Not very useful

• Siddhartha Gautama, more commonly known as Buddha. • Focusses on personal spiritual development • They believe in no personal god • Four Noble Truths: The truth of suffering The truth of origin of suffering The truth of cessation of suffering The truth of the path to the cessation of suffering • (First) Dukkha - Suffering like old age, sickness and death. Life frequently fails to live up to our expectations • (Second) Samudaya - Causes of suffering = Greed and desire, Ignorance and Delusion, Hatred and destructive urges. • (Third) Nirodha - If people end their suffering, they obtain Nirvana • (Four) Magga • The Eightfold Path - Right Understanding: Accepting Buddha's teachings - Right Intention: Right Attitudes - Right Speech: Speaking Truthfully - Right - Right Livelihood: Don’t cause harm from your life - Right Effort: Positive states of mind - Right Mindfulness: Awareness of the body • The Wheel of Life - Represents the • Buddhist class themselves as either Theravada or Mahayana or by cultural areas: Theravada, East Asia and Tibetan • Theravada is the oldest surviving Buddhist school • Bases its practices on the Pali Canon, and practiced in Sri Lanka, Laos, Thailand • Mahayana schools recognize all the Mahayana Sutras • Vajrayana tradition • Unlike many religions, Buddhism has no central text • Pali Tipitaka: three baskets, after Buddha death • Mahayana sutras are scriptures that are more deep, there are about 600 sutras surviving

BBC Notes

• Buddha means the enlightened one • Founded first religion • Some think it is not a religion • Buddha was born in India • Buddha father was king of tribe • Buddha's mother died after birth, Buddha was named Sitata • He had markings that showed he was special • Dad wanted him to become king • Buddha realised every action has a consequence, known as Karma • Dad tried to convince him to stay • Sitata realised that life outside was pretty bad, he returned to the palace • He had learnt the meaning of impermanence • He disagreed with the Brahmans • Meditation was crucial • Asceticism • Mindfulness Buddhist Sacred Texts • There are no texts which can be directly traced to Buddha, himself, but he is depicted as the speaker in the vast majority of the enormous amount of literature born from this religion. • There are canons in some twenty languages including Sanskrit, Pali (related to Sanskrit), several in Tibetan, Chinese, Japanese,
Mongolian, Manchu and Korean. Some have hundreds of volumes and none is usually known by a single person. • There are large bodies of post‐canonical literature which are important but less authoritative.
‡ They cover at least half a dozen genre covering amongst other things philosophy, grammar, medicine, ritual, biography and poetry.
‡ It seems that they date from periods beginning in the third century BCE. • It is probable that Buddha’s words were recorded and transmitted during his life time but these, as such, are not extant.

THE TRIPITAKA

• The term means ‘The Three Baskets’
• It is also known as the Pali Canon as it was composed in that language (used primarily by monks and for some trade purposes).
• This is the oldest complete Buddhist canon.
• Authoritative for Theravada Buddhists.
• The first to have reached the West.
• Shortest Buddhist body of texts, thirty‐five volumes.
• There is evidence that it was in existence by the mid‐first century BCE.
• This is divided into three sections (Baskets):
„ Sutta Pitaka ‐discourses of Buddha and other miscellaneous material divided into five sections. (For both monks and laypersons)
„ Vinaya Pitaka ‐complete rules for monks’ behaviour, some illustrative anecdotes, biographical material about the Buddha. (The rule memorised by monks)
„ Adhidhammapitaka -lists states of mind, the basic elements of existence and other metaphysical material elaborating on Buddha’s teaching.
The first is the most popular as it contains the actual teachings of Buddha. This is not systematic but presented in what is said to be Buddha’s own words.

• Samasara: difficult situation

1. The process you go through when someone dies 2. No 3. He