2.  Started in India by Siddhartha Gautama  Gautama reached enlightenment in 535 BCE and is known as the Buddha

3.  Believe in reincarnation  Salvation = Nirvana (release from the cycle of death and rebirth)  No God, savior, prayers or eternal life after death

4.  Guatama became the Buddha or “enlightened one” when figured out the world’s problems and how to solve them!  There are “4 Noble Truths”  Everyone suffers  Desire causes suffering  Ending desire will end suffering  To end desire you must follow the “righteous eightfold path”

5.  Right Knowledge  Right Thinking  Right Speech  Right Conduct  Right Livelihood  Right Effort  Right Mindedness  Right Concentration In other words, do the right things in life and you will be peaceful, happy and harmonious!

6.  No longer prevelant in India  Spread to China, Japan, Taiwan, Tibet, Nepal and Vietnam  Now led by the Dalai Lama

8.  May be the oldest religion still practiced today  3 rd largest religion in the world – about 900 million followers

9.  Dates back as far as 1500 BCE  Believe in a universal spirit (Brahman) that appears in many different forms

10.  Hindus believe Brahman can appear as any number of other gods  These gods include Vishnu, Shiva and Shakti and Ganesha

11. Families often build shrines to one of the lesser gods and may worship it almost exclusively

12.  Hinduism has many holy books  The Vedas are the most ancient  There are also epic poems like the Ramayana

13.  Hindus strive to realize the true nature of self, to reach divinity  Dharma – a person’s duties  Samsara – rebirth  Karma – a person’s actions  Moksha – salvation

14.  Confucius (551-479 BCE) was a Chinese social philosopher  Teachings dealt more with political matters than spiritual matters  His ideas didn’t spread until after his death

15.  Eventually became the basis of some of China’s most powerful dynasties  Has been greatly debated over the centuries  After a decline in interest, Confucianism is beginning to gain followers again in China

16.  Stresses the importance of loyalty in relationships  All relationships fall into one of five categories: 1. Ruler and Subject 2. Father and Son 3. Husband and Wife 4. Elder and Younger Brother 5. Between Friends