Buddhism

Buddhism: Origins

Mr. Mains

Objectives

• To understand how Buddhism became so popular throughout the Asian continent

• To understand how Buddhism began

• To understand some of the basic beliefs of Buddhism

• To understand how his death caused a split within Buddhism

Open Ended

What do you think karma means?

Open Ended

What do you think reincarnation means?

Important terms:

• Karma-what goes around comes around; your good actions are rewarded & bad ones are punished

• Reincarnation-idea of rebirth; reborn into a new life depending on the actions of your previous life

• What does suffering mean?

• What does nirvana mean?

• What does enlightenment mean?

Why did Buddhism rise? This was a result of the change within Hinduism

• Ordinary Hindus were seeking a simpler and more spiritual religion and/or way of life

• They also disliked the caste system (born into a status)

• Saw the Hindu priests as caring more for themselves than for the people

• There was a civil war so a new perspective was refreshing

Buddhism: Origin Story (6th century BC)

• It started with a prince named Siddhartha Gautama from Nepal

• He was wealthy, handsome and a royal. He had it all right?

• He was always curious about the idea of death, the end, suffering, sickness and old age

• His experiences were limited to his palace life-wife & a son

• One day, he decided to see what life was like outside the palace walls. He had never done this before

• What do you think he saw?

Open Ended

What do you think Siddhartha saw/experienced outside the palace walls?

This was very much like what Princess Jasmine saw in the movie, "Aladdin"

Like Princess Jasmine, he saw true suffering for the 1st time

• He saw hungry peasants, beggars, people who were ill, old and homeless

• He met many who had very few possessions, but were happy

• This made him think: "why did people suffer & how could it be cured"?

Open Ended

What do you think he did next to answer his questions "why did people suffer & how could it be cured"?

He decided to leave his family & all he owned to experience it

• He lived his life as a hermit

• He focused on meditation (under a Bodhi tree) for 49 days

• Lived a simple life (few possessions)

• Upon reaching his answer, he became enlightened. What does it mean to be enlightened?

Multiple Choice

Enlightenment means

• to physically see everything

• to achieve a special understanding

• to gain a high level of education

• to meditate

He achieved a special understanding

• He spent the rest of his life traveling & talking about the nature of suffering

• He became known as Buddha or "Enlightened One"

• But what was his solution about how to end suffering?

Open Ended

What do you think he said caused suffering? What did he tell people to do in order to end their suffering? It has NOTHING to do with ending their lives

His view was very simple

• Founded Buddhism around 500BC

• He believed that the cause of our suffering is our possessions

• He encouraged others to recognize that the only way to be free of suffering is by giving up your possessions (living a simple life)

• Think about it: our possessions control us, clog our minds and can make us selfish-focus on money, fame, etc

• He believed that if you could remove the cause of suffering, then you would be at peace

• After all, he did this and he was very happy and content

• Could you honestly do this??

He believed that this strategy would lead one to nirvana

• What does the term nirvana mean?

• Nirvana-to reach a state of wisdom

• Also, "blown out or blowing out the candle"-reaching peace

How else could one reach enlightenment and/or nirvana?

• Following the Four Noble Truths & Eightfold Path (important guidelines)

• Self-motivated philosophy: your future depended on you as a person, not by your status, class or job

• Goal of Buddhism: the key was to live a simple life with few possessions, that your soul would no longer reincarnation & it would reach nirvana

• This also gave hope to Hindus stuck in the caste system

Teachings of Buddhism

• He would tell stories to get his point across (morals, parables)

• His followers passed down his stories

• After his death, his followers began to write them down

• His message was spread with the greatest amount of respect & tolerance. What does tolerance mean?

• Tolerance-to deal with something different than your own beliefs especially if you don't agree with it

• But how do you think Siddhartha Gautama died?

Poll

How do you think Siddhartha Guatama aka Buddha died?

• old age

• food poisoning

• no clear answer

It is unknown how he died exactly but old age & food poisoning have been theorized

• Upon his death, he told his followers not to follow a leader but to "be your own light"

• His legacy has been divided

Multiple Choice

How do you think Buddhism spread to China?

• Only by ships

• Rose to bring ease for those who died due to the Black Death

• The Silk Road

• Forced by the first Buddhist Emperor

Once it reached China:

• The combination of Taoism/Daoism, Confucianism & Buddhism influenced life throughout China

• The rise of shrines & temples to ensure spirituality

• Focus went back on the family: love, respect, cooperation, support, sacrifice & charity

• All of this was surrounded by the idea of filial piety: the idea that you should respect your others and put your family before yourself.

Review:

• Buddhism rose because it focused on each person & their self-worth

• Siddhartha Gautama was a wealthy prince who saw suffering, gave up his royal life & sought to understand suffering

• Buddhists believe that living a simple life, giving up possessions, having good karma & following the Four Noble Truths & Eightfold Path will help them achieve nirvana

• Buddhism spread to China where it thrived in the Sung Dynasties as a result of the Silk Road

Your task:

• To show understanding of the Buddhist term filial piety, you are going to write a letter to someone who constantly puts others before themselves.

• This can not be a friend but should be someone such as a parent/guardian or other relative who exhibits the idea of putting others before themselves

• It is is not only a thank you, but an explanation of how that person puts others before themselves.

• IMPORTANT: this must be signed by the person to whom you are writing it to.

• Extra credit: if they write a response back, you can get some extra points