World Religions

Introduction to World Religions Study Guide Chapter 4: Buddhism Buddhism is both a religion and a way of life. There are approximately 300 million people who espouse the Buddhist beliefs. The origins of Buddhism go back about 2500 years. The founder was a 35-year-old named Siddhartha Gautama, now known as the Buddha. The term “Buddha” comes from the term “Budhi”, meaning “to awaken”. 4.1 Who was Buddha? Buddha was born into a royal family in Lumbini (present-day Nepal) around the year 563 BC. The royal family he was born into was “Shakya”. His mother had a dream prior to his conception; she dreamt that a white elephant moved around her, struck her right side, and disappeared within. She told her husband, the king, of the dream and he called on his Brahmans. They told him he would have a son and to keep him in the palace. After it was confirmed his wife Maya was pregnant, she asked to travel to her home city to give birth. On the way there, she saw a beautiful garden with blossoms on the trees. She reached up to pick one and gave birth to the son. He walked seven steps and proclaimed, “I alone am the World Honored One.” The mother and son were showered in blossoms and a light rain. They returned home and his mother died seven days later. He was raised by his aunt, who was also his father’s wife. The seven steps were significant and represented North, East, South, West, Past, Future, and Now. Buddha is often honored with the white elephant and the lotus blossom. His parents named him Siddhartha. He was a member of a rich family, and all his needs and wants were taken care of in the finest of fashions. His father was an elected chieftain who wanted Siddhartha to become a king like himself. After Siddhartha was born, an astrologer visited and made the prediction that the young prince would either become a great king or he would renounce worldly possessions and become a holy man. For this reason, the king was very reluctant to allow Siddhartha to leave the palace grounds. At the age of 29, he finally managed an outing. He started going out more, witnessing the suffering of the “ordinary” people. Those he encountered included an old man, a corpse, an ascetic holy man, and a sick man. These four scenes made an impression on Siddhartha and he referred to them as “the four sights”. As a result of his travels, he abandoned his royal life and embarked upon a spiritual quest. Initially, Siddhartha went to study with the finest religious men of the day. He learned how to meditate. He mastered the art of meditative attainment, but he soon discovered these practices did nothing to elevate the suffering of the common people, so he continued on his quest. Next, Siddhartha tried asceticism. Here, he deprived himself of food, held his breath, and exposed himself to pain. This was a common practice among the Sharmans, which differed from the practices of the Vedics. Siddhartha almost starved himself to death. Just short of dying, he accepted milk and rice from a village girl, and modified his approach. Siddhartha then devoted himself to meditation, which is how he discovered the Middle Way. The Middle Way is a path between the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification. It is from this path that Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha. He continued his spiritual quest by mediating ©2017 Achieve Test Prep Page 29 of 96