BUDDHISM
 Buddhism is an Indian religion which
contains the traditions, beliefs, and spiritual
practices based on the teachings of the
Buddha. It has 520 million followers, or
over 7% of the world population
(Buddhists), making it the world’s fourth
largest religion.
LIFE OF SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA/BUDDHA (563 BC-
483 BC)
BIRTH AND LIVING
HISTORY OF BUDDHISM
 Buddhism started as a revolutionary religion
during Iron Age. It belongs to the Shramana
religions, which also includes Jainism. They
rejected the authority of the Vedas,
Upanishads, and some Hindu concepts like
atman (soul, self), Brahman, and the
afterlife. They proposed their own
doctrines, notably the Middle Path
(between worldliness and extreme
ascetism).
SPREAD OF BUDDHISM
 Mauryan emperor Ashoka Maurya (268-232
BC) was one of the firm supporters of
Buddhism since he was converted. He used
his imperial power to spread Buddhism to
Sri Lanka, Burma, the neighboring Seleucid
Empire and as far as the Hellenistic
kingdoms in the Mediterranean.
 Spreading of Buddhism during the time of
Emperor Ashoka (268-232 BC)
 Then, the Theravada school spread south in
India in 3rd century BC to the following
places:
 Sri Lanka
 Mainland Southeast Asia
 Thailand
 Myanmar
 Indonesia (minority only
(majority are Muslims))
 Thailand
 Malaysia (minority only
(majority are Muslims))
 Coastal Vietnam
 In the 2nd century CE, Mahayana Sutras
spread to China, and then to Korea and
Japan, where these are translated into
Chinese. 6 centuries later, it also began to
spread in Tibet and Mongolia.
 Unfortunately, in the Middle Ages,
Buddhism gradually declined in India,
Persia, and Central Asia due to the strong
movement of the Hindu Dharma and the
Islamic sect, but it is still alive in South India
(though there are only few, notably the
Dravidians (Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam)).
 Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) is the
founder of Buddhism. He is also known as
Tathagata (thus-gone) and Sakyamuni (sage
of the Sakyas).
 He was born around 563 BC at Lumbini and
grew up at Kapilavasthu (at modern-day
India). He came from a royal family; his
father was King Suddhodoana. He was once
predicted by a an ascetic (a beggar) to be
the most powerful king, so his father gave
him a mahasattva (the best things/ luxury).
REALIZATION, ABANDONMENT, AND
WANDERING
 But one day, he saw some sights that
found something that disturbed him;
life was suffering. After seeing this, he
left his wife and son asleep and fled his
palace with his horse to seek
enlightenment. He first studied with
some Brahmin sages, but he was
unsatisfied. So he went fasting for 6
years. He fasted that he almost ate only
a single grain of rice everyday, which led
to his near immediate death
ENLIGHTENMENT
 After his life was saved by a villager, he
realized that extreme ascetism is not a
solution for enlightenment. So, he
meditated at a Bodhi tree, and he found
out the Four Noble Truths. After that,
he went to the holy Hindu city of
Varanasi, India to form his first sangha
(5). Eventually it increased to 55 and
 many kings and citizens converted into
Buddhism.
LATER LIFE AND DEATH
 After devoting his life in preaching his
found doctrines, he died around 483 BC
after having eaten truffles or spoiled
pork curry. His last words are:
PALI CANON (TRIPITAKA)
BUDDHIST SCHOOLS (DIVISIONS)
BUDDHISM IS COMPOSED OF 3 MAIN
DIVISIONS
1. Theravada (actually the surviving branch of
Hinayana)- red
2. Mahayana- yellow
3. Vajrayana (a branch of Mahayana)- orange
THERAVADA BUDDHISM
 Remaining surviving branch of the extinct
Hinayana Buddhism
 Branch of Buddhism which is more
The refuge to the three jewels (PALI: triratna)
conservative/orthodox.
 Majorities live in:
 Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos,
Cambodia
 Minorities live in:
 Australia, Europe, North America
CHARACTERISTICS OF THERAVADA BUDDHISTS
 They are more faithful to Buddha’s
teachings.
 They believe in the virtues of wisdom,
ascetic discipline and meditation over ritual.
 These are the monastic persons in
Theravada Buddhism. They are called
bhikkhu (monk) or bhikkhuni (nun). They
usually shave their hair and eyebrows, wear
saffron robes, hold a begging bowl, and
meditate always for enlightenment, making
Buddha’s example. Hence, the term “putting
on one’s robes” means a person will be a
Buddhist monk.
 Buddhists also visit sacred sites which they
pay respect to relics related to Buddha,
including bones, footprints, and
possessions. These can be monastic
residences/schools (wat, vihara), or shrines,
as the picture depicts. (stupa, dagoba,
chedi, chörten, pagoda).
 Tripitaka (“Three Baskets”)- the compilation
of Buddha’s teachings written in the Pali
language. These composes of three
sections, hence, the name:
 Vinaya Pitaka (Basket of Discipline)-
contains disciplinary rules for
Buddhist monastic life (227 for
bhikkhus and 311 for bhikkhunis)
 Sutta Pitaka (Basket of Threads)-
the main heart of the Tripitaka,
divided into two sections:
 Jataka Tales- Stories
involving Buddha’s life
 Dhammapada- 400 ethical
maxims as memorized by
Ananda (Christian “verses”)
 Abhidhamma Pitaka (Basket of
Higher Teaching)- contains
philosophical commentaries of
Buddha’s doctrines.
Pali: “Buddham sharanam gacchami,
Dharmam sharanam gacchami,
Sangham sharanam gacchami”
English: “To the Buddha, I go for refuge,
To the Dharma, I go for refuge,
To the Sangha, I go for refuge.”