Buddhas early life Siddhartha Gautama The Buddha Siddhartha

Buddha’s early life Siddhartha Gautama - The Buddha • Siddhartha was led from the pain of suffering towards the path of Enlightenment and became known as the Buddha or 'awakened one '. A life of luxury • He was born into a royal family and his privileged life insulted him from the sufferings of life. Discovering cruel reality • One day, after growing up, Siddhartha went outside the royal enclosure and he saw, each for the first time, an old man, a sick man, and a corpse. • This greatly disturbed him , and he learned that sickness, age, and death were going to happen to everyone. Becoming a holy man • Siddhartha had also seen a holy man, and he decided this was a sign that he should leave his protected royal life. • He searched for a way to escape death , old age and pain. The middle way • He abandoned the strict lifestyle of self-denial but did not return to his life of luxury. • Instead, he pursued the Middle Way , which is just what it sounds like; neither luxury n or poverty. Enlightenment • One day, seated beneath the Bodhi tree (the tree of awakening) started to meditate. • He finally achieved Enlightenment and became the Buddha. Siddhartha The Teacher • Buddha set in motion the wheel of teaching : rather than worshipping one god or gods, Buddhism centres around the timeless importance of the teaching. • For the next 45 years of his life the Buddha taught many disciples. The four sights A sick man A dead man An old man A holy man Buddhism Belief about God It is the only religion that does not revolve around the worship of a God because God’s existence cannot be proven or disproven. Instead, Buddhists work to improve human existence by trying to get rid of suffering in the world. Key facts • Buddhism is 2, 500 years old • Buddhism arose as a result of Siddhartha Gautama's quest for Enlightenment. • There is no belief in a personal God. It is not centred on the relationship between humanity and God • Buddhists believe that nothing is fixed or permanent - change is always possible • Buddhists can worship both at home or at a temple • The path to Enlightenment is through the practice and development of morality, meditation and wisdom. The four noble truths The Four Noble Truths contain the Buddha's teachings. It was these four principles that the Buddha came to understand during his meditation under the bodhi tree. 1. The truth of suffering (Dukkha) 2. The truth of the origin of suffering (Samudāya) 3. The truth of the end of suffering (Nirodha) 4. The truth of the path to the end of suffering (Magga)

Karma • Bad actions in a previous life can follow a person into their next life and cause bad effects (which some interpret as 'bad luck'). • karma determines where a person will be reborn and their status in their next life. • Good karma can result in being born in one of the heavenly realms. • Bad karma can cause rebirth as an animal, or torment in a hell realm. • The aim of Buddhism is to escape the cycle of rebirth altogether. Five Moral Precepts These mean refraining from: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. harming living things taking what is not given sexual misconduct lying or gossip taking intoxicating substances e. g. drugs or drink • Buddhists follow the Buddha's example. The Eightfold Path • In the fourth truth the Buddha taught that the way to get rid of the desire that causes suffering is to free yourself from being attached to it. • The Eightfold Path is a set of guidelines that should lead to the end of suffering. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Right Understanding – know the truth Right Intention – free your mind of evil Right Speech – say nothing that hurts others Right Action – work for the good of others Right Livelihood – respect life Right Effort – resist evil Right Mindfulness – control your thoughts Right Concentration – practice meditation • Buddhists believe that following the Eightfold Path will help them to reach enlightenment. This will end the cycle of suffering. • It is important to Buddhists that they try to relieve the suffering of others during their lifetime so that they will be rewarded in their next life.