Siddhartha Gautama and Buddhism

"All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain?" -Buddha



Siddhartha Gautama:

Siddhartha was born around 563 B.C.E in what is now Nepal. His father was a king and he was a prince in the Sakyas clan. Siddhartha's father gave him everything he could ever want. "I was delicate, O monks, excessively delicate. I wore garments of silk and my attendants held a white umbrella over me. My unguents were always from Banaras." Siddhartha was kept from seing any displeasure in the world. When he went out riding the king's servants would run ahead of him and clear the road of any sickness or death. Then one day, as legend has it, he witnessed the reality of the world in what is called the four passing signs. He decided to abandon his worldly life, to take up the life of a wandering holy man in search of the answer to the problem of birth, old age, sickness, and death.

The word 'Buddha' stands for the Awakened State (literally it means awakened), so it is used in relation to waking up to truth, to becoming enlightened.



The Three Marks of Existence

anicca, "impermanence"

dukkha, "suffering"

anatta, "no-self"



The Four Noble Truths

Dukkha: All worldly life is unsatisfactory, disjointed, containing suffering.

Samudaya: There is a cause of suffering, which is attachment or desire (tanha) rooted in ignorance.

Nirodha: There is an end of suffering, which is Nirvana.

Magga: There is a path that leads out of suffering, known as the Noble Eightfold Path.



The Eightfold Path

1. Right View

2. Right Intention

3. Right Speech

4. Right Action

5. Right Livelihood

6. Right Effort

7. Right Mindfulness

8. Right Concentration



The Five Precepts

1. I undertake the precept to refrain from destroying living creatures.

2. I undertake the precept to refrain from taking that which is not given.

3. I undertake the precept to refrain from sexual misconduct.

4. I undertake the precept to refrain from incorrect speech.

5. I undertake the precept to refrain from intoxicating drinks and drugs which lead to carelessness.



Key Terms

Samsara- is the release from the infinite cycle of birth and rebirth; all Buddhists seek samsara

Nirvana- A level of enlightenment reached after escaping with through samsara.

Karma- intentional action done deliberately through body or speech. The law of moral causation. Every action, whether it be positive or negative has a certain effect. With positive action comes good karma and with negative action comes negative effect. People should try to live through only positive karma.

Dharma- The principles by which one can achieve Enlightenment: law doctrine, and truth

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