BUDDHISM

Buddhism is a religion that was founded by Siddhartha

Gautama (“The Buddha”) more than 2,500 years ago in
India. With about 470 million followers, scholars
consider Buddhism one of the major world religions.
The religion has historically been most prominent in
East and Southeast Asia, but its influence is growing in
the West. Many Buddhist ideas and philosophies overlap
with those of other faiths.
WHAT IS BUDDHISM?
Some key facts about Buddhism include:
• Followers of Buddhism don’t acknowledge a
supreme god or deity. They instead focus on
achieving enlightenment—a state of inner peace
and wisdom. When followers reach this spiritual
echelon, they’re said to have experienced nirvana.
• The religion’s founder, Buddha, is considered an
extraordinary man, but not a god. The word
Buddha means “enlightened.”
• The path to enlightenment is attained by utilizing
morality, meditation and wisdom. Buddhists often
meditate because they believe it helps awaken truth.
• There are many philosophies and interpretations
within Buddhism, making it a tolerant and evolving
religion.
• Some scholars don’t recognize Buddhism as an
organized religion, but rather, a “way of life” or a
“spiritual tradition.”
• Buddhism encourages its people to avoid self-
indulgence but also self-denial.
• Buddha’s most important teachings, known as
The Four Noble Truths, are essential to
understanding the religion.
• Buddhists embrace the concepts of karma (the
law of cause and effect) and reincarnation (the
continuous cycle of rebirth).
• Followers of Buddhism can worship in temples
or in their own homes.
• Buddhist monks, or bhikkhus, follow a strict
code of conduct, which includes celibacy.
The Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, who later became known
as “The Buddha,” lived during the 5th century
B.C. Gautama was born into a wealthy family
as a prince in present-day Nepal.

Although he had an easy life, Gautama was

moved by suffering in the world. He decided
to give up his lavish lifestyle and endure
poverty.
When this didn’t fulfill him, he promoted
the idea of the “Middle Way,” which means
existing between two extremes. Thus, he
sought a life without social indulgences but
also without deprivation.

After six years of searching, Buddhists

believe Gautama found enlightenment while
meditating under a Bodhi tree. He spent the
rest of his life teaching others about how to
achieve this spiritual state.
 The Beginnings of Buddhism
When Gautama passed away around 483 B.C.,
his followers began to organize a religious
movement. Buddha’s teachings became the
foundation for what would develop into
Buddhism.

In the 3rd century B.C., Ashoka the Great, the

Mauryan Indian emperor, made Buddhism the
state religion of India. Buddhist monasteries
were built, and missionary work was encouraged.
Over the next few centuries, Buddhism began to
spread beyond India. The thoughts and philosophies
of Buddhists became diverse, with some followers
interpreting ideas differently than others.

In the sixth century, the Huns invaded India and

destroyed hundreds of Buddhist monasteries, but the
intruders were eventually driven out of the country.

Islam began to spread quickly in the region during

the Middle Ages, forcing Buddhism into the
background.
Types of Buddhism
Today, many forms of Buddhism exist around the world.
The three main types that represent specific geographical
areas include:

Theravada Buddhism: Prevalent in Thailand, Sri Lanka,

Cambodia, Laos and Burma

Mahayana Buddhism: Prevalent in China, Japan, Taiwan,

Korea, Singapore and Vietnam

Tibetan Buddhism: Prevalent in Tibet, Nepal, Mongolia,

Bhutan, and parts of Russia and northern India
Each of these types reveres certain texts
and has slightly different interpretations
of Buddha’s teachings. There are also
several subsects of Buddhism, including
Zen Buddhism and Nirvana Buddhism.

Some forms of Buddhism incorporate

ideas of other religions and
philosophies, such as Taoism and Bon.
Buddha Quotes and
Teachings
Buddha’s teachings are known as “dharma.”
He taught that wisdom, kindness, patience,
generosity and compassion were important
virtues.
Specifically, all Buddhists live by five
moral precepts, which prohibit:

• Killing living things

• Taking what is not given
• Sexual misconduct
• Lying
• Using drugs or alcohol
Gautama traveled extensively, giving sermons on how to live and achieve
enlightenment. Some popular quotes commonly attributed to Buddha
include:

“Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves

ignorance.”

“If anything is worth doing, do it with all your heart.”

“A jug fills drop by drop.”

“Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that

brings peace.”
“Hatred does not cease through hatred at any time.
Hatred ceases through love. This is an unalterable
law.”

“If you knew what I know about the power of

giving, you would not let a single meal pass
without sharing it in some way.”

“The root of suffering is attachment.”

“People with opinions just go around bothering

each other.”
 Four Noble Truths
The Four Noble Truths, which Buddha taught, are:
• The truth of suffering (dukkha)
• The truth of the cause of suffering (samudaya)
• The truth of the end of suffering (nirhodha)
• The truth of the path that frees us from
suffering (magga)

Collectively, these principles explain why

humans hurt and how to overcome suffering
Buddhist Holy Book
Buddhists revere many sacred texts and scriptures.
Some of the most important are:
• Tipitaka: These texts, known as the “three baskets,”
are thought to be the earliest collection of Buddhist
writings.
• Sutras: There are more than 2,000 sutras, which are
sacred teachings embraced mainly by Mahayana
Buddhists.
• The Book of the Dead: This Tibetan text describes
the stages of death in detail.
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is the leading monk in Tibetan
Buddhism. Followers of the religion believe the Dalai
Lama is a reincarnation of a past lama that has agreed
to be born again to help humanity. There have been 14
Dalai Lamas throughout history.

The Dalai Lama also governed Tibet until the Chinese

took control in 1959. The current Dalai Lama, Lhamo
Thondup, was born in 1935.
Buddhist Holidays
Every year, Buddhists celebrate Vesak, a festival that
commemorates Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and
death.

During each quarter of the moon, followers of

Buddhism participate in a ceremony called Uposatha.
This observance allows Buddhists to renew their
commitment to their teachings.

They also celebrate the Buddhist New Year and

participate in several other yearly festivals.
Buddhism and Hinduism both have their origins
in India and Lord Buddha, the prophet of
Buddhism, hailed from a Hindu family. In fact,
Hindus even consider Lord Buddha to be a part
of ‘dasavatar’ or ‘ten reincarnations of Lord
Vishnu’. However, there are quite a few
fundamental differences between both the
religions.
Hinduism strongly believes in ‘Atman’, the
soul and ‘Brahman’, the eternity of self. As
per Buddhism, there is no concept of the
self or I and salvation involved in realizing
this concept.

Hindus worship several gods and goddesses.

While Buddha did not deny the existence
of any god, he preached that it is futile to
search or seek something which an
individual is not even aware of.
After his first experience of the world, Buddha became
disillusioned and went on to preach that life is full of
sorrows and the only solution to end these sufferings was
to seek nirvana. While Hinduism also recognizes that there
is suffering in human life, the sorrows are attributed to
previous karma or actions of the human being. However,
one can attain divine bliss by discovering the Atman and
Brahman.

In Hinduism, the followers pray all natural sources of the

earth like stones, water, sun etc. However in Buddhism, this
is not so. They only pray Buddha.
As per Hinduism, there are different ways to seek
union with God – Raja Yoga or meditation, Karma
Yoga – righteously doing all the duties as demanded in
this human world, Bhakti – prayer and devotion and
Jnana Yoga or the path of knowledge. Buddha preached
the four noble truths and the eightfold path to achieve
Nirvana. The four noble truths involve acknowledging
the universal existence of sufferings, that these
sufferings are due to the misleading desires of the ever
changing world and that the search for eternity only
worsens human suffering and in order to overcome
sufferings and attain nirvana, one must suppress those
false desires and follow the eight-fold path.
Concept of Buddhism Similar to Hinduism
1.Hinduism is based on the concept of atman and Brahman
whereas Buddhism denies the existence of an eternal soul

2.Buddhism emphasizes on sufferings in the existing world whereas

Hindus believe that one can enjoy divine bliss through moksha or
reunion with God

3.Buddhism believes in attaining nirvana through the four noble

truths and eightfold path whereas Hinduism believes there are
several ways one can reach to God.

4.Hinduism believes in the existence of several gods whereas

Buddhism reasons as to why one should seek a God which nobody
is aware of.
 What Beliefs Do Hindus & Buddhists
Have in Common?
Hindus and Buddhists share many core beliefs. Gautama
Buddha was a Hindu until the day he died, and his efforts
to share his personal enlightenment involved making the
Hindu concepts prevalent in his time more accessible --
not changing them. One reason why modern Buddhists
and Hindus use different words for some of the most
important ideas is that the Buddhist teachings were
recorded in Pali, a variant of Sanskrit -- the language of
Hinduism.
The Natural Law
The Sanskrit word "dharma" denotes the natural law, often
connoting a sense of duty and righteousness, and both Hindus
and Buddhists believe it is of central importance for correct
living. The original name of Hinduism is Santana Dharma, which
refers to the eternal Law that all people should follow; the word
"Hindu" comes from Muslim invaders and British colonists.
Buddhists also use the words dharma and dhamma -- the Pali
equivalent -- to refer to natural order and proper way of living.
Because Buddha taught a simplification of the Hindu Dharma,
however, Buddhists are often referring to his teachings when they
use either word.
 Death and Rebirth
Both Buddhists and Hindus believe in reincarnation,
but the two religions take different approaches.
Hindus believe there is a soul, which they call Atman.
According to a passage in the Bhagavad Gita, a central
Hindu text, the soul changes bodies in the same way
that a person changes clothes. Buddhists don't believe
in the existence of an individual soul, and liken
rebirth to the rekindling of a flame -- there is a
connection in essence only. Nevertheless, Buddhists
share the belief in samsara -- the eternal wheel of
death and rebirth -- with Hindus.
The Value of Meditation
Compared to what most Hindus believe, the Buddhist
teaching of impermanence is radical. Buddha asserted that
decay was inherent in everything, while Hindus maintain the
existence of a permanent state of unity with God. Both
Hinduism and Buddhism agree, however, in the transitoriness
of the material world and its ultimate worthlessness, and
both traditions stress the value of meditation. The reality the
meditator encounters is beyond form and comprehension,
and in that state of formlessness, the accomplished
meditator encounters a paradoxical state in which awareness
exists without an object. In that state, questions regarding
the permanence of the soul disappear.
 The Way Out
Buddhists call the ultimate freedom from samsara
"nirvana," which is a word that connotes cessation,
while Hindus call it "moksha" -- liberation -- and
"samadhi" --absorption in the Infinite. The concepts are
not really different, because they all require annihilation
of the ego that creates the suffering of separation in the
first place. Both traditions believe in an inherent system
of cause and effect called karma -- kamma in Pali -- that
conditions an individual's ability to achieve freedom.
Karma is the result of moral actions, and positive
karma, together concerted practice, is the recipe for
liberation in both traditions.
 Buddhism: Basic
Beliefs and Practices
The basic doctrines of early Buddhism, which remain
common to all Buddhism, include the four noble
truths : existence is suffering ( dukhka ); suffering has
a cause, namely craving and attachment ( trishna );
there is a cessation of suffering, which is nirvana ; and
there is a path to the cessation of suffering, the
eightfold path of right views, right resolve, right
speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right
mindfulness, and right concentration. Buddhism
characteristically describes reality in terms of process
and relation rather than entity or substance.
Experience is analyzed into five aggregates ( skandhas ). The first,
form ( rupa ), refers to material existence; the following four,
sensations ( vedana ), perceptions ( samjna ), psychic constructs (
samskara ), and consciousness ( vijnana ), refer to psychological
processes. The central Buddhist teaching of non-self ( anatman )
asserts that in the five aggregates no independently existent,
immutable self, or soul, can be found. All phenomena arise in
interrelation and in dependence on causes and conditions, and thus
are subject to inevitable decay and cessation. The casual conditions
are defined in a 12-membered chain called dependent origination (
pratityasamutpada ) whose links are: ignorance, predisposition,
consciousness, name-form, the senses, contact, craving, grasping,
becoming, birth, old age, and death, whence again ignorance.
With this distinctive view of cause and
effect, Buddhism accepts the pan-Indian
presupposition of samsara, in which living
beings are trapped in a continual cycle of
birth-and-death, with the momentum to
rebirth provided by one's previous physical
and mental actions (see karma ). The
release from this cycle of rebirth and
suffering is the total transcendence called
nirvana.
 THE END!
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