Community Buddhism This religion was founded nearly 2500

Community: Buddhism This religion was founded nearly 2500 years ago by a wealthy Indian prince called Siddhartha Gautama. Today, there about 350 million Buddhists in the world.

Who was Siddhartha Gautama? • He lived in the 4 th or 5 th century before Christ (BC) in a beautiful palace and had everything he wanted. • When he grew up and went outside the palace, he saw an old man, a sick man and a dead man, and was very worried about the suffering that he saw.

• He talked about this suffering to a monk. Siddhartha decided that he should leave his palace and live the life of a homeless holy man. • After many years he became known as Buddha, which means ‘the awakened one’.

What did Buddha teach? There are three signs of being: 1. Dukkha – nothing in life is perfect. 2. Annica – everything in life, even a mountain, changes. 3. Anatta – a person’s life force (karma) is carried onto the next life. A good life makes good karma.

There are four noble truths: 1. Dukkha – suffering exists, e. g. through pain, disease, ageing, loneliness, fear and anger. 2. Samudaya – suffering is caused by craving and the need to control things, e. g. the desire for fame, the desire to avoid fear and anger. 3. Nirodha – suffering can be overcome and happiness can be attained by letting go of craving and living one day at a time. We can become happy and free and help others. This is Nirvana. 4. Magga – suffering can end by following the Eightfold Path.

The eightfold path to enlightenment RIGHT MINDFULNESS control your thoughts RIGHT VIEW know the truth RIGHT CONCENTRATION practice meditation RIGHT INTENTION free your mind of evil RIGHT SPEECH say nothing that hurts others RIGHT EFFORT resist evil RIGHT LIVELIHOOD respect life RIGHT ACTION work for the good of others

Where do Buddhists worship? • Buddhists can worship at home. • They will often have a shrine; there can be a statue of Buddha, candles and an incense burner.

• Buddhists can worship in a temple. • All temples contain an image or a statue of Buddha and can be many different shapes.

Incense is offered on altars during prayers. Prayer beads help Buddhists to repeat their prayers. A ringing bell symbolises Buddha’s voice.

What is inside a temple? A statue of Buddha represents the enlightenment that Buddhists want to attain. A lotus flower rises from muddy waters and represents enlightenment. An example of a Tipitaka is a scroll of religious scriptures (Perfection of Wisdom sutra).

A prayer wheel • A prayer wheel is a decorated cylinder of wood or metal. • Large prayer wheels can be seen in temples. • Small prayer wheels can be carried around and used at any time. • A prayer wheel is spun around and has scrolls or written prayers inside it. • Spinning a prayer wheel has the same effect as saying prayers out loud.

Make a prayer wheel What do we need? • small, empty metal sweet tin • replacement garage door roller • strong glue • beaded chain • small nut • weight (for the end of the key chain). To put inside the prayer wheel: • page of A 4 paper with lines drawn along the long side • pen • scissors • glue.

How do we make the prayer wheel? • Empty and clean the sweet tin – close it tightly. • Clean the garage door roller with soap and dry. • Glue the roller head to the bottom of the tin. • Thread the key chain through the small nut. • Glue the nut to the side of the tin. • Let it dry overnight. • Attach a weight to the end of the chain.

What do we put inside the prayer wheel? Write prayers, thoughts or messages on the lined paper. Cut along the lines to make strips. Glue them together to make one long strip. Curl the paper around your finger and place it in the bottom of the tin. Close the lid tightly. Spin your prayer wheel clockwise.

Images The images, where stated, are copyrighted and cannot be used for other purposes. The Chester Beatty Library www. cbl. ie The Ulster Museum www. nmni. com/um Creative Commons Flickr www. flickr. com/creativecommons