World Religion CPT

Buddhism (Main Beliefs)

Buddhism is a religion to about 300 million people around the world.  The word comes from 'budhi', 'to awaken'. It has its origins about 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gotama, known as the Buddha, was himself awakened (enlightened) at the age of 35.  To many, Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more of a philosophy or 'way of life'. It is a philosophy because philosophy 'means love of wisdom' and the Buddhist path can be summed up as:

(1) to lead a moral life,

(2) to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions, and

(3) to develop wisdom and understanding.

Siddhartha Gautama rejected both sensual indulgence and extreme asceticism and asserted that a healthy spiritual life depended on the balance of mind, body, and spirit, called the Middle Way.  Buddhism teaches a wide range of teachings including the Four Noble Truths, which are:

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  • Suffering (Every being in the world is to suffer)

  • The cause of suffering (caused by our selfish desires and believing that the “self” is real

  • The end of suffering (overcome through human activity, simply by removing the cause of suffering)

  • The Path to end suffering (Eightfold Path)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Buddhism teaches it's followers to live a life that is deemed acceptable.  The 'rules' of being a buddhist are the five precepts of Buddhism, which include:

  • Refraining from destroying living creatures

  • Refraining from taking that which is not given

  • Refraining from sexual misconduct

  • Refraining from incorrect speech

  • Refraining from intoxicating drinks, which lead to carelessness

Tibetan Buddhism is a form of buddhism found mostly in Tibet

(a small country between India and China).  The ruler of the country

is also the spiritual leader, known as the Dalai Lama who is chosen by

spiritual merit.  The Dalai Lama’s role is to inspire the people with his

compassion and wisdom.  It is believed that the Dalai Lama is an incarnation of the bodhisattva (a person who is able to reach nirvana but delays doing so out of compassion in order to save suffering beings).  When the Dalai Lama dies, his newly released soul will be reborn into a new baby.  The Dalai Lama usually gives some indication of the baby’s whereabouts after which the search begins.  Lamas, Tibetan monks, quest for the newborn, looking for proof of his heritage and they put the candidate throguh differnet tests.  A true Dalai Lama, for instance, should recognize four of the previos reuler's possessions.