Chapter 4 Ancient India and China

Section 2 Buddhism
Objectives

You will learn about:

• fundamental concepts of Hinduism and Buddhism.

• The reasons why people followed Buddhism instead of Hinduism.
• The life of the Buddha.
• The teaching of Buddhism.
Recap

• The Aryans brought Brahmanism to the Indian subcontinent.

• The Aryans divided the Indian society to castes.

• The Indians followed Hinduism and sticked to the caste system.

• Though Hinduism was a very firm religion, it became the largest

religion in India.
Essential Question

• Why did Buddhism appeal to many people in various parts of

Asia?
Main Ideas

• Siddhartha Gautama, a religious teacher, became known as the

Buddha; he founded Buddhism in India in the 500s B.C.
• Buddhism is one of the world’s main religions; however, today
most Buddhists live outside of India.
• Buddhism spread because it welcomed all people and placed
importance on people’s behavior for their success in life.
• Key Buddhist teachings are Meditation, the Four Noble Truths, the
Eightfold Path, and the Three Qualities.
Building Background

• During the 500s B.C., some Indians felt unhappy with the many
ceremonies of the Hindu religion. They wanted a simpler, more
spiritual faith. They left their homes and looked for peace in the hills
and forests. Many trained their minds to focus and think in positive
ways. This training was called meditation. Some seekers developed
new ideas and became religious teachers.

• One of these teachers was Siddhartha Gautama.

• He became known as the Buddha.
• He founded a new religion called Buddhism.
Let’s answer the essential question of the
lesson which is.

• Why did Buddhism appeal to many people in various parts of

Asia?

• https://www.imb.org/2018/04/27/know-basics-buddhism/
Who is the Buddha?

Siddhartha Gautama
Around 566 BC, Siddhartha Gautama was born into the warrior or Kshatriya caste. He was a prince who
was kept isolated inside a beautiful palace and not allowed to see the real world. One day he left the
walls of his palace and saw the pain and misery of life. He decided from then on that he needed to
find a way of living that would allow people to find peace in life. He spent many years trying different
ways of life, following different philosophies. Finally he came up with his own way, which is now called
Buddhism. Gautama became known as Buddha, which means “enlightened one.” He developed the
Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path. These are rules to live by that help people live morally and
find the “middle path,” without too much pain, or too much pleasure.
The Buddha Finds Enlightenment

• Siddhartha had many questions concerning happiness in life. To find the

answers Siddhartha kept on searching for answers.
• He started fasting and meditating to free his mind.

• After seven weeks of deep meditation, Siddhartha realized that the human
suffering comes from three things.
1) Wanting what you like but don’t have.
2) Wanting to keep what like and already have.
3) Not wanting what we dislike but have.
• Siddhartha spent more weeks meditating under a tree known now
as the Tree of Wisdom to find the solution.
• He then found the enlightenment that’s why his followers called
him the Buddha or the enlightened one.
• The Buddha spent the rest of his life traveling across northern
India and teaching his ideas to people.
• He founded the religion of Buddhism.
Teachings of Buddhism
Four Noble Truths
1. Ordinary life is full of suffering
2. Suffering is caused by desire to satisfy ourselves
3. The way to end suffering is to end desire for selfish goal
4. The only way to stop desiring things is to follow the Eightfold
Path.
The Eightfold Path

Teachings of Buddhism
Middle Path (The Eightfold Path)
• 1. Right Thought: believe in the nature of existence and the four noble truths
• 2. Right Intention: incline toward goodness and kindness.
• 3. Right Speech: avoid lies and gossip.
• 4. Right Action: don’t steal from or harm others.
• 5. Right Livelihood: reject work that hurts others.
• 6. Right Effort: prevent evil and do good.
• 7. Right Mindfulness: control your feelings and thoughts.
• 8. Right Concentration: practice proper meditation.
• When people were finally free from all earthly concerns, they
would reach nirvana.
• According to Buddhist teaching, nirvana is not a physical place. It
is an emotional or spiritual state, a feeling of perfect peace and
happiness
 Buddhism Vs Hinduism

- The Buddhists rejected many ideas of the Hinduism contained in the Vedas such as
animal sacrifice.

- The Buddha challenged the authority of the Hindu priests, the Brahmins. He did not
believe that they or their rituals were necessary for enlightenment.

- The Buddha did not reject the Hindu teaching of reincarnation.

- The Buddha did not believe in the caste system . He did not think that people should
confined to a particular place in society.
Split in Buddhism

• After the spread of Buddhism, not all the Buddhists agree on the
same beliefs, so Buddhism split into two branches.

• Theravada and Mahayana.

• Theravada’s members follow the Buddha’s teachings exactly.
• Theravada means "teachings of the elders." Followers of Theravada
view the Buddha as a great teacher, but not a god. Theravada
Buddhism is the major religion of the modern-day country of Sri
Lanka
• Mahayana Buddhists believed that other people could interpret the
Buddha‘s teaching to help people reach nirvana.

• Mahayana Buddhism teaches that the Buddha is a god. Followers of

Mahayana Buddhism believe that the Eightfold Path is too difficult
for most people. By worshipping the Buddha, people will go to a
heaven after they die. There, they can follow the Eightfold Path
and reach nirvana.
Online References

• https://www.history.com/topics/religion/buddhism

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTI3P9zx-oY

• https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history/ancient-
medieval/buddhism-intro/v/buddhism