INTRODUCTION

Buddhism, founded in the late 6th century B.C.E. by Siddhartha Gautama (the
"Buddha"), is an important religion in most of the countries of sia. Buddhism has
assumed many different forms, but in each case there has been an attempt to dra!
from the life e"periences of the Buddha, his teachings, and the "spirit" or "essence"
of his teachings (called dhamma or dharma) as models for the religious life.
History of Prince Siddhartha
Siddhartha Gautama !as the !arrior son of a #ing and $ueen. ccording to legend,
at his birth a soothsayer predicted that he might become a renouncer (!ithdra!ing
from the temporal life). %o pre&ent this, his father pro&ided him !ith many lu"uries
and pleasures. But, as a young man, he once !ent on a series of four chariot rides
!here he first sa! the more se&ere forms of human suffering' old age, illness, and
death (a corpse), as !ell as an ascetic renouncer. %he contrast bet!een his life and
this human suffering made him reali(e that all the pleasures on earth !here in fact
transitory, and could only mas# human suffering. )ea&ing his !ife ** and ne! son
("+ahula" ** fetter) he too# on se&eral teachers and tried se&ere renunciation in the
forest until the point of near*star&ation. ,inally, reali(ing that this too !as only
adding more suffering, he ate food and sat do!n beneath a tree to meditate. By
morning (or some say si" months later-) he had attained .ir&ana (Enlightenment),
!hich pro&ided both the true ans!ers to the causes of suffering and permanent
release from it.

BASIC TEACHINGS OF THE BUDDHA
Buddhism sees life as a process of constant change, and its practices aim to ta#e
ad&antage of this fact. /t means that one can change for the better. %he decisi&e
factor in changing oneself is the mind, and Buddhism has de&eloped many methods
for !or#ing on the mind. 0ost importantly, Buddhists practice meditation, !hich is a
!ay of de&eloping more positi&e states of mind that are characteri(ed by calm,
concentration, a!areness, and emotions such as friendliness. 1sing the a!areness
de&eloped in meditation it is possible to ha&e a fuller understanding of oneself, other
people, and of life itself. Buddhists do not see# to 2e&angeli(e3 or coerce other people
to adopt their religion, but they do see# to ma#e its teachings a&ailable to !hoe&er is
interested, and people are free to ta#e.
Three Jee!s of B"ddhis#
%he ideals at the heart of Buddhism are collecti&ely #no!n as the 2Three Jewels,
or the Three Treasures. %hese are the Buddha (the yello! 4e!el),
the Dharma (the blue 4e!el), and the Sangha (the red 4e!el). /t is by ma#ing these
the central principles of your life that you become a Buddhist.
$% The B"ddha
%he Buddha refers both to the historical Buddha and to the ideal of Buddhahood
itself. %he !hole Buddhist tradition deri&es from the historical Buddha and all schools
regard him as their root founder, guide and inspiration. Goin& for Ref"&e to the
Buddha means seeing him as your ultimate teacher and spiritual e"ample. /t also
means committing yourself to achie&ing Buddhahood 5 Enlightenment for the sa#e of
all beings 5 !hich means that you aim to become someone !ho sees the nature of
reality absolutely clearly, 4ust as it is, and li&es fully and naturally in accordance !ith
that &ision. %his is the goal of the Buddhist spiritual life, representing the end of
suffering for anyone !ho attains it.
'% The Dhar#a
The Dharma primarily means the teachings of the Buddha, or the truth he
understood. %he !ord 26harma3 has many meanings but most importantly it means
the unmediated %ruth (as e"perienced by the enlightened mind). /n this second
sense, 6harma is the teaching that !as born !hen the Buddha first put his
reali(ation into !ords and communicated it to others at Sarnath in .orthern /ndia. s
!ell as this, 6harma refers to the entire corpus of scriptures !hich are regarded as
constituting the Buddhist canon.
s the Buddha3s central teachings are e"plored, they connect !ith the great Buddhist
$ualities of !isdom and compassion. Sincere engagement !ith basic Buddhist
practices offers a conte"t for understanding and engaging !ith the deeper teachings
of Buddhism.
(% The San&ha
2Sangha3 refers to the people !ith !hom !e share our spiritual li&es. 7e need the
guidance of personal teachers, !ho are further along the path than !e are, and the
support and friendship of other practitioners. %his is &ery
important because Buddhism is not an abstract philosophy or creed8 it is a !ay of
approaching life and therefore it only has any meaning !hen it is embodied in
people. nd in the broadest sense the Sangha means all of the Buddhists in the
!orld, and all those of the past and of the future.
The Three Fo!d )ay
nother formulation of the path is the %hreefold 7ay of ethics, meditation, and
wisdom. %his is a progressi&e path, as ethics and a clear conscience pro&ide an
indispensable basis for meditation, and meditation is the ground on !hich !isdom
can de&elop.
$% Ethics
%o li&e is to act, and our actions can ha&e either harmful or beneficial conse$uences
for oursel&es and others. Buddhist ethics is concerned !ith the principles and
practices that help one to act in !ays that help rather than harm.
'% *editation
0editation is the second stage of the threefold !ay.
(% )isdo#
%he aim of all Buddhist practices, including meditation, is prajna, or !isdom. %he
Buddha taught that the fundamental cause of human difficulties is our e"istential
ignorance 5 our failure to understand the true nature of reality and !isdom is the
opposite of this.
/t is not enough to #no! the Buddha3s philosophy, or e&en to ha&e a good
understanding of it. %he ultimate aim is to reali(e the truth for oneself and to be
transformed by that reali(ation.
%he Buddha taught that life * e&erything !e e"perience * has three characteristics.
9e called these the three marks of conditioned existence.
,irstly he said that all life is dukkha, or unsatisfactory.
9e also said that it is impermanent. E&erything in the uni&erse, including
oursel&es and the thoughts that ma#e up our minds, is in a constant process
of change. nd yet !e act as if the !orld around us is predictable and stable,
and !e li&e our li&es as if death !ere not a certainty. Buddhists reflect on the
fact of impermanence, and try to li&e !ith this understanding.
%hirdly, !here&er !e may loo# in life for something solid and unchanging, !e
only find flu". So he said that all e"istence is anatta or insubstantial. %here is
no fi"ed, abiding essence to things, and no eternal soul !ithin human beings.
THE THREE UNI+ERSA, TRUTHS
:ne day, the Buddha sat do!n in the shade of a tree and noticed ho! beautiful the
countryside !as. ,lo!ers !ere blooming and trees !ere putting on bright ne!
lea&es, but among all this beauty, he sa! much unhappiness. farmer beat his o" in
the field. bird pec#ed at an earth!orm, and then an eagle s!ooped do!n on the
bird. 6eeply troubled, he as#ed, "7hy does the farmer beat his o"; 7hy must one
creature eat another to li&e;"
6uring his enlightenment, the Buddha found the ans!er to these $uestions. 9e
disco&ered three great truths. 9e e"plained these truths in a simple !ay so that
e&eryone could understand them.
$% Nothin& is !ost in the "ni-erse
%he first truth is that nothing is lost in the uni&erse. 0atter turns into energy, energy
turns into matter. dead leaf turns into soil. seed sprouts and becomes a ne!
plant. :ld solar systems disintegrate and turn into cosmic rays. 7e are born of our
parents, our children are born of us.
7e are the same as plants, as trees, as other people, as the rain that falls. 7e
consist of that !hich is around us, !e are the same as e&erything. /f !e destroy
something around us, !e destroy oursel&es. /f !e cheat another, !e cheat oursel&es.
1nderstanding this truth, the Buddha and his disciples ne&er #illed any animal.
'% E-erythin& Chan&es
%he second uni&ersal truth of the Buddha is that e&erything is continuously changing.
)ife is li#e a ri&er flo!ing on and on, e&er*changing. Sometimes it flo!s slo!ly and
sometimes s!iftly. /t is smooth and gentle in some places, but later on snags and
roc#s crop up out of no!here. s soon as !e thin# !e are safe, something
une"pected happens.
(% ,a of Ca"se and Effect
%he third uni&ersal truth e"plained by the Buddha is that there are continuous
changes due to the la! of cause and effect. %his is the same la! of cause and effect
found in e&ery modern science te"tboo#. /n this !ay, science and Buddhism are
ali#e.
%he la! of cause and effect is #no!n as .ar#a% .othing e&er happens to us unless
!e deser&e it. 7e recei&e e"actly !hat !e earn, !hether it is good or bad. 7e are
the !ay !e are no! due to the things !e ha&e done in the past. :ur thoughts and
actions determine the #ind of life !e can ha&e. /f !e do good things, in the future
good things !ill happen to us. /f !e do bad things, in the future bad things !ill
happen to us. E&ery moment !e create ne! #arma by !hat !e say, do, and thin#. /f
!e understand this, !e do not need to fear #arma. /t becomes our friend. /t teaches
us to create a bright future.
%he Buddha said,
"The kind of seed sown
will produce that kind of fruit.
Those who do good will reap good results.
Those who do evil will reap evil results.
If you carefully plant a good seed,
ou will !oyfully gather good fruit."
"hammapada
THE FOUR NOB,E TRUTHS
:nce there !as a !oman named <isagotami, !hose first*born son died. She !as so
stric#en !ith grief that she roamed the streets carrying the dead body and as#ing for
help to bring her son bac# to life. #ind and !ise man too# her to the Buddha.
%he Buddha told her, ",etch me a handful of mustard seeds and / !ill bring your child
bac# to life." =oyfully <isagotami started off to get them. %hen the Buddha added,
"But the seeds must come from a family that has not #no!n death."
<isagotami !ent from door to door in the !hole &illage as#ing for the mustard seeds,
but e&eryone said, ":h, there ha&e been many deaths here", "/ lost my father", / lost
my sister". She could not find a single household that had not been &isited by death.
,inally <isagotami returned to the Buddha and said, "%here is death in e&ery family.
E&eryone dies. .o! / understand your teaching."
%he Buddha said, ".o one can escape death and unhappiness. /f people e"pect only
happiness in life, they !ill be disappointed."
%hings are not al!ays the !ay !e !ant them to be, but !e can learn to understand
them. 7hen !e get sic#, !e go to a doctor and as#'
7hat>s !rong !ith me;
7hy am / sic#;
7hat !ill cure me;
7hat do / ha&e to do get !ell;
The Buddha is like a good doctor. First a good doctor diagnoses the illness. Next he
finds out what has caused it. Then he decides what the cure is. Finally he prescries
the medicine or gi!es the treatment that will make the patient well again.
The Fo"r No/!e Tr"ths
?. %here is Suffering Suffering is common to all.
@. Cause of Suffering 7e are the cause of our suffering.
A. End of Suffering Stop doing !hat causes suffering.
B. Cath to end Suffering E&eryone can be enlightened.

$% S"fferin&0 E&eryone suffers from these thing
Birth1 7hen !e are born, !e cry.
Sic.ness1 7hen !e are sic#, !e are miserable.
O!d a&e1 7hen old, !e !ill ha&e ache and pains and find it hard to get around.
Death1 .one of us !ants to die. 7e feel deep sorro! !hen someone dies.
THE NOB,E EIGHTFO,D PATH
7hen the Buddha ga&e his first sermon in the 6eer Car#, he began the >T"rnin& of
the Dhar#a )hee!>. 9e chose the beautiful symbol of the !heel !ith its eight
spo#es to represent the .oble Eightfold Cath. %he Buddha>s teaching goes round and
round li#e a great !heel that ne&er stops, leading to the central point of the !heel,
the only point !hich is fi"ed, .ir&ana. %he eight spo#es on the !heel represent the
eight parts of the .oble Eightfold Cath. =ust as e&ery spo#e is needed for the !heel
to #eep turning, !e need to follo! each step of the path.

$% Ri&ht +ie. %he right !ay to thin# about life is to see the !orld through the eyes
of the Buddha**!ith !isdom and compassion.
'% Ri&ht Tho"&ht. 7e are !hat !e thin#. Clear and #ind thoughts build good,
strong characters.
(% Ri&ht S2eech. By spea#ing #ind and helpful !ords, !e are respected and trusted
by e&eryone.
3% Ri&ht Cond"ct. .o matter !hat !e say, others #no! us from the !ay !e beha&e.
Before !e critici(e others, !e should first see !hat !e do oursel&es.
4% Ri&ht ,i-e!ihood. %his means choosing a 4ob that does not hurt others. %he
Buddha said, "6o not earn your li&ing by harming others. 6o not see# happiness by
ma#ing others unhappy."
5% Ri&ht Effort. !orth!hile life means doing our best at all times and ha&ing good
!ill to!ard others. %his also means not !asting effort on things that harm oursel&es
and others.
6% Ri&ht *indf"!ness. %his means being a!are of our thoughts, !ords, and deeds.
7% Ri&ht Concentration. ,ocus on one thought or ob4ect at a time. By doing this,
!e can be $uiet and attain true peace of mind.
,ollo!ing the .oble Eightfold Cath can be compared to culti&ating a garden, but in
Buddhism one culti&ates one>s !isdom. %he mind is the ground and thoughts are
seeds. 6eeds are !ays one cares for the garden. :ur faults are !eeds. Culling them
out is li#e !eeding a garden. %he har&est is real and lasting happiness.
THE FI+E PRECEPTS
ll religions ha&e some basic rules that define !hat is good conduct and !hat #ind of
conduct should be a&oided. /n Buddhism, the most important rules are the Fi-e
Prece2ts. %hese ha&e been passed do!n from the Buddha himself.

?. .o #illing +espect for life
@. .o stealing +espect for others> property
A. .o se"ual misconduct +espect for our pure nature
B. .o lying +espect for honesty
D. .o into"icants +espect for a clear mind
B"ddhist h"#anis#
B"ddhist h"#anis# is a philosophical perspecti&e based on the teaching of inherent
dignity of all human beings, their potential for attaining highest !isdom about their
condition and their essential nature of altruism e"emplified by the Bodhisatt&a spirit of
compassion. Buddhist humanism focuses on the interdependence of humanity, all
sentient beings and the en&ironment, see#ing to create harmony through these
interrelated relationships. /n practical terms, humanism is e"pressed on the indi&idual
le&el through action' to Erelie&e sufferings and impart 4oyF, to contribute to the !elfare
of society ,abiding by the attitude of non&iolence supporting human rights and acting
for !orld peace effecti&ely ad&ocating the concept of global citi(enship.
7hile Buddhism is a man*originated belief, it does not, ho!e&er, put the human being
abo&e or at the centre of nature' E7e are not independent, self*sufficient beings but a
part of the natural !orld, !here all forms of animal and plant life depend on each other
for e"istenceF.
G
%he common &alues !hich &arious schools of Buddhism associate !ith
humanism, centre on the inherent dignity of all people, the oneness of self and others
and the spirit of compassion, as !ell as other related &alues prompting humanistic
action in today3s contemporary !orld'
The inherent di&nity of h"#an /ein&s' the indi&idual is !orthy of respect by &irtue
of being born as a human being' "Buddhist humanismHis a philosophical perspecti&e
that reflects the core spirit of the )otus Sutra, one founded on faith in the inherent
dignity of human beings and profound confidence in people>s capacity for positi&e
transformationF.
Bodhisatt-a s2irit8 a!tr"is# and co#2assion' E%he oneness of self and others is
the bac#ground of altruism and the aspiration to help others lead a life free from
sufferings. %he Bodhisatt&a e"emplifies the state of compassion, or altruistic life, and a
person in this state aspires to help all peopleF
Se!f1#astery' Iarious Buddhist schools differ in their teachings regarding the
sub4ect of mastery of human desires, ne&ertheless there is a common agreement that
beha&ior or actual conduct is a proof of a person3s humanity and self*de&elopment, as
humanism starts from the indi&idual EBuddhism is concerned !ith the essential nature
of humanity. s .ichiren 6aishonin teaches 2beha&ior as a human being3 that perfectly
accords !ith reason is !hat constitutes the heart of BuddhismF. Some Buddhist schools
focus on follo!ing the precepts to manifest one3s highest form of humanity.
Peace and non-io!ence' %he essence of Buddhist concepts of eternity of
life, interconnectedness of all beings and the sanctity of life form the ground for
non&iolence' E...the Buddha !as the greatest teacher of ahimsa (non*&iolence)F. E
single life is !orth more than the ma4or !orld system Guni&erseJ.F %o resol&e conflicts,
Buddhism offers the !ay of dialogue and sharing responsibility.
Res2ect for h"#an ri&hts' 0any Buddhist te"ts emphasi(e the e$uality of all
members of society regardless of class or gender' EG%he )otus SutraJ is also a
grand declaration of human rights that refutes ideas and beliefs that discriminate
against !omenF. %he right to li&e !ithout oppression and the right of the indi&idual
for self*de&elopment are essential for attaining enlightenment.
BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES
%he 6harma re&eals the Buddha>s understanding of life. The B"ddha instr"cted
co"nt!ess 2eo2!e8 /"t he8 hi#se!f8 rote nothin& don8 9"st as Jes"s rote
nothin& don% %hey both li&ed a complete life. 9is disciples remembered his tal#s
and recited them regularly. %hese tal#s !ere collected into boo#s called S"tras.
%here are many Sutras, so Buddhism does not ha&e 4ust a single holy boo#, li#e the
Christian Bible or the <oran of /slam.
%he first Sutras !ere !ritten on palm lea&es in Pa!i and Sans.rit, ancient /ndian
languages. %hey ha&e been gathered together in a collection called the Tri2ita.a,
!hich means >three bas#ets>. /t is di&ided into three parts.
Sutra Cita#aKSutras and their e"planations
Iinaya Cita#aK+ules for mon#s and nuns
bhidharma Cita#aK%he psychology and philosophy of the Buddha>s teachings
BUDDHIST S:*BO,S
Buddhist symbols ha&e special meanings that remind us of the Buddha>s teachings.
%he main room or building is called a shrine or a Buddha 9all. /n the front of this
room, there is an altar. %here are many beautiful things on the altar. 9ere are some
of them.
I#a&es of the B"ddha
Traditiona! offerin&s
Dhar#a instr"#ents
BUDDHIST FESTI+A,S
Buddhists ha&e many festi&als throughout the year. %hese festi&als celebrate e&ents
in the li&es of Buddhas, Bodhisatt&as and famous teachers. 6uring these occasions
people can also ta#e refuge and precepts, or lea&e the home life to become mon#s
and nuns.
B"ddha Day
,or the Buddhist community, the most important e&ent of the year is the celebration
of the Birth of the Buddha, his Enlightenment and .ir&ana. /t falls on the full*moon
day in 0ay. :n this day, Buddhists ta#e part in the ceremonial bathing of the
Buddha. %hey pour ladles of !ater scented !ith flo!ers o&er a statue of the baby
Siddhartha. %his symboli(es purifying one>s thoughts and actions.
%he temples are elaborately decorated !ith flo!ers and banners8 the altars are laden
!ith offerings8 &egetarian meals are pro&ided for all8 and capti&e animals, such as
birds and turtles are set free. %his is a &ery 4oyous day for e&eryone.
Dhar#a Day
salha Cu4a, #no!n as >6harma 6ay>, is celebrated during full*moon in =uly. %his
holiday commemorates the first sermon of the Buddha to the fi&e mon#s in the 6eer
Car# at Benares.
San&ha Day
Sangha 6ay or <athina 6ay is usually held in :ctober. /n the %hera&ada tradition,
mon#s and nuns go on a three*month retreat during the rainy season. fter the
retreat, the laity offers robes and other necessities to them. %his day symboli(es the
close relationship bet!een the Sangha and laity.
U!!a#/ana
%he obser&ance of 1llambana is based on the story of 0audgalyayana, a disciple of
the Buddha. 7hen 0audgalyayana>s mother died, he !anted to #no! !here she !as
reborn. 1sing his spiritual po!ers, he tra&eled into the hells and found her suffering
miserably from hunger. 9e brought her a bo!l of food, but !hen she tried to s!allo!
it, the food turned into hot coals.
%he distressed 0audgalyayana as#ed the Buddha, "7hy is my mother suffering in
the hells;"
%he Buddha replied, "/n her life as a human, she !as stingy and greedy. %his is her
retribution." 9e ad&ised, "0a#e offerings to the Sangha. %he merit and &irtue from
this act !ill release your mother and others from the hells." s a result of
0audgalyana>s offering, his mother and thousands of others !ere released from their
unhappy state. fter this, ma#ing offerings to release departed relati&es and others
from the hells became popular in 0ahayana countries. 1sually, it ta#es place in
September.
Conc!"sion 0
#verything in life is interconnected$ no individual is entirely separate from
other individuals, and humanity is not separate from the world it inha%its.
&rom this naturally arises compassion, or universal loving'kindness, which
is the counterpart of wisdom.
S"/#itted By0
0s Gun4an %andon
0s S!ati Chugh