buddhism and hinduism

1. Religions of the East
 Buddhism Hinduism

2. Buddhism
The quest to be at peace with the universe…
Or something like that…

3. What is Buddhism?
 Founded sometime between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE.
 Hard to be exact with dates a long time ago
 Few people could read, which means few people could write down
what was happening.
 Founded by Siddhartha Gautama, a high Brahmin caste
Prince, son of a King
 The goal is to reach enlightenment, or a state of awakening
where you can understand and be at peace with everything.

4. Creation of the World
 Buddhists take no position on how the world was created.
 “We do not know HOW or WHEN or WHY it happened, but the
world is here and so are we.”
 That’s a good thing.
 In short, Buddhists have no opinion about how the world was
created!
 Focus your attentions on the present since you cannot do
anything but worry over the past.

6. So how did it come around?
 Siddhartha’s father wanted him
to be King
 Banned him from leaving
the palace grounds.
 29 years old, ventured outside
 Witnessed the “Four Sights”
 Old man, sick man, corpse,
and a priest at peace with
the world.
 Realized the misery of the
world and of the poor
people in the lower castes.

7. The Journey Begins
 The Prince decides he needs
to find the answers to life’s
sufferings.
 Sets out on a journey.
 Explores monasteries that
monks help others, meditate,
fast (starve themselves), pray,
and take no wives… but found
no answers to the sufferings of
the world.
 This is a painting of the Buddha
leaving for his journey! There
he goes! 

8. Recreation of Siddhartha

9. Enlightenment at Last
 Comes to the realization that
sufferings are caused by the
ups and downs of life.
 Through meditation and
concentration, we can escape
from these emotions and be
at total peace.
 Sat down under the Bodhi
Tree and meditated; taught
many others.
 After a life of peace and
teaching, died at the age of
80.

10. That’s Buddha’s happy face!
Gross!

12. Practices and Beliefs
 Believe in samsara, or the cycle of death and rebirth
 1 of 6 forms: Living in hell, hungry ghost, animals, human, lower god,
supreme god.
 Enlightenment brings about release from this cycle.
 Karma is a major force in the universe that gives us what we earn
in this life or the next.
 The Four Noble Truths: How to stop the suffering of the world.
 Noble Eightfold Path: The last of the Four Noble Truths, tells us
how to live at peace and change our ways of thinking.

13. Buddha taking a nap

14. Four Noble Truths
 1) dukka: Suffering of this world.
 2) origin of dukka: Our human cravings and desires
 Be they lust, jealously, envy, pride, stubborness, anger.
 3) cessation of dukka: giving up our cravings for things that
can cause suffering
 4) path to the cessation of dukka: this is the goal of
Buddhism, and the ways of living and thinking that will lead us
from desire and suffering.

15. Hey! Buddha be waving at us!!!
Notice the symbol?
The swastika of
Nazi Germany was
originally a
Hindu/Buddhist
symbol for good
fortune and peace.
Hitler used it
because it
symbolized the
Aryan race (the
people who
conquered India).

16. Monks!!!
 Many people follow the practice
of being a Buddhist Monk!
 Live on the charity of others.
 Meditate all day and night
 Some never speak
 Wear the simplest of clothes.
 Practice martial arts for
discipline, exercise, and
meditation.
 Chanting
 “OM”

17. Monks are tougher than you or I
 Many practice Martial Arts as a
form of meditation.
 Focusing mind and body to
perform incredible feats.
 Breaking blocks, logs, and
other assorted building
materials.
 Never actually used in combat
 Only use for meditation
 Monks are nonviolent
 Can’t harm living things

18. Plus, they can do this!

20. Cool stuff
 Meditation is concentration and chanting to relax the body,
release your mind, find enlightenment.
 Through meditation, a great many things are possible.
Pain can be completely
forgotten
Let’s see how this is possible…

21. Tibetan Monks
 Peaceful, nonviolent Buddhist monks.
 Lived for thousands of years in northern Vietnam
 Abide by a strict and simple Buddhist code of life:
 Meditate for up to 8 hours a day
 Live by begging for support from others, and eat only what they can afford to
by from begging.
 Most do not speak (sounds can upset our inner peace)
 Then war breaks out inside their country (Vietnam War)
 Buddhist monks are nonviolent so they protest in other ways.
 The next slide may be upsetting…

22. Protest Vietnam War

23. Hinduism
Older than any old person you
know!

24.  According to Hinduism, the universe was never actually created
but has always been around. It has been created and
destroyed multiple times, we are in the 4th stage now.
 There is a constant building and destroying that is natural to our
universe, so everything is constantly being created and
destroyed by opposite forces.
 Love, hate
 Hot, cold
 Chocolate, Peanut Butter
 Kobe, LeBron
 Chicken McNuggets or Fish McBites
In the Beginning…

25. Creation!!! EGAD!!!

26.  The supreme creator God in Hinduism is Brahman, and TECHNICALLY
there is only 1 god that shows itself in a million different ways.
 From Brahman we get everything, both the good and the bad, but there
are gods that are in charge or every aspect of life and death. It is
everything at once, including the other gods.
 Like in Christianity, there is a holy trinity:
 Christianity has the Father (God), Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit.
 Hinduism has Brahman (supreme creator), Vishnu (the one who brings
balance to the universe), and Shiva (the destroyer).
The Concept(s) of God(s)

27. Brahman- the Creator• Always depicted as
having many heads
• The other heads are to
remind us that Brahman
is the eternal source of
everything, including
other gods.
• Brahman is everything,
never just one thing.
• Also, since Brahman is
the highest of creation,
the highest level of the
caste system is also
called Brahmin.

28. Vishnu- The Protector Brahman, Vishnu, Shiva
 One of the many gods, but
one of the top 3 in importance.
 Vishnu appears on Earth to
eradicate evil and restore
dharma, or “balance to the
universe”
 Many tales of Vishnu inspiring
others and destroying bad
people.
 Many arms and hands to
represent his many tasks for
balance, order, peace,
stability.

29. Shiva
 The Destroyer
 The universe is both good
and bad.
 There can be no heroes
without villains.
 Destruction is a natural and
necessary thing.
 Slayer of demons

30.  Avatars: The gods can all take a great many forms when they come to earth.
Samsara: Cycle of rebirth that all livings things follow.
Moksha: Release from the cycle of samsara after living a perfect life in your
position.
Dharma: Universal balance and order, brought about by doing your duty or
role based on your station in life. In short, it is your purpose in life.
Karma: Universal system of reward and punishment. Positive deeds will see
you rewarded, bad deeds will see you punished in this life or the next.
Important Concepts

31. Reincarnation
 We have been born hundreds of times
in many different forms.
 If we live according to our dharma, or
purpose, we can become promoted in
the next life.
 If we do well for multiple lives, we
receive moksha, or release from this
endless cycle and go join the gods.
 The rebirth cycle is seen as infinite and
tiring, spirits only find peace and rest in
moksha.

32. Why fight the system?

33. Samsara and Caste
 Caste- social ranking in life
 Gives every person their dharma,
or purpose.
 Every level has a specific role in
the universe.
 Lower castes are being punished
for past deeds, higher castes are
being rewarded.
 No movement up or down within
your lifetime, only when you are
reincarnated.

34. Karma
 The universal concept of right
and wrong, reward and
punishment.
 The universe is always
watching and judging how well
you perform your dharma and
how you interact with others,
and it is keeping score.
 Good deeds result in rewards
(maybe you found $20 on the
floor, maybe you are the only
person in your family not to
get sick)
 Bad deeds results in
consequences (getting sick,
car breaking down, losing
money, break-up)
 Horrible things may result in
getting reborn in a lower
caste, or maybe into a
tapeworm, or just a rock!!!

35. Not to be confused with…

36. Kali Yuga- The End of All Things
 Starts when castes are
overthrown and “alien kings”
rule in India.
 Brahman returns to earth as
Kali Yuga, the final destroyer
God, devouring all.
 Vishnu will merge with the
sun, causing a great drought
that will evaporate all water on
earth.
 Shiva will cause thousands of
years of rain.
 Earth will be destroyed, so
Brahman will make a new
earth and start the 5th cycle.
Kali Yuga: I said NO PICKLES!!
GROAR!!!!

37. Yoga
 Practice of stretching and
strength training for
meditation.
 Many different positions,
chants, methods.
 Started as a way of worship
and meditation in Hinduism.

38. Yoga
Why is that guy saluting those dogs?