifices or rituals and especially rejected the principle of religious authority over matters of salvation  No personified god figure who created or presided over universe  Enlightened state is an awake state – can direct others in their quest for salvation