BUDDHISM – Oscar Alvarado

♦ The name of the religion is Buddhism

♦ The followers of this religion are called Buddhist
♦Buddhism was founded by Siddhārtha Gautama in the fourth or fifth century
B.C.
♦ The place of origin is North East India
♦ To become Buddhist you must:
1. Read about Siddhartha Gautama the "exalted one", the father of
Buddhism.
2. Learn about the Buddha's teachings which include (but are not limited to)
the 4 noble truths and the eightfold path.
3. Practice [Buddhist meditation] in order to free your mind from worry and
focus on the present to achieve inner peace.
3. The Buddha taught that as we all go through the life cycle, we will meet
with some inconvenience, not always satisfactory and there may be suffering.
It depends on how we deal with the situation. The word "dukkha", has many
meanings from suffering to dissatisfaction to inconvenience and so on.
4. Understand and research the concepts of rebirth and Karma.
5. Understand "dukkha" and Buddhist definitions of the many sufferings.
6. Determine which of the many paths of Buddhism you would like to pursue,
whether it be Zen Buddhism, Theravada (a very traditional form), or
Mahayana. However simple, personal and non-ritual Buddhism is the best
way to practice in the West; following a certain traditional path isn't a
requirement for enlightenment.
8. Practice the Buddha's teachings in your everyday life.
9. Participate within your local Buddhist community. Helping others helps you
as well.
♦ Buddhism’s sacred text is Tripiṭaka
♦ The religious leader is Buddha
♦ The three main branches on of the Islamic belief is Nikaya, Mahayana, and
Vajrayana.
♦Places of regular worship are Buddhist temples, monasteries, stupas, and
pagodas
♦ Basic beliefs are:
There is no almighty god.
Buddhism is strictly not a religion in the context of being a faith and worship owing
allegiance to a supernatural being.
Buddah is not a incarnation of god (as clamed by some Hindu followers) he is nothing
more than a teacher to his followers.
Buddhism does not call for an unquestionable blind faith by all Buddhist followers it
places heavy emphasis on self-reliance, self discipline and individual striving.
♦ To be a good you must follow the four noble truths (1) all living beings
suffer; (2) the origin of this suffering is desire—for material possessions,
power, and so on; (3) desire can be overcome; and (4) there is a path that
leads to release from desire. You shouldn’t misbehave or disrespect anybody.
♦ The Hajj is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world and is one of the
pillars of Islam. Shariʼa is the body of Islamʼs religious law. Dar Al-Islam is
referring to where the muslim religion can be practiced freely.
My view of Buddhism has changed my view in religions. It’s the first religion
other than atheism that I hear doesn’t believe in god. Buddhist just follow
the teachings of Buddha who isn’t a god, just a teacher.

I think that if I wasn’t atheist I would try to be Buddhist. Only if atheism

didn’t exist too because I just hate how “you”(in general) are made to
believe in a certain god and another religion has a different god. I just
believe that there is no god and everything just happens on its own.
This is one of the many temples where Buddhist can go and praise.
• The wheel is one of the most important Buddhist symbols, as it
represents the teachings of the Buddha. The Buddha was the one
who "turned the wheel of the dharma" and thus the wheel symbol is
the Dharmachakra, or "wheel of law." The Tibetan term for this
symbol, chos kyi'khor lo, means "the wheel of transformation."
Bibliography

Eng, Tan Swee . "Buddhist Studies". <http://www.buddhanet.net/e-

learning/snapshot01.htm>.

Info Please, "Buddhism". <http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001470.html>.

Henderson, Charles, “What is Buddhism? ” .

<http://www.godweb.org/whatisbuddhism.htm>.

Wikipedi, "Tripiṭaka". <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripi%E1%B9%ADaka>.

Woodlands Junior School, "Information on Buddhism Religion".

<http://www.woodlands-
junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/religion/buddhism.htm>.