Lesson 4 – The Birth of Buddhism

In a tiny kingdom of ______India, a queen is about to give birth. One night she has a dream that tells her that she will have a son. If he stays at home with his family, the prince will become a mighty ______. If he leaves the palace, he will become a wise ______. A boy is born, and the queen names him Siddhartha Gautama. Her dream will come true in others ways as well.

The Life of Siddhartha Gautama

Siddhartha Gautama was born around 563 B.C. in the small kingdom of ______. When the king heard his wife’s dream, he decided he would make his son ______at ______so he would become a mighty king.

A Prince’s World

The king arranged for the prince to marry the woman of his dreams and he built magnificent gardens around the royal palace to surround Siddhartha with ______. The king allowed nothing ______or ______to enter his son’s life.

One day, the prince was riding in the royal gardens. He saw an elderly man limping ______. Siddhartha asked his servant what was wrong with the man. The servant answered that all people must grow ______. The young prince said, “______on birth, since to everyone that is born, old age must come!”

The Prince’s Choice

Then Siddhartha saw a man who seemed at ______with the world. This man was calm even while he was begging for his next meal. Siddhartha asked his servant about this man and learned that the man was a ______. A monk is a man who gives up all he owns and gives his life to religion.

The prince was amazed that someone could be so at peace in a world filled with ______and suffering. Buddhist texts tell us that the prince made a difficult decision that day. He gave up all he had and became a ______. He said goodbye to his wife and newborn son, and he left he palace. His journey to find the meaning of ______had begun.

Siddhartha’s Search for Wisdom

In his search for ______, Siddhartha spoke with Hindu priests, but he could not accept their answers. He traveled across northern India for ______years, ______for food and ______truth. He tried to focus his thoughts by refusing to eat, or fasting. He began to eat again when he nearly starved to death.

After much thought and searching, a great understanding came to the prince one day as he sat under a fig tree. Buddhist texts tell us that the wisdom he received that day made him the Buddha, or “Awakened One”.

The Beliefs of Buddha

The Buddha used some ______ideas and changed others. Like Hindus, the Buddha believed that all people went through a cycle of birth, death and reincarnation, or rebirth. He also accepted the Hindu idea of karma. ______is a ______caused by a person’s good and bad acts. Karma is said to affect future lives.

Unlike Hindus, however, the Buddha did not search for the one powerful force believed to connect all of life. He believed that the most important task in life was to ______by ending suffering. How did he reach these conclusions? How did he hope to put an end to suffering?

The Four Noble Truths

The Buddha decided that life is ruled by the Four Noble Truths. These are:

  1. Life is filled with ______.
  2. Suffering is caused by people wanting ______pleasure, more power, or a longer life.
  3. Suffering can end if people stop ______things.
  4. People must follow eight basic laws if they are to stop wanting things.

The Eightfold Path

The Buddha explained these Four Noble Truths to his followers. He called his was to end suffering the ______. The Eightfold Path is a set of instructions on the proper way to live. By following the Eightfold Path, the Buddha taught, people could end the suffering in their lives.

The laws of the Eightfold Path were neither too strict nor too easy. They represent a ______Way of living. The Buddha compared the Middle Way to playing a stringed instrument. If the strings were too loose, they cannot make music. If they are too tight, they will break. Only the strings that are tightened perfectly will make beautiful sounds. Life works the same way, he said.

The Buddha Travels and Teaches

The Buddha continued to ______. He crossed India bringing his message to people of all ______. One day, he found himself back at his father’s palace. The elderly king was shocked to see his handsome son as a humble monk. However, Buddhists believe, the king decided to follow the Buddha and his teachings. Later he Buddha’s wife and son became followers as well.

There were ______of Buddhists in northern India by the time the Buddha died at the age of 80, in 483 B.C. These Buddhists lived according to h is Four Noble Truths and followed the teachings of the Eightfold Path. Like the Buddha, Buddhist monks gave up all they owned and depended on other Buddhist believers to give them food each day. They tried to live ______and to love all ______.

The Spread of Buddhism

Traveling monks introduced the Buddha’s teachings to southern and eastern Asia. Buddhism ______to what are today China, Japan, Korea, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Taiwan, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam.

The Buddha set his followers on the path to enlightenment. Here are some ______from “The Path” a Buddhist text written around 100 B.C.

  • Of the paths the Eightfold is the best; of truths the Four Noble Truths are the best; of all states Detachment is the best….(273)
  • You yourself must make the effort. The Buddha can only point the way (276)
  • Transient are all…. Things; he who sees the truth of this becomes disgusted with this world of suffering. This is the path to purity. (277)
  • Sorrowful are all…. Things; he who sees the truth of this becomes disgusted with this world of suffering. This is the path to purity. (278)
  • Cut down the whole forest (of desires), not just a tree. From the forest arises fear. Cut down the forest and its brushwood, O monks, and be emancipated. (283)

Different Schools

Different schools of ______developed over the years. Some followers believed that the Buddha was a god. Others thought that he was a person who found a way to end suffering. Buddhists argued about how to live the Middle Way, and ______about how people reached truth and freedom from suffering. These differences continue among Buddhists today. Yet, some basic teachings are shared by all Buddhists. These include honoring the Buddha’s teachings and helping others to end suffering.

Putting it all together

Buddhism is a religion that came into being when Siddhartha Gautama, a rich prince of northern India, sought a ______to end suffering in the world. His ______came to be known as Buddhism, which spread first in northern India and then through southern and eastern Asia. Differences among Buddhists developed after the Buddha’s death, but all Buddhists share his ______teachings.