Transcript Buddhism
7 th Mrs. Arbuckle Miss Barry Grade World History Who was at the top of the Indian caste system? What was their main job? What is reincarnation? Could you go down a class or two according to this? What is karma? This made the Indian people nicer to who/what? Around 600 B.C., many Indians began to question Hinduism. Brahmin priests didn’t seem to care about the needs of the people. The Indians wanted a simpler religion to follow. Many Indians found what they were looking for in the religion of Buddhism. Siddhartha Gautama was a prince born in a small kingdom in the Himalayas around 563 B.C. Today it is Nepal (That place with Mt. Everest...) Siddhartha Gautama was living a very wealthy life. Handsome, happily married, had a baby boy. One day, he went for a walk to explore some of the kingdom. He came across homeless people, beggars, the sick, and the elderly. He became very sad and upset that all of his people were suffering this way After seeing all this, Siddhartha left his palace and decided to find the answer to the question: Why did people suffer and how could their suffering be cured? He left his family and all of his money to live as a hermit. Hermit- a person who chooses to live by himself separated from society Siddhartha fasted and slept on the ground Nearly starved! But still had no answer… Siddhartha began to meditate for as long as it would take to come up with an answer. According to legend, it took 49 days (sat under a tree) Once he found out the answer, he spent the rest of his life sharing what he found with everyone he could. Siddhartha’s lessons about life became known as Buddhism. Siddhartha became known as “Buddha”, or the “Enlightened One”. What would your most favorite possession(s) be? (What do you really enjoy?) In order to understand Buddhism, one must see things the way the Buddha did… He believed that “normal” life was not real. Trees, animals, oceans, plants, food (sickness and being poor too…) was just an illusion The only way to find “truth” in the world was to give up all desires If you did this, pain and suffering would disappear If a person gave up ALL desires, they could reach nirvana. State of wisdom and freedom from the cycle of rebirth Comes from the Sanskrit meaning to blow out a candle or flame The main part of Buddha’s teaching is in the Four Noble Truths: Life is full of suffering. People suffer because they desire worldly things and self-satisfaction. The way to end suffering is to stop desiring things. The only way to stop desiring things is to follow the Eightfold Path. “World History: Journey Across Time”, Spielvogel 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Know and understand the Four Noble Truths. Give up worldly things and don’t harm others. Tell the truth, don’t gossip, and don’t speak badly of others. Don’t commit evil acts, like killing, stealing, lying, or living an unclean life. Do rewarding work. Work for good and oppose evil. Make sure your mind keeps your senses under control. Practice meditation as a way of understanding reality. World History: Journey Across Time”, Spielvogel One of the reasons why Buddhism grew to be popular was because it did not like the caste system. Buddha thought a person’s place in life depended on that person, not a system (like many of you…) Buddha did believe in reincarnation. He felt you could stop being reborn into new lives by following the Eightfold Path. Many people liked this idea, especially the Untouchables and lower classes. Why? For more than 40 years, Buddha preached his ideas to his followers, and after he died, they continued to spread his ideas to all of Asia… Some little fun facts… *Siddhartha Gautama was born into the Kshatriya caste (warriors) *Buddha reached enlightenment at age 35 while sitting beneath a tree (hence the statue…) What did Siddhartha Gautama see that made him very sad and upset when he went outside the palace? What does Buddha mean? What is nirvana?