Topic: Buddhism

Submitted to Dr. M. Abrar Ahmed

Submitted by
Name roll #
Junaid 45
Hasnat Tariq Cheema 41
Anas Rehman 30
Ahsan Ashfaq 22
Arslan haider 31
Content
 History of Buddhism
 Who was Buddha
 Beliefs of Buddha
 The Four Noble Truths
 Karma
 The cycle of rebirth
 The Wheel of Life or eight fold path
 Customs in Buddhism
 Sacred mandala
 Meditation
 Buddhist worship
 Types of Buddhism
 Buddhism
 Theravada
 Thai Forest
 Burmese Buddhism
 Buddhism in Sri Lanka
 Insight Meditation
 Vajrayana
 Mahayana
 Chan and Zen
 Nichiren
 Pure Land

 Ethics
 Animals
 Capital punishment
 Organ donation
 War
 Causes of spread Buddhism
 Causes of decline Buddhism
Buddhism Introduction
Buddhism is a religion. The founder of this religion was Siddhartha Gautama generally known as
Buddha. History of Buddhism base on Buddha’s spiritual journey to enlightenment and of the
teaching and way of living they developed from it. It was founded in 2500 year ago in India. It has
currently 470 million followers worldwide. In which 150,000 are Britain. Historically in east and
Southeast Asia this religion was most prominent. After some time this religion was influence by
other religions like Hinduism Islam and also influence by the behavior of Buddhist sanghas.

Who was Buddha?

Most of writers claim that Buddha or Siddhartha Gautama was born in 567 B.C and died in 487
B.C in Lumbini that today located in Nepal. His father name was Suddhodana. He was the king of
that state. His mother name was Mahamaya. His mother died after some days of birth of Buddha.
At the age of sixteen he was married with yasodhara his wife also a princess. After the thirteen
year of marriage he had a child his name was Rahul. One day after the birth of child he went
outside the royal enclosure he saw for the first time an old man, a sick man and a corpse. This
greatly disturbed him and he learned that age sickness and death inevitable fate of human beings
a fate no one can avoid it. He had also saw a monk. He inspired by monk and after that event he
leaved his luxury life and had gone toward forest for escaped form suffering from word and
enlightenment. He got no enlightenment. At the age of thirty five he one day he sat under a pipal
tree and resolved to sit there until he gets enlightment, ultimately he got enlightment there.

Belief of Buddha
 The four noble truth
Buddhism’s famed four truths are called noble because they liberate us from suffering. They are
the Buddha’s basic teaching, encapsulating the entire Buddhist path.

✣ All existence is dukkha (sorrow and pain)

✣ The cause of dukkha is craving (desire and thirst)

✣ The cessation of dukkha comes with the cessation of craving

✣ There is a path that leads from dukkha

These are the four noble truth of the teaching of Buddha in first truth he explained life is full of
pain and sorrow. Everything in life painful and source of sorrow. He explained in second noble
truth cause of sorrow and pain is thirst and desire. In third noble truth he explained that is overcome
or decrease by eliminating desire and thirst. According to him if desire removed the sorrow also
removed. In which forth noble truth he explained with the help of eight noble path we can attain
perfect life and eliminate pain and sorrow.
  Eight fold path
The Eightfold Path is also called the Middle Way. That are necessary for perfect life and also
necessary for the enlightenment.
1. Right Understanding
Understand the teaching of Buddha clearly and judge them that’s teaching are true.
2. Right Intention
A commitment to cultivate the right attitudes.
3. Right Speech
Don’t speak lie. Speak truthfully. Avoid slander and abusive speech.
4. Right Action
Behaving peacefully. Don’t kill anyone and harm others.
5. Right Livelihood
Live peacefully don’t harm any human and animal.
6. Right Effort
Right effort includes developing good habits, such as practicing right mindfulness, right meditation
and other positive moral acts in your daily life.
7. Right Mindfulness
Developing awareness of the body, sensations, feelings and states of mind.
8. Right Concentration
Developing the mental focus necessary for this awareness.

 Law of karma
Law of karma in which explain our past action affect us present and effect in future. Affection may
positively and negatively. If we had done good thing in our past affection positively and of we had
done bad things in our past affection negatively.

 Cycle of rebirth
Karma plays out in Buddhism cycle of rebirth. There are six separate categories in which any
living beings can reborn three fortunate realms and three unfortunate realms. Those who have done
positive action and good things in the past reborn in fortunate realms and those who have done
negative action or bad things in the past they reborn in unfortunate realms. In fortunate realms
there are further three categories.
 ✣ Realm of men

✣ Realm of gods

✣ Realm of demigods
Realm of men considered the highest realm in rebirth cycle. In unfortunate there are further three
categories.

✣ Realms of animals

✣ Realm of ghosts

✣ Realms of hell

Custom in Buddhism
The Buddhist tradition has developed many different customs and practices in different parts of
the world. This may take the form of meditating on the qualities of Buddha, and honoring the
Buddha or Buddha-figure. A person could honor the Buddha by making offerings to relics or
images of the Buddha. There are three major customs in Buddhism

 Sacred mandala
The mandala represents an imaginary palace that is contemplated during meditation. Each object
in the palace has significance, representing an aspect of wisdom or reminding the meditator of a
guiding principle. The mandala's purpose is to help transform ordinary minds into enlightened ones
and to assist with healing.

 Meditation
Meditation involves the body and the mind. For Buddhists this is particularly important as they
want to avoid what they call 'duality' and so their way of meditating must involve the body and the
mind as a single entity. In the most general definition, meditation is a way of taking control of the
mind so that it becomes peaceful and focused, and the meditator becomes more aware.

 Buddhist worship
Buddhists can worship both at home or at a temple. It is not considered essential to go to a temple
to worship with others. In home they have separate part where they worship. Worshippers may sit
on the floor barefoot facing an image of Buddha and chanting. They will listen to monks chanting
from religious texts, perhaps accompanied by instruments, and take part in prayers.
Types of Buddhism
 Theravada Buddhism
Theravada Buddhism translates to the “Way of the Elders,” and is the oldest form of Buddhism
existing. Using the Pali language. This is the collection of the Buddha’s earliest teachings and
discourses. Theravada is most popular in Southeast Asia, in countries such as Thailand, Burma
(Myanmar), Cambodia, and Laos. There are further four types of Theravada Buddhism.

✣ Thai Forest

✣ Burmese Buddhism

✣ Buddhism in Sri Lanka

✣ Insight Meditation

 Mahayana Buddhism
The term Mahayana means “great vehicle” and refers the path of the bodhisattva. In Mahayana
Buddhism, the aim of practice is generally not to attain enlightenment for oneself but to cultivate
Buddhahood for all sentient beings. Mahayana monks tend to live with less strict rules than
Theravada monks. They often eat vegetarian and are able to participate in more activities than
Theravada monastics. In many Mahayana traditions, there are teachings outside the Pali canon.
There are further types of Mahayana Buddhism

✣ Chan and Zen

✣ Nichiren

✣ Pure Land

 Vajrayana Buddhism
Vajrayana Buddhism is sometimes considered a type of Mahayana, while other scholars consider
it its own specific type of Buddhism. The most famous form of this school is Tibetan Buddhism.
Vajrayana Buddhism is sometimes called Tantric or Esoteric Buddhism. It involves the use of
tantric, or specific spiritual techniques which help individuals gain enlightenment as quickly as
possible. Because the practices are considered advanced, they may be dangerous if worked without
proper guidance. The practices can lead individuals into more craving, clinging, and suffering if
not done carefully. With proper work, it is believed that tantric practice can bring you to full
enlightenment in this lifetime, rather than waiting for countless reincarnations.
Ethics in Buddhism
 Animals
Overall Buddhism is an animal friendly religion some aspect of the traditional surprisingly
negative about animals. Early Buddhists (but not the Buddha himself) used the idea that animals
were spiritually inferior as a justification for the exploitation and mistreatment of animals.

 Capital punishment
The Buddha did not explicitly speak about capital punishment, but his teachings show no sympathy
for physical punishment, no matter how bad the crime.

 Organs donation
There are no rules in Buddhism for or against organ donation, but central to Buddhism is a wish
to relieve suffering. In Buddhism the decision for or against organ donation relies very much on
an individual's decision. People may decide for or against it, without one choice being seen as
right, and the other wrong.

 War
Non-violence is at the heart of Buddhist thinking and behavior. The first of the five precepts that
all Buddhists should follow is "Avoid killing, or harming any living thing. “Buddhism is
essentially a peaceful tradition. Nothing in Buddhist scripture gives any support to the use of
violence as a way to resolve conflict.

Causes of spread of Buddhism

1) Buddha’s ideal life
The magical personality of Buddha and the method used by him to preach the religion helped him
a lot in the spread of Buddhism. His simplicity sweet words life of renunciation attracted a large
number of masses to his teaching.

2) Complex Vedic religion

Brahmanism became complex due to the complicated rites rituals caste system animal’s sacrifices
etc. the common people exhausted with Brahmanism as it was complicated and expensive. In the
comparison with Brahmanism Buddhism was less expensive even negligible democratic and
liberal.

3) Use of Pali language

Buddha preached his teaching in Pali language. People can easily understand this language.
4) Role of Buddhist sangha
Buddhist sangha play a special rule in the growth of Buddhism. They established branches in whole
India and different part of world.

5) Royal patronage
Royal patronage greatly helped in the rapid growth of Buddhism. The rulers like Asoka Kaniska
and Harshavardhan championed the cause of Buddhism and adopted several measures for its
spread throughout India and outside India.

No rival of Buddhism
At that time there was no rival of Buddhism in India.

Flexibility and adaptability

Buddhism was a flexible religion that adapted the changes of time and need.

Decline of Buddhism
1) Role of Buddhist sanghas
The significance reason of the decline and fall of Buddhism was the role of Buddhist sanghas. The
sanghas became corrupt lusty and demoralized.

2) Revival of Brahmanism
The revival of Brahmanism also played a important role in the decline of Buddhism. The rituals
and practices were simplified.

3) Division among Buddhists

Buddhism was divide into a number of groups like Hirayana Mahayana and some other factions
and ultimately it lost its originality.

4) Use of Sanskrit language

The Buddhist monks use the Sanskrit and they gave up the Pali language. It was a reason for the
decline of Buddhism.

5) Changes in worship
The Mahayana Buddhist started worshiping of Buddha as a god. This image worship was a clear
violation of the Buddhist principle of Buddha. Due to this image worship Buddhism lost its
importance in people.

6) Muslim invasion
The Muslims invasions practically proved to be disastrous for Buddhism in India. The riches of
Buddhist viharas attracted the attention of the Muslims invades. So the Buddhist viharas became
the target of Muslims invasion whose sole intension was to plunder the wealth because of policy
ahimsa or non-violence the Buddhist monks couldn’t resist the Muslims attack.

Sources;
BBC –religion
www.pbs.org/edens/thailand/buddhism.htm
https://oneminddharma.com/types-of-buddhism/
https://thebuddhistcentre.com/text/four-noble-truths
The spirit of Buddhism by Gour H.S
Decline of Buddhism in India by Mitra R.C