Buddhism

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Buddhism

"One thing I teach suffering and the end of suffering.It is just ill and the ceasing of ill that I proclaim." -- The Buddha
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Origins

• Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama (the
  Buddha) in approximately 520 BCE in Northeast
  India.

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Origins - Siddhartha Gautama
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Origins - Siddhartha Gautama

• Wanting to free his mind of daily concerns,
  Siddhartha began fasting and meditating.
• Eventually, he came to understand the answers to
  questions he had about human life.

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Adherents

• Buddhism is the fourth largest world religion
  with approximately 360 million followers.

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Adherents

• People who follow the religion of Buddhism are
  called Buddhists.

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Views

• Buddhists do not believe that this world is
  created and ruled by a God.
• Buddha did not want his followers speculating
  about such matters as God, the nature of the
  universe, and the afterlife.
• Instead, Buddha urged his followers to focus
  instead on the Four Noble Truths by which they
  can free themselves from suffering.

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The Four Noble Truths

• Suffering Exists.

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The Four Noble Truths

• Suffering arises from attachment to desires.

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The Four Noble Truths

• Suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases.

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The Four Noble Truths

• Freedom from suffering is possible by practicing
  the Eightfold path.

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The Eightfold Path - Morality

• Right Speech Speaking in a non hurtful, not
  exaggerated, truthful way.
• Avoid lies and gossip.

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The Eightfold Path - Morality

• Right Action Avoiding harmful actions.
• Dont steal from or harm others.

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The Eightfold Path - Morality

• Right Livelihood - Not harming in any way oneself
  or others directly or indirectly.
• Reject work that hurts others.

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The Eightfold Path - Meditation

• Right Effort Making constant effort to improve
  oneself.
• Prevent evil and do good.

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The Eightfold Path - Meditation

• Right Mindfulness - Mental ability to see things
  for what they are with clear consciousness.
• Control your feelings and thoughts.

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The Eightfold Path - Meditation

• Right Contemplation - Being aware of the present
  reality within oneself, without any craving or
  aversion.
• Practice meditation.

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The Eightfold Path - Wisdom

• Right View - Understanding reality as it is, not
  just as it appears to be.
• Incline towards goodness and kindness.

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The Eightfold Path - Wisdom

• Right Thought - Change in the pattern of
  thinking.
• Believe in the nature of existence as suffering
  and in the Four Noble Truths.

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Views

• However, disbelief in a creator God does not mean
  that Buddhism is atheistic.
• While Theravada Buddhists are atheistic Mahayana
  Buddhists are more polytheistic.

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Views

• In Mahayana Buddhism, the universe is populated
  with celestial buddhas, bodhisattvas, and deities
  that assist and inspire Buddhists.

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Views

• With regard to the universe, Buddha taught
  nothing is permanent.
• The Buddha said of death
• Life is a journey.Death is a return to
  earth.The universe is like an inn.The passing
  years are like dust.Regard this phantom worldAs
  a star at dawn, a bubble in a stream,A flash of
  lightning in a summer cloud,A flickering lamp -
  a phantom - and a dream.

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Lifes Purpose

• In Buddhism, the purpose of life is to end
  suffering.
• The Buddha taught that humans suffer because we
  continually strive after things that do not give
  lasting happiness.
• During life, humans should also strive to gain
  enlightenment and release from cycle of rebirth,
  or at least attain a better rebirth by gaining
  merit.

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Afterlife

• Buddhists believe people are reincarnated when
  they die.
• This is different than reincarnation in Hinduism
  because Buddhists do not believe the soul passes
  on to the next body.

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Afterlife

• Buddha compared reincarnation to lighting
  successive candles using the flame of the
  preceding candle.
• Although each flame is causally connected to the
  one that came before it, is it not the same
  flame.
• Thus, in Buddhism, reincarnation is usually
  referred to as "transmigration."

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General Practices

• Meditation
• Mantras
• (sacred sounds)
• devotion to
• deities
• (in some sects)
• mandalas
• (Tibetan)

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Holy Text(s)

• Tripitaka (Pali Canon) - is the earliest
  collection of Buddhist teachings
• Mahayana sutras (like the Lotus Sutra)
• Tibetan Book of the Dead - describes in detail
  the stages of death from the Tibetan point of
  view

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Buddhism Internet Link - Summary

• Essentials of Buddhism - core concepts