buddhism – quick facts
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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: - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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