Buddhism
John Gravely and Ryan Gant
and Neil Amin
The Buddha
• Siddhartha Gautama was the founder of Buddhism and is
commonly referred to as “the Buddha”.
• He was born in Lumbinio around 563 BCE
• Legend says that seconds after birth, Gautama performed his
first miracles.
• At the age of 29, the Buddha began to
travel around the city of Kapilavastu,
andsaw the poverty and destruction
in his town.
• Due to these different encounters,
Gautama decided to separate himself
from society and follow a spiritual quest.
• Ultimately Siddhartha Gautama decided to
sit under a fig tree until he achieved Nirvana,
and after hundreds of days of meditation,
he became a Buddha, and also attracted several followers.
Buddhist Beliefs
• The Buddhists believe in:
– Karma
– Rebirth
– Liberation from karma
– The Four Noble Truths
– Enlightenment
– Dharma
The Practice of Buddhism
• Buddhists refer to “the practice of Buddhism” which
usually includes meditating and alter worship.
• Many Buddhist keep and maintain an alter at their
homes. A typical alter includes a picture of the
Buddha, flowers, candles, incense, and a small
bowl of water.
• The Buddhist also practice the Eightfold Path. The
Eightfold Path is then divided into three sections:
wisdom, ethical conduct and mental discipline.
• The Buddhists are also taught to let go of their anger
through the act of meditation.
• Buddhists are often told to attempt to practice
Buddhism every moment of their life, but as one
Buddhist reports, “Of course, we all fall short at
times.” (O’ Brien)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd7a9Ur2x0o
Buddhist Women
• In some cases Women in Buddhism are respected
more than some men.
• For example “According to accounts by Chinese
pilgrims, Faxuan and Xuan-zang, when crowds of
people gathered at Shankashya eagerly awaiting
the Buddha's descent from the Trayastrimsha
Heaven a nun called Utpali vowed to be the first
one to greet him. But what chance had a simple
nun to compete with powerful heads-of-state
amidst their entourages that were there at the foot
of the threefold stairway? Yet because of her
earnest devotion, she was transformed into an
emperor”
• Overall women in Buddhism were respected and
generally looked at as equals to the men.
Buddhist Texts
• Buddhists texts were found in sutras
which were texts that claim to
represent his actual teachings
The Books
– The Dhamma Pada
– Abidhamma Pitaka
– Vinaya Pitaka
Missionary work and outreach
• The first Buddhist missionaries were
called Dharma Bhanaks.
• The Emperor Ashoka of India was a
very significant early
Buddhist missioner,
and in third century
BCE, followers were
sent out by Ashoka to
spread the belief of
Buddhism.
• This practice of Buddhism was spread
into Pakistan, Kashmir, and Afganistan.
Before 600 CE
• In 424 BCE the Buddha preaches his first
sermon at Sarnath and thus the spread of
Buddhism commences.
• By the time of his death, all of Buddha’s
followers are established as communities of
monks in northern India
• In the 3rd century BCE the king, Asoka, rules
over much of the Indian subcontinent. His
inscriptions, carved on pillars and rocks
throughout his realm, show both the spread
of Buddhism and to his own benevolent
support of the Buddha's principles. Through
the inscriptions and the pillars, this successful
king promoted Buddhism.
Buddhist conflicts
• Buddhism conflicted with
Confucianism due to the Han dynasty
making it the national religion
• As well Confucianism, Buddhism
conflicted with Daoism because both
religions were present in China at the
same time period.
Buddhist Quotes (First said by the
Buddha)
“A dog is not considered a good dog because he is
a good barker. A man is not considered a good
man because he is a good talker.”
“A jug fills drop by drop.”
“All that we are is the result of what we have
thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil
thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or
acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him,
like a shadow that never leaves him.”
(continued)
• In the 1st century CE, Buddhism began to spread
into the country of China.
• As Buddhism spreads to Eastern China, the areas
that eventually choose Buddhism are Burma,
Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.
• In the 2nd century AD northern India and
Afghanistan are ruled by the Kushan dynasty, one
of whose kings, Kanishka, is a follower of Buddhism.
So obviously Buddhism was spread to the northern
areas of India and Afghanistan.
• Obviously, as the Emperors began to convert to the
study of Buddhism, so did the followers of these
different emperors.
Bibliography
• http://buddhism.about.com/od/becomingabuddhist/a/practi
ce.htm
• http://www.karma-people.com/Images/karma.gif
• http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/religion/buddhism/1
-Flag_of_Buddhism.png
• http://www.meditationguidance.com/wp-
content/uploads/2009/05/buddhist-meditation.jpg
• https://jspivey.wikispaces.com/file/view/buddha.jpg
• http://www.khandro.net/Buddhism_women.htm
• http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistorie
s.asp?historyid=ab77
• http://buddha-buddhism.com/Buddhist%20Scriptures.jpg
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_texts
• http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/buddha.html