Buddhism
Objective: To understand the origins, Fundamental beliefs and spread of Buddhism.
Reading Questions
The bolded questions can only be answered by reading. They are not in the video.
Reading Questions
- Who was the founder of Buddhism?
- Whom did he encounter once he left the palace that made him change?
- According to the Buddha, why do people suffer in life?
- What are the 4 Noble Truths?
- Why should people follow the 8 fold path?
- Why did Buddhism appeal to the lower castes?
- Who helped spread Buddhism in India?
- What is Theravada Buddhism?
- What is Mahayana Buddhism?
- What is a bodhisattva?
- Why did Buddhism die out in India?
The bolded questions can only be answered by reading. They are not in the video.
Origins of Buddhism
Unlike Hinduism, Buddhism had a founder. Siddhartha Gautama lived from 566 BCE to 486 BCE. He was a Hindu prince who lived a sheltered life in a palace. According to legend, he then saw an old man, a sick person and a corpse. He then becomes dissatisfied with the luxuries of life in the palace. Emotionally destroyed by seeing this suffering, when he was 29 years old, Siddhartha left his palace, his wife and his child to find the cause of the suffering and remedy them. He then began to travel India as an ascetic for years until he found himself under a fig tree. After meditating for forty nine days, he ended the experience feeling awakened and at peace. He had become the Buddha or the Enlightened One. He began to teach what he had learned.
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Fundamental Beliefs
The Buddha began to teach that life is suffering or sorrow. That suffering is caused by our desires and attachment to temporary things. This idea is written in what is called the Four Noble Truths that say the following:
1. Life is suffering
2. The cause of suffering is our desire for temporary pleasures of this world
3. The way to end suffering is to end desire
4. The way to overcome desire and attain enlightenment is to follow the noble Eightfold Path
A cure for suffering would be following a moral life combined with meditation. The best way to achieve the end of suffering is to follow the 8 Fold Path. The following is a summary of it:
Eight Fold Path
1. Right View
2. Right Speech
3. Right Livelihood
4. Right Mindfulness
5. Right Concentration
6. Right Conduct
7. Right Intention
8. Right Effort
1. Life is suffering
2. The cause of suffering is our desire for temporary pleasures of this world
3. The way to end suffering is to end desire
4. The way to overcome desire and attain enlightenment is to follow the noble Eightfold Path
A cure for suffering would be following a moral life combined with meditation. The best way to achieve the end of suffering is to follow the 8 Fold Path. The following is a summary of it:
Eight Fold Path
1. Right View
2. Right Speech
3. Right Livelihood
4. Right Mindfulness
5. Right Concentration
6. Right Conduct
7. Right Intention
8. Right Effort
Buddhism Spreads
Buddhism continued to believe in the Hindu ideas that life is an illusion, Karma and the cycle of rebirth. Meditation also remained. However, Buddhist rejected the authority of the Brahmin priest believing that anyone could reach nirvana. Buddhists also rejected the Caste System. As a result, Buddhist ideas appealed to the lower casts and women.
For most of its history, India was not a unified nation. Under the Mauryan Dynasty (321-185 BCE) India was Unified. During this period emperor Ashoka converted to Buddhism. Ashoka built stupas-mound like monuments to the Buddha to show his devotion.
For most of its history, India was not a unified nation. Under the Mauryan Dynasty (321-185 BCE) India was Unified. During this period emperor Ashoka converted to Buddhism. Ashoka built stupas-mound like monuments to the Buddha to show his devotion.
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Unlike Hinduism, Buddhism is a universalizing religion meaning it tends to spread and seek converts through missionaries. Soon Buddhist temples began to spring up all over Asia. Buddhism began to spread within India and outside of India. Buddhism spread to East Asia and South East Asia and began to change. Theravada Buddhism (Teaching of the Elders) taught that the Buddha was wise but not divine. It taught that the way to become enlightened was to join a monastery, become an ascetic and meditate. Each person was responsible for their own path to enlightenment.
Mahayana Buddhism was more accessible. This form of Buddhism taught that people can help each other reach enlightenment. According to Mahayana Buddhism it was not necessary to become a monk or nun. People known as bodhisattvas or people who had already achieved enlightenment could help others also become enlightened. Furthermore, the Buddha began to be worshiped as a god. This form of Buddhism took hold in China, Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia. As Buddhism spread throughout Asia and Southeast Asia, it eventually disappeared in India. The main reasons were that people became dissatisfied with the increasing wealth of the Buddhist monasteries, Islam was introduced. More importantly, Buddhism became part of Hinduism. The Buddha became another god in the pantheon of gods in Hinduism. Hinduism changed and became more accessible. Hindus began to believe that anyone could achieve salvation leading to the disappearance of Buddhism from the sub continent. |
Start at 5:18 where he begins to talk about Buddhism