What is Buddhism? It's teachings, beliefs, rituals, and symbols.

1. BUDDHISM
Ms. Lorabelle M.
Salvadora
Ph.D Student

2. FOUNDER OF
BUDDHISM
Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of
Buddhism who later became known
as “the Buddha,” lived during the 5th
century B.C.
Gautama was born into a wealthy
family as a prince in present-day
Nepal. Although he had an easy life,
Gautama was moved by suffering in
the world.

3. FOUNDER OF
BUDDHISM
After six years of searching, Buddhists believe
Gautama found enlightenment while meditating
under a Bodhi tree. He spent the rest of his life
teaching others about how to achieve this spiritual
state.

4. BUDDHISM
HISTORY
When Gautama passed away around 483 B.C., his
followers began to organize a religious movement.
Buddha’s teachings became the foundation for what
would develop into Buddhism.
In the 3rd century B.C., Ashoka the Great, the
Mauryan Indian emperor, made Buddhism the state
religion of India. Buddhist monasteries were built,
and missionary work was encouraged.

5. BUDDHISM
HISTORY
Over the next few centuries, Buddhism began to
spread beyond India. The thoughts and philosophies
of Buddhists became diverse, with some followers
interpreting ideas differently than others.
In the sixth century, the Huns invaded India and
destroyed hundreds of Buddhist monasteries, but
the intruders were eventually driven out of the
country.

6. BUDDHISM
HISTORY
Islam began to spread quickly in the region during
the Middle Ages, forcing Buddhism into the
background.

7. BUDDHISM BELIEFS
Followers of Buddhism don’t acknowledge a
supreme god or deity. They instead focus on
achieving enlightenment—a state of inner peace
and wisdom. When followers reach this spiritual
echelon, they’re said to have experienced nirvana.
The path to enlightenment is attained by utilizing
morality, meditation and wisdom. Buddhists often
meditate because they believe it helps awaken
truth.

8. BUDDHISM BELIEFS
There are many philosophies and interpretations
within Buddhism, making it a tolerant and evolving
religion.
Some scholars don’t recognize Buddhism as an
organized religion, but rather, a “way of life” or a
“spiritual tradition.”
Buddhism encourages its people to avoid self-
indulgence but also self-denial.

9. BUDDHISM BELIEFS
 Buddha’s most important teachings, known as The
Four Noble Truths, are essential to understanding
the religion.
 Buddhists embrace the concepts of karma (the law
of cause and effect) and reincarnation (the
continuous cycle of rebirth).
 Followers of Buddhism can worship in temples or in
their own homes.

10. BUDDHISM BELIEFS
 Buddhist monks, or bhikkhus, follow a strict code of
conduct, which includes celibacy.
 There is no single Buddhist symbol, but a number
of images have evolved that represent Buddhist
beliefs, including the lotus flower, the eight-spoked
dharma wheel, the Bodhi tree and the swastika (an
ancient symbol whose name means "well-being" or
"good fortune" in Sanskrit).

11. A gold Buddha figure at
the Longhua Temple in
the south of Shanghai,
first built in 242 AD.

12. TYPES OF BUDDHISM
1. Theravada Buddhism: Prevalent in Thailand, Sri
Lanka, Cambodia, Laos and Burma
2. Mahayana Buddhism: Prevalent in China, Japan,
Taiwan, Korea, Singapore and Vietnam
3. Tibetan Buddhism: Prevalent in Tibet, Nepal,
Mongolia, Bhutan, and parts of Russia and
northern India

13. TYPES OF BUDDHISM
Each of these types reveres certain texts and has
slightly different interpretations of Buddha’s
teachings. There are also several subsects of
Buddhism, including Zen Buddhism and Nirvana
Buddhism.
Some forms of Buddhism incorporate ideas of other
religions and philosophies, such as Taoism and
Bon.

14. FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS
1.) Suffering: Everyone suffers from these thing
Birth- When we are born, we cry.
Sickness- When we are sick, we are miserable.
Old age- When old, we will have ache and pains
and find it hard to get around.
Death- None of us wants to die. We feel deep
sorrow when someone dies.

15. FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS
2.) The cause of suffering
3.) The end of suffering
4.) The path to the end of suffering

16. THE NOBLE EIGHT FOLD PATH
1. Right View. The right way to think about life is to
see the world through the eyes of the Buddha--
with wisdom and compassion.
2. Right Thought. We are what we think. Clear and
kind thoughts build good, strong characters.
3. Right Speech. By speaking kind and helpful
words, we are respected and trusted by everyone.

17. THE NOBLE EIGHT FOLD PATH
 4. Right Conduct. No matter what we say, others
know us from the way we behave. Before we
criticize others, we should first see what we do
ourselves.
5. Right Livelihood. This means choosing a job
that does not hurt others. The Buddha said, "Do not
earn your living by harming others. Do not seek
happiness by making others unhappy."

18. THE NOBLE EIGHT FOLD PATH
6. Right Effort. A worthwhile life means doing our
best at all times and having good will toward others.
This also means not wasting effort on things that
harm ourselves and others.
7. Right Mindfulness. This means being aware of
our thoughts, words, and deeds.
8. Right Concentration. Focus on one thought or
object at a time. By doing this, we can be quiet and
attain true peace of mind.

19. DHARMA
Buddha’s teachings are known as “dharma.” He
taught that wisdom, kindness, patience, generosity
and compassion were important virtues.

20. DHARMA
Specifically, all Buddhists live by five moral
precepts, which prohibit:
 Killing living things
 Taking what is not given
 Sexual misconduct
 Lying
 Using drugs or alcohol

21. THE WHEEL OF LIFE
These are the six states on the wheel of life.
 At the top are the heavens, where everyone is
happy.
Below are the hells where the suffering is
unbearable.
Beings can rise or fall from one path to another. If
one does good deeds, one will be born into the
paths of gods, humans, or asuras

22. THE WHEEL OF LIFE
If one does evil deeds, one will be born into the
paths of animals, hungry ghosts, or hell-beings.
From one life to the next one can suddenly change
from an human to an animal or from a ghost to a
hell-being, according to the things one has done.

23. HOW TO ESCAPE THE TURNING
WHEEL?
The wheel of life and death is kept turning by the
three poisons of greed, hatred, and stupidity. By
cutting off the three poisons, we can escape the
wheel and become enlightened. There are four
stages of enlightenment.

24. FOUR STAGES OF
ENLIGHTENMENT
•Buddhas- perfect in enlightenment.
•Bodhisattvas- enlighten themselves as well as
others.
•Pratyekabuddhas- hermits who retreat from the
world to enlighten themselves.
•Arhats- enlighten themselves.

25. BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES
The Dharma reveals the Buddha's understanding of
life. The Buddha instructed countless people, but
he, himself, wrote nothing down, just as Jesus wrote
nothing down. They both lived a complete life. His
disciples remembered his talks and recited them
regularly. These talks were collected into books
called Sutras. There are many Sutras, so Buddhism
does not have just a single holy book, like the
Christian Bible or the Koran of Islam.

26. BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES
The first Sutras were written on palm leaves
in Pali and Sanskrit, ancient Indian languages.
They have been gathered together in a collection
called the Tripitaka, which means 'three baskets'. It
is divided into three parts.
oSutra Pitaka~Sutras and their explanations
oVinaya Pitaka~Rules for monks and nuns
oAbhidharma Pitaka~The psychology and philosophy
of the Buddha's teachings

27. BUDDHIST
SUMBOLS
•Images of the Buddha
•Traditional offerings
•Dharma instruments
•Lotus flower
•The Bodhi Tree
•Buddhist Flag
•Stupas and Pagodas

28. IMAGES OF BUDDHA
Some people believe that Buddhists worship idols,
but this is not true. Buddhists bow or make offerings
of flowers and incense in reverence to the Buddha,
not to the image. When they do so they reflect on
the virtues of the Buddha and are inspired to
become like him. Buddha images are not necessary,
but they are helpful. The most important thing is to
follow the Buddha's teachings.

29. TRADITIONAL OFFERINGS
•Flowers- are offered as reminders of how quickly
things change
•Light from lamps or candles- symbolizes wisdom
•Incense- reminds one to be peaceful
•Water- represents purity
•Food- reminds us to give our best to the Buddhas.

30. DHARMA INSTRUMENTS
•Bells- gives signals in ceremonies and meditation
•Drums-announces ceremonies and keeps rhythm
•Gongs- announces ceremonies and activities
•Wooden fish-keeps rhythm while chanting

31. LOTUS FLOWER
The lotus flower represents enlightenment
described in the poem.

32. THE BODHI TREE
The Bodhi Tree is a pipal tree, a kind of fig tree
found in India.
After the Buddha attained enlightenment under this
tree, it became known as the Bodhi Tree, the Tree
of Enlightenment.
It is located in Bodhgaya, where people visit to pay
their respects to the Buddha. Although the parent
tree is no longer alive, its grandchildren are still
there.

33. THE BODHI TREE

34. BUDDHIST FLAG
As the Buddha sat beneath the
Bodhi Tree after his
enlightenment, six rays of light
came out from his body and
spread for miles around. The
colors were yellow, blue, white,
red, orange and a mixture of all
the colors. The Buddhist flag
was designed after these colors.

35. STUPAS AND PAGODAS
Stupas and pagodas are monuments where the
relics of the Buddha and high monks and nuns are
kept so that people can show their respects. These
relics are jewels that remain after cremation.

36. BUDDHIST FESTIVALS
Buddha Day- Birth of the Buddha, his
Enlightenment and Nirvana
Dharma Day- commemorates the first sermon of
the Buddha to the five monks in the Deer Park at
Benares
Sangha Day- symbolizes the close relationship
between the Sangha and laity
Ullambana