• Aprx. 300 + million followers

• Central Asia and SE Asia

• The aim of Buddhist practice is to end the cycle of rebirth called samsara • Siddhartha Gautama 2,500 years ago

• it is better to call Buddhism agnostic than anything else

The Vinaya Pitaka, containing disciplinary rules for the Sangha of Buddhist monks and nuns, as well as a range of other texts which explain why and how rules were instituted, supporting material, and doctrinal clarification.

*The Sutta Pitaka (PÇli; Sanskrit: Sutra Pitaka), containing discourses of the Buddha.

*The Abhidhamma (Skt: Abhidharma) or commentary Pitaka, containing a philosophical systematization of the Buddha's teaching, including a detailed analysis of Buddhist psychology.

Some actions bring instant retribution while the results of other actions may not appear until a future lifetime. Most teachers are, however, quick to point out that though it may be a result of someone's past-life karma that they suffer, this should not be used as an excuse to treat them poorly; indeed, all should help them and help to alleviate their suffering, leading to them working to alleviate their own suffering.

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The Buddha taught that life was dissatisfactory because of craving, but that this condition was curable by following the Eightfold Path. This teaching is called the Four Noble Truths:

1.Dukkha: All worldly life is unsatisfactory, disjointed, containing suffering.

2.Samudaya: There is a cause of suffering, which is attachment or desire (tanha) rooted in ignorance.

3.Nirodha: There is an end of suffering, which is Nirvana.

4.Magga: There is a path that leads out of suffering, known as the Noble Eightfold Path.

Four Noble Truths

In order to fully understand the noble truths and investigate whether they were in fact true, Buddha recommended that a certain lifestyle or path be followed which consists of:1. Right Understanding2. Right Thought3. Right Speech4. Right Action5. Right Livelihood6. Right Effort7. Right Mindfulness8. Right Concentration

Wheel - 8 spokes

The five precepts are:

1.To refrain from harming living creatures (killing).2.To refrain from taking that which is not freely given (stealing).3.To refrain from sexual misconduct.4.To refrain from incorrect speech (lying, harsh language, slander, idle chit-chat).5.To refrain from intoxicants which lead to loss of mindfulness.

The realizing of nirvana is compared to the ending of avijja (ignorance) which perpetuates the will (citta/mind) from passing thru samsara life after life, which causes (and is caused by) among other things craving, consciousness, birth, death, greed, hate, delusion, ignorance. Nirvana, then, is not a place nor a state, it is an absolute truth to be realized, and a person can do so without dying. When a person who has realized nirvana dies, his death is referred as his parinirvana, his fully passing away, as his life was his last link to the cycle of death and rebirth (samsara), and he will not be reborn again. Buddhism holds that the ultimate goal and end of existence is realization of nirvana; what happens to a person after his parinirvana cannot be explained, as it is outside of all conceivable experience.

On Death:

"Disciples of the Buddha, should you yourself kill, willfully cause another to kill, encourage someone to kill, extol killing, take pleasure in seeing killing take place, deliberately wish someone dead, intentionally cause death, supply the instruments or means for killing, cut off a life even when sanctioned by law, that is, participate in any way in killing, you are committing a serious offense warranting exclusion. Pray, do not intentionally kill anything whatsoever which has life."

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Theravada Buddhism:

The "Way of the Elders"

dominant in southern Asia(Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Cambodia and Laos)

closely follow the original beliefs and practices of the Buddha

authoritative text is the Pali Canon, an early Indian collection of the Buddha's teachings; reject others

The purpose of life for Theravadins is to become an arhat, a perfected saint who has acheived nirvana and will not be reborn again

one must renounce the world to achieve salvation

highly unlikely, even impossible, that a layperson can achieve liberation

The best outcome the laity can hope for is to be reborn in the monastic life.

Mahayana Buddhism:

The "Greater Vehicle"

More liberal, accessible interpretation of Buddhism

Is a path available to people from all walks of life - not just monks and ascetics

North Asia and the Far East (China, Japan, Korea, Tibet and Mongolia)

Accept the Pali Canon as sacred scripture with the Theravadans, but also many other works, the Sutras

Hope to become bodhisatvas, saints who have become enlightened but who unselfishly delay nirvana to help others attain it as well, as the Buddha did

Teach that enlightenment can be attained in a single lifetime

The Mahayana form of Buddhism tends to be more religious in nature than its Theravadan counterpart.

Buddha is seen as a god often. It often includes veneration of celestial beings, Buddhas and bodhisatvas, ceremonies, religious rituals, magical rites, and the use of icons, images, and other sacred objects