Ancient India
5.3 – Origins of Buddhism
Essential Question: How do India’s rich history and culture affect the world today?
Big Idea: Buddhism began in India and became a major religion.
Key Term Definition Memory Clue Going without food fasting Siddhartha (Buddha) did this to help free his mind from daily concerns.
The focusing of the mind on spiritual ideas meditation Siddhartha (Buddha) meditated for weeks at a time searching for answers to human suffering.
This is what Siddhartha was called after he found Buddha enlightenment under the Tree of Wisdom.
It means “Enlightened One.”
A religion based on the teachings of Buddha Buddhism Buddhism is built on four guiding principles, called the Four Noble Truths, which also include the Eightfold Path.
A state of perfect peace nirvana Buddhists tried to reach this state of peace, which freed the soul from suffering and from the need of reincarnation.
missionaries People who work to spread their religious beliefs
“Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.” ~Buddha~
A. Siddhartha’s Search for Wisdom
The Jains and Sikhs were not the only ones to break away from Hinduism. Another man who was
dissatisfied with that religion was ___Siddhartha______Gautama. Born in northern India into the
______Kshatriya______caste, Siddhartha was a prince who grew up in luxury. He did not struggle,
but felt like there was something missing in his life. In a search about the meaning of life, Siddhartha
left his home and family to look for answers. He traveled throughout India for many years, having
religious discussions with ____priests______and other people known for their ___wisdom______,
but no one gave convincing answers to his questions.
Siddhartha did not give up. To free his mind of daily concerns, he stopped bathing and eating for
long periods of time. Going without food is called ___fasting______. He also spent much time
meditating, or focusing his mind on ____spiritual______ideas. On his journey through India,
Siddhartha found a tree near the ______Ganges______River, where he sat and meditated for seven
weeks until he discovered the answers to human suffering. He mediated under the tree, now known as
the Tree of ____Wisdom___, for seven more weeks before he described his new ideas to his companions.
His followers later called that talk the First _____Sermon______. Siddhartha was about 35 years old
when he found enlightenment under that tree, and from that point on, he was called the Buddha, or
“___Enlightened__ ___One______.” The Buddha spent the rest of his life traveling across northern India
and teaching people his ideas.
** Siddhartha’s Answers: Human suffering comes from three things…
1.) wanting what we ____like______but do not have
2.) wanting to ____keep______what we like and already have
3.) not wanting what we dislike but ___have______
B. Teachings of Buddhism
The religion that developed from the Buddha’s teachings is _____Buddhism______. At the heart of these teachings are four guiding principles known as the Four ___Noble______Truths. Within the Four Noble Truths is an ___Eightfold______Path to be followed, which the Buddha believed to be the ____middle______way between human desires and denying oneself any pleasure.
Four Noble Truths
1.) Suffering and unhappiness are part of Right Thought human life. No one can escape ___sorrow___. Believe in the nature of existence as suffering and in the Four Noble Truths.
2.) Suffering comes from our desires for Right Intent pleasure and ___material_____ goods. People Incline toward goodness and kindness. cause their own misery because they
want things they cannot have. Right Speech Avoid lies and gossip.
Right Action 3.) People can ____overcome______desire and Don’t steal from or harm ignorance and reach ____nirvana______, a others.
state of perfect peace. Reaching nirvana Right Livelihood
frees the ___soul___ from suffering and from Reject work that hurts others.
the need for further reincarnation. Right Effort Prevent evil and do good.
4.) People can overcome ____ignorance____ and Right Mindfulness desire by following an eightfold path that Control your feelings and thoughts. leads to wisdom, ___enlightenment___, and salvation. Right Concentration Practice proper meditation.
Even though Buddhism accepted the Hindu teaching of reincarnation, the new religion
challenged many traditional Hindu ideas. For example, the Buddha rejected many of the ideas in the
Vedas, such as ___animal_____ sacrifice and told people they didn’t have to follow those texts. He also
didn’t believe that Hindu rituals were necessary for enlightenment, claiming that each individual had
responsibility for his/her ____salvation____, and the priests, or Brahmins, could not help them. The
Buddha was also opposed to the ____caste___ system. He claimed anyone who followed the Eightfold
Path properly would achieve ___nirvana___. This won him support from many low-caste Indians because
they liked hearing that their low social status didn’t interfere with their enlightenment. Buddhism
made them feel like they had the power to change their lives. The Buddha also had high-caste followers
because they welcomed his ideas about avoiding extreme behavior while seeking __salvation___.
C. Buddhism Spreads
After the Buddha’s death in 483 BC, Buddhism continued to attract followers. This was largely
due to a group of 500 of the Buddha’s supporters, who spread his teachings throughout ___India______.
Because Buddhist teachings were popular and ____easy____ to understand, it spread quickly. Once one of
the most powerful kings in India, ____Asoka______, converted to Buddhism, he worked hard to spread his
new religion’s ideas and teachings. Asoka sent ___missionaries___, or people who work to spread their
religious beliefs, to other kingdoms in Asia.
Even as Buddhism spread through Asia, it began to change because not all Buddhists could agree
on their beliefs and practices. Eventually, disagreements between Buddhists led to a split within the
religion, causing two major branches to develop – Theravada and ____Mahayana____. Theravada
Buddhists follow the Buddha’s teachings ___exactly______as he stated them. Mahayana Buddhists, by far
the larger branch today, believe the Buddha’s teachings can be interpreted to help people reach
____nirvana_____.
One of the places Buddhism spread was Tibet. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibet, and many Buddhists follow his teachings of non-violence and kindness.
Main Idea #1: Siddhartha Gautama searched for wisdom in many ways.
Q: Who was Siddhartha Gautama?
A: Siddhartha Gautama, born a Kshatriya prince, searched for the meaning of life by traveling India, fasting, and meditating. He eventually found the answers to human suffering, finding enlightenment at age 35 and becoming the Buddha. From these answers, he developed the religion of Buddhism, which is based on the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
Q: What did Siddhartha endure before reaching enlightenment?
A: Siddhartha mediated, fasted, and did not bathe for periods of time.
Q: Of the three things Siddhartha said caused human suffering, which one do you think causes the most suffering today? Why?
A: Answers may vary.
Main Idea #2: The teachings of Buddha deal with finding peace.
Q: Many of the Buddha’s teachings reflect the ideas of which other world religion?
A: Many of the Buddha’s teachings reflect the ideas of Hinduism.
Q: What are the Four Noble Truths?
A: Summary – 1.) Life is suffering 2.) Suffering comes from desires 3.) Desires can be overcome and people can reach nirvana 4.) Overcoming desire and reaching nirvana can be done by following the Eightfold Path
Q: What do you think the quote from Buddha on page 138 means?
A: Answers may vary.
Q: What advantage do you think the Buddha saw in following the “middle way”?
A: Buddha saw the Eightfold Path, or the middle way between human desires and denying oneself of any pleasure, as reasonable because extreme behavior of any kind is not helpful or healthy.
Q: What did the Buddha think about the caste system?
A: Buddha was opposed, or against, the caste system.
Q: How is “right thought” different from “right action”?
A: ‘Right thoughts’ refers to beliefs, whereas ‘right action’ has to do with how we put those beliefs and thoughts into action.
Q: How do you think people reacted to the Buddha’s telling them they did not have to accept Brahmins’ authority?
A: The Brahmins would have resented it, while other Hindus may have been relieved that their journey to nirvana was in their own hands.
Main Idea #3: Buddhism spread far from where it began in India.
Q: What are some places to which Buddhism spread?
A: Buddhism spread throughout India, Sri Lanka, Myamar and other parts of Southeast Asia, near the Himalayas, Central Asia, Persia, Syria, Egypt, China, Korea, and Japan.
Q: What is one reason why Buddhism spread quickly?
A: The Buddha’s teachings were popular and easy to understand.
Q: How are the Theravada and Mahayana branches of Buddhism different?
A: Theravada Buddhists follow the Buddha’s teachings exactly; Mahayana Buddhists interpret Buddha’s teachings to help them reach nirvana.
Reading Checks
Q: What did the Buddha conclude about the cause of suffering?
A: Buddha concluded that the cause of suffering is wanting what we don’t have, wanting to keep what we like and already have, and not wanting what we dislike but have.
Q: How did Buddha’s teachings agree with Hinduism?
A: Buddha’s teachings included reincarnation.
Q: How did Buddhism spread from India to other parts of Asia?
A: Missionaries traveled to Sri Lanka, Myanmar, other parts of Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Persia, Syria, Egypt, and eventually to China, Korea, and Japan.
Buddhism began with a young Hindu prince named Siddhartha. He had grown up in a palace with walls that separated him from the suffering outside, like sickness, old age, and death.
One day when he was grown up, he went outside the palace and for the first time saw an old man, a sick man, and a corpse (dead body). He learned that sickness, old age, and death were the fate of all humans. Nobody could avoid these things.
Siddhartha decided to leave home permanently. He traveled around India and saw even more suffering. He searched for answers, spending six years fasting, or going without food, and meditating, or training the mind to empty it of all thoughts. He meditated under a tree for seven weeks and discovered that to end human suffering, we must eliminate desire.
He continued to meditate for seven more weeks, and one day while he was meditating, Siddhartha finally understood everything. He had reached Nirvana, which means the end of reincarnation and the end of suffering. He became the Buddha.