THERAVADA BUDDHISM

BUDDHISM
• Is a religion of around 500 million people
or around 7% to 8% of the world’s
population
• Buddhism followers are mostly found in
Asian continent with China having the
largest population at around 244 million
or 18% of its total population.
 ASIAN COUNTRIES THAT HAVE THE HIGHEST
BUDDHIST MAJORITY IN TERMS OF POPULATION.

1. Cambodia 92%
2. Thailand 90%
3. Myanmar 80%
4. Bhutan 75%
5. Sri Lanka 75%
6. Laos 66%
• Buddhism is one of the most practical among
the world’s great religion because its belief
system intends to meet the basic needs of
human needs and solve human kind spiritual
problem without depending on supernatural
forces
HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND
• As the disciples of Siddhartha Gautama
spread his word and preached
throughout various communities, there
came a need for them to adapt to local
culture, politics, and economic context
• Emerging branches of Buddhism had
become adjusted to the milieu of the
place.
• They may differ on the doctrines of
Buddhism but their relationships
with other subgroups are generally
good
• The basic tenets of both major
schools of thought originate from
Siddhartha Gautama whose life has
become a constant source of
inspiration to others
LIFE OF THE BUDDHA
• Siddhartha Gautama have been born between
563 B.C.E. to 480 B.C.E. in Nepal
• Born into the Kshatriya caste, his father was
Suddhodana, an aristocratic Hindu chieftain,
and his mother was Mahamaya, a Koliyan
princess
• Ten months later, Siddhartha was born.He emerged
from the side of the queen, took seven steps, and
said, “I have been born to achieve awakening(bodhi)
for the good of the world: this is my last birth.”
• The name ‘Siddhartha’ means “he who achieves his
aim.”
• He was reared by Mahamaya’s younger sister
Mahapajapati who became his father’s second wife
and the first woman to request ordination from the
Buddha.
• The word “Buddha” means “the awakened one” or
the “enlightened one.”
• At the time of his birth, the seer Asita
predicted that the child was destined for
either political or spiritual ascendancy
• Since Suddhodana wanted Siddhartha to
choose the life of a great king, he made sure
that the young boy experienced the comfort
of wealth and power
• Siddhartha spent 29 years as a prince in
Kapilavastu and he began to develop a keen
sense of discontent
• As he felt constant emptiness despite
living a life of luxury and ease, he sought
answers to his questions by leaving his
comfortable abode without the
knowledge or approval of his family
• He left his wife, child, and social status as
he began to search for truth and
liberation
SACRED SCRIPTURE
• The early schools of Buddhism developed their own
unique body of sacred texts
• Of these, however, only the Pali Canon or the
Tipitaka/Tripitaka (“three baskets”) of Theravada
Buddhism survives
• Preserved in the Pali language, this standard
collection of scriptures of Theravada Buddhists is
the first known, the most conservative, and the
most complete extant early canon of Buddhist
writings.
 The three baskets (tipitaka/tripitaka)
Tipitika
Sutta Pitaka (Discourse)
Vinaya Pitaka (Discipline)
Abhidhamma Pitaka (Ultimate
Doctrine)
Contents
Buddha’s doctrinal discourses;
short poems to long prose
narratives about Siddhartha’s
previous lives
Rules of discipline; stories that
illustrate Buddhist moral
principles
Systematic analysis of the
categories of Buddhist thought
BELIEFS AND DOCTRINES
 Eightfold Path What One Must Do
Right View Understand the “Four Noble Truths”

Right Intention Free one’s self from ill-will, cruelty, and

untruthfulness
Right Speech Abstain from untruthfulness, tale-bearing,
harsh language, and vain talk
Right Action Abstain from killing, stealing, and sexual
misconduct
Right Livelihood Earn a living in a way not harmful to any
living thing
Right Effort Avoid evil thoughts and overcome them,
arouse good thoughts and maintain them
Right Mindfulness Pay vigilant attention to every state of the
body, feeling, and mind
Right Concentration Concentrate on a single object so as to
induce certain special states of
consciousness in deep meditation
SUBDIVISIONS

1. Theravada
2. Mahayana
• Mahayana Buddhism (or the Mahayanas) can be
defined as a major movement in the history
of Buddhism which has its origins in
northern India
• It is made up of many schools and
reinterpretations of fundamental human beliefs,
values and ideals not only those of the Buddhist
teachings
SELECTED ISSUES
• However, there are instances wherein Buddhist
monks engaged themselves in open conflict, such as
those that occurred in China and Japan.
• Quite recently, monks have been in the forefront of
political and social activism in Asia, such as
Myanmar’s “Saffron Revolution” in 2007 and the
Tibet demonstrations in 2008.