History of

Buddhism
Content
❏ Where and when does Buddhism come from?
❏ Who is the symbol of Buddhism?
❏ How is it spread?
❏ What are the holy places and major landmarks?
❏ Famous people who worship this religion
When and where?
Founder: Siddhartha Gautama
(known as “the Buddha”)
When: more than 2,500 years ago
Where: India

● When Buddha passed away, his followers began

to organize a religious movement.
● In the 3rd century B.C., Ashoka the Great made
Buddhism the state religion of India.
● Buddhist monasteries were built, and missionary
work was encouraged.
● Buddha's teachings became the foundation for
what would develop into Buddhism.
The Spread of Buddhism
● As Buddhism spread, different groups
began to emphasize different teaching
● This led to the development of two main
groups:
○ Mahayana Buddhists (Tibet, China,
Taiwan,...)
○ Theravada Buddhists (Sri Lanka, Thailand,
…)
● It makes hard to count the number of
Buddhists is that many don't attend
temples, but pray in shrines in their
homes. It is believed that there are 376
million Buddhists worldwide
● Karma,reincarnation,meditation,Nirvana

7% of World population are Buddhists

Buddhism
Beliefs: don’t acknowledge a supreme god or deity

The symbols: the Buddha,

the lotus flower,
the eight-spoked dharma wheel,
the Bodhi tree

The head of the Tibetan school: Dalai Lama

(the traditional leader of Tibet)

Dalai Lama
Sacred places

● Buddhists go on pilgrimages to places

associated with Buddha's life. These places
include:
○ his birthplace, Lumbini Grove,
○ the place of enlightenment, Bodh Gaya,
○ the place of his first sermon, Sarnath,
○ the place he died, Kusinara.

● Going to a worship
space is not
essential because
Buddhism is a way
of life, a way to act
all of the time
Taktsang Monastery (Tiger’s Nest), Bhutan
Famous Buddhists
With about 470 million followers, scholars consider George Lucas
Buddhism one of the major world religions. Star Wars visionary
George Lucas has
described himself as a
Steve Jobs “Buddhist Methodist”
founder of Apple
he took a trip to India in 1974, which
sparked a lifelong interest in
Buddhism. Jobs' Buddhist principles
were part of the influence behind his Mark Zuckerberg
Apple products. And others:
founder of Facebook
● The Dalai Lama
Tiger Woods ● Steven Seagal
Jet Li
golf player
actor ● Orlando Bloom
● Richard Gere
● etc.
Sources:
● https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/buddhism
● History of Buddhism | Buddhists.org https://www.worldhistory.org/image/1059/the-spread-of-
buddhism/
● https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Buddhism
● 50 Famous Buddhists | List of Buddhist Celebrities (ranker.com)
The end