1. Exploring the Religions of Our World
Chapter 6 Buddhism

2. Chapter 6 Buddhism Vocabulary Nirvana ascetic Middle Way sangha relics
Dharma
bodhisattva
lamas
Tripitaka
The Lotus of the True Law
Perfection of Wisdom
tantric
mandala
mantra
anatma
samsara
arhat
puja
stupa
pagodas

3. Chapter 6 Buddhism The Basics
A purpose of Buddhism is to be enlightened about that which is real
Founder: Siddhartha Gautama
The goal of Buddhism is attaining Nirvana (the extinction of suffering, impermanence, delusion, and all that keeps the life cycle going)
Two main branches: Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism
Section 1

4. Chapter 6 Buddhism
Periods of Hindu History
Page 234

5. Chapter 6 Buddhism History Facts about Siddhartha Gautama:
born about 560 BCE and died about 483
born into a Hindu warrior caste
was married at 16 years old and fathered one son
at 19 he encountered four things his father had tried to shield from him
reached enlightenment by taking up meditation on suffering and the cycle of rebirth
converted many countrymen by preaching that moksha could be attained by the Middle Way

6. Chapter 6 Buddhism History (continued)
The Four Sights (what Gautama’s father tried to shield from him):
old age
illness
death
asceticism (renouncing material comforts to live a self-disciplined life)

7. Chapter 6 Buddhism History (continued) Who is the Dalai Lama?
A bodhisattva (someone who compassionately refrains from entering nirvana in order to save others and is worshiped as a deity in Mahayana Buddhism)
The head Tibetan Buddhist monastic leader
The political leader of Tibet until the Chinese communist government forced them out of Tibet in 1959

8. Chapter 6 Buddhism Sacred Stories and Sacred Scriptures
Scriptures of Theravada Buddhism:
Tripitaka
“the three baskets”
(contains the words
of the Buddha)
Vinaya Pitaka – the code of monastic discipline for monks and nuns
Sutra Pitaka – discourses attributed to Gautama
Abidharma Pitaka – examines the Buddha’s psychological and Buddhist doctrine
Section 2

9. Chapter 6 Buddhism Sacred Stories and Sacred Scriptures (continued)
Scriptures of Mahayana Buddhism:
Lotus Sutra
the final teachings of the Buddha
which makes Enlightenment
available to everyone
Tripitaka
(Mahayana
version)
Perfection of Wisdom
a treatise on how to achieve
the perfection of
wisdom of a bodhisattva

10. suffering: both physical
Chapter 6 Buddhism
Beliefs and Practices
The Four Noble Truths
Life is filled with
suffering: both physical
and mental
The path to the end
of suffering is the
Noble Eightfold Path
Section 3
The cause of
suffering is desire
To cease suffering one
must cease desiring

11. Chapter 6 Buddhism Beliefs and Practices (continued)
Right
Concentration
Beliefs and Practices (continued)
The Noble Eightfold Path
Right
Mindfulness
Right
Conduct
Right
Effort
Right
Thought
Right
Speech
Right
Livelihood
Right
Understanding

12. Chapter 6 Buddhism Sacred Time Meditation Visakha “Buddha Day”
Celebrating
the Buddhist
lifecycle
Offerings to
Buddha
Puja
Celebrating
sangha
Section 4

13. Chapter 6 Buddhism Sacred Places and Sacred Spaces Stupas Temples
hold important relics of the Buddha
or other important figures
Temples
used for religious
devotions and to enshrine
images of buddhas
Pagodas
large stupas
Section 5

14. Chapter 6 Buddhism Sacred Places and Sacred Spaces (continued)
Places of Pilgrimage:
Lumbini Gardens – traditional site of the birth of Siddhartha Gautama near Nepal
Bodh Gaya – the place Gautama became enlightened
Sarnath – where Gautama preached his first sermon about the Four Noble Truths
Kushinara – traditional place of the death of Gautama

15. Chapter 6 Buddhism Buddhism through a Catholic Lens Similarities
Emphasis on peace and compassion
Long monastic tradition
The practice of meditation
Some parallels between the life of Jesus and Buddha
Section 6

16. Chapter 6 Buddhism Buddhism through a Catholic Lens Differences
Jesus claimed to be divine, Buddha did not
Jesus’ message was about the Kingdom of God, Siddhartha’s was about the cessation of suffering
The understanding of the meaning and purpose of suffering