Life Orientation Grade 9 Buddhism

History Buddhism gets its name from the word Buddha, which is not a name, but a title given to Siddhartha Gautama. It means the enlightened one. Enlightened is a special understanding; it means realizing the truth about the way things are. There are many forms of this ancient religion from India, which dates back to 535 BC.

Basic belief Buddhists believe in no god, but offerings are often made to statues of Buddha (the enlightened one and founder of Buddhism) in honour of his teachings. The basis of Buddha’s teachings are the Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path. All Buddhists believe that understanding the Four Noble truths and developing only good qualities, will make their lives truly peaceful and happy. In the end it will lead to everlasting peace and happiness of enlightment, which is also called Buddhahood.

The four noble Truths: Life is Dukkha (suffering). In this world nothing lasts. Everything are momentary (not lasting), they pass away, or are of short duration. There is no permanent happiness in this world. Suffering is caused by selfishness and greed (the origin of Dukkha is desire). Suffering happens because people want more and more, and they are never satisfied. They become greedy and selfish. They always want things they do not have. Selfishness and greed can be stopped (Nirvana is the ending of Dukkha). Suffering and restlessness will stop if we overcome selfishness and greed. The way to stop selfishness and greed is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path. The noble Eightfold path is shown as a wheel with 8 spokes which represents 8 ways in which Buddhists try to lead a better life by developing morality, concentration and wisdom. The Buddha advised people to follow the Middle Way to reach a deep inner peace, called Nirvana. By this he meant that people should not live a life of luxury, by over-eating, over-drinking and having too much of everything. He also stated that people should not starve themselves or punish their bodies. He warned of extremes and stressed the secret to follow, namely the middle way.

If you look at the wheel with the 8 spokes you will notice that all parts of the path begin with the word “right”. To do something in the right way does not only mean to do it in the correct way, but also in the best possible way.

The Noble Eightfold path: Right viewpoint (the right way of thinking) Right thought (to be able to think is a gift and power, it is important to use it in the right way.) Right speech (do not gossip and say bad things, talk with wisdom) Right actions (do the right things) Right living (lives your life to the best of your ability and does a job which is useful and do not harm others.) Right effort (do your best at all times, including ongoing training, avoiding bad things and working hard to do well). Right awareness (Control your mind so that you can see things around you in the right way). Right concentration (concentrate on what you do by meditating. This must be free from mental disturbances such as anxiety, worry, envy, ambition and greed.) The main emphasis is on aiming not to do harm in one’s everyday life and actions.

Religious Scriptures The Tipitaka, which is divided into three sections, is the fundamental scripture of Buddhism and considered as the complete teachings of Buddha. Buddha’s disciples orally passed down the content of the Tipitaka. The three section of the Tipitaka are the Vinaya Pitaka, Sutta Pitaka, and the Abhidhamma Pitaka. Rules and regulations for Buddhist monks and nuns are described in the Vinaya Pitaka. The actual experiences of Buddha are documented in the Sutta Pitaka. Along with the documentation of his experiences, there are extensive commentaries on myths and legends about Buddha. The Abhidhamma Pitaka contains works that teaches on the Theravada positions from Buddha's teaching.

Prayer and places/days of worship For Buddhists, worship means mainly meditation and reading from holy books. They usually sit on the floor, often with crossed legs, and try to empty their minds of all thoughts. They try to focus on things that are really important. When Buddhists meet as a group for worship, they usually go to the shrine room, which is beautifully decorated and contains an image of the Buddha. There are no seats; so worshippers sit on the floor. They greet the Buddha by putting their hands together in front of their chest or face and bow slightly. Sometimes Buddhists touch their chest, lips and forehead with their hands. By doing this they show that their body, their speech and their mind are all joining in the greeting. Buddhists often offer gifts or flowers and light. In a temple, monks usually lead the service. The people watch and meditate, and at times repeat set words and chants after the monks. At the end of the worship, Buddhists often stay and drink specially-prepared tea from beautiful crockery. They like the idea of being surrounded by peace and beauty.

Life after death Buddhists belief in reincarnation (continual rebirth until they reach Buddha hood).