Buddhism Janet Hall, Bethany Public Schools, OKAGE Teacher Consultant
STORY TIME!!
Photo source: screen grabs from Gautam Buddha's Animated Life Story in English
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Buddhism does not teach of “God”? So why do Buddhists pray? “Buddhists don’t pray, but they do have devotional meditation practices which could be compared to praying. “ side note:
Buddhist scriptures: Tripitaka 1. rules and regulations for the monastic community 2. the Buddha's teachings 3. songs, poetry, and stories of the Buddha and his past lives koreana3745.jpg 57 volumes
Although Buddhism began in India, it is rare in India today: Hindu 81.5% Muslim 12.3% Christian 2.3% Other 2.3% Sikh 2%
Buddhism Hinduism Traditional
The Buddha Mind Monastery and the are both Mahayana – even though one is Chinese and one is Vietnamese. And I’m supposed to care about this because…?
Even though Mahayana Buddhism is the most common form of Buddhism today, it has changed some since Buddha’s time. (Okay, maybe it’s changed a lot.) Oh?
Within a couple of hundred years after the life of the Buddha, there were two branches of Buddhism: Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism. *yawn*
Mahayana Buddhism is mainly Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese.
Theravada Buddhism: focused more on the historical Buddha and Mahayana Buddhism: focused more on spiritual life forms TIME OUT! Explain!
Mahayana Buddhists focus a lot on spiritual life forms: They believe there have been many Buddhas. The most recent, born in India, is not the first and will not be the last. So at Mahayana Buddhist temples, you will see paintings and images representing past Buddhas and future Buddhas.
They believe in reincarnation (like all Buddhists). But they also believe that individuals who have become pure enough to enter Nirvana can choose to delay – to remain spiritually on earth to help humans. So at Mahayana Buddhist temples, you will see paintings and images representing Bodhisattvas. These spirits are called Bodhisattvas, and they are greatly loved because they chose to stay here and help humans. bodhisattva-image-at-chinese-temple-in-thailand.html
You will also see one or two temple “guards” – ugly dudes whose job is to scare away evil and keep visitors safe. Demon-Guardian-at-Wat-Phra-Kaew-Temple-of-the-Emerald-Buddha-B.jpg Korea JapanThailand