Understanding Buddhism

1
Understanding Buddhism
2
Some Facts about Buddhism

• Founder Siddhartha Gautama (The Enlightened One
  Buddha)
• Sacred Texts/Teachings Various and no single
  central text, but the oldest and most
  authoritative are compiled in the Pali Canon.

3
Core Beliefs

• Buddhism is an impersonal religion of
  self-perfection to escape a cycle of suffering
  and rebirth.
• The essential elements of the Buddhist belief
  system are summarized in the Four Noble Truths,
  the Noble Eightfold Path, and several additional
  key doctrines.

4
The Four Noble Truths

• Life is full of suffering (dukkha)
• Suffering is caused by craving (samudaya)
• Suffering will cease only when craving ceases
  (nirodha)
• This can be achieved by following the Noble
  Eightfold Path

5
The Eightfold Path

• right views
• right aspiration
• right speech
• right conduct
• right livelihood
• right effort
• right mindfulness
• right contemplation.

6
Other Key Doctrines

1. Nothing in life is permanent (anicca).
2. Individual selves do not truly exist (anatta).
3. Reincarnation is an endless cycle of continuous
   suffering, or dissatisfaction, misery (dukkha).
4. All is determined by an impersonal law of moral
   causation (karma).
5. The goal of life is to break out of the cycle of
   rebirth and suffering and enter a permanent state
   of pure nonexistence. (nirvana).

7
Buddhist Ethics

• The five precepts are training rules in order to
  live a better life in which one is happy, without
  worries, and can meditate well
• To refrain from taking life
• To refrain from taking that which is not given
  (not committing theft)
• To refrain from sensual misconduct
• To refrain from lying (speaking truth always)
• To refrain from intoxicants which lead to loss
  of mindfulness (specifically, drugs and alcohol)

8
Three Branches

• 1. Theravada or Southern Buddhism (38)
• Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos
• 2. Mahayana or Eastern Buddhism (56)
• China, Vietnam, Korean, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan
• 3. Vajrayana, or Northern Buddhism (6)
• Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, and Mongolia

9
Buddhism vs. Christianity

• Buddhism was founded as a form of atheism that
  rejected the concepts of personal, creator God
  and a permanent self or an unchanging,
  eternal soul (even though some later forms of
  Buddhism became polytheistic such as Mahayana).
• No Savior all by self-effort
• No forgiveness only eradication of self (and
  thus suffering)
• No real meaning in lifes experiences (only
  suffering!)

10
Bridges For Evangelizing Buddhists

• The gospel can be appealing to Buddhists if
  witnessing focuses on areas of personal need
  where the Buddhist belief system is weak. Some
  major areas include
• Suffering
• Meaningful Self
• Moral Law
• Merit and Future Hope
• Desires

11
References

• Cameron, K., Comfort, R.(2004). The School Of
  Biblical Evangelism 101 lessons how to share
  your faith simply, effectively, biblically-- the
  way Jesus did. Bridge-Logos Foundation, Alachua.
• WikiPedia. http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism