THERAVADA

BUDDHISM
432X
 BUDDHISM IS ONE OF THE MOST
PRACTICAL AMONG THE
WORLD’GREAT RELIGION BECAUSE
ITS BELIEF SYSTEM INTENDS TO
MEET BASIC HUMAN NEEDS AND
SOLVE HUMANKIND’S SPIRITUAL
PROBLEM WITHOUT DEPENDING ON
SUPERNATURAL FORCES.
THERAVADA BUDDHISM
150 MILLION ADHERENTS
MYANMAR, THAILAND, AND SRI
LANKA
“SCHOOL OF THE ELDER
MONKS” OR “SCHOOL OF THE
ANCIENTS”
SACRED SCRIPTURES

PALI CANON OR
TIPITAKA/TRIPITAKA- “THREE
BASKETS”
PRESERVED IN PALI LANGUAGE
1ST BASKET – SUTTA
PITAKA CONTAINS THE
CONVENTIONAL
TEACHING DELIVERED
BY SIDDHARTA ON
DIFFERENT
OCCASSIONS.
2ND BASKET – VINAYA
PITAKA, CONTAINS THE
DISCIPLINARY CODE
REQUIRED OF BUDDHIST
MONKS AND NUNS.
VARIOUS RULES AND
REGULATIONS MUST BE
FOLLOWED BY THE
MONASTIC COMMUNITY.
3RD BASKET – ABHIDHAMMA
PITAKA, IS A WORK ON
MORAL PSYCHOLOGY. THE
REFLECTIVE PHILOSOPHIES
OF SIDDHARTA’S TEACHINGS
ARE CONTAINED IN THIS
BASKET THAT IS STRICTLY
THERAVADA COLLECTION.
BELIEFS AND DOCTRINES

IT HAS NO PLACE FOR GOD

OR SAVIOR, AS SALVATION
ENTIRELY LIES WITHI
ANYONES CONTROL.
SIDDHARTA DID NOT CLAIM
TO BE A SAVIOR BUT A
GUIDE AND TEACHER
ANOTHER UNIQUE FEATURE
OF BUDDHISM IS THE BELIEF
THAT SOUL DOES NOT EXIST
AS THE PEOPLE LIVE IN A
STATE OF NONSOULNESS.
BUDDHISM DOES NOT
PREACH THAT HUMANS
HAVE AN ETERNAL AND
INDESTRUCTIBLE SOUL.
NOTHING IS PERMAMENT IN
THE WORLD, HENCE ALL
THINGS CHANGE AND
IMPERMANENT. ALL THINGS
ARE TRANSITORY AND
PASSING; THEY ALL HAVE
BEGINNING AND END TO
THEIR EXISTENCE.
SOUL IS A COMPOSITE OF FIVE
MENTAL OR PHYSICAL
AGGREGATES
1. PHYSICAL FORM OF
CORPOREALITY
2. FEELINGS/SENSATION
3. UNDERSTANDING/PERCEPTION
4. WILL OR MENTAL PERCEPTION
5. CONSCIOUSNESS
THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

THE TEACHINGS OF
SIDDHARTA INCLUDE
DISCOURSES ON THE BASIC
TENENTS OF BUDDHISM SUCH
AS “THE FOUR NOBLE
TRUTHS” AND THE “ EIGHT-
FOLD PATH"
1. THE FIRST NOBLE TRUTH.
THIS IDENTIFIES THE ORIGIN
OF THE PROBLEM-DUKKHA.
SUFFERING CAN BE
EXPERIENCED THROUGHOUT
THE DIFFERENT STAGES OF A
PERSON’S LIFE- FROM BIRTH,
SICKNESS, OLD AGE, TO
ULTIMATE DEATH.
WHEN ONE CLINGS TO ONE OF
PREVIOUSLY STATED
AGGREGATES, THESE LEADS TO
SUFFERING. WHEN ONE UNITES
WITH THE UNPLEASANT, IT
CAUSES SUFFERING. WHEN ONE
DISSOCIATES FROM THE
PLEASANT, IT ALSO RESULTS IN
SUFFERING.
2. THE SECOND NOBLE TRUTH.
THIS EXPLAINS THE CAUSE OF
SUFFERING OR THE SAMODAYA-
IN CRAVING OR DESIRE, IN THE
PERPETUAL THIRST OF HUMANS
TO CONSUME THINGS,
EXPERIENCES, OR IDEAS. PEOPLE
ARE NEVER SATISFIED AS THEY
ALWAYS WANT MORE OR
WANT SOMETHING NEW,
OR JUST WANT TO
DISCONTINUE SOMETHING.
PEOPLE CRAVE FOR
EXISTENCE/NON EXISTENCE
AND SEEK SENSUAL
PLEASURES. PEOPLE
SEARCH FOR SELF
SATISFACTION FROM
THINGS THEY BELIEVE THEY
CAN EXPERIENCE.
The 3rd NOBLE TRUTH
THIS ASSERTS THAT THERE
IS A CESSATION OR
NIRODHA TO SUFFERING
AND BONDAGE BY
ELIMINATING CRAVING AND
DESIRE. BY DROPPING THE
BONDS OF CRAVING, ONE
GETS TO BE RELEASED
FROM THE FUNDAMENTAL
NATURE OF REALITY.
The 4TH NOBLE TRUTH.
THIS DIRECTS AN
INDIVIDUAL TO THE PATH
OR MAGGA LEADING TO
THE TERMINATION OF
CRAVING AND DESIRE.AND
TO EVENTUAL CESSATION
OF PAIN.
THE PATH TOWARD
MODERATION OR “THE MIDDLE
WAY” AIMED AT ENDING
SUFFERING IS KNOWN AS “THE
EIGHT-FOLD PATH” WHICH IS AN
ENTIRELY PRACTICAL PATH-EACH
DESCRIBED AS RIGHT OR
SAMMA- DIVIDED INTO 3
ASPECTS WISDOM, MORALITY
AND MEDITATION.
THE EIGHT-
FOLD PATH
RIGHT VIEW – UNDERSTANDS THE
“FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS”

RIGHT INTENTION – FREE ONESELF

FROM ILL-WILL, CRUELTY, AND
UNTRUTHFULNESS.

RIGHT SPEECH – ABSTAIN FROM

UNTRUTHFULNESS, TALE BEARING,
HARSH LANGUAGE AND VAIN TALK
RIGHT ACTION – ABSTAIN FROM
KILLING, STEALING, AND SEXUAL
MISCONDUCT
RIGHT LIVELIHOOD – EARN A LIVING IN
A WAY NOT HARMFUL TO ANY LIVING
THING
RIGHT EFFORT– AVOID EVIL THOUGHTS
AND OVERCOME THEM, AROUSE GOOD
THOUGHTS AND MAINTAIN THEM
RIGHT MINDFULNESS – PAY VIGILANT
ATTENTION TO EVERY STATE OF THE
BODY, FEELING, AND MIND

RIGHT CONCENTRATION –
CONCENTRATE ON A SINGLE OBJECT SO
AS TO INDUCE CERTAIN SPECIAL STATES
OF CONSCIOUSNESS IN DEEP
MEDITATION.
THE MASTERY OF THE VARIOUS
TRUTHS AND OBSERVANCE OF THE
PATH WOULD LEAD A PERSON TO
BREAK THE BOND THAT BINDS HIM
OR HER TO LIFE AND OBTAIN
RELEASE FROM THE ETERNAL
CYCLE OF DEATH AND REBIRTH OR
SAMSARA. THIS CYCLE IS
INFLUENCED BY KARMA WHICH IS
A LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT.
WORHIP AND OBSERVANCES
ATTAINMENT OF SALVATION TO
ANY BUDDHIST IS BY WAY OF ONE’S
OWN ACTION WITHOUT THE
ASSISTANCE OF ANY SUPREME OR
SUPERNATURAL BEING.
FOLLOWERS ARE GUIDED BY THE
TEACHINGS OF SIDDHARTA AS LAY
PEOPLE OFFER GIFTS TO
SIDDHARTA DURING WORSHIP
DAYS.
STUPAS- ARE COMMEMORATIVE
MONUMENTS THAT CONTAIN
SACRED RELICS ASSOSIATED WITH
SIDDHARTA HIMSELF, AND THE
VULNERABLE MONKS AND NUNS.
WITH THE DEATH OF SIDDHARTA,
HIS BODY WAS CREMATED AND
HIS ASHES WERE DIVIDED AMONG
EIGHT FOLLOWERS AND
PRESERVED IN EIGHT STUPAS.
SUMMARY

THE FUNDAMENTAL TEACHINGS

OF BUDDHISM ARE CLOSELY TIED
TO THE LIFE OF SIDDHARTA
GAUTAMA WHO WAS BORN
BETWEEN 563 B.C.E. IN LUMBNI
IN THE FOOTHILLS OF THE
NEPALESE HIMALAYAS.
SUMMARY
THE THERAVADA SECT IS THE
SCHOOL OF BUDDHISM THAT
DRAW ITS SCRIPTURAL
INSPIRATION FROM THE PALI
CANON OR TRIPITKA/TIPITAKA
“THREE BASKETS”
SUMMARY
THE TEACHINGS OF SIDDHARTA
INCLUDE DISCOURSES ON THE
“FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS,” “EIGHT-
FOLD PATH,” “IMPERMANENCE OF
THINGS,”
SUMMARY
MOST OF THE BUDDHIST
FESTIVALS ARE FREQUENTLY
HAPPY CELEBRATIONS. MOST OF
BUDDHIST FESTIVALS ARE HELD
TO COMMEMORATE IMPORTANT
EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF
SIDDHARTA GAUTAMA.
MAHAYANA
BUDDHISM
MAHAYANA BUDDHISM –
MEANS “THE GREAT VEHICLE”
The Mahāyāna tradition is
the largest major tradition of
Buddhism existing today,
with 53% of practitioners,
compared to 36% for 
Theravada and 6% for 
Vajrayana in 2010. [5]
MAHAYANA BUDDHISM IS
WIDESPREAD IN CHINA, MONGOLIA,
KOREA, JAPAN, AND TIBET. WITH ITS
OPENNESS TO MORE TRADITIONAL
RELIGIOUS VIEWS, IT HAS
DEVELOPED A WIDE APPEAL TO
COMMON PEOPLE AND GAINED
TREMENDOUS GROUND IN
BECOMING ONE OF THE MOST
SUCCESSFUL MISSIONARY
MAHAYANA BUDDHISM
INCLUDES MANY SACRED
WRITINGS WHICH ARE NEARLY
IDENTICAL IN CONTEXT WITH
PALI CANON OF THE THERAVADA
SECT. THE CANON OF MAHAYANA
BUDDHISM ALSO CONSIST OF
THE TRIPITAKA, NAMELY, SUTRA
PITAKA, VINAYA PITAKA, AND
ABHIDHARMA PITAKA.
MAHAYANA BUDDHIST HAVE
TEACHINGS OR SUTRAS NOT
PRESENT IN THE THERAVADA
SCHOOL AND THE FOLLOWERS
BELIEVED THEY HAVE
RECOVERED THE ORIGINALS
TEACHING OF BUDDHA.