The document discusses the major schools and traditions of Buddhism, including Theravada Buddhism, which is the oldest surviving school and emphasizes personal effort to attain enlightenment; Mahayana Buddhism, which focuses on the bodhisattva ideal and became prominent along the Silk Road; and Vajrayana Buddhism, which developed esoteric rituals and became dominant in Tibet. It also provides timelines and details on the origins, teachings, and spread of the different Buddhist traditions across Asia and beyond.

2. Religions of South Asia

3. Buddhism in the
Subcontinent

4. The essence of
Buddhism
 The “middle way of wisdom
and compassion.”
 2,500 year old tradition.
 The 3 jewels of Buddhism:
 Buddha, the teacher.
 Dharma, the teachings.
 Sangha, the community.

5. Siddhartha Gautama (563-483
 Born in NE India BCE)
(Nepal).
 Raised in great luxury
to be a king.
 At 29 he rejected
his luxurious life to
seek enlightenment
and the source of
suffering.
 Lived a strict,
ascetic life for 6 yrs.
 Rejecting this extreme, sat in
meditation, and found nirvana.
 Became “The Enlightened One,” at 35.

6. What is the
fundamental cause of
all suffering?
Desire!
 Therefore, extinguish the self,
don’t obsess about oneself.

7. Four Noble Truths
1. There is suffering in the
world. To live is to
suffer. (Dukkha)
 The Buddha found this
out when he was young
and experienced
suffering and death in
others.

8. Four Noble Truths
2. The cause of
suffering is self-
centered desire and
attachments. (Tanha)

9. Four Noble Truths
3. The solution is to
eliminate desire and
attachments.
(Nirvana = “extinction”)

10. Four Noble Truths
4. To reach nirvana, one
must follow the Eightfold
Path.

11. Eightfold Path
Nirvana
 The union with the ultimate
spiritual reality.
 Escape from the cycle of
rebirth.

12. Buddha – 19c
Thailand

13. Buddha
’s head
:
2c
Pakista
n

14. Mandala: Wheel of Life
Motif

15. Mandala: Wheel of Life
Motif

16. Buddhist Altar

17. Types of
 Buddhism
Therevada Buddhism
 Mahayana Buddhism
 Tibetan Buddhism
 Zen Buddhism

18. Theravada Buddhism
 The oldest school of Buddhism.
 The “Way of the Elders” or the
“Small Vehicle.”
 Found in southern Asia.
 The monastic life is the best way
to achieve nirvana.
 Focus on wisdom and meditation.
 Goal is to become a “Buddha,” or
“Enlightened One.”
 Over 100,000,000 followers today.

19. Theravada Buddhism

20. Mahayana Buddhism
 The “Great Vehicle.”
 Founded in northern Asia (China,
Japan).
 Buddhism “for the masses.”
 Seek guidance from Boddhisatvas,
wise beings.
 Goal: Not just individual escape
from the wheel, but the salvation
of all humanity through self-
sacrifice of those enlightened few.

21. Mahayana Buddhism

22. Seated Boddhisatva –
16c
Bhutan

23. boddhisatva

24. Tibetan Buddhism
 The “Diamond Vehicle.” [Vajrayana]
 Developed in Tibet in the
7c CE.
 A mix of Theravada and Mahayana.
 Boddhisatvas include
Lamas, like the
Dalai Lama.
 The Tibetan Book
of the Dead
[Bardo Thodol].

25. The
Dalai
Lam
a

26. zen Buddhism
 The “Meditation School.”
 Seeks sudden enlightenment [satori]
through meditation, arriving at
emptiness [sunyata].
 Use of meditation masters [Roshi].
 Beauty, art, and aesthetics:
 Gardens.
 Archery.
 Tea ceremony.
 Calligraphy.

27. Buddhism in America
(1999)

28. Distribution of
Buddhism Centers in
the US, 2001

29. 10 th
Annual western
buddhist monastic
conference
California, 2004

30. Relieve Stress &
Meditate:
Get a Mantra !
Ohm...mani...padme...h
Hail to the jewel in the lotus!
ung...

31. * Attachments and Liberation
* Bodhisattva
* Bodhisattva Never Disparaging
* Buddhism and Human Dignity
* Buddhist Unity (Itai Doshin)
* Changing Poison into Medicine
* Courage
* Desires and Enlightenment
* Dialogue in Buddhism
* Discussion Meetings
*

32. * Emptiness
* The Enlightenment of Women
* The Eternity of Life
* Faith and Reason
* The Gohonzon - Observing the Mind
* Good and Evil
* Good Friends
* Gratitude
* The Greater Self
*

33. * Karma
* Kosen-rufu
* The Life of Nichiren
* The Life of Shakyamuni
* The Lotus Sutra
* The Meaning of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
* The Middle Way
* The Nine Consciousnesses
* Observing the Precepts
* The Oneness of Body and Mind
* The Oneness of Mentor and Disciple
*

34. * The Oneness of Self and Environment
* Prayer in Buddhism
* Rissho Ankoku - Securing Peace for the People
* Ten Factors
* Ten Worlds
* Three Poisons - the Source of the Problem
* Three Thousand Realms in a Single Moment of Life
* Youthfulness
* Who is a Buddha?
* Win or Lose
* The World of Anger
*

35. *

36. * Work of transforming our lives at the very core.
* Involves identifying and challenging those
things which inhibit the full expression of our
positive potential and humanity.
*

37. * break through our "lesser self," bound by self-
concern and the ego
* growing in altruism toward a "greater self"
capable of caring and taking action for the
sake of others--ultimately all humanity.
*

38. * Most fundamental, most necessary revolution
of humankind.
* To create a human society based on compassion
and respect for the dignity of all people's lives.
* world will never get any better as long as
people themselves...remain selfish and lacking
in compassion……
*

39. * “When we realize the extent of the myriad
interconnections which link us to all other life,
we realize that our existence only becomes
meaningful through interaction with, and in
relation to, others."
*

40. * Nothing exists in isolation, independent of
other life.
* Relationship between
---humankind and its environment
---Individual and society
---Parents and children
---Husband and wife.
*

41. * "Compassion is often thought of as akin to pity,
but whereas pity may be condescending,
compassion springs from a sense of the equality
and interconnectedness of life. Genuine
compassion is about empowering others,
helping them unlock strength and courage from
within their lives in order to overcome their
problems."
*

42. *Buddhist compassion could be
succinctly described then as the
desire to relieve suffering and
to give joy
*

43. * "When wisdom is functioning in our life, it has
the effect of enabling us to overcome the
ingrained perspectives of our habitual thinking
and arrive at a fresh and holistic view of a
given situation. We are able to make a broad
assessment of the facts, perceive the essence
of an issue and steer a sure course toward
happiness.
*

44. * Wisdom dispels our delusions of separateness
and awakens in us a sense of empathetic
equality with all living things.
* Encouraging and sharing hope with others
awakens us to a larger, freer identity beyond
the narrow confines of our ego.
* Wisdom and compassion are thus inseparable.
*

45. HISTORY OF
BUDDHISM

46. • The History of Buddhism spans the 6th century BCE to the
present, starting with the birth of Buddha Siddhartha Gautama on the
Indian subcontinent, in what is now Lumbini, Nepal. This makes it one of
the oldest religions practiced today.
• Siddhārtha Gautama was the historical founder of Buddhism
• Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment sitting under a pipal
tree, now known as the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India. Gautama, from
then on, was known as "The Enlightened One ," the Samyaksambuddha.
• Indian Buddhism consists of two which is Mahayana Buddhism and Vajrayana
(Esoteric Buddhism)

47. Early Buddhism
• remained centered around the Ganges valley and is spreading gradually from its
ancient heartland
• 1st Buddhist council (5th c. BCE)
- held just after Buddha's Parinirvana, and presided over by Gupta Mahākāśyapa,
one of His most senior disciples.
- The objective of the council was to record all of Buddha's teachings into the
doctrinal teachings (sutra) and Abhidhamma and to codify the monastic rules
(vinaya). These became the basis of the Tripiṭaka (Three Baskets), which is preserved
only in Pāli.
• 2nd Buddhist council (4th c. BCE)
- held at Vaisali following a dispute that had arisen in the Saṅgha over a relaxation by
some monks of various points of discipline.
- It was held because original Vinaya texts that had been preserved at the first Council
were cited to show that these relaxations went against the recorded teachings of
the Buddha.

48. • 3rd Buddhist council (c.250 BCE)
- King Aśoka convened the third Buddhist council around 250 BCE at Pataliputra
(today's Patna). It was held by the monk Moggaliputtatissa. The objective of
the council was to purify the Saṅgha, particularly from non-Buddhist ascetics
who had been attracted by the royal patronage. Following the council,
Buddhist missionaries were dispatched throughout the world.
• The fourth council was held in Sri Lanka, in the Aloka Cave, in the first century
bc. During this time as well, and for the first time, the entire set of Sutras
were recorded in the Pali language on palm leaves.
• In Sri Lanka, their monks may be credited with saving the Theravada tradition:
Although it had spread once from India all over southeast Asia, it had nearly
died out due to competition from Hinduism and Islam, as well as war and
colonialism. Theravada monks spread their tradition from Sri Lanka to Burma,
Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Laos, and from these lands to Europe and
the west generally.
• In late Buddhism, It was spread throughout the world in places such as Sri Lanka,
China, Central Asia, Korea, Japan, Tibet, Southeast Asia and even to the west.

49. Mahayana Buddhism
• formed between 100 BCE and 100 AD
• The earliest views of Mahāyāna Buddhism in the West assumed that it
existed as a separate school in competition with the so-called "Hīnayāna"
schools.
• Much of the early extant evidence for the origins of Mahāyāna comes from
early Chinese translations of Mahāyāna texts. These Mahāyāna teachings
were first propagated into China by Lokakṣema.
• During the period of Late Mahayana Buddhism, four major types of thought
developed: Madhyamaka, Yogacara, Tathagatagarbha, and Buddhist Logic
as the last and most recent.

50. Vajrayana (Esoteric Buddhism)
• Scholarly research concerning Esoteric Buddhism is still in its early stages
and has a number of problems which make research difficult, which is:
- Vajrayana Buddhism was influenced by Hinduism, and therefore the
research has to include research on Hinduism as well.
- The scriptures of Vajrayana have not yet been put in any kind of order.
- Ritual has to be examined as well, not just doctrine.

51. Demographics(人口统计学)
• Demographics are current statistical characteristics of a population.
These types of data are used widely in sociology, public policy, and
marketing.
• Commonly examined demographics include gender, race, age, disabilities,
mobility, home ownership, employment status, and even location.

52. Demographics of Buddhist
• According to one analysis, Buddhism is the fourth-largest religion in
the world behind Christianity, Islam and Hinduism.
• The monks' order (Sangha), which began during the lifetime of the
Buddha, is among the oldest organizations on earth.
• Buddhism was the first world religion and was the world's largest
religion in the first half of the 20th century.

53. Theravada Buddhism (小乘佛
教)
• They are using Sanskrit and Pāli as its scriptural languages.
• It is the dominant form of Buddhism
in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Burma.
• The Dalit Buddhist movement in India also practices Theravada.
• Approximately 124 million adherents.

54. Mahayana Buddhism(大乘佛
教)
• East Asian forms of Mahayana Buddhism(大乘佛教) that
use Chinese scriptures.
• It is dominant in most of China,
Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Vietnam as well as such
communities within Indochina, Southeast Asia and the West.
• Approximately 500 million to one billion.

55. Tibetan Buddhism (藏传佛教)
• It is mainly found in Bhutan, Nepal, Mongolia, areas
of India, China and Russia.
• Approximately 20 million believer.

56. Point of view of the world.
• At the present time, the teachings of all three branches of
Buddhism have spread throughout the world, and Buddhist
texts are increasingly translated into local languages.
• While in the West Buddhism is often seen as exotic and
progressive,
• in the East it is regarded as familiar and traditional. Buddhists
in Asia are frequently well organized and well funded. In a
number of countries, it is recognized as an official religion and
receives state support.

57. Schools and traditions of
Buddhism

58. Timeline: Development and propagation of Buddhist traditions (ca. 450 BCE – ca. 1300 CE)
1200
450 BCE 250 BCE 100 CE 500 CE 700 CE 800 CE
CE
Early Mahayana Vajrayana
Early Buddhist schools
India Sangh
a
Sri Lanka & Theravada
Southeast Asi
a Buddhism
Greco-Buddhism
Central
Tibetan Buddhism
Asia Silk Road Buddhism
East Asia Chán, Tiantai, Pure Land, Zen, Nichiren Shingon
700 800 1200
450 BCE 250 BCE 100 CE 500 CE
CE CE CE
Legend = Theravada = Mahayana = Vajrayana
: tradition traditions traditions

59. Theravada
 The earliest form of
Buddhism.
 'Thera' means old and
'Vada' means school.
 'Theravada' is sometimes translated as
'the Teaching of the Elders'.
 Emphasis on bringing perfection into
one's life to attain enlightenment.

60.  Theravadin Buddhists think that personal
effort is required to realize rebirth.
 Meditation is done by forest monks for the
most part
 Village monks teach and serve their lay
communities.
 Laypersons can perform good actions,
producing merit which can be traded to the
gods who may reward it with material
benefits.

61. Origin and Spread of Theravada
 Was spread to Sri Lanka by the Indian
emperor Ashoka's son, Mahindra, who
was also a Buddhist monk.
 The school of Theravada became a
national dogma in Sri Lanka .
 Also spread as far as Myanmar(Previous
Burma), Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.

62. Theravada school
 Is the oldest surviving Buddhist school.
 Generally known to be analytical and monastic.
 Is relatively conservative, and generally closest
to early Buddhism.
 Consists of the teachings of the Buddha, rules
for monastic life and philosophical and
psychological analysis.
 Gradually declined on the Indian subcontinent,
but its branch in Sri Lanka and South East Asia
continues to survive.

63.  One of the first Buddhist schools to commit
the complete set of its canon into writing.
 The Sutta collections and Vinaya texts of the
Pāli Canon are generally considered by
modern scholars to be the earliest Buddhist
literature.
 Primarily practiced today in Sri Lanka, Burma,
Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, small portions of
China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bangladesh.
 Has a growing presence in Europe and
America.

64. Mahayana
 Flourished in India from the 5th
century CE onwards.
 During the dynasty of the
Guptas, Mahāyāna
centres of learning were
established.
 Nālandā University in
north-eastern India.

65.  Is practiced today in China, Japan,
Korea, Singapore, parts of Russia and
most of Vietnam ("Eastern Buddhism").
 The Buddhism practiced in Tibet, the
Himalayan regions, and Mongolia is
also Mahayana in origin. (“
Northern Buddhism“).

66.  In Japan in particular, they form
separate denominations.
 In Korea, nearly all Buddhists
belong to the Chogye
school, but with substantial
elements from other
traditions.

67. Mahayana School
 Emphasizes compassion and tends to be
democratic.
 Recognize all or part of the Mahayana
Sutras.
 Some of these sutras became for
Mahayanists a manifestation of the
Buddha himself, and faith in and
veneration of those texts are stated in
some sutras to lay the foundations for the
later attainment of Buddhahood itself.

68. Vajrayana
 Spread to China, Mongolia, and Tibet.
 In Tibet, has always been a main component of Tibeta
Buddhism
 Became extinct in China but survived in elements of
Japan's Shingon and Tendai sects.
 Recognise a large body of
Buddhist Tantras, some of
which are also included in
Chinese and Japanese
collections of Buddhist
literature, and versions of a
few even in the Pali Canon.

69. Festivals and Special Days

70. Vesak or Visakah Puja ("Buddha Day")
 Traditionally, Buddha's Birthday is known
as Vesak or Visakah Puja (Buddha's
Birthday Celebrations).
 Is the major Buddhist festival of the year
as it celebrates the birth, enlightenment
and death of the Buddha on the one day,
the first full moon day in May.
 This celebration is called Vesak being the
name of the month in the Indian calendar.

71. Loy Krathong (Festival of Floating
Bowls)
 At the end of the Kathin Festival season, when the
rivers and canals are full of water, the Loy Krathong
Festival takes place in all parts of Thailand on the full
moon night of the Twelfth Lunar month.
 People bring bowls made of leaves (which contain
flowers) candles and incense sticks, and float them in
the water.
 As they go, all bad luck is suppose to disappear.
 The traditional practice of Loy Krathong was meant to
pay homage to the holy footprint of the Buddha on
the beach of the Namada River in India.

72. Avalokitesvara’s (Kuan Yin) Birthday
 Is a festival which celebrates the
Bodhisattva ideal represented by
Avalokitesvara.
 Who represents the perfection of
compassion in the Mahayana traditions of
Tibet and China.
 Occurs on the full moon day in March.