Buddha

• Buddha (c.563-483 BCE), also known as Siddhartha Gautama, was a Prince from the Indian sub-continent who relinquished his wealth in order to discover poverty and suffering. He was the Founder of Buddhism.
• Buddha taught the Path of Release from human suffering in order to achieve Enlightenment.

Biography

• ‘Buddha’ means ‘The Awakened One’. He was born in Nepal, the date is uncertain, but possibly between 563-583 BCE. He died in Uttar Pradesh, India, the date is also uncertain, possibly between 483-400 BCE.
• He was a Prince born into a life of wealth. At the age of 29, he left his palace and discovered poverty and suffering. He sold all his possessions and experienced starvation and destitution.
• Buddha concluded that there must be a Middle Path between the extremes of great wealth and grinding poverty. In the following decades, Buddha traveled throughout Northern India, teaching the Middle Path.
• After he died, Buddha was cremated and his remains divided. According to the Ashokavadana, the Indian Emperor Ashoka (c.268-232 BCE) commissioned and built 84,000 Stupas to house the remains of Buddha.
• In Sri Lanka, The Great Stupa of Ruwanwelisaya built in c.140 BCE, in the city of Anuradhapura, contains a Relic of Gautama Buddha.

Buddhism

• Buddhism is a non-theistic Religion, based on the Teachings of Gautama Buddha. Buddhism arose in part as a reaction to the authority of the Vedas and Brahmanism.
• Buddha taught the path of release from human suffering in order to achieve Enlightenment. Once the person has been ‘Awakened’ (Enlightened), the person exists in new state of being, known as Nirvana.

King Ashoka

• After Buddha died, groups of monks and nuns, followed his routes, dressed in yellow, spreading his philosophy.
• When King Ashoka, created the Mauryan Empire in the 3rd century BCE, he wanted to end the cycle of warfare and devastation.
• He converted to Buddhism and adopted a policy of non-violence and sent Buddhist monks into neighbouring Territories to spread the teachings of Buddha.
• Consequently, Buddhism spread throughout India, and abroad into Sri Lanka, Burma, Nepal, Tibet, Asia, China and Japan.

The Philosophy of Buddhism

• Buddhism is based on the ending of human suffering by the ending of all ignorance.
• This is achieved by a greater understanding of the following:
  • The Three Marks of Existence
  • The Five Aggregates
  • Dependent origination
  • Karma and rebirth
  • The Four Noble Truths
  • The Noble Eightfold Path
  • Nirvana

The Three main Branches of Buddhism

• • Theravada
    • ‘The School of the Elders’
  • Mahayana
    • ‘The Great Vehicle’ which developed between 100 BCE and 100 CE.
  • Vajrayana
    • This is considered to be an esoteric version of Mahayana mainly practised in Tibet.

Countries following Buddhism

• Theravada

  • Sri Lanka
  • Cambodia
  • Laos
  • Thailand
    • Phuket has 40 Buddhist Temples.
  • Myanamar (Burma)

• Mahayana

  • China
  • Korea
  • Vietnam
  • Singapore
  • Japan and Zen Buddhism
  • Taiwan

Vajrayana (Part of Mahayana)

• • Tibet
  • Bhutan
  • Nepal
  • Mongolia
  • India
    • By the late Middle Ages, Buddhism had virtually died out in India.

Nepal and Northern India