Buddhism – Quick Facts• One of the four largest religions in the world today with over 350 million followers

• Followers are known as Buddhists

• Followers are located primarily in Asia

• (China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, etc.)

• Based on pursuit of enlightenment (Nirvana)

• Key Beliefs:

The Four Noble Truths

The Eightfold Path

Buddhist Shrine in Japan

Founder: Siddhartha Gautama

• Born in India, raised in luxury, was overcome with the suffering that exists in the world

• Set out to find enlightenment through physical deprivation – found it didn’t work

• Found enlightenment through the “Middle Path” – moderation and getting rid of desires

• Got followers and became known as Buddha (“The Enlightened One”)

Main Beliefs

• Goal: to end the cycle of rebirth and suffering : Attain Nirvana!

• Attained by: discarding desires

• How: Meditating on the Four Noble Truths

Four Noble Truths

• 1. The world is suffering• 2. The cycle of reincarnation is a result of

desires “The thirst for existence leads from rebirth to rebirth . . .”

• 3. suffering ends by eliminating desires “Nirvana”literally means “Snuffing Out” as greed, hatred, desire, and delusion are all extinguished

• 4. One can eliminate desire by following the Eightfold Path

The Eightfold Path

•RIGHT VIEW: Accepting Buddhist views.

•RIGHT RESOLVE: A serious commitment to developing the right attitudes.

•RIGHT SPEECH: telling the truth and speaking in a thoughtful and sensitive way.

•RIGHT ACTION: Abstaining from wrongful behavior or over indulgence.

•RIGHT LIVELIHOOD: Avoiding a livelihood that harms others.

•RIGHT EFFORT: Controlling one’s thoughts and cultivating positive states of mind

•RIGHT MINDFULNESS: Cultivating constant awareness

•RIGHT MEDITATION: Developing deep levels of mental calm through various techniques which concentrate the mind and integrate the personality.

Places of Worship

• Places of Worship include Stupas, Temples, and Shrines

A Stupa in Thailand

A Temple in Japan

Leaders• There are two types of

leaders in Buddhism, priests and monks

Bodhisatvas:Those who’ve attained enlightenment but experience rebirth to help others (a saint)

Symbols

• Wheel of Life 8 spokes remind people of the Eightfold path and the wheel represents the cycle of life, death, and rebirth

• Lotus Flower symbolizes purity

Holy Book

• The Tripitaka– Written down from

what oral tradition said about Buddha’s sayings

• When written in English, it is over 40 volumes!

Divisions• There are two main branches

of Buddhism

• Mahayana– Believes Buddha was

divine• Theravada

– Believes Buddha was a great teacher