The word Buddhism comes from the Pali and Sanskirt word of Bodhi, meaning enlightenment.

Buddhism in not as much a religion as a philosophy and a way of life.

Buddhism is similar to Hinduism and follows many of their beliefs and practices.

There are no gods involved in Buddhism.

Buddhism is centered around the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who is most widely known as the Buddha. Gautama was the founding leader of Buddhism and he also had the most influence. He did not consider himself a god.

The Buddha is recognized as an awakened teacher, meaning they are awakened to the Dharma or the truth. The teacher would share their knowledge to help students end suffering and achieve Nirvana.

A Buddha is any and everyone who becomes enlightened, therefore Gautama is not considered the only Buddha.

A Buddha would be one of these teachers. Buddhist priests and monks would also be considered in that category.

There are no specific leaders in the religion because everyone is learning from and teaching one another.

Although there are no specific leaders, some people are seen as high standing teachers. They are believed to hold more wisdom than others.

Both females and males can become monks. Monks are also known as monastic's. A fully ordained male is called a Bhikku where as a female monastic is a Bhikkhuni.

A monastic’s life is simplified and shaped to support their religion. They are required to vow to obey the rules of conduct, traditionally they take 36 vows. The patmikokkha is the basic code of displine. It contains 227 rules for men and 331 for women.

Bhikku can be indirectly translated to beggar. A Buddhist monk is required to let go of all posessions and devote their life to finding enlightenment. They must live off offerings they recieve by begging.

The Dalai Lama is a monk who is held with high regards.

The Dalai Lama is the head of the Tibetan Buddhists, or the Dge-Lugs-Pa (Yellow Hat) order.

Random fact: the Dalai Lama spoke in Calgary Wednesday Sept 30th.

The word Dalai means ocean of wisdom.

The word Lama is a title for a teacher of Dharma. It’s not referring to the animal because that is spelled differently: llama.

According to belief, every Dalai Lama is the reincarnation of the former Dalai Lama, and they are all reincarnated versions of the Buddha of compassion, or Avalokitesvara.

The ultimate goal is to reach nirvana. This is the state of being free from suffering.

They believe that insight to nature of reality leads to the path of salvation.

Buddhists believe in the cycle of reincarnation, also known as the cycle of suffering and rebirth. Its possible to be reincarnated as another human or as an animal.

Buddhist are taught to reach nirvana by meditation and selflessness.

Buddhist believe in karma, you can have good karma or bad karma. Karma is know as the cycle of cause and effect. Karma is outlined by the idea that for every event that occurs, it causes some kind of effect. If the first action is positive the effect will also be positive and vice versa for negative karma.

When Siddhartha Gautama discovered death, illness and old age he decided to devote his life to determining the causes for human suffering and ways to cure it.

In the life where you reach enlightenment will be the end of reincarnation, it will be your last form of life before entering nirvana.

1) “To avoid taking the life of beings.”

2) “To avoid taking things not given.”

This goes further than stealing, they aren’t allowed to take or ask for anything unless they are 100 percent sure it is intended for them. So the classification of beggar can be confusing, they cant actually beg or ask they must be offered the item before they can accept it.

3) “To avoid sensual misconduct.”

4) “To refrain from false speech.”

5) “To abstain from substances which cause intoxication and heedlessness.”

6) “To abstain from taking food at inappropriate times.”

7) “To abstain from dancing, singing, music and entertainments as well as refraining from the use of perfumes, ornaments and other items used to adorn or beautify the person.”

8) “To abstain from using high or luxurious beds.”

Buddhism has 8 main rules.

The holidays in Buddhism are considered Holy Days of celebration.

Most of the holidays are centered around the commemorating of events from Gautama’s life.

Holidays are considered joyful days to celebrate. Buddhists take offerings to the temples for the monks, these offerings could be food or other items. The day is normally spent meditating, listening to speeches and charity work such as distributing food to the poor.

Some of the major holy days include the Buddhist New years, Vesak (Buddha Day): day to celebrate the birth, enlightenment and death of Gautama, Dharma Day (Asalha Puja Day): commemorates the turning of the Dharma wheel and several others.

The Buddhist belief of reincarnation influenced leaders in Asia. They were able to gain power and influence by claiming they were reincarnations of previous leaders.

Although Gautama came from a warrior caste where he was in contact with kings and nobles. He tried to distant himself from affairs.

Asoka Maurya is often referred to as one of the greatest rulers of India. He gave Buddhism a big boost when he converted to the religion in the 3rd century BCE. He encouraged Buddhist missionaries and ordered the resurrection of inscriptions.

Buddhism didn’t have a major effect on economics. This is suspected to be because of the belief about moving away from earthly possessions. The monks are asked to live as ‘beggars’ which makes it so they do not have influence on economic structures.

There is not a lot of holy literature involved in Buddhism because of the fact that there is no Buddhist bible.

Some of Gautama’s teachings are now recorded in texts.

However Gautama believed that people should not just read and follow what he taught but that they should think for themselves and embrace their personal needs in order to reach nirvana.

Buddhism Started in India during the Middle of the 6th century BCE.

During Asoka’s rule he used his political power to construct stone columns along roadsides to spread Buddhism. These columns commemorated important events throughout Gautama’s life and they marked routes to holy places. These columns are one example of how Buddhism effected architecture.

An adapted string of Buddhism, called Zen Buddhism started practice in Japan.

Buddhist symbols revolve around symbolizing Gautama and his teachings.

The statues of Buddha became the most widely known symbol.

Buddha’s footprints are symbols in the religion. They signify both the presence and absence of Gautama. The presence that his teachings are still with us and the absence of him and the fact that he is now in nirvana. The stone footprints are also considered art.

Buddhism has five symbolic colors, blue, green, red, white and yellow. Blue is important because of the sacred stone of turquoise, it brings luck and safety. Green is considered the color of action. Red is considered the force of life. White is important because it is a mixture of every color and holds all colors within it, it hides nothing. Yellow is often the color of a monks robes, and holds the most symbolic purpose; yellow is a symbol of humility and also represents the connection to earth.

The wheel of life is a huge symbol in Buddhism. It represents Gautama’s view on life and also displays symbols of karma and existence.

As Buddhism was spread many strings or adaptations occurred, which can be seen on the following maps.

Buddhism in India

The Spread of Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism across the silk road

The Spread of Tantric Buddhism into Tibet

The Spread of Buddhism into Japan

As mentioned women can become Buddhist monks, or nuns in a women’s case. They are referred to as Bhikkhuni’s.

It was Gautama himself who established the right for women to become nuns. At first he banned the right but later reversed his decision and allowed the nuns to practice in separate quarters.

Gautama believed women were easily angered and less intelligent than men. To reach nirvana peace is required, not anger.

Despite Gautama’s feelings about women many believe that the Dharma treats all people the same regardless of gender. This increases equality between women and men.

Today men and women are free to practice in the same quarters.

Buddhism effected architecture in the early Indian civilization with the construction of the commemorating columns. Ten remain standing today. Stupa’s were also built, originally intended to be the home of a relic of Gautama but eventually became a place for devotion. Asoka set up the construction of 8400 buildings although few are still surviving today. In the beginning, Buddhist art followed the tradition of aniconic art. This means that the human figure was not represented directly. Later, around the 1st century, human forms began to emerge, starting the iconic period. This is where we start to see forms of Buddha in paintings and sculpture. Once in Korea, Buddhist monks assisted in the establishment of paper making as a way to record scriptures.

Buddhism has a better relationship with science compared to other religions due to the fact that no god is involved, there is nothing to contradict the theory of evolution.

Some see Buddhism as type of science even, it’s considered the science of studying one’s self. To truly understand our spiritual needs we must understand the physical and psychological aspects also.

563 BCE- Gautama is born.

534 BCE- Gautama begins his search for enlightenment.

483 BCE- Gautama passes away, first Buddhist council is held.

250 BCE- Third council is held, this time it was convened by Asoka the Great. Asoka sends missionaries to other countries with the Buddhist message.

65 CE- First documented practice of Buddhism in China.

300 CE- Buddhist monks travel to Korea, they assist in establishing paper making as a way to record scriptures. This was an effect on technology.

1950 CE- World fellowship of Buddhists founded in Sir Lanka.

1954 CE- 6th Buddhist council is held. 2500th anniversary of Gautama’s passing celebration was held.

1975-79 CE- Buddhism is nearly destroyed by Cambodian Communists, monks were murdered and temples destroyed. This is why only 10 Supta’s remain standing to day.

2009 CE- Second World Buddhist Forum is held.

http://www.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/buddhism/buddhism-video.cfm

This video shows Buddhism in Japan.

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