1. Buddhism is a religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama (566 – 486 BC), a prince of ancient India.
  2. Buddha is not God. The word Buddha means "the awakened one or the enlightened one." All sentient beings are endowed with "Buddha nature" and all have the potential to become Buddhas.
  3. The "Four Noble Truths" are considered the essence of Buddha's teachings, detailed in the Dharma Chakra (The Wheel of Doctrine).
    • Truth of Suffering (Dukkha): Life is suffering.
    • The truth of Arising (Samudaya): Suffering is caused by desire.
    • The truth of Cessation (Nirodha): Suffering does have an end.
    • The truth of the Path (Marga): A path that leads to the end of the suffering, which is known as "the middle way."
  4. The middle way is "one of moderation in which the appetites are neither denied nor indulged to excess." It is achieved through "the eightfold path": (1) Right View (2) Right Resolve (3) Right Speech (4) Right Action (5) Right Livelihood (6) Right Effort (7) Right Mindfulness (8) Right Meditation.
  5. Buddhism does not account for the existence of God or of personal soul. Buddhist philosophy is often summarized by the phrase shunya (emptiness)–everything is impermanent and empty of identity.
  6. Sentient beings are created by five skandhas coming together to create an illusion, which we perceive as life: physical body (rupa), sensation (vedana), perception (samjna), cognition (sankhara), and consciousness (vijnana).
  7. The ultimate liberation in Buddhism is nirvana, which literally means 'quenching' or 'blowing out'. In the realm of nirvana, 'self' is extinguished, and individual consciousness merges into the universal consciousness.
  8. Buddhists are divided into a conservative Theravada school (Doctrine of the elders) and a liberal Mahayana School (Great vehicle). Most other factions are considered part of the Mahayana tradition.
  9. Mahayana Buddhism deemphasizes the historical Buddha since everyone has the potential to become a Buddha. It also allows the integration of other religious practices into Buddhism.
  10. Vajrayana school (Diamond vehicle), headed by the Dalai Lama, incorporates esoteric practices borrowed from Tibetan shamanism and Hindu tantric meditation techniques.
  11. Zen Buddhism promotes the idea of mindfulness and focuses on creating a "quickening" of the spirit (satori experience) through martial arts, aesthetics, riddles (koan) and so on.
  12. Folk Buddhism, as practiced in the majority world, incorporates the veneration of "Bodhisattvas." A Bodhisattva is a compassionate Buddha who comes back from the realm of nirvana to samsara to lead others into the path of enlightenment.
  13. Popular Bodhisattvas:
    • Avalokitesvara: Often depicted as a god with multiple hands. In Tibet, the Dalai Lama is believed to be the reincarnation of Avalokitesvara. In China, he is worshipped as a white robbed deity "Guan-yin" who has the power to grant children.
    • Amitabha/Amida: A Bodhisattva who lives in a paradise called Pure Land. Everyone who praises his name 'Namu Amida Butsu' (Praise Amida Buddha) will be reborn into Pure Land by his grace.
    • Maitreya: The one who will come into the world at the end of this age to establish an era in which everyone becomes enlightened. In China, he is portrayed as "Budai" –the famous laughing Buddha.
  14. A Buddhist may consider Jesus to be one of the many sentient beings in whom the Buddha nature is realized. In that sense he is one of the many Buddhas who has passed through this world.
  15. Jesus can also be considered as an enlightened bodhisattva who, instead of choosing to enter the realm of nirvana, decided to come back to the world in order to help others achieve enlightenment.

  1. Religious scholars often compare the teachings of Jesus and Buddha. How are they similar? How are they different?
  2. What is the Buddhist solution to the problem of suffering? How would you respond to this solution?
  3. How is the Western Buddhism different from the 'Folk Buddhism' practiced in the majority world?
  4. How is Heaven understood in Buddhism? How is it different from the Christian understanding of the same?
  5. How is the Christian idea of 'savior' similar to or different from the Buddhist concept of 'bodhisattva'?

  1. Visit a Buddhist temple and observe the religious rituals. If Buddhism does not believe in god, why are they bowing down in front of idols?
  2. Talk to Buddhists from different cultural backgrounds. How do their perception of God differ from each other? How much of it can be considered part of the s teaching?

  1. Visit a Buddhist temple and observe the religious rituals. If Buddhism does not believe in god, why are they bowing down in front of idols?
  2. Talk to Buddhists from different cultural backgrounds. How do their perception of God differ from each other? How much of it can be considered part of the s teaching?

  1. The Suffering Savior
    Chapter 3, The Unknown God