The History of Buddhism

1. The History of Buddhism Ms. Ansari March 1st, 2013

2. History of the Buddha • Buddhism has its roots in northern India and Hinduism • It is a reformed version of Hinduism • The founder, Siddhartha Gautama, is believed to be the 9th avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu

3. The Life of the Buddha • Around 400 BCE, Siddhartha Gautama was born as a prince of a small Hindu kingdom • A wise man prophesied that the young prince would become either a great king or a great saviour (religious leader) • If the child was exposed to suffering, he would follow the spiritual path • Siddhartha’s father wanted him to become a great king, so he tried to shelter him from the suffering

4. The Life of the Buddha Continued • Siddhartha married at the age of 16 and was on his way to political leadership • But he took a journey that exposed him to suffering and ultimately led to the creation of Buddhism • When he was approximately 35 years old, he gave his first sermon, called the Wheel of Dharma – that explained what people must do to release themselves from suffering

5. The Buddha continued to teach until he was 80 – during that time the Buddha taught mainly through the use of stories • However, his teachings were not written down during his lifetime – in fact, they were first written down 400 years later by his followers

6. Suffering • Siddhartha did not know what suffering was until he saw a man in great pain, and a dead man whose family was weeping over him • Curious about learning what to do to release oneself from suffering, he left his wife and newborn son to become a religious ascetic and look for answers • Definition - Ascetic: someone who practices severe self-discipline or abstains from physical pleasures for religious purposes • Siddhartha travelled from teacher to teacher with 5 companions for 6 years, but failed to find Enlightenment

7. Siddhartha Becomes the Buddha • He came to the realization that neither way of living would allow him to reach Enlightenment • He thought he would find a thoughtful, balanced way to live • He resolved to sit in meditation until he attained Enlightenment • For 49 days, he engaged in meditation • He finally reached Enlightenment and became the Buddha

8. Siddhartha Stays to Spread the News • Instead of immediately entering Nirvana, the Buddha decided to remain on Earth to share his insights • He accepted disciples (male and female) and converted his five ascetic companions, who became his first monks

9. The Spread of Buddhism • As Buddhism spread, different groups began to emphasize different teachings • This led to the development of two main groups: • Mahayana Buddhists • Theravada Buddhists • Some ‘Buddhist countries’ are ruled by governments that do not approve of the teachings of Buddhism, and this makes it very difficult to know how many Buddhists are in the world • What also makes it hard to count the number of Buddhists is that many do not attend temples, but pray in shrines in their homes.