"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future,
concentrate the mind on the present moment." -Buddha
concentrate the mind on the present moment." -Buddha
The Wheel of Life
The wheel of life is a picture that represents Buddhist views on the universe.
It shows how existence is a cycle of life through birth, death, and rebirth and
suffering that Buddhists search for a way to escape from, basically samsara. The wheel, depending
on the picture, has 5 or 6 realms in which the soul can be reborn (reincarnation).
It shows how existence is a cycle of life through birth, death, and rebirth and
suffering that Buddhists search for a way to escape from, basically samsara. The wheel, depending
on the picture, has 5 or 6 realms in which the soul can be reborn (reincarnation).
The Buddha
Buddhism was founded in
India, between the 6th
and 4th century BC.
Buddhism was founded by a man by the name of Siddhartha Gautama.
Siddhartha Gautama was at one point, a wealthy prince of a Hindu kingdom.
But renounced his worldly processions, and left his old life to seek spiritual
answers when he witnessed the four Sights. The four Sights
are the suffering of normal people that Siddhartha witnessed outside his palace.
The first sight was an elderly man. The second was a sick man, the Third, a dead
man. Lastly was a holy man.
He studied with the most prominent religious teachers, or “Gurus” of his
day. He would learn from them, and master their ways of meditation and yoga. But
still, his questions when unanswered. With traditional gurus not working for
him, Siddhartha undertook the way of asceticism.
Asceticism is the way of enlightenment through extreme physical torment. He
took this path for a while; he starved himself, brought pain onto himself. One
day he came extremely close to death, but his questions still weren’t
answered. A girl approached him,
and offered him rice and milk, which he accepted, and left the way of
asceticism.
After he left asceticism, he sat under a fig tree, and swore he would not
move until his questions were answered. He sat and meditated under the tree for
49 days, until he discovered a new form of meditation, The Middle Way. The
Middle way is a meditative path that that moderates between Self-discipline and
self mortification. It was through this Middle way that he achieved
enlightenment. Having achieved enlightenment, he set out and preached his new
truth, Creating Buddhism.
India, between the 6th
and 4th century BC.
Buddhism was founded by a man by the name of Siddhartha Gautama.
Siddhartha Gautama was at one point, a wealthy prince of a Hindu kingdom.
But renounced his worldly processions, and left his old life to seek spiritual
answers when he witnessed the four Sights. The four Sights
are the suffering of normal people that Siddhartha witnessed outside his palace.
The first sight was an elderly man. The second was a sick man, the Third, a dead
man. Lastly was a holy man.
He studied with the most prominent religious teachers, or “Gurus” of his
day. He would learn from them, and master their ways of meditation and yoga. But
still, his questions when unanswered. With traditional gurus not working for
him, Siddhartha undertook the way of asceticism.
Asceticism is the way of enlightenment through extreme physical torment. He
took this path for a while; he starved himself, brought pain onto himself. One
day he came extremely close to death, but his questions still weren’t
answered. A girl approached him,
and offered him rice and milk, which he accepted, and left the way of
asceticism.
After he left asceticism, he sat under a fig tree, and swore he would not
move until his questions were answered. He sat and meditated under the tree for
49 days, until he discovered a new form of meditation, The Middle Way. The
Middle way is a meditative path that that moderates between Self-discipline and
self mortification. It was through this Middle way that he achieved
enlightenment. Having achieved enlightenment, he set out and preached his new
truth, Creating Buddhism.
http://buddhism.about.com/od/lifeofthebuddha/a/buddhalife.htm