Buddhism

FOUNDED BY A YOUNG PRINCE NAMED SIDDHARTHA

GAUTAMA (WHO WAS KNOW AS BUDDHA OR THE
AWAKENED ONE) IN THE FIFTH CENTURY BCE

Born the Son of a Wealthy King

He grew up in the
Himalayan Mountains of
Nepal destined to become
the Emperor of India. His
father kept him sheltered
from the world in the
palace. Siddhartha had all
the luxuries of royal life
including jewels, servants ,
lotus ponds and dancing
girls. At age 29 he
ventures outside of the
palace.

The Four Men that changed

Siddhartha
A sick man
An aging man
A dying man
A holy man
He realized
that the real
world was full
of suffering

Buddhas Journey to Nirvana

After fasting that almost
starved him to death, he
meditated about how to
completely rid himself of
desire which he felt
caused all suffering. He
felt that mankind is
naturally vain, greedy and
insecure. He taught that
attachment is the root of
all suffering. By
understanding this he
reached the state of
Nirvana.

The Middle Way

Allows one to focus
on compassion for
others.
The Eightfold Path
of Buddhism
between
indulgence and
asceticism.
This path avoids
extreme luxury and
extreme self denial
or poverty.

Indulgence vs. Asceticism

Indulgence: allowing oneself
to enjoy the pleasure of, or give
oneself up to something.
Asceticism: severe selfdiscipline and avoidance of all
forms of indulgence, typically
for religious reasons.

The Four Noble Truths Transcend Suffering

The Eightfold Path

Following the eightfold path can

change our negative emotions
into positive ones
Ignorance into wisdom
Anger into compassion
Greed into generosity
We must change our outlook, not our
circumstances.

Buddha became the Founder and Leader of a

sect of Wanderer Ascetics (Sramanas)
His teachings were
collected by his
followers and turned
into Sutras or
scripture.

Two factions of Buddhism

Theravada, the most ancient
form of Buddhism, is the
dominant school in Southeast Asia
(Thailand, Myanmar/Burma,
Cambodia, and Laos). ...

Mahayana Buddhism developed

out of the Theravada tradition
roughly 500 years after the
Buddha attained Enlightenment.

Theravada Buddhism
Theravada, the most ancient form of Buddhism, is the
dominant school in Southeast Asia (Thailand, Myanmar/Burma,
Cambodia, and Laos). Its name translates to "Doctrine of the
Elders," and it centers around the Pali scriptures, transcribed
from the oral tradition taught by the Buddha. By studying
these ancient texts, meditating, and following the eightfold path,
Theravada Buddhists believe they will achieve Enlightenment.
Strong emphasis is also placed on the monastic community and
on heeding the advice of the wise.

Mahayana Buddhism
Mahayana Buddhism developed out of the Theravada tradition
roughly 500 years after the Buddha attained Enlightenment. A
number of individual schools and traditions have formed under the
banner of Mahayana, including Zen Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism,
Pure Land Buddhism, and Tantric Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism
focuses on the idea of compassion and touts bodhisattvas, which
are beings that work out of compassion to liberate other sentient
beings from their suffering, as central devotional figures.
Bodhisattvas: (in Mahayana Buddhism) a person who is able to
reach nirvana but delays doing so out of compassion in order to
save suffering beings.

The 5 Precepts of Buddhism

The moral code within Buddhism is the precepts, of which the main five are:
not to take the life of anything living, not to take anything not freely
given, to abstain from sexual misconduct and sensual overindulgence, to
refrain from untrue speech, and to avoid intoxication, that is, losing
mindfulness.

What Buddhism is not

Was Buddha a God?, he was not, nor did he claim to be. He was a man who
taught a path to enlightenment from his own experience.
Does Buddhism consider other religions wrong? Buddhism is also a
belief system which is tolerant of all other beliefs or religions. Buddhism
agrees with the moral teachings of other religions but Buddhism goes further
by providing a long term purpose within our existence, through wisdom and
true understanding. Real Buddhism is very tolerant and not concerned with
labels like 'Christian', 'Moslem', 'Hindu' or 'Buddhist'; that is why there have
never been any wars fought in the name of Buddhism. That is why Buddhists
do not preach and try to convert, only explain if an explanation is sought.
Is Buddhism against marriage?: Marriage is neither holy nor unholy. It is
not a religious duty nor a sacrament that is ordained in Heaven. It is a
personal and social obligation.