Buddhism

 The central figure in Buddhism is Siddharta Gautama, known

as the Buddha, meaning
“ the Enlightened one”, the Awakened One, or “the One
who knows”.
 According to Buddhist teaching, the
human condition has the combination of
pain And pleasure, which is the best
training ground for virtue and
achievement of liberation from suffering.
 Canon- a list of books that define matters
of doctrine and discipline.
Suttas- books contain discourses
between the Buddha and his
disciples.

PaliCanon- was written in the

language that is close to the actual
one used by the Buddha himself.
 The Triple Gem
 The Buddha- refers to the inspiration from Siddharta
Gautama, the teacher who led his disciples to
enlightenment.
 The Dhamma- refers to the teaching of Buddha. The
duty of the believer is to put the teachings to practice
in order to attain enlightenment.
 The Sangha- refers to monastic order founded by the
Buddha. It preserves the teachings and passes them
on to future generations.
 The Four Noble Truths
 Lifeis suffering (dukkha)- teaches that it is
useless to run after the pleasures of earthly life
because they are impermanent.
 There is suffering because there is desire- the
pleasures of the material world because they
mistakenly believe that they will not be gone.
 In order to get rid of suffering, one has to get
rid of desire- It is a wrong view to believe that
suffering is one’s fate; there is always a way
out of it.
 There is a path that leads from suffering (the
eightfold path)- recognizes that it is only in
following the Middle way that the individual
will find happiness, peace, and eventually,
enlightenment.
 The Noble Eightfold Path
The Path Pali Original Meaning
1. Right view Samma-ditthi Awareness of the law of
karma and the Four
Noble Truths

2. Right Thought Samma-sankappa Avoiding thoughts of

anger, greed and illicit
desire

3. Right Speech Samma-vaca Avoiding lies, unkind

speech, and frivolous
talk
4. Right Action Samma-kammanto Avoiding evil acts, those
against the Five Precepts
5. Right Livelihood Samma-ajivo Avoiding lifestyles and
occupation that harm
oneself and other
beings
6. Right Effort Samma-vayamo Doing one’s best in
doing good things at
the right time
7. Right Mindfulness Samma-sati Learning to be
attentive to the present
moment
8. Right Concentration Samma-samadhi Training the mind to be
focused and calm
 Main Buddhist Schools of Thought
 Theravada- (lit. “Teaching of the Elders”) school in
Buddhism claims to be the oldest living tradition
because it follows more closely the teaching and
monastic conduct during the Buddha ‘s time.
 Mahayana- (lit. “Greater Vehicle”)school is a
philosophical understanding of the experience of
enlightenment which Nagarjuna expressed in terms of
sunya (emptiness).
Vajrayana- (lit. “Indestructible
Diamond Vehicle”)-
to provide means to hasten the
journey to enlightenment within a
single lifetime.