Chapter 4.1

Founded by Siddhartha Gautama Born 566 BCE High Caste Family Mother dreamed that radiant white

elephant descended to her from heaven and predicted that a boy would someday become a wandering holy man.

To stop this, kept boy in palace surrounded by luxury.

Prince married beautiful woman, had a son, and enjoyed a happy life.

Gautama rode beyond gardens and saw a sick person, an old person, and a dead body

Aware of human suffering for 1st time

Said goodbye to wife, child, palace and went into exile

Wanted to discover “realm of life where there is neither suffering nor death”

Wandered for years Sought answers from Hindu

holy men Fasted and Meditated Sat under a giant tree and

meditated until he understood the mystery of life

48 days- spirits tempted him to give up his meditation

Suddenly he understood the cause and cure for suffering

When he got up from the tree, he was “Buddha” which means the Enlightened One

Taught others what he had learned 1. Life is full of

suffering, pain 2. Cause of suffering is

desire for riches, power 3. Cure for suffering is

to overcome desire 4. Overcome desire by

following 8-fold path

1. Right views2. Right actions3. Right speech4. Right conduct5. Right livelihood6. Right effort7. Right mindfulness8. Right

contemplation

Understanding 4 noble truths, committing self to 8-fold path

Avoid evil words and actions

Through meditation, achieve enlightenment

Final goal is Nirvana Union with the universe and

release from cycle of rebirth 8-fold path is middle way

between life devoted to pleasure and one based on self denial

Honesty, charity, kindness to all living creatures

Buddhism grew from same traditions of Hinduism

THE SAME DIFFERENT Stress

nonviolence Believe in

karma, dharma, moksha, cycle of rebirth

Rejects priests, rituals and gods of Hinduism Urges people to

seek own enlightenment through meditation

Rejects caste system Hope of nirvana to

all

Attracted many followers Set up monasteries,

convents for meditation, study Centers of learning

Buddha’s Death: Age 80 Ate spoiled food “Decay is inherent in all

things. Work out your own salvation with diligence.”

After death of Buddha, followers collected teachings into text Tripitaka “Three Baskets of

Wisdom” “Let a man, after he has

discerned his own duty, be always attentive to his duty”

Golden Rule: “Overcome anger by not growing angry, overcome evil with good, overcome the liar with truth.”

Missionaries and traders spread Buddhism across India and Asia

Split into 2 sects Theravada Buddhism

Closely followed Buddha Life of spiritual work Only most dedicated monks could achieve

nirvana Sri Lanka, SE Asia

Mahayana Buddhism Easier for ordinary people Pictured Buddha as a God China, Tibet, Japan, Korea

Buddhism took root across Asia

Slowly declined in India Hinduism absorbed

Buddhist ideas Made room for

Buddha as another Hindu God

Buddhist centers that survived fell to invading Muslim armies in 1100s