A Major World Religion

 lived from c. 566 to c. 480 B.C  Lived extravagant life through early adulthood (high caste)  Wondered into the world in search of understanding, encountered: an old man, an ill man, a corpse and an ascetic  Was moved by all the suffering he saw and renounced his princely title.

 Deprived himself of all worldly possessions in hope of understanding the truth of the world.  Reached an epiphany while meditating underneath a tree.  Finally understood how to be free from suffering, and ultimately, to achieve salvation.  Became the Buddha or enlightened one.  Spent rest of his life journeying around India spreading his message.

 Two extremes must be avoided - Hedonism: the pursuit of pleasure; sensual self- indulgence. - Asceticism: severe self- discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons. By avoiding these two extremes, we discover a Middle Path, a path which opens the eyes, which bestows understanding, and which leads to peace of mind, to wisdom, to full enlightenment, to Nirvana. - The middle path is the noble eightfold path

 Comprise the essence of Buddha’s teaching  The truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering.  More simply put, suffering exists; it has a cause; it has an end; and it has a cause to bring about its end.

 Birth is suffering, aging and deterioration is suffering, disease is suffering, death is suffering. Not getting what we desire is suffering.  Suffering exists and it is constant.

 Desire and ignorance are at the root of suffering  Desire; Buddhists refer to craving pleasure, material goods, and immortality, all of which are wants that can never be satisfied  Ignorance; relates to not seeing the world as it actually is. Vices, such as greed, envy, hatred and anger, derive from this ignorance.

 Reaching Nirvana, which is a transcendent state free from suffering and our worldly cycle of birth and rebirth. A union with the universe.

 The Noble Eightfold Path  The steps of the Noble Eightfold Path are: right view or understanding, right thought or attitude, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort or diligence, right mindfulness, right concentration*

Wisdom Right view/understanding Right thought/attitude Right speech Right Action Right livelihood Right effort/diligence Right mindfulness Right concentration Morality Meditation

 Good Karma-absence of bad actions or actual positive acts bring about happiness in the long run.  Bad Karma- bad actions such as lying, stealing or killing, bring about unhappiness in the long run.

 Six separate planes into which any living being can be reborn -- three fortunate realms, and three unfortunate realms.  Fortunate realms: demigods, gods, and men.  Unfortunate realms -- animals, ghosts and hell