Buddhism

1. Buddhism By, Nick, Alon, Levi, and Osher

2. Practical and Ritual • Comprised of very detailed and intimate prayers. • Used to get in touch with ones personal healing. • Mainly a way of expressing each other’s feelings • Show ones dedication and commitment to God.

3. Practical and Ritual • During prayer, five parts of the body must touch the ground. • These five body parts include the palms of our hands, the knees, and the forehead symbolizing the five elements of earth, water, fire, air, and space. • Buddhism incorporates a variety of other rituals and practices that are all planned to help one in achieve enlightenment

4. Practical and Ritual • The prayers are started with the evoking of Sangha. • Sangha is a sense of a community with a common goal • Once Sangha has been evoked, Sadhaka or Dharma students perform three bowings, known as the three gates. • Those three gates consist of the body, tongue, and the mind.

5. Practical and Ritual • Buddhism is the practice of meditation that is central to all forms of Buddhism. • Meditation is the central focus of Zen Buddhism and that it is the path to liberation • Buddhism is mainly a spiritual religion compared to others.belief strongly in the after life. (good behavior = reincarnated in a better species)

6. Narratives • Buddhist narratives are about the life story of the Buddha • have been passed down from the teacher the Buddha to his students • Buddha used these stories to illustrate the Dharma. • Most stories talk about the Buddha and how he is the teacher to all and is like the father to everyone in the entire world and that he is brought down to protect and rescue everyone in danger. (savior or messiah)

7. Narratives • Daily prayer for Buddhists can vary wherever one is. • Monks still follow the strict rules of the vinaya, which was brought to the religion many centuries ago. • Vinayais a sense of disciplinary rules that Buddhism came up with. Like some other religions these monks vow to not, lie, kill, have sexual relations, or use any sort of drugs. If one commits even one of these, it will then result with expulsion from the monastery.

8. Narratives • Each Sect that has been brought up through Buddhism has its own doctrines, gods and legends. • For example they all believe in the evil spirit Mara and that it tries to take over ones soul if they do not meditate but there are other traditions where things differ. • The Brahmanism a type of the Hindu religion first influenced Buddhism. • They both believed in the idea of reincarnation and the cycle of birth. • One of the most recognized sacred narratives in Buddhism is the life story of Gautama Siddhartha, who was then known for becoming the Buddha.

9. Mythic • normal existence consists of a process of continual birth, death, and rebirth, a cycle from which, the path of the Buddha is discovered. • One of the few religions that have a creation story.

10. Middle Way • A middle way is the descriptive term that Siddhartha Gautama used to describe the path that he found out which then led to liberation. • Buddha describes the middle way as a path of moderation between the extremes of sensual indulgence and self-mortification. (balance between sex and embarrassment basically. • Basically it’s a path of wisdom.

11. Buddhist Temples

12. Temples • They are usually located facing eastward or towards the sun • Located in places where there is quiet and peace so that one can find their inner peace • A buddhisttemple is derived after the imperial palaces and bears that have very little resemblance to the temples in India or other Buddhist countries. • Usually there are three groups of buildings separated by courtyards. The monastery, like other Chinese structures, normally face south.

13. Temples • In a Great Hall of the temple, the main altar is found and on it and is the image of Sakyamuni Buddha and his two foremost disciples or followers, Mahakasyapa and Ananda, or other Buddhas of the past eras. • Temples are usually named and based after other legends and main Buddhas.

14. Altar

15. Very detailed art and architecture

16. Buddhist Women • Women and men pretty much wear the • Same type of clothing • They must have shaved heads, no hair is • Permitted • They have to be covered from about their • Shoulders to their toes

17. Buddhist Men • – the style for the men and women • Are very similar (length) • Color of clothing is different • Shaved heads, no hair permitted, • Same as girls

18. Buddhist Children • Children are forced to wear the • Same clothing as adults • In this culture, children do not • Get any lenience regarding the clothing • They wear. • Shaved heads are rules for children • as well as adults

19. Similarities between Buddhist Men and Women clothing • Buddhist women and men wear similar clothing • They both have the rules regarding shaved heads • Their colors are usually dark, yet in some cases they have bright colors– as shown in the photos. • Style of clothing is usually robes that cover their entire body

20. Differences between Buddhist Men and Women clothing • Men and women wear different colored clothing, at all times. • During ceremonies, the color would ordinarily be dark, but in uplifting occasions, they would wear bright colors

21. Differences between clothing for adults and children • For the most part, the clothing children and adults are similar, but the color has no affect on children • Even when adults wear dark colors, children are still permitted to wear bright ones

22. Meditation • Meditation helps develop a more emotionally positive attitude, clearing the mind, and easier to learn to be kinder to yourself and others around. • In addition, it gives you patience, and the ability to communicate to other easier. • Posture is important- Chest up, back straight and crossed legs and hands together facing up. • It’s key to be mindful of breathing, which helps calm the mind and listening to your breathe helps become less distracted and better able to pay attention.

23. Four Noble Truths • Life involves suffering • Suffering comes from ignorance • Being unattached ends suffering • The use of the Noble Eightfold Path can help end all suffering.

24. Noble Eightfold Path • Right View • Right Intention • Right Speech • Right Action

25. Noble Eightfold Path • Right Livelihood • Right Effort • Right Mindfulness • Right Concentration

26. Buddhist Society • They believed that people should live in a egalitarian society. • There are two religious social groups, the monks, who have committed their lives to pursuing religious goals and everyone else. • The monks are called sangha and the non-monks are referenced as lay people or laity. -The contrast between the two groups creates a karmic lubricant that keeps the society of Buddhism running. • The monks pray and beg for the food and give out good karma to other monks and people in their society, while the lay people freely exchange the food as a way to earn this good karma. • In return to the lay people the monks help with religious guidance, marriages, funerals and so on. •  As this religion spread, many kings and wealthy individuals helped with building monasteries

27. Buddhist Branches • There are two distinct branches of Buddhism. • Buddhism consists of one side -Theravada which means, Traditions of the elders. • The Theravada claims to only follow the teachings of Buddha. • The second branch of Buddhism is the Mahayana. • The Mahayana which means “The Great Vehicle”, in depth means to move towards a destination. • The Mahayana stationed in north with the Theravada remained in the south.

28. Central message of Buddhism -Buddhism was created to designate a world that suffering does not exist.-To Buddha, release of suffering was much more important than creating a center of interest in ultimate salvation.-The focus was to engage in activities that would gain merit and would lead to a more desirable rebirth and true enlightenment.-The Buddhist religion teaches their followers to not be to self-involved and to help others reach enlightenment. -Buddhism is a very calm, peaceful, and liberated religion.

29. Video of Buddhist Monk Levitating • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tGcXqMU-d4