Sutta Pitaka consists of Buddha’s teachings in the form stories.

Buddhist philosophy strongly highlights that the world is ever

changing and transient in nature so nothing is permanent and
eternal. Along with this, the entire world is soulless. Sorrows are
part of human existence and life. All human beings have
originated from the planet earth and then they bear children for
the continuity of life.
Gautama Buddha or Siddhartha Gautama Buddha is known as
‘Buddha’ which means ‘awakened being’ or ‘enlightened being’.
Base of Buddhism is the teachings of Gautama Buddha. He was
born in a royal Hindu family in Shakya Clan and his birthday is
celebrated as ‘Buddha Poornima’. Place of Gautama Buddha’s
birth is not clear as it may be the present day Nepal, Odisha or
Uttar Pradesh. He was destined to become either a great king or a
great holy man. As his father wanted him to be great king so he
kept Gautama Buddha away from the sufferings of life. But by the
age of 29 he left his palace to find his true self. On the way he saw
almost everyone suffering from one or other thing. He was
depressed and tried to overcome all these by living a life of an
ascetic. He during his journey to find answers had found that
meditation is the only way to awaken oneself. Gautama then sat
under the popular pipal tree that is known as the Bodhi tree in
Bodh Gaya, India and arose only after he found the truth. His
mediation continued for 49 days and after that he got
enlightenment. Gautama then found the cause of sufferings and
ways to end these.
Teachings of Gautama Buddha are the principles of life that had
been given by him after attaining the enlightenment.
The Four Noble Truths
Suffering is common – Everyone suffers
Cause of Suffering – Self, greed, desires and ignorance
End of Suffering – Renunciation of greed and ignorance
Path to end Suffering – Correct way of living and following the
eight fold path of life which is – Right Knowledge, Right Attitude,
Right Speech, Right Action, Right Means of Livelihood, Right
Effort, Right Awareness, and Right Meditation.
In the state of Nirvana the soul reunites to its pure state and stop
wandering in incarnations and karma.
The Supreme Power that controls the universe has no form or
name.
Strong characters are built by doing good deeds and kind
thoughts.
Before criticizing anyone it is better to see what you are doing.
Always do good and do not waste time and effort on things that
lead to harm.
Be aware of your words and deeds.
The Five Percepts of life are the most important rules of life and
these are – respect for life so no killing, respect for the property
of others so no stealing, respect for pure nature so no sexual
misconduct, respect for honesty so no lying and respect for a clear
mind so no intoxicants.
Death is not the end of life. Energy changes into matter and
matter again into energy like pale leaf fell on the ground mixes
with soil, seed fell on earth to give rise to new plant and so on.
Three poisons i.e. greed, hatred and stupidity keep us in the wheel
of life and death.
Be tolerant of all other religions. One should respect every
spiritual person and this is a very good deed. It is just like lighting
one candle from that of other. Now there won’t be the light of one
candle but two candles which will illuminate you and your life.
1. The term ‘Buddhism’ was coined by Western scholars in the
1830s. Buddhists don’t actually refer to their religion as
“Buddhism”.

2. Buddhism originated from around 400BC with the historical

individual known as the Buddha.

3. The first mention of the Buddha in Western writing is in the

writings of Clement of Alexandria, 2 AD.

4. The Buddha founded an order of monks and nuns known as

the Sangha who have preserved his teachings down to the present
day.

5. Buddhism is an extensive and internally diverse tradition with

two main branches.

6. With 360 million followers, Buddhism is the fourth largest

religion in the world.

7. In Buddhism, there is no single holy book. Extensive scriptures

have been preserved in many Asian languages.

8. Buddhists don’t believe in a supreme being or creator god.

9. Because of its emphasis on meditation and mindfulness,

Buddhism is often considered to be a form of psychology rather
than a religion.
10. Many traditional Buddhists believe in reincarnation and
rebirth. Modern Buddhists believe this idea can be jettisoned
without losing any central value.

RELIGION

2.3.2 Religions and Belief Systems

. 1. Religions and Belief Systems

. 2. Today’s Question: What do you already know about religion? How many
religions can you name? What is the most widely practiced religion?
. 3. RELIGION Religions and belief systems are important parts of cultures
around the world. A religion is a set of beliefs and practices that is often focused
on one or more deities, or gods. Major world religions include Christianity,
Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, and Sikhism.
. 4. Monotheistic Beliefs in one deity. Examples: Christianity, Islam, and
Judaism.
. 5. Polytheistic Have many deities. Example: Hinduism
. 6. All Religions Have a set of basic beliefs. Scriptures (sacred texts) that
communicate the beliefs of a religion. Bible-Christianity; Koran-Islam;
Torah-Judaism Code of conduct, or beliefs about right and wrong.
. 7. Spread of Religions Have spread by trade and migration. Also by
missionaries.
. 8. Spread of Religion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd5hvXgI_bQ
. 9. 6 Major Religions
. 10. World Religions
. 11. Buddhism Founder: Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. Followers: 4
million Basic Beliefs: People reach enlightenment, or wisdom, by following the
Eightfold Path and understanding the Four Noble Truths.
. 12. Hinduism Founder: Unknown Followers: 860 million Basic Beliefs:
Souls continue to be reborn. The cycle of rebirth ends only when the soul achieves
enlightenment, or freedom from earthly desires.
. 13. Christianity Founder: Jesus of Nazareth Followers: 2.3 billion Basic
Beliefs: There is one God, and Jesus is the only Son of God. Jesus was crucified
but was resurrected. Followers reach salvation by following the teachings of Jesus.
. 14. Islam Founder: The Prophet Muhammad Followers: 1.6 billion Basic
Beliefs: There is one God. Followers must follow the Five Pillars of Islam in order to
achieve salvation.
. 15. Judaism Founder: Abraham Followers: 15 million Basic Beliefs: There
is one God. People serve God by living according to his teachings. God handed
down the Ten Commandments to guide human behavior.
. 16. Sikhism Founder: Guru Nanak Followers: 25 million Basic Beliefs:
There is one God. Souls are reborn. The goal is to achieve union with God, which a
person does by acting selflessly, meditating, and helping others.
. 17. Explanation of the 6 Religions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHlykGFCSJw 8:10