Transcript Buddhism - Woodford County Schools

Buddhism
An Introduction
Siddhartha Gautama
• There is much debate about the birth
year of Siddhartha Gautama.
– Some put the date around 624 BC
– Some religious historians put the date
between 567 and 487 BC
– More modern scholars place his birth between
502 and 420 BC
– In short, no one really knows
Siddhartha Gautama
• Siddhartha was probably born in
Kalinga (now Orissa) in India.
Siddhartha Gautama
• Siddhartha was born a member of
the Śãkyas clan.
– His father, Suddhodana, was king of the clan
– His mother’s name was Maya
– Siddhartha was sometimes known as Śãkyamuni,
which means “Sage of the Śãkyas.”
– He was born into the Kshatriya caste, the second
highest level of the caste system.
Siddhartha Gautama
• It was assumed that Siddhartha
would follow in his father’s role as
king of the clan.
– Siddhartha’s family was Hindu.
– Astrologers predicted that he would be either a
universal king or a great religious leader.
– He was raised in luxury in the hope that he would
choose the richness of life as a king.
Siddhartha Gautama
• At 16, Siddhartha was married to
Yaśodharã.
– When Siddhartha was 29, the couple had a son
named Rãhula
– At this point, Siddhartha took four journeys (some say
these were, instead, four visions).
Siddhartha Gautama
• The four visions …
– Siddhartha was deeply disturbed on seeing a helpless,
frail old man
– He saw a depressed man suffering from disease
– He saw a grieving family carrying the body of a dead
family member
– He saw a serene man, an ascetic, leading a reclusive
life of meditation
Siddhartha Gautama
• Making a choice
– Siddhartha chose to follow the path of meditation and
poverty to find a solution to human suffering
– He left the luxuries of his home life, his wife and son,
and the promise of leadership in his clan.
– Siddhartha adopted the life of a wandering ascetic.
Siddhartha Gautama
• Things didn’t work out at first.
– He tried meditation under two different teachers.
– He was not satisfied, as he had to stop meditation
without any solutions to the problems of suffering and
death.
Siddhartha Gautama
• Things didn’t work out at first.
– He joined a group of Brahmanists in the forest.
– He practiced breath control and intense fasting for six
years.
– He was often at the brink of death.
– He decided that neither extreme would bring him any
closer to his goals.
Siddhartha Gautama
• Siddhartha’s realization
– He chose to seek a middle path for solutions.
– He realized that moderation and meditation would
most likely lead him to the answers he sought.
Siddhartha Gautama
• Sitting under the Bodhi tree
– Siddhartha, at the age of 35, sat under a tree and
started meditating.
– During his first night, he saw all of his previous
incarnations.
– In the second night, he saw how good or bad deeds
led to their subsequent incarnations
– On the third night, he progressed beyond himself, and
attained enlightenment.
Siddhartha Gautama
• Nirvana
– Nirvana is the state of being when there are no more
reincarnations, a release from the constant birth,
death, rebirth cycle.
– Siddhartha took the title Buddha, or enlightened one.
– He decided to take his teachings to others, and to
spread his ideas about the middle path.
The Buddha
• The first sermon
– The Buddha found some earlier companions and
shared his visions with them.
– After his second sermon they, too, achieved
enlightenment.
The Buddha
• Teaching
– The teachings of Buddha are known by the term
Dharma
– He established a system of monks and nuns to
continue this teaching
– Buddha continued teaching for 45 years, and had
tens of thousands of followers.
– At the age of 80, the Buddha died, naming no
successor, as he felt his teachings would carry on for
him.
Buddhism
• The teachings of Buddha
– Get out your graphic organizer and follow along.
Buddhism
– The Four Noble Truths
All life is
marked by
suffering
By doing away
with suffering one
can gain a release
to a state of
peace &
enlightenment,
Nirvana
Suffering is
brought about
by desire
One can achieve
this goal by
following the
Eightfold Path
Buddhism
– The Eightfold Path
Right Views
Buddhism
– The Eightfold Path
Right Thinking
Buddhism
– The Eightfold Path
Right Speech
Buddhism
– The Eightfold Path
Right Actions
Buddhism
– The Eightfold Path
Right Way of Life
Buddhism
– The Eightfold Path
Right Endeavors
Buddhism
– The Eightfold Path
Right Mindfulness
Buddhism
– The Eightfold Path
Right Meditation
Buddhism
– By following Buddha’s teachings, or Dharma, the
Buddhist religion has grown into the fourth largest
religion in the world.
– As there are with most religions, Buddhism has
divided into different sects.
Buddhism
• The three main groups in Buddhism
–Theraveda Buddhism
–Mahayana Buddhism
–Vajrayana Buddhism
Buddhism
• Theraveda Buddhism
– Also known as Southern Buddhism
– This branch of Buddhism is most prevalent in India
and Southeast Asia
– Monks are the primary teachers and leaders of
Theraveda Buddhism
– Meditation is reserved for the monks
– Emphasis is on wisdom, scholarship, and intellectual
training.
Buddhism
• Theraveda Buddhism
– Worship by priests and monks centers around relics of
the Buddha, and statues
– Relics are kept in large buildings called Stupas
Buddhism
• Mahayana Buddhism
– Also known as Northern Buddhism
– Mahayana means “Greater Vehicle”
– This branch of Buddhism is most prevalent in China,
Japan, Korea, Russia, Nepal & Vietnam
– Mahayana Buddhism was formed around 100 years
after the death of Buddha
– Meditation and practice is for everyone
– Emphasis is on compassion and an end to world
suffering
Buddhism
• Mahayana Buddhism
– Goal of practice is to assist others in achieving
Nirvana, and to end suffering for all
– To be a Bodhisattva is to be destined for
enlightenment
– One form of Mahayana Buddhism in Japan is Zen
– Mahayana Buddhism is the most widely practiced
form of Buddhism in the US and the western world.
Buddhism
• Vajrayana Buddhism
– Mostly, this is Tibetan Buddhism
– Vajrayana Buddhists feel they practice a higher form
of Buddhism
– The practice includes chanting, prayer wheels, yoga,
and mandalas
– This branch emphasizes the relationship between a
student and his guru, or teacher
– Since the 11th century, the leader of the Vajrayana
Buddhists is the Dalai Lama
Buddhism
• Vajrayana Buddhism
Buddhism
• Buddhism today
– There are approximately 360,000,000 Buddhists in
the world today.
– These are divided into about 56% Mahayana, 38%
Theraveda, and 6% Tibetan.
– There are 3-4 million practicing Buddhists in the US
Sources
– Adherents.net
– Religioustolerance.org
The End