Architecture of the Buddhist World is a new book series and this is part of the online educational information for readers new to these topics. Find out more about Buddhism here: http://architectureofbuddhism.com/books/tag/buddhism/ Discover the Golden Lands book here: http://architectureofbuddhism.com/books/the-golden-lands/

1. Understanding Buddhism

2. Buddhism is officially one of the world’s major
religions with about 350-375 million adherents
or roughly 6.5% of the world’s population.

3. Though mainly Southeast and East Asian
countries celebrate it as a religion, many other
people across the world taking over the beliefs as
their own spiritual path, particularly through meditation.

4. Buddha’s Life

6. …born some 2500 years ago in Lumbini,
a place at the time in India but now
located in Nepal.

8. The legend says that his father kept him away from the
outside of the palace and aiming to not make him aware
of the world’s common sufferings:
aging, sickness and death.

9. When he reached his late 20’s, curiosity of life beyond his palace grew
and grew, eventually letting him start to explore the surroundings. He
was quickly confronted with the reality when he saw old men and
diseased people.

10. By the age of 29 he embarked on a spiritual quest
to understand how human sufferings could be overcome.

11. After six years he attained enlightenment
under the Bodhi Tree (tree of awakening) where
he sat for 49 consecutive days and practiced meditation and fasting.

13. Buddhism celebrations and festivals differ from
country to country; similar to Hindus, the dates
are based on the lunar calendar and not
the Gregorian calendar

14. Vesak Day – Is the most important Buddhist festival, as
Buddhists celebrate the birth, enlightenment and
the death of Buddha on the same day,
the first full moon day in May.

15. Buddhist New Year – The Buddhist New Year is
celebrated on different dates throughout the world:

18. Ancestor Day – Mainly celebrated in Mahayana countries on the first
day of the eighth month, ghosts come to visit the world for 15 days

20. Moreover, a few countries celebrate even unique, regional Buddhism
holidays, such as ‘The Festival of the Tooth’ in Sri Lanka or
‘The Elephant Festival’ in Thailand.

21. The difference in clothing colours & short hair

22. Theravada Buddhists
usually wear orange, while
Tibetan monks wear a more maroon colour.

23. Why orange/maroon?
In ancient times, people used
to dye clothes with the cheapest
materials available – wood and
tree rubber. The colours have
remained the same since then.

24. The short hair symbolizes
simplicity and detachment of materialism

25. Monks are highly respected by the community – In Thailand they
walk around the streets and neighbourhoods early in the morning
to collect alms, give blessings and spiritual advice to the people

26. Karma
&
Samsara

27. Samsara is the repeating cycle
of birth, life and death,
which goes hand in hand with
Karma, speaking if you do
something good you will
receive good and vice versa.

28. Slide 1 - Reclining Buddha via Flickr by Joe Stump : http://bit.ly/1rqfyZV
Slide 2 - Buddha Eden via Flickr by Sérgio Gonçalves : http://bit.ly/1nGvJV1
Slide 3 - Golden Buddha via Flickr via Epsos.de : http://bit.ly/1ri5YIx
Slide 4 - Buddha Eden via Flickr by Sérgio Gonçalves : http://bit.ly/1rRvx4n
Slide 5 - Buddha Shakyamuni via Flickr by Scott Hess : http://bit.ly/1zc3WhT
Slide 6 - Lumbini – Nepal via Wikimedia by Kushal Kafle
Slide 7 - Buddha head , Ayuthaya via Flickr by Hug Cirici : http://bit.ly/1noQEuH
Slide 8 - Leshan-Big Budha via Flickr by Mircea : http://bit.ly/1rDyruu
Slide 9 - Paradise via Flickr BY Hartwig HKD : http://bit.ly/WQr9s7
Slide 10 - Buddha Purnima via Flickr by Shital Khandar : http://bit.ly/WQhFgu
Slide 11 - Buddha sun via Flickr by Hartwig HKD : http://bit.ly/1rSNnUL
Slide 13 - 2010 Lunar calendar via Flickr by Carl@FellowCreative : http://bit.ly/1nroE9I
Slide 14 - Reclining Buddha via Flickr by Joe Stump : http://bit.ly/1rqfyZV
Slide 15 -Lantern festival via Flickr by G W : http://bit.ly/1piWzRf
Slide 16 - Enlightening Perspective via Flickr by Richard Pluck : http://bit.ly/1np4f59
Slide 17 - Songkran festival via Flickr vy Ol’pete : http://bit.ly/1o24WN1
Slide 18 - The exposed temple hall via Flickr by Trey Ratcliff : http://bit.ly/1kfeBVJ
Slide 19 - Budha via Flickr by Mhiguera : http://bit.ly/1mMW8u2
Slide 20 - Kandy – Srilanka via Flickr by James Gordon : http://bit.ly/1poxKRh
Slide 21 - Monks in Thailand via Flickr by Carl Parkes : http://bit.ly/1qF8CML
Slide 22 - Monks via Flickr by Sam Sith : http://bit.ly/1k10yCK
Slide 23 - Monks via Flickr by Sam Sith : http://bit.ly/1k0ZoXS
Slide 24 - Monks Noir via Flickr by Trey Ratcliff : http://bit.ly/1qF7SqG
Slide 25 - Monks via Flickr by Ronn aka "Blue" Aldaman : http://bit.ly/1zfOHEp
Slide 26 - Shakyamuni Buddha via Flickr by Anoop Madhavan : http://bit.ly/WQg8qx
Slide 27 - Karma Guen via Flickr by Tobias Steinhoff : http://bit.ly/1nrrwDB
Slide 28 - Golden Buddha via Flickr by Sakeeb Sabakka : http://bit.ly/Us5GEa
Photo Sources

29. Find out more about the history
and architecture of Buddhism at:
http://architectureofbuddhism.com