Based on life and teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, aka., Buddha-India, 563-483 B.C.E.

BUDDHISM
Buddhism explains a purpose to life, it explains apparent injustice and inequality around the world, and it provides a code of practice or way of life that may lead to true happiness (Nirvana).

The Three Jewels Of Buddhism

The Buddha
- teacher

Buddha Shakyamuni was a real person. He lived 2500 years ago and it was he who, after he attained enlightenment and became an 'awakened one' or 'Buddha', chose to share his wisdom with us. The Buddha reminds us that we too can be awakened, that it is possible to be released from cravings and end our suffering.

Dharma
- teachings/doctrine

Buddhism is a dharmic, non-theistic religion and a philosophy. It can be said to be ones righteous duty or path

Sangha
- community

The community of monks and nuns that follow the Buddha. Sangha is the spiritual community that practices the Dharma. This is the community of followers of the Buddha who have taken monastic vows.

Tripitaka
The formal term for a Buddhist canon of scriptures. Many different versions of the canon have existed throughout the Buddhist world, containing an enormous variety of texts.

The Four Noble Truths

DUKKHA To live is to suffer TANHA The cause of suffering is self-centered desire & attachments NIRVANA The solution is to eliminate desire and attachment, thus achieving true happiness ASTAPADA The way to Nirvana is through the Eight-Fold Path

The Noble Eightfold Paths

The Noble Eightfold Paths

It describes the way to the end of suffering, as it was laid out by Siddhartha Gautama.
It is a practical guideline to ethical and mental development with the goal of freeing the individual from attachments and delusions; and it finally leads to understanding the truth about all things.

1. Right View
2. Right Intention 3. Right Speech 4. Right Action 5. Right Livelihood 6. Right Effort

WISDOM

MORALITY

7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration

MEDITATION

 Right view is the beginning and the end of the path, it simply means to see and to understand things as they really are and to realize the Four Noble Truth. It means to see things through, to grasp the impermanent and imperfect nature of worldly objects and ideas, and to understand the law of karma and karmic conditioning.

Right intention can be described best as commitment to ethical and mental self-improvement. Buddha distinguishes three types of right intentions: 1. the intention of renunciation, which means resistance to the pull of desire, 2. the intention of good will, meaning resistance to feelings of anger and aversion, and 3. the intention of harmlessness, meaning not to think or act cruelly, violently, or aggressively, and to develop compassion.

The importance of speech in the context of Buddhist ethics is obvious: words can break or save lives, make enemies or friends, start war or create peace. Buddha explained right speech as follows: 1. to abstain from false speech, 2. to abstain from slanderous speech and not to use words maliciously against others, 3. to abstain from harsh words that offend or hurt others, and 4. to tell the truth, to speak friendly, warm, and gently and to talk only when necessary.

 Right action involves the body as natural means of expression, as it refers to deeds that involve bodily actions. Unwholesome actions lead to unsound states of mind, while wholesome actions lead to sound states of mind. Right action means to act kindly and compassionately, to be honest, to respect the belongings of others, to keep sexual relationships harmless to others

 Right livelihood means that one should earn one's living in a righteous way and that wealth should be gained legally and peacefully. The Buddha mentions four specific activities that harm other beings and that one should avoid for this reason: 1. dealing in weapons, 2. dealing in living beings 3. working in meat production and butchery, and 4. selling intoxicants and poisons, such as alcohol and drugs

 Right effort can be seen as a prerequisite for the other principles of the path. Without effort, which is in itself an act of will, nothing can be achieved.

 It is the mental ability to see things as they are, with clear consciousness. Right mindfulness is anchored in clear perception and it enables us to be aware of the process of conceptualization in a way that we actively observe and control the way our thoughts go.

Concentration in this context is described as a state of mind where all mental faculties are unified and directed onto one particular object. Concentration on wholesome thoughts and actions. The Buddhist method of choice to develop right concentration is through the practice of meditation. The meditating mind focuses on a selected object. It first directs itself onto it, then sustains concentration, and finally intensifies concentration step by step

Buddhism Beliefs & Practices

Beliefs
Karma You get what you give Reincarnation Rebirth Nirvana True Happiness Buddha is not the Buddhist God he is just a revered teacher The Four Noble Truths The Noble Eightfold Paths

Practices
Meditation
The benefits include physical and mental health, relaxation, improved relaxation and mental ability, and happiness. It is primarily the ability to understand and control the mind and its use for practices that lead to enlightenment that is considered the most important.

 Chanting
The practice of chanting goes back to the days of the Buddha, when writing was not common. His teachings were memorized by monks in chant form and passed on. This was how the Buddhas words were transmitted for several centuries. Chanting is done today as a form of veneration, to help purify the mind, and as a means of protection against undesirable events.

 Vegetarianism
One should be aware that killing an animal, even for food, has its kammic consequences. Buddhist monks will refrain from eating meat if they are aware that an animal has been specially killed for the offering.

Origin of Buddhist Temples

The Stupa
The design of Buddhist temples originated with the stupa, which was used to cover Buddha's ashes andrelics. Made out of mud bricks, this ancient Indian shrine was originally shaped like a simple bell amound with a small spire on top. Inside the stupas are Buddhist relics.

Shanti Stupa in Chanspa (India)

 The Pagoda
In China, the stupa grew taller and thinner and adopted a new identity: the pagoda. Pagodas are eight-sided towers which contain an odd number of storiesbetween three and thirteen. In Japan, for example, small stone pagodas often appear in cemeteries. They have five levels, symbolizing the void and the four basic elements.

SeoKwangSa Pagoda (Canada)

Amavarati Pagoda (England)

Peace Pagoda in Battersea Park (London)

 The Monastery
The Buddhist monastery originated around the same time as the pagoda. As early as 200 BCE, these structures were providing shelter and study space for monks. Some were made of stone or wood while others, amazingly, were forged out of mountains of rock. Monks literally carved their sanctuary into cliff sides. Once this was done, they designed the interior with an assembly hall and living quarters, including a small stupa at the heart of the monastery. Detailed reliefs of Buddha and various bohisattvas often decorate the rock walls. Monasteries of Chinese Buddhist temples almost always face south.

Amaravati Buddhist Monastery at Great Gaddesden outside Hemel Hempstead (England) is the headquarters of the Order with accomodation for monks, nuns, lay guests and workers and for a large retreat centre and this splendid and beautiful temple.

 The Theravadin Shrine

Theravadin shrine rooms are relatively unadorned places of meditation. An elevated statue of Buddha, surrounded by offerings of incense, candles, and flowers, rests at the center. A carpet decorates the floor. The meditation instructor sits in a chair at the foot of the rug.

Amavarati Buddhist Shrine Room (England)

 Buddhist Temples (Wats) Attended to by monks, the Wat is a place of worship and
community gathering. Colorful and exotic, the temple contains a shrine room housing an image of Buddha. Followers usually bow to the statue. Then, they may light a candle, burn some incense, or offer flowers. The entrance to the temple, facing East, is decorated with curtains and serpent-like ornaments. The top of the wat is usually a towering pinnacle. Constructing temples have to face either North or South

Barbadan Buddhist Temple (Bangladesh)

Buddhist temple in Luang Prabang (Laos)

SeoKwangSa Buddhist Temple (Canada)

Bell Tower in Harbin (North-east of China)

Buddhahood
It is the state of perfect attained by a buddha Buddha Statues are found in four positions Seated Buddha Reclining Buddha Standing Buddha Walking Buddha Buddhas of three times often represented by Dipamkara (the Buddha of the past), Shakyamuni (present) and Maitreya (future).

Cave Temples
The idea of constructing Buddhist temples by hollowing out rock faces was brought to China from Central Asia, where monuments of this sort had been constructed for centuries. Over the years, more and more caves would be excavated and decorated as pious acts on the part of monks and artists. Most of the cave temples were begun in the north during the Northern Dynasties.

Ellora Caves, Maharashtra (India)

Varaha Cave Temples, Tamil Nadu

Undavalli Caves, Andhra Pradesh