Buddhism

What is Buddhism?

Buddhismis anontheistic religionthat encompasses a

variety of traditions, beliefs and practices.

It is a very pragmatic religion. It does not indulge in

worship of a deity or deification of the Buddha.

It is based onteachingsattributed toSiddhartha

Gautama, who is commonly known as the Buddha,
meaning "the awakened one".

What is Buddhism?

Buddha lived and taught in the eastern part of theIndian

subcontinentsometime between the 6th and 4th centuriesBCE.

Buddhism as a religion is majorly practiced across Sri Lanka, East Asia,

South east Asia and Russia.

The Life of the Buddha

About 400 BCE, Siddhartha Gautama was born a prince of a small
Hindu kingdom.

A wise man prophesied that he would either become a great king

or a great religious leader.

He said if the child were exposed to suffering, he would follow

the spiritual path.

Siddharthas father wanted him to become a king, so he tried to

shield him from suffering.

 When he was 16 he went on a journey that exposed him to suffering

and led to the creation of Buddhism.

Siddhartha saw an old man, an ill man, and a dead man being
wept over by his family.

He hadnt known that old age, disease, or death existed until

then.

He also saw a calm and peaceful holy man and was curious
about him.

He left his family to become a religious ascetic.

When he was about 35, the Buddha gave his first sermon, called the
Dharmachakra, or Wheel of Dharma, about the nature of human
existence and what people must do to release themselves from
suffering.

He continued to teach for 45 years, until his death at 80.

His teachings were not written down during his lifetime; they were
written down by his followers 400 years later.

Siddhartha Becomes the

Buddha
Siddhartha travelled from teacher to teacher, but failed to find
enlightenment as to the cause and cure of suffering.

He concluded that neither his old life of luxury nor the life of a
religious ascetic was the right way to live.

He began to develop a middle way between luxury and

asceticism, giving up greed and selfishness as well as harsh denial
of pleasure.

Siddhartha resolved to sit in meditation until he attained

enlightenment.

For 49 days, he meditated and had a struggle against the evil god
Mara.

Siddhartha Becomes the Buddha

He finally attained the Great Enlightenment and became known as
the Buddha.

The Buddhas enlightenment gave him a special understanding of

human suffering and how people might escape that suffering,
attain complete peace, and enter nirvana.

The Buddha decided to remain on Earth to share his insights

instead of immediately entering nirvana.

He accepted disciples (male and female) and converted his five

ascetic companions, who became the first monks.

Samsara

Karma Theory

Karma is the law of moral causation.

According to Buddhism, this inequality is due not

only to heredity, environment, "nature and
nurture", but also to Karma.

In other words, it is the result of our own past

actions and our own present doings.

We ourselves are responsible for our own

happiness and misery. We create our own Heaven.
We create our own Hell. We are the architects of
our own fate.

Rebirth Theory

The four immeasurables

The Four Noble Truths

The truth ofdukkha or suffering.

The truth of the origin ofdukkha.

The truth of the cessation ofdukkha.

The truth of the path leading to the cessation ofdukkha.

The Middle Path

The Middle Path means moderation.

It also means neutral, upright, and centered.

The noble Eightfold Path

Right
Concent
r-ation

Right
View

Right
Intenti
on

Right
Speech

Right
Mindfulness

Right
Effort

Right
Livelihood

Right
Action

Three marks of existence

Impermanence (Annica)

Suffering (Dukkha)

Not-self (Anatta)

Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar and the

revival of Buddhism

First Indian law minister-untouchability illegal.

Publicly converted to Buddhism in 1956.

Died six weeks later.

His movement brought Buddhism to millions of people in India.

Buddhism in today's India

NAGALOKA

CENTER

Center of Buddhist activist In Nagpur.

Ten month residential course providing instruction in meditation,

dharma and community organizing.

 Triratna

bauddha mahasanga

Meditation and Dharma classes, public talks, health centers, pre-schools and
hostels for boys and girls.

National

A organization of underprivileged young people who have left behind their caste
identity and work together as a mutual support network emphasizing education,
peer support, social responsibility and ethical living.

Youth

network of Buddhist youth

Buddhist society

Non-profit grassroots organization that works on poverty and social problems in

thousands of poor villages.

 Manuski

Institute

Working to develop leadership among Dalit women and create

bridges between different Dalit groups and organizations.

Successful at bringing international attention to

extreme violence targeting Dalit people in India.

incidents of