2. BUDDHISM

3. BUDDHISM
 Founder: Siddhartha Gautama
 Son of a Indian warrior-king
 Gautama renounced his rich life
and became a monk in hopes of
comprehending truth
 Moment of truth: meditating under
a tree where he had an experience
where he understood how to be
free from suffering and achieve
salvation.
 After this, he was know as Buddha
 Buddha= “Enlightened One”
 Buddha spent the rest of his life
traveling around India and teaching
others

4. 4 Noble Truths

5. Desires
 To a Buddhist, desire= craving
pleasure, material goods, and immorality
 Desire can only bring suffering

6. Why is the Buddha fat?
 His stomach
symbolizes the
size of his soul. It
is also a symbol of
happiness, luck
and generosity

8. Karma Karma does NOT refer to
preordained fate
 Karma= good or bad actions a
person makes in their lifetime.
 When you do good, good
things will come in return. If you
perform bad actions, bad
karma is in store for you
 Neutral karma= acts like
breathing, eating or sleeping

9. Reincarnation
 6 Realms:
 1. realm of men (free from
conflict of jealously among
the gods)
 2. realm of demigods
 3. realm of gods
 4. realm of animals
 5. realm of ghosts
 6. realm of hell (untold
suffering)
 Those with positive
karma, are reborn into
fortunate realms

10. Reincarnation

11. Basics of Buddhism
 Separated from Hinduism
 No personal God or divine being. They are not atheist
though, because Buddhist believe in an impersonal force
 No form of redemption, forgiveness, no heavenly hope or
a final judgment
 Moral philosophy= do good now, and you will be blessed
with a higher state

12. Basics
 376 million Buddhists in
the world
 (+/- 313, 114, 000 in Asia)
 Dominant religion in:
China, Japan, Korea, as
well as southeast Asia
 Over 200 different sects
of Buddhism
 Over 1,000 Buddhist
temples, monasteries and
centers in the US

13. Sangha  Sangha= order of the brotherhood
(community) who are monks
 Must wear a yellow robe, shave their
head and practice meditation
 Goal of Sangha= strive to have the
qualities of Buddha
 Over 225 regulations which forbid
them to do many things

14. Buddhist Scripture
 Variety of Buddhist text
 Buddhist cannon of
scripture= Sanskirt
○ 3 parts:
 1. Vinaya Pitaka= disciplinary
rules for Sanghas
 2. Sutra Pitaka= discourses by
the Buddha
 3. Adhidharma Pitaka= notes on
Buddha’s teachings

15. HINDUISM

16. Julia Roberts on Hinduism

17. Hinduism
 One of oldest
religions in
world, probably
the first
 Founder: No
specific founder
 Originated with
Aryans tribes
who moved to
India and
adapted with
native
Harrappan
people

18. Basics of Hinduism

19. Gods?
 900 million members
 Many sects, some are:
 polytheistic (many gods)
 monotheistic (one god)
 pantheistic (god &
universe are one)
 agnostic (unsure if god
exists)
 atheistic (no god)

20. Basic Beliefs
 Reincarnation
 Caste System
 Brahman (central god or
principle or universal spirit)
 Reach Moksha (peaceful
escape from cycle of
reincarnation)

21. 11 Year Old Reincarnated

22. Caste System
 =ranked society according to
occupation
 Brahmins (priests)
 Kshatriyas (soldiers, king-warrior
class)
 Vaishyas
(merchants, farmers, Sutras
laborers, craftspeople)
 Harijahns (“untouchable,” poor)
 The caste system was outlawed
in 1948, but it still important to
the Hindu people

23. Scriptures  Vedas=religious
writings, include,
hymns, sacrificial
writings, teachings,
book of laws, myths,
stories, legends and
epics

24. What is yoga?

25. JAINISM

26. JAINISM
 Founder: Mahaiva, born in 599
B.C., believed that everything in the
universe has a soul and should not be
harmed
 One of the oldest religions in the world
 No a break off of any other religion
 Jains are in 34/35 of the territories of
India, making over 5 million members in
India alone

27. Jainism
 Jain monks take nonviolence seriously,
sweeping ants off the path and wearing
masks to avoid breathing in insects
 Jains seek jobs that do not harm any
creature (trade and commerce)
 Make few efforts to convert, and do not
send out missionaries, so most of the
members live in India

28. Jain Temple Animation

29. Basics of Jainism
 Religious Tolerance
 Ethical Purity
 Harmony between self and
environment
 Spiritual Contentment
 Karma
 Rebirth
 Importance of the Soul

30. Reincarnation
 When a body dies, the
soul goes directly to its
next body (could be
human or animal)
 What you become in your
next life is dependant on
your karma
 How you feel (content or
upset) at your death is
important

31. G
o
d
Jains do not believe in a God or gods but
they believe in divine beings who are
worthy of devotion

32. Scripture
 Jain’s scriptures=
Agamas
 Jain monks and
nuns have to
memorize
scriptures
because monks
were not allowed
to posses religious
books as part of
their vows

33. The Soul  The “soul” is called
jiva
 =means a
conscious, living
being
 The body is just a
“container” for our
souls
 When you die,
your jiva, is reborn
into another life
until it achieves
liberation