1. Siddhartha as a baby, displayed features of a great man
Siddhartha Gautama was born in 563 B.C. into a noble family that lived in Kapilavastu
The foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal
Siddhartha as a baby, displayed features of a great man
Siddhartha was visited by a prophet when he was a child:
“If the child stayed at home, he was destined to become a world ruler. If the child left home, he would become a universal spiritual leader”

3. To make sure that he became a King, Siddhartha’s father isolated him in his palace.
Siddhartha was separated from the outside world
He ventured from his palace at age 29 and saw four events that he’d never seen before:
An elderly man
A sick man
A corpse
A Holy man

4. The Holy man seemed as if he was at peace with himself and his surroundings
Siddhartha understood these events to mean that every living thing experiences old age, sickness, and death.
He believed that only a religious life offers refuge from suffering.

5. Siddartha decided to spend the rest of his life searching for religious truth and an end to life’s suffering.
He wandered through the forests of India for six years searching for enlightenment
He first tried to find it by debating with other religious leaders
He fasted ate only six grains of rice a day.
He meditated under a fig tree.

6. He meditated under a fig tree for 49 days.
After 49 days, it all made sense!
Achieved an understanding of the cause of suffering the world
He became, “Buddha”
*The enlightened one*

7. The Buddha preached his first sermon to five traveling companions
The First Sermon explained the four main ideas that Buddha had to understand in order to reach enlightenment
These are the Four Noble truths

8. Life is filled with suffering and sorrow
2) The cause of all suffering is people’s selfish desire for the temporary pleasures of this world
3) The way to end all suffering is to end all desires
4) The way to overcome such desires at attain enlightenment is to follow the Eightfold Path, which is called the Middle Way between desires and self-denial

9. The Eightfold path is a guide to behavior.
If you’re seeking enlightenment, you need to master one step at a time.

10. If you follow the eightfold path, then you will reach nirvana
Nirvana: the Buddha’s word for release from selfishness and pain

11. Just like Hinduism, the Buddha accepted the idea of reincarnation
Buddha rejected the many gods of Hinduism
Buddha also rejected the accommodations that priests received
Rejected the caste system

12. The monks swore to a life of poverty
The Five men who followed Buddha in the forest became the first monks admitted into the Sangha
Sangha is a religious order, but evolved into a Buddhist community
The monks swore to a life of poverty
Because of no caste system, many of Buddha’s early followers were laborers and craftspeople.

13. Buddhism spread to Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, and into China
Several theories exist about Buddhism’s departure from India.
Hinduism absorbed Buddhism and added aspects of the religion into their own.
Hindus persecuted and ran Buddhists out of India
*Modern Buddhists still travel to India for pilgrimages*
pilgrimage: Religious journey.