Buddhism Cheat Sheet: Origins 600 CE

Buddhism Gods Did not believe in the existence of god Buddha was not a god; he was a symbol and example that Buddhists tried to live up to o Siddhartha Gautama was originally born into a royal family, but, his experiences with the outside world cause him to seek understanding of life and spiritual fulfillment o He attained Nirvana, aka Enlightenment, and became known as The Buddha o He traveled far and wide teaching people how to reach Enlightenment

What the Followers Believe Believed in reincarnation being born again after death and going through many cycles of life. o A reincarnated person doesnt have to become the same entity; may be a leaf, pig, horse, etc After many of these cycles, if a person releases their attachment to desire and self, they can attain Nirvana (Enlightenment) Believed in these Concepts o 5 Precepts of Buddhism: life rules to live by. EX Do not steal. o 4 Noble Truths describes suffering, its causes, and how to end it (follow Eightfold Path) o Eightfold Path things that a person must have in order to reach Nirvana

How the Followers Practice Buddhism Buddhists meditation heavily because it derives directly from Buddhas teachings Buddhists will have personal shrines in their homes or go to shrines similar to the way that Christians go to church they often burn incense because it is believed to be a sacred offering to the Buddha Buddhists try to follow the 4 Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path

Big Rituals Important ceremonies and events and their dates vary from country to country, from sect to sect Commonly celebrated holidays: the Buddhas Birthday, the day the Buddha reached Nirvana, New Year, etc.

Role of Women In Buddhism, men and women are considered to be equal in society In households, husbands and wives are expected to have equal responsibility for duties Husbands were supposed to consider his wife as his best friend/partner Birth of a daughter was not despaired or a cause of worry Buddhism doesnt restrict the educational opportunities of women or their religious freedom

Major Sacred Texts and Books of Faith Buddhist sacred texts were considered guides to the path of truth, not the actual truth itself Sacred texts include: The Tibetan Book of the Dead, The Pali Tripitaka Canon, and Mahayana Sutras

Buddhisms Missionary Work/Outreach until 600 CE In 68 CE, according to historical accounts, two Buddhist missionaries from India arrived in China in the court of Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty. There, they translated several Indian Buddhist texts into Chinese. Around 273 CE King Asoka spread Buddhism throughout south east Asia and India, making it the state religion of India Fa Hsing, from China, traveled to India around 413 CE to study Buddhism for seven years and brought back some of the religion to China. In 480 CE, Bodhidharma goes as a Buddhist missionary to China.

Diffusion of Buddhism until 600 CE Buddhism spread to: o The rest of India o China o South Asia o Tibet And from there it went to: o Japan, Korea, and Indonesia Buddhism reached the Persians in Afghanistan, but it was never as influential there as it was in Eastern Asia

Major Contacts with other Religions until 600 CE Came in contact with Hinduism a lot because they both originated in India; thus they share many concepts and ideas (EX. on reincarnation, salvation, and enlightenment) Also came in contact with Confucianism and Daoism in China

Important Quotation "The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are you freed. - The Buddha