Buddhism

By Sam Thompson and Matt Parker

Founder of the religion

• Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Guatama. He was a prince born into a royal Hindu family, and was originally Hindu himself. He is regarded as the supreme Buddha, and is revered by the religion.

A statue of the Buddha in meditation

Historical Context• Siddhartha Guatama, a son of Hindu royalty, became the founder of Buddhism. • He lived a fairly plush life, and had little to worry about himself. One day, he took notice of a group of beggars, poverty-stricken and starving, and realized that life was filled with suffering. He went on a journey to enlightenment, and when he achieved it, he spread his word among the people, and Buddhism became a major religion.

Symbols of Buddhism• Swastika- The swastika in Buddhist religion is a symbol of peace and goodwill, contrary to the view that modern society has on it due to the Nazi party’s involvement in World War II.• The Buddha’s Eye shows that Buddha is always watching over you, and helping to guide you to attain enlightenment.• Every form of a Buddhist deity is connected in some way to the Lotus.• The 8-Fold Path represents the path to follow that would lead to a release from the suffering of life.

Location of Origin• Buddhism arose first in India, before it spread outside of its borders and into other cultures and civilizations.

Deity’s name• The name of the Buddhist deity depends on which version of Buddhism is being looked at.• In Theravada, they hold no real deity, but follow the teachings of Buddha and his lessons.• In Mahayana, Buddha was revered and portrayed as both a teacher and as a deity.

Major Locations• After Buddhism was founded, it spread to many parts of the world. In some of these, it fizzled out and left the culture, and in others it took root and grew even more.• Buddhism today is most prominent in areas such as China, Japan, and Southeast Asia.• Ironically, Buddhism is NOT the primary religion in India.

Number of Followers• Buddhism today, in all of the cultures where it is prominent, boasts an approximate figure of 360 million followers, making it the 4th most popular religion in existence, not counting atheism.

How/Why did it spread?• Buddhism spread, for the most part, because of its simplicity. It didn’t take too much to understand it. If you did this, you would get this, and so on.• Buddhism also spread because it was more appealing to the lower classes, and didn’t focus on keeping the elites in power, and it didn’t give them advantages.• One major catalyst in the spread of Buddhism was the rule of Asoka in India. After Asoka converted to Buddhism, he worked to spread the religion throughout his empire.

Holy Books and important texts• Depending on the region of the world that one practices Buddhism, the holy texts differ.• In Tibetan Buddhism, the holy book that is used in worship is known as the Kangyur.• In the Theravada Buddhism, the book was known as the Pali Canon.

The Tipitaka, another Buddhist text.

• Buddhists practice their worship in designated temples, monasteries, stupas, or meditation halls.

• Some of these temples are used as retreats, and can involve long-term religious practice instead of a single service on a regular basis.

BUDDHIST PLACES OF WORSHIP

Roles of Men and Women in Buddhism

• Buddhist religion considers men and women as equals in society. Although it is customary for a woman to play the role of a housewife, they are not viewed as inferior. Women are meant to familiarize themselves with the husband’s trade in the case of his absence or incapacitation.• Men, on the other hand, are expected to learn a trade/profession and support the family. Aside from that, they are also expected to share household duties with their wife.

Holy sites in the Buddhist Religion

• Aside from the average Buddhist temple, which is a holy site to those who attend, Buddhism holds multiple other holy sites that are identical throughout the religion. They are:

• Lumbini- The place of Buddha’s birth.

• Bodh Gaya- The place where the Buddha achieved enlightenment.

• Sarnath- The site where the Buddha delivered his first sermon after achieving his enlightenment.

• Kusinagar – Site where the Buddha attained Parinirvana (Final Nirvana), which occurs upon the death of the body of someone who has attained complete awakening

A shrine to Buddha in Lumbini

Buddhist Holidays

• Buddhism celebrates various holidays as part of the religion.• Buddha’s birthday, or Vesak, is the most important holiday, but is not determined with 100% accuracy. As such, it is generally celebrated on the first full moon in May, and is held in June on a leap year.• Buddhists also celebrate “Bodhi Day”, or the day that the Buddha experienced enlightenment. Bodhi Day is celebrated on December 8th.• Buddhists also celebrate various festivals in time with the lunar quarters.

A shrine dedicated to Buddha on Bodhi Day

Major Beliefs of Buddhism: Creation Story

• Buddhist religion denies the existence of a specific “Creator God.” They also deny belief in a “creation-story” in the general Christian-like way of explaining the beginning of the universe. No god exclaimed “let there be light,” preceding the sudden appearance of the sun and the stars. After seven days, there was no god to need rest. Some stories have been created that are used as allegories for theories such as the big bang, and

A model of the theory of the big bang.

Major Beliefs of Buddhism: End Times Story• Buddhism views time as eternal. As such, they also lack a solid end-times story. Instead, they view time in segments in which humanity passes through in cycles.

•Within these cycles, the world and time itself will never cease to exist, but different phases of humanity will come and go in their own time.

/\|

Photo depicting Jesus’ second coming and the rapture (Christianity) as opposed to nothing (Buddhism)

|\/

Major Beliefs of Buddhism: Important Laws

• Buddhism centers along the view of an 8-Fold-Path to achieve nirvana. The 8-Fold-Path is a correlation of 8 virtues that a Buddhist should practice in order to reach nirvana.

Ethical Conduct

Mental Development

Wisdom

• Right Speech

• Right Action

• Right Livelihood

• Right effort• Right

Mindfulness• Right

Concentration

• Right View

• Right intention

Major Beliefs of Buddhism: Important Laws• Aside from the 8-fold path that Buddhists follow, they also hold fast to the Four Noble Truths. These truths are facts that Buddhists live by and influence the 8-fold path.

1. All life is marked by suffering.

2. Suffering is the product of

desire and attachment.

3. Suffering can be stopped.

4. The way to end suffering is

through the 8-fold path.

Major Beliefs of Buddhism: Purpose of Life• Buddhist belief includes the principle that life is filled with suffering. This suffering is the product of things such as greed or envy or want.• The Purpose of Life, according to Buddhism, is to relieve this suffering, through reaching nirvana. In order to shed oneself of this suffering, a person must follow the 4 Noble Truths and adhere to the 8-Fold-Path out of suffering and into enlightenment.

Buddhist Influence in Art and Architecture.

• Buddhist influence on art and architecture is still strongest in India, from the time when Buddha walked on its ground until today. A large portion of architecture in India can trace its roots back to early Buddhism. These include the temples and shudras that house Buddhist religion.• Buddhist art has spread more than the architecture has over the years since it arose. Buddhist art spread parallel to the religion, and as Buddhism itself spread out of India and into other nations, the art came with it. In India itself, Buddhist art flourished, and eventually came to influence Hindu artistic styles.

Bibliography• . "Buddhism and Women." Buddhanet. BDEA Inc., n.d. Web. 17 Oct 2012.• Anonymous, . "Buddhism." Religion Facts. N.p., 04 2007. Web. 17 Oct 2012.• Richert, Bailey. "The Role of Men in Buddhism." EHow. N.p.. Web. 17 Oct 2012. • "The Four Noble Truths." TheBigView. N.p., 17 2012. Web. 17 Oct 2012.• Schell, Brian. "Creation and Evolution in Buddhism." DailyBuddhism. N.p., 17 2008. Web. 17 Oct 2012.•Wikipedia in general