Buddhism

Buddhism
Introduction to World Religion

and Belief Systems
BUDDHISM
Buddhism is one of the world’s largest religions and originated 2,500 years ago in India.
Buddhists believe that human life is a cycle of suffering and rebirth, but that if one achieves a
state of enlightenment (nirvana). They believe that the human life is one of suffering, and that
meditation, spiritual and physical labor, and good behavior are the ways to achieve nirvana.
Buddhism, also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion or

philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in present-day
North India as a śramaṇa–movement in the 5th century BCE, and gradually spread throughout
much of Asia via the Silk Road.
Buddhist – the followers of Buddhism, and is called Sakyan-s or Sakyabhiksu in ancient India.
Nirvana – is the highest state that someone can attain, a state of enlightenment, meaning a
person's individual desires and suffering go away.
SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA
The founder of Buddhism.
Siddhartha Gautama was the first person to reach this state of enlightenment and was, and is still
today, known as the Buddha. Buddhists do not believe in any kind of deity or god, although there
are supernatural figures who can help or hinder people on the path towards enlightenment.
Born on the Nepali side of the present day Nepal-India border, Siddhartha Gautama was a prince
around the fifth century B.C.E. who, upon seeing people poor and dying, realized that human life
is suffering. He renounced his wealth and spent time as a poor beggar, meditating and traveling
but ultimately, remaining unsatisfied, settling on something called “the Middle Way.” This idea
meant that neither extreme asceticism nor extreme wealth was the path to enlightenment, but
rather, a way of life between the two extremes was. Eventually, in a state of deep meditation, he
achieved enlightenment, or nirvana, underneath the Bodhi tree (the tree of awakening).
HISTORY OF BUDDHISM
Buddhism is one of the world's major religions. It originated in South Asia around the 5th
century B.C.E. with Siddhartha Gautama, and over the next millennia it spread across Asia and
the rest of the world.
BELIEFS
The main principles of this belief system are karma, rebirth, and impermanence.
 Buddhists do not believe in any kind of deity or god, although there are supernatural
figures who can help or hinder people on the path towards enlightenment.
 Buddhists believe that human life is a cycle of suffering and rebirth, but that if one
achieves a state of enlightenment (nirvana), it is possible to escape this cycle forever.
 The Four Noble Truths
THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

They are called “Noble Truths” because, as the Buddha says, they are real, infallible, and do not
change.
1. All beings experience pain and misery (dukkha) during their lifetime:
“Birth is pain, old age is pain, sickness is pain, death is pain; sorrow, grief, sorrow,
grief, and anxiety is pain. Contact with the unpleasant is pain. Separating from the
pleasant is pain. Not getting what one wants is pain. In short, the five assemblies of
mind and matter that are subject to attachment are pain“.
2. The origin (samudaya) of pain and misery is due to a specific cause:
“It is the desire that leads to rebirth, accompanied by pleasure and passion, seeking
pleasure here and there; that is, the desire for pleasures, the desire for existence,
the desire for non-existence“.
3. The cessation (nirodha) of pain and misery can be achieved as follows:
“With the complete non-passion and cessation of this very desire, with its
abandonment and renunciation, with its liberation and detachment from it“.
4. The method we must follow to stop pain and misery is that of the Noble Eightfold
Path.
Noble Eightfold Path
Right View is the first and most important step on the path because we must first
understand the truth of the Four Noble Truths in order to begin our journey.
Right Thought follows immediately. “Right” in this case means “according to the facts”.
In other words, it suggests that we see things as they are and not as we would like them to
be.
Right Speech, Action and Livelihood include moral barriers that prevent lying, stealing,
committing violent acts, and making a living in a way that harms others. These moral
barriers not only help to achieve general social harmony, but also help us to control and
eliminate our sense of “I”.
Right Effort is important, because the “I” thrives on inaction and the wrong effort.
Inactivity because if we do not try to practice them we cannot hope to achieve anything at
any level in life and in the “wrong endeavor” because the greatest crimes have been
committed by very active people. Therefore, the effort must be made and must be
consistent with the teaching and with the effort to eliminate our “I”.
The last two steps of the path are the Right Mindfulness and the Right Concentration.
These two stages represent the path towards liberation from pain.
Being awake and aware at all times, is fundamental to a good life. This can be achieved
in many ways, but in the West the formal practice is called “meditation” and is the way to
achieve Right Awareness and Concentration.

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Buddhism

Introduction to World Religion

Buddhism, also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion or

 The Four Noble Truths

THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

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