11 December 2015 Buddhism – How it started, why, and basic beliefs.  Bellringer – What are 2 “criticisms” one might make about the caste system in Hinduism?  Buddhism Origins of Buddhism 4 Noble Truths Eightfold Path  HW – None

Milton BradleyMilton Bradley in 1943

Buddhism

Siddhartha Gautama Life of Buddha  "Awakened One" or “Enlightened One” (Buddha)  Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who would one day be known as the Buddha, began his life as a prince in a kingdom in ancient India.

Siddhartha Gautama Life of Buddha  Story of: His mother ~ Lotus Flower & Elephant  What’s it mean?

Siddhartha Gautama Life of Buddha  Prince Gautama (Buddha) was born about 553 BCE. He had parents who loved him, many servants to wait on him, the finest clothes, and a different palace for each season of the year. Yet, he found his world full of suffering.  Outings… He meets an old man He sees a sick man He sees a corpse (dead man)

Life of Buddha  On his fourth outing, he met a monk. He was amazed that this monk could find calm and peace in a world filled with such sufferings. That day he made a very difficult decision. He decided to leave his wealth, his comfort, his wife, and his newborn son, to become a monk.

Life of Buddha  For the next six years he traveled throughout India. But the answers he found were not enough.  He followed two different teachers and also “punished his body” as a way to try to find peace/end of suffering.

Siddhartha Gautama Becoming Buddha  For the next six years he traveled throughout India. But the answers he found were not enough. One day, while sitting under a fig tree, (after meditating for seven weeks) an understanding came to him. This understanding was a way to end suffering. That was the day Prince Siddhartha Gautama began to earn a new title, the Buddha, which means "Awakened One". Mara

Human Suffering – 3 things  Human Suffering is caused by… 1. Wanting what we do not have 2. Wanting to keep what we already have 3. Not wanting what we dislike but have

Basic Buddhist Information  Nirvana – a state of perfect peace (“heaven”)  People that do not reach Nirvana are reincarnated  Buddha was against the caste system; that earned him a lot of followers.  He thought that it didn’t matter what caste people belonged to – all that mattered is that they lived the way they should.

Buddhist Basics  People that follow the Buddha’s teachings are called Buddhists. The teaching of Buddhism reflect Hindu ideas.  He rejected many of the ideas contained in the Vedas, including animal sacrifice.  Buddha has 4 guiding principles that are at the heart of his teaching. They are known as The Four Noble Truths.

Four Noble Truths: 1  Life is painful

Four Noble Truths: 2  Desire causes pain

Four Noble Truths: 3  Eliminating desire can eliminate pain People can overcome desire and ignorance and reach nirvana – a state of perfect peace.

Four Noble Truths: 4 The Eightfold Noble Path (the Middle Way) eliminates desire:

Wisdom  Right Understanding/View: Dhammapada: “Everything you are is the result of what you have thought.” You must know the Four Noble Truths You must avoid harmful thoughts Know the truth  Right Intention: You must try to eliminate selfish desire Free your mind of evil

Morality  Right Speech Say nothing that harms others  Right Action Avoid harming others World for the good of others  Right Livelihood Respect life Avoid what requires you, or even tempts you, to harm others

Ethical restraints  Do not kill  Do not steal  Do not lie  Do not ingest intoxicants

Mental Development  Right Effort You must work constantly to avoid selfish desire Resist evil  Right Concentration Practice Meditation You must develop mental powers to avoid desire “binding mind to a single spot”, as in Hindu meditation  Right Meditation Like Hindu meditation illumination of object as object, empty of what it is

Spread of Buddhism  According to tradition, after Buddha’s death 500 of his followers gathered  His followers spread his teaching throughout India  His teachings were popular and easy to understand  Asoka (powerful king in India) became Buddhist in 200s BC and built temples and schools throughout India & beyond