1. 15 December 2014 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 – Read 5.3 – Questions (Reading Grade)
India Assessment – Wednesday & Thursday (last grade)

2. Milton Bradley in 1943

3. Buddhism

4. Other Buddhist Information
Fasting – going without food
Meditation – focusing of the mind on spiritual ideas

5. 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. 

6. 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.
It upset him that painful old age, sickness, and death were all part of life in this world. 

7. Life of Buddha
One day, 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.

8. Life of 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".  

9. Human Suffering Human Suffering is caused by…
Wanting what we do not have
Wanting to keep what we already have
Not wanting what we dislike but have

10. Buddhist Basics
People that follow the Buddha’s teachings are called Buddhists. The teaching of Buddhism reflect Hindu ideas.
Buddha has 4 guiding principles that are at the heart of his teaching. They are known as The Four Noble Truths.
He rejected many of the ideas contained in the Vedas, including animal sacrifice.
Buddha was against the caste system; that earned him a lot of followers.

11. Other Buddhist Information
Nirvana – a state of perfect peace (“heaven”)
People that do not reach Nirvana are reincarnated
Buddha was opposed to the caste system
He though that it didn’t matter what caste people belonged to – all that mattered is that they lived the way they should.

12. Four Noble Truths: 1 Life is painful (dukkha)
The first truth is that life is suffering i.e., life includes pain, getting old, disease, and ultimately death. We also endure psychological suffering like loneliness frustration, fear, embarrassment, disappointment and anger. This is an irrefutable fact that cannot be denied. It is realistic rather than pessimistic because pessimism is expecting things to be bad. lnstead, Buddhism explains how suffering can be avoided and how we can be truly happy.

13. Four Noble Truths: 2 Desire (tanha) causes pain
The second truth is that suffering is caused by craving and aversion. We will suffer if we expect other people to conform to our expectation, if we want others to like us, if we do not get something we want,etc. In other words, getting what you want does not guarantee happiness. Rather than constantly struggling to get what you want, try to modify your wanting. Wanting deprives us of contentment and happiness. A lifetime of wanting and craving and especially the craving to continue to exist, creates a powerful energy which causes the individual to be born. So craving leads to physical suffering because it causes us to be reborn.

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

15. Four Noble Truths: 4
The Eightfold Noble Path (the Middle Way) eliminates desire:
Mihintale Buddha, Burma

16. Wisdom Right Understanding/View: Right Intention:
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

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

18. Ethical restraints Do not kill Do not steal Do not lie
Do not ingest intoxicants
Thai Buddha

19. Mental Development Right Effort Right Concentration Right Meditation
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

20. 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

22. Other Buddhist Information
Nirvana – a state of perfect peace (“heaven”)
People that do not reach Nirvana are reincarnated
Buddha was opposed to the caste system
He though that it didn’t matter what caste people belonged to – all that mattered is that they lived the way they should.