Theravada

Buddhism

Presented by: Group 2

Agenda
• Historical Background

• Life of Buddha

• Sacred Scripture
• Beliefs and Doctrines
• Worship and Observanes
• Subdivisions

• Selected Issues
 Buddhism
• Been existence for over 2,500
years
• has never experience any drastic or
Buddism is
the religion
of around 500
million

radical schisms in its evolution

people or
about
 Disciples of
SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA

spread his word

preached throughout various
Buddism is
the religion
of around 500
million
people or
about

communities
 there came a need for them
to adapt to
LOCAL CULTURE
Buddism is
the religion
of around 500
million
people or
about
Politics
Economics context
 asjusted to millieu of the place
may differ on the doctrines

their relationships with other

Buddism is
the religion
of around 500
million
people or

subgroups are generally good

about
the basic tenets of both major schools of
thought originate from

Siddhartha
Gautama
whose life has become a constant
Buddism is
the religion
of around 500
million
people or
about

source of inspiration to others

THERAVADA BUDDHISM
"Southern school of Buddhism"

draw on the collected teachings of

Buddism is
the religion
of around 500
million

the oldest recorded texts of

people or
about

Buddhism
This school claims to have
preserved the original
teachings of Siddddhartha
with pristine purity.
Buddism is
the religion
of around 500
million
people or
about
 THERAVADA BUDDHISM
has gained considerable following in
the West in the modern times
Buddism is
the religion
of around 500
million
people or
about
 The life of
Buddha
563-488 B.C.E
-Sakya tribe in
-near the town
lumbini of
Kapilivastu

Siddhartha Gautama
SUDDHODANA MAHMAYA
(Buddha's Mother)

• "an
"a koliyan
aristocratic
princess"
Hindu
chieftain

GAUTAMA or
( family name)
QUEEN MAHAMAYA

the elephant of light

moved closer to the queen
and melted into her body
 10 months later,
Siddhartha was born

he emerged from the

side of the queen
 "I have been born to
achieve awakening
(bodhi)for the good of the
world: this is my last
birth"
 SIDDHARTH
"he who achieves his
A
aim"
he was reared by
Mahamaya's younger sister
MAHAPAJAPATI
 become his father's
second wife

first women to
request ordination
from the Buddha

MAHAPAJAPATI
BUDDHA
"the awakened
one"
"enlightened one"
 Asita predicted that:
the child was destined for either
political spiritual ascendancy

Suddhodana wanted
Siddhartha to choose the life
of a great king
Suddhodana kept his child
shielded from the harsh
realities of human suffering
outside the luxurious palace
 at the age of 16,
Siddhartha married a
beautiful and refined
young women
YASODHARA
who later gave birth to
their son
RAHULA
spent 29 years as a
prince
he began to
develop a keen
sense of
discontentment
 He sought answers to his
questions by learning his
comfortable abode without
the knowledge or approval
of his family
he left his
wife, child ,
and social
status
as he began to search for

TRUT
LIBERATION
H
Siddhartha's venture outside the
comfort zone of the palace led
him to encounter a series of

HUMAN
that eventually transformed his
SUFFERING
outlook on life
The Four Encounters or
the "four Signs"
• Meeting an old man
• a crippled man
• a decaying corpse
• ascetic monk
All these distressing manifestations
convinced him that worldly ang
material possession s could not
satisfy one's need
"GREAT RENUNCIATION"
he lived as an ascetic with
homeless existence
he went to the forest and
clothed himself in the yellow
robes of a hermit
 For the next 6 years, he practiced religious
strictness, wore no clothes, and did not wash.

Food and sleep became scarce.

He became feeble as a result of long periods of

starvation.
Siddhartha advocated the avoidance
of two extremes

SELF-INDULGENCE
SELF-DENIAL
MIDDLE PATH
a life of self-discipline
and introspection but not
self-flagellation
 After 49 days of meditation,
Siddhartha emerged victorious
and attained the state of
absolute awakening.
GENEROSIT
WISDOM
Y
COMPASSION
 For 45 years, he travelled India from cities to
towns and preached a message of hope and
happiness while winning many new converts to
his fold.
SUBDIVISIONS
• Theravada is the more conservative subdivision of
Buddhism than Mahayana. Thus, it is closer to the
fundamental teachings of Siddhartha. Sri Lanka, Myanmar,
and Thailand are predominantly Theravada Buddhism.
• The Indian Emperor Ashoka Maurya, who ruled
propagated Buddhism in Sri Lanka that has remained
relatively unchanged through time as a result of its
peaceful history.
• The subdivisions of Theravada that existed during the early
history of Sri Lanka can be traced from the three
monasteries of Mahavihara, Abhayagirivikara, and Jetavana.
 SACRED
SCRIPTURES
• The early schools of Buddhism developed their own unique
body of sacred texts, Of these, however, only the Pali Canon
or the Tipitaka/Tripitaka ("three baskets") of Theravada
survives.
• Preserved in the Pali language, the standard collection of
scriptures of Theravada Buddhist is the first known, the
most conservative, and the most complete of Buddhist
writings
• In Pali language, the word pitaka translate as "basket"
referring to the receptacles where the palm leaf
manuscriptswere stored by the monks.
BELIEFS AND DOCTRINES
• Siddhartha never intended to start a new religion, so his teachings were
focused on ethics and self-understanding as people work on their salvation
on their own without needing the assistance of any supreme being.
• Another unique feature of Buddhism is the belief that soul orthe Hindu
atman does not exist as people live in a state of nonsoulness or
anatman/anatta. Ruddhism does not preach that humans have eternal and
indestructible soul.
• Human existence, or what we call soul, is a composite of five mental or
physical aggregates or khandas. These aggregates include the (1) physical
form or corporality, (2) feelings or sensations, (3) understanding or
perception, (4) will or mental formation, (5) consciousness.
 FOUR NOBLE
1. The Noble Truth of dukkha (suffering, unsatisfactoriness,
TRUTHS
stress): life is fundamentally fraught with unsatisfactoriness
and disappointment of every description;
2. The Noble Truth of the cause of dukkha: the cause of this
dissatisfaction is tanha (craving) in all its forms;
3. The Noble Truth of the cessation of dukkha: an end to all
that unsatisfactoriness can be found through the
relinquishment and abandonment of craving;
4. The Noble Truth of the path leading to the cessation of
dukkha: there is a method of achieving the end of all
unsatisfactoriness, namely the Noble Eightfold Path;
LAW OF DEPENDENT ORIGINATION
It is one of the most insightful teachings of
Siddhartha. With everything built upon a set of relations, it follows
that every effect has a definite cause and every cause has a definite
effect.
IMPERMANENCE OF
it is an avoidable fact of human existence. buddhism affirms five processes
THINGS
deemed uncontrollable by any individual: old age, sickness, dying, decay,
and death
THE SANGHA
Translated as "association" or "assembly," sangha pertains to the
Buddhist order and monastic community as founded by Siddhartha
during the same year that he attained his enlightenment
WORSHIP AND OBSERVANES
• Followers are guided by the teachings of Siddhartha as lay people offer gifts
to Siddhartha and the sangha durite the days of worship and observance
• Stupas are commemorative monuments that contain sacred relics
associated with Siddhartha himself, and the venerable monks and nun.
• Most Buddhist aspire to visit many holy shrines as possible during their
lifetime for this is an admirable deed. Siddhartha himself pronounced four to
which every Haddhist must give high regard. F
• For Buddhist celebrations, the most important festival occurs every may on
the night of the full moon as Buddhist followers around the world
commemorates the birth enlightenment, and death of Siddhartha about
2,500 years ago
WORSHIP AND OBSERVANES

In Buddhism, war is evil or akusala and some scholars state that it has
no rationalization in Siddhartha's teaching. However, there are
instances wherein Buddhist monks engaged themselves in open
conflict, such as those that occurred in China and Japan. When
Buddhists defend their nations, home and family, this may not be
necessarily wrong as the religions morality is based upon principles,
not rules. It is not righteous to ignore a circumstance when innocent
civilians are killed and slaughtered. Buddhists are taught not to yield
to any form of evil power, whether originating from humans or
supernatural beings.
 WOMEN IN
Siddhartha allowed women to participate in sangha although there
BUDDHISM
are stipulations. His outlook is very different when one considers
the status of women in ancient India as being viewed as inferior top
men. Considered at times belonging to the lowest caste, women's
principal role was to become faithful and devoted housewives
subject to the whims of their husbands. However, both sexes are
seen as equally relevant in society as they share equally relevant in
society as they share equal responsibilities in their family duties.
Within the sangha, Siddhartha recognized the potential and value
of the bhikkanis who were also experts in teaching the dharma.
 KEY
• The fundamental teachings of Buddhism are closely tied to the life

POINTS
of Siddhartha Gautama who was born between 563 B.C.Eto 480
B.C.F. in Lumbini in the foothills of the Nepalese Himalayas .
• The Theravada sect is the school of Buddhism that draw
itsscriptural inspiration from the Pali Canon or Tipitaka/Tripitaka
("three baskets").
• The teachings of Siddhartha include discourses on the "FourNoble
Truths", "Noble Eight-fold Path", "Impermanence of Things" and
"Dependent Origination".
• The sangha pertains to the Buddhist order and monastic
community as founded by Siddhartha during the same yearthat he
attained enlightenment.
Thank you
for listening!