BUDDHISM

Origin: northern India

360 million followers

Founder: Siddhartha Gautama (aka the Buddha)

Buddhism, continued

Buddha: literally means “one who has awakened”; the enlightened one.

Purpose: to find the middle way, rejecting the extremes in an effort to achieve nirvana.

Buddhism, cont.

Believe in … Reincarnation (cycle

of birth, death, and rebirth)

Nirvana (achieving peace of one’s mind and body, union with the universe, release from the cycle of rebirth)

Buddhism, cont.

Do NOT believe in…

Prayer, Eternal life in a

heaven or hell God/God’s The need for a

personal savior Formal rituals

Buddhism cont’d

Believe the FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS All life is suffering Suffering is caused by desire To eliminate suffering, eliminate desireTo eliminate desire follow the eightfold path

Buddhism, cont.

Follow the Eightfold Path to achieve the middle way: Right understanding Right thinking Right speech Conduct Livelihood Effort Mindfulness Concentration

Buddhism, cont.

Teach that DESIRE causes suffering.

NIRVANA can be achieved if desire can be overcome and one can lead a life without pain and suffering.

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1) RIGHT UNDERSTANDING

Understanding reality through the Four Noble Truths

Seeing through illusions

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2) RIGHT THOUGHT/MOTIVES

Uncover ‘unwholesome’ emotional roots that guide our thinking

Discover and weed out Only then do we become free from self-centredness

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3) RIGHT SPEECH

VS. - Vain talk, gossip, harsh words, lying

Communication must further truth and harmony

Including ‘self-talk’: “May you be well and happy today…”

4) RIGHT ACTION

FIVE RULES OF MORAL CONDUCT:

1) DO NOT DESTROY LIFE2) DO NOT STEAL3) AVOID SEXUAL MISCONDUCT4) DO NOT LIE5) DO NOT USE INTOXICANTS

ABOVE ALL: ALL ACTIONS SHOULD BE BASED ON CLEAR UNDERSTANDING

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5) RIGHT LIVELIHOOD

How one makes their living

One’s work should not harm others

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6) RIGHT EFFORT

Refers to the constant effort that must be put into achieving these goals

IT TAKES EFFORT!

7) RIGHT MINDFULNESS

The way to liberation is through the mind

“CHECK YOUR MINDBE ON GUARD

PULL YOURSELF OUTLIKE AN ELEPHANT FROM THE

MUD.”

8) RIGHT MEDITATION

Applying mental discipline to quiet the mind

THE MIND IS SUBTLE, INVISIBLE, AND TREACHEROUS

USE SKILFUL MEANS TO SEE AND UNDERSTAND ITS NATURE

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KARMA:

What comes around, goes around.

CAUSE OF NEXT LIFE = KARMA