By Joseph Hood-Phipps, Maisie Morrison, Olivia Tuffs-Moulds and Tia Briers

Buddhism

Siddhartha Gautama was the creator of Buddhism, who’s Mother died as a sacrifice for giving birth to a holy son. Siddhartha grew up living the extravagant life as a Prince. Then one day, he left his home to try and relieve the world of suffering in the outside world.

Who created Buddhism?

Buddhism began in North-Eastern India and over centuries, has spread world-wide, going as far as China and Malaysia.

Where did Buddhism begin?

Buddhist’s do not believe in any God, but they believe in their creator, The Buddha. They also believe that The Buddha’s teachings will guide them through life, mentally and spiritually.

Buddhist’s also believe in eightfold path, which is a eight handled wheel, and each handle represents one of the rules which they should abide by in life.

What do Buddhists believe in?

One of the holy books for Buddhism is The Diamond Sutra, which is one of the most important Mahayana texts and it was written in the 4th century. It is also one of the oldest known books in existence.

Another holy book is the ‘Tipitaka’ which is written in the ancient Indian Language of Pali. The Tipitaka, or ‘Pali Canon’ which has three separate sections, also knows as baskets. The first basket is for the Monks and Nuns, the second is The Buddha’s teachings and the final one is to explain further about Buddha’s teachings.

Holy Books

Although Buddhism originated in East-India, most of their diet is influenced by the Chinese-Buddhism, where most Buddhists are vegetarians or vegans.

However, not all Buddhists are vegetarians. Some Buddhists believe that if you were a meat-eater in an earlier life, you will always be a meat-eater.

In some Buddhism sub-groups, they forbid the consumption of garlic as they class it as one of the “Five acrid and strong smelling vegetables.” These type of Buddhists avoid these vegetables at all costs.

One example of Buddhism Cuisine is a Chinese recipe called “Buddha’s Delight” a healthy vegetarian dish typically containing tofu, mushrooms, cabbage and other vegetables.

Buddhism Cuisine

Buddhists have no particular day in which they worship, but it is compulsory on the days before the half and the full moon.

When Buddhists meditate, they will usually meditate in front of a “Shrine” which is a special place where offerings will be placed and typically a photo of the Buddha will be in a Shrine.

Worship

Joe will now show you a demonstration of how to meditate. You are welcome to join in.

A prayer wheel is a cylindrical wheel, which is typically made from wood. Inside, it will contain a script and as you turn the wheel, the prayers inside will be released into the atmosphere.

Prayer Wheels

BirthWhen a Buddhist child is born, Buddhist perform a series

of rituals like taking the baby to the temple as soon as it is ready to leave the house and standing the baby in front of the Buddha to get its three blessings. Another ritual includes shaving all of the baby’s hair off.

FuneralsWhen a person is dying or has recently died, The Tibetan

Book of the Dead will be read to them, which will guide them through the transition into the afterlife. Then at their funeral, which will often take place in a large space or area, they will often make offerings of fruit or flowers. The mourners will then take a few minutes to meditate silently.

Buddhist Ceremonies

We hope you enjoyed our presentation on Buddhism and that you learned a lot about our chosen religion!