Buddhism

Origin Prince Siddhartha Gautama was born in 566 b.c. in India.

He was sheltered and kept in the palace as a boy. As an adult he went outside the palace gates and saw a sick man, an old woman, and the dead body of an infant. For the first time in his life he saw suffering.

He left the palace in search of the cause of human suffering. He meditated under a tree for 48 days and when he arose he knew the cause of suffering.

He became “The Enlightened One” or “Buddha”.

Four Noble Truths 1. Life is full of suffering, pain and sorrow. 2. The cause of suffering is desire. 3. To end suffering we have to overcome desire. 4. To overcome desire, one must follow the eightfold path.

Eightfold Path 1. Right Views – follow the four noble truths. 2. Right Action – live moral life.

3. Right Speech – avoid lies, gossip, talking bad about others. 4. Right Conduct - live moral life, don’t steal, lie.

5. Right Livelihood – refrain from making a living, by harming others. 6. Right Effort – prevent evil thoughts.

7. Right Mindfulness – be aware to the activities of the mind and body. 8. Right Contemplation – be aware of all your feelings.

The eightfold path was the way to achieve perfect peace or “Nirvana”.

Buddha had been a Hindu and still believed in Karma, Dharma and reincarnation.

He felt that by achieving nirvana the cycle of life “or reincarnation” was broken and a person could then truly be with god.

Buddhism became a major faith when Prince Asoka sent missionaries through Asia. The missionaries and their writings spread Buddhism from India to China.

Assignment Create a poster that can be used to teach either Buddhism or Hinduism. (Your poster must include a picture!)

Define Yoga Caste System Sanskrit Dharma Reincarnation Indus River 7. Karma 8. Harappa 9. Himalayas 10. Khyber Pass 11. Monsoon