Year 7 - Buddhism Key people Siddhartha Gautama Siddharta Gautama was a young prince whose father wanted him to be a great king. Siddharta’s father shielded Siddharta from all the pain and suffering in the world and gave him a luxurious life with all he could ever want. One day siddharta decided that soemthign in his life was missing, so he demanded to be taken out on a ride into the city. When he was in the city he saw 3 people: 1. an old man 2. A sick man 3. A man who had just died Siddhartha was shocked and confused. He then saw a fourth man: a holy man. This man had no possession or food but sat there with a smile on his face, looking happy, This confused the prince and made him ask, what was this mans secret? So Siddhartha ran away from his luxurious life as a prince to live in the forest and find the answer. Enlightenment: Siddhartha lived in the forest, with no possessions or belongings and sat under a tree for 49 days, trying to find the answer. Finally, Siddhartha realised, the only way to be at peace, was to stop thinking about and being attached this world. We need to leave behind everything we want, all our thoughts about this world and just focus on being at peace. When Siddhartha realised this his whole life changed. This is enlightenment. Siddhartha Gautama was the forest Buddha, he spent the rest of his life teaching and passing on message as to how to reach enlightenment and be free of this world. Key beliefs Rebirth Buddhists believe that our souls will be reborn into another life after we die. We will continue to be reborn into another life until we can understand and reach enlightenment. Once we have dine this we will escape this cycle and reach Nirvana. The good and bad karma we build up will help determine what realm we are reborn into next. Wheel of life The wheel of life is the Buddhist way of trying to understand the world around us, and explains the Buddhists view of the universe. The wheel shows the different realms that we can be born into during the cycle of rebirth. These include; the human realm, the animal real, the realm of gods, the realm of hungry ghosts, the realm of hell and the realm of heaven. The only way we can stop this wheel of rebirth is to discover the secret of life, and achieve Nirvana. Place of worship Vihara The Vihara is the Buddhist temple of worship. Flowers are kept around the Vihara to represent the changing nature of the world, and that nothing lasts forever. There are different ways Buddhists can worship, for example puja or meditation. Puja: This is a Buddhist form of worship where candles are lit to show the brightness of enlightenment . Incense is often used to create a calm and peaceful atmosphere and a prayer wheel might be used that contains Buddhist scriptures. Buddhists believe these prayer wheels can release spiritual power and send positive energy around the world. Meditation: Meditation is used by Buddhists to calm the mind and focus all energy away from this material world and bringing peace. Meditation practiced by most Buddhists and was taught by the Buddha as a way of achieving enlightenment. Key words Siddharta Gautama – The prince who later became the Buddha. Enlightenment – Escaping the wheel of life to spiritual freedom. Suffering – The pain or desires that we feel in this life. Nirvana – Spiritual freedom from any suffering or desire or rebirth. Puja – A Buddhist form of prayer. Dhamma – the teachings of the Buddha. Sangha – the community of Buddhist monks and nuns. Alms – Giving food and other items for survival to monks and nuns. Precept – a guide or rule. Wheel of Life – The Buddhist explanation of the universe. Prayer flags – Hung up and used to help the wind carry positive messages and prayers to others across the countryside.