1. Buddhism The Middle Path

2. Essential Questions  What is Buddhism?  How did Buddhism begin?  What are the beliefs of Buddhism?  How do Buddhists view the world?  Why is Buddhism considered a major world religion?

3. Facts about Buddhism…  One of world’s most popular religions w/over 500,000 followers worldwide…  Originated in India…  Founded by Siddhartha Gautama…  Practiced predominantly in Far East…

4. % of Buddhists in World

5. Beliefs of Buddhism  Polytheism  Four Noble Truths  Eightfold Path  Reincarnation  Nirvana  Non-Violence

6. Siddhartha Gautama  Founder of Buddhism…  Born (c. 563 BCE) a prince into a wealthy family who tried to shelter him from the evils of the world…

7. Buddha’s Four Sights  Sick Man  Old Man  Dead Man  Monk

8. Search for Truth  Legend has it that Siddhartha Gautama meditated beside a stream underneath a Bodhi tree in search of the truth…  After 49 days of deep meditation he became enlightened…

10. Siddhartha becomes Buddha…  Meditation had helped lead Siddhartha to enlightenment…  Buddha means “enlightened one”…  But how could one become enlightened like Siddhartha?  The answer was in the Four Noble Truths…

12. Four Noble Truths  Life is filled with suffering…  Suffering is caused by desire…  Suffering will cease if desire is eliminated…  Desire can be eliminated by following the eight fold path…

13. Reincarnation  Path to enlightenment is not a simple one…  In fact, the journey may take several “lifetimes”…  Reincarnation = belief that a person is “born again” into another bodily form – human or animal…

15. Smells like Enlightenment  End of one’s journey for the Truth, perhaps after several reincarnations, is the end of all suffering, or Nirvana…  It is in this state that one is free from all desire & in union w/the Truth…

17. Could this be Nirvana???

18. Buddha teaches…

19. Eightfold Path  Right Speech  Right Meditation  Right Conduct  Right Resolve  Right Livelihood  Right Effort  Right Mindfulness  Right View

20. Eightfold Path  Also known as the Middle Way…  Path to enlightenment…  Need not be completed in any set order…  Anyone can follow path & achieve enlightenment…

22. Right Understanding  Understanding that life involves suffering & change. Realizing that following the Noble Path is the way to overcome suffering & to be happy…

23. Right Emotion  Committing yourself to following the Path…

24. Right Speech  Speaking in a positive & helpful way & speaking the Truth…

25. Right Action  Living a life according to rules & beliefs…

26. Right Livelihood  Doing work that does not harm others & is helpful…

27. Right Effort  Practicing kind & thoughtful thinking…

28. Right Awareness  Being fully aware of yourself, other people & the world around you…

29. Right Meditation  Training the mind to be kind & positive & to develop wisdom…

30. Buddhist Wisdom  Hurt not others w/that which pains yourself.  Refrain from all evil, obtain merit & purify the mind: this is the Buddha’s teachings.

32. Spread of Buddhism

34. Statutes of Buddha … miniatures

35. Statutes of Buddha… Colossal

36. The Lotus Position

37. Buddhist Temples

38. Faces of Buddha

39. Buddhist Symbols

40. Dalai lama  Tenzin Gyatso, the 14 th Dalai lama

42. Books & Films