Buddhism is one of the five largest religions in the world (along with Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and traditional Chinese religions)

It is the dominant religion in most of Southeast Asia, Japan, large parts of China, and some parts of India and the former Soviet Union. Buddhists can be found in many other countries as well, including the USA.

Buddhism began in India in the 500s BCE. According to Buddhist legends, it began with a Hindu prince named Siddartha Gautauma, whose father tried to shield him from all suffering in the world.

Young Siddartha eventually snuck away from his father’s luxurious palaces, and discovered that out in the world, there was pain and suffering everywhere. He couldn’t get it out of his mind as he grew older.

His Hindu religion taught him the lesson of impermanence, that everything changes.

He realized that no matter how wealthy or happy he was now, eventually he too, and everyone he loved would get sick and suffer and die.

His Hindu religion taught him the lesson of impermanence, that everything changes. He realized that no matter how wealthy or happy he was now, eventually he too, and everyone he loved would get sick and suffer and die. Also, due to Hinduism, he believed in reincarnation, an endless wheel-like cycle where people and animals and even gods die only to be reborn again…so the chain of change and suffering never ends.

Siddartha decided to abandon his home, his family, and all his riches, and go on a quest to see if he could find some way “out” of this trap of eternal suffering.

He tried yoga….

…separating his mind from his body…

He tried yoga…. …separating his mind from his body… …he even tried abandoning all possessions and living as a ascetic, refusing all but the most essential food and sleep. He hoped to free himself of all distractions so he could find universal truth.

While he learned a great deal from all these experiences, no teacher he met, no path he followed, seemed able to permanently free him from suffering.

Eventually, he sat down beneath a bodhi tree and meditated for days on end…and then came up with the solution.

The Buddhists feel that at this point he became “Enlightened”, reaching a state of “Nirvana” where he found a kind of inner peace that no suffering could touch.

He became a “Buddha”, and dedicated his life to teaching others how to reach this state, which he felt was possible for anyone.

The Buddha’s “plan” was for people to first realize the Four Noble Truths:

1. All of life is suffering

The Buddha’s “plan” was for people to first realize the Four Noble Truths: 1.All of life is suffering 2.We suffer because of desire and attachment.

The Buddha’s “plan” was for people to first realize the Four Noble Truths: 1.All of life is suffering 2.We suffer because of desire and attachment. 3.It is possible to escape this trap and attain Nirvana.

The Buddha’s “plan” was for people to first realize the Four Noble Truths: 1.All of life is suffering 2.We suffer because of desire and attachment. 3.It is possible to escape this trap and attain Nirvana. 4.The way to do so is accessible to anyone who follows a certain path.

This “noble eightfold path” is complex, but includes:

Giving up your attachments, to things, to people, to beliefs and causes.

This “noble eightfold path” is complex, but includes: Giving up your attachments, to things, to people, to beliefs and causes. Mindfulness - being “in the moment” and focusing on the here and now, on your body and your immediate actions.

This “noble eightfold path” is complex, but includes: Giving up your attachments, to things, to people, to beliefs and causes. Mindfulness - being “in the moment” and focusing on the here and now, on your body and your immediate actions. “Right action” - acting only in ways that help others and the world.

If a human being masters these abilities, said the Buddha, then although they cannot change the realities of impermanence, change, sickness, and troubles…

…they can reach a state of mind where they are not affected by it all, where they do not suffer.

If a human being masters these abilities, said the Buddha, then although they cannot change the realities of impermanence, change, sickness, and troubles… …they can reach a state of mind where they are not affected by it all, where they do not suffer. In a turbulent world, they can build an inner peace inside them, and help others to find that peace in themselves.

The Buddha did not believe he was the first to attain this state, nor did he feel he would be the last.

People who could achieve nirvana and remove themselves from society, but who choose to stick around to teach others, are called bodhisattvas.

The Buddhist worldview includes all sorts of gods and monsters. Some Buddhists take these literally, and others see them as metaphors, as manifestations of people’s own subconscious feelings.

Buddhism is practiced differently in different cultures around the world, especially in terms of customs and rituals…but almost all Buddhists share the core beliefs of their founder.

Many people follow beliefs that combine Buddhism and some other religion…Buddhism itself makes no demands that a person follow no other customs, although all religion, including all gods, are often seen as “illusions” by Buddhist thought.

Be sure to watch for Buddhist concepts in the texts and films in this class!