THERAVADA BUDDHISM

Jennielyn Samblan
Jeca Labausas
Pinkerbel Mahometano
Myrel Mae Diaz
BUDDHISM
Is a religion of around 500 million
people or around 7℅ to 8℅ of the
world’s population. Buddhism
followers are mostly found in
Asian continent with China having
the largest population at around
244 million or 18℅ of its total
population.
ASIAN COUNTRIES THAT HAVE THE HIGHEST BUDDHIST
MAJORITY IN TERMS OF POPULATION.
• 1. Cambodia 97℅
• 2. Thailand 90℅
• 3. Myanmar 80℅
• 4. Bhutan 75℅
• 6.Sri Lanka 75℅
• 7.Laos 66℅
 Buddhism is one of the most practical
among the world’s great religion because
its belief system intends to meet the basic
needs of human needs and solve human
kind spiritual problem without depending
on supernatural forces (Brown 1973).
THE TWO MAIN DIVISION OF THE RELIGION
ARE:

Mahayana
Buddhism
Theravada
Buddhism
 THERAVADA
Is the more conservative
subdivision of Buddhism than
Mahayana thus, it is closer to the
fundamental teachings of
Siddhartha.
WHO WAS
SIDDHARTHA?
 Siddhartha Gautama, who would one day become known
as Buddha (“enlightened one” or “the awakened”), lived in
Nepal during 6th to 4th century B.C. Siddhartha (which means
“he who achieves his alm”) Gautama to a large clan called
the Shakyas in Lumbini,(today,modern Nepal) in the 6th
century B.C. His mother died seven days after giving birth to
him, but a holy man prophesized great things for young
Siddhartha: He would be either a great king or military leader
or he would be a great spiritual leader.
 To keep his son from witnessing the meseries and
suffering of the world, Siddhartha’s father raised him
in opulence in a palace build just for the boy and
sheltered him from knowledge of religion and human
hardship. According to custom, he married at the age
of 16, but his life of total seclusion continued for
another 13 years. But Siddhartha got to the point of
his life that he wants to experience the life outside in
the real world.
SIDDHARTHA
EXPERIENCES
THE REAL
WORLD
 The prince reached his late 20’s with little experience
of the work outside the walls of his opulent palace, but
one day he ventured out beyond the palace walls and
was quickly confronted the realities of human frailty: He
saw a very old man, and Siddhartha’s charioteer
explained that all people grow old. Questions about all
he had not experienced led him to take more journeys of
exploration, and on these subsequent trips he
encountered a diseased man, a decaying corpse and an
ascetic. The charioteer explained that the ascetic had
renounced the world to seek release from the human
fear of death and suffering.
 As a summary, Siddhartha found out that the reality of life
has a beginning and ending. He found out the different
stages of person’s life from birth, sickness, old age to ultimate
deat. The Buddha is undoubtedly one of the most influential
figures in world history, and his teachings have affected
everything from a variety of other faiths (as many Buddha) to
literature to philosophy, both within India and to the farthest
reaches of the Western world.
Tipitaka and their contents

• 1. Sulta Pitaka ( Discouses) - Buddha‘s doctrinal

discourses: short poem to long prose narratives
about Siddhartha’s previous lives.
2. Vinaya Pitaka (Discipline)- Rules of discipline:
stories that illustrate Buddhist moral principles.
3. Abhidhamma Pitaka (Ultimate Doctrine)-
Systematic analysis of the categories of Buddhist
thought.
The first basket, the Sulta Pitaka, contains the
conventional teaching delivered by Siddhartha
on different occasions. Discourses of
Siddhartha’s disciples such as those of Sariputa,
Mogallan, Amanda,a re also part of the Sultan
Pitaka. It is divided into 5 collections namely,
 DIGHA NIKAYA
(COLLECTION OF LONG DISCOURSES)
 MAJJHIMA NIKAYA
(COLLECTION OF MIDDLE-LENGTH
DISCOURSES)
 SAMYUTTA NIKAYA
(COLLECTION OF KINDRED SAYINGS)
 ANGUTTARA NIKAYA
(COLLECTION OF DISCOURSES
ARRANGED IN ACCORDANCE WITH
NUMBER)
The second basket, the
Vinaya Pitaka, contains the
disciplinary code required
of Buddhist monks
(bhikkhus) and nuns
(bhikkhunis). Various rules
and regulations must be
followed by the monastic
community. It consist of the
five books , namely
PARAJIKA PALI (MAJOR OFFENSES)
PACITTIYA PALI (MINOR OFFENCES)
MAHAVAGGA PALI (GREATER SECTION)
PARIVARA PALI (EPITOME OF VINAYA)
The third basket, Pitaka is a work of moral psychology.
The reflective philosophies of Siddhartha’s teaching are
contained bin the Abhidhamma Pitaka that is strictly a
Theravada collection. It is composed of seven books,
works namely,

• Dhammasangani (Enumeration of Phenomena)

• Vibhanga (The book of the treatises)
• Katha Vathu (Point of Cortroversy)
• Puggala Pannati (Description of Individuals)
• Dhatu Katha (Discussion with reference to elements)
• Yamaka (The book of Pairs)
BELIEFS
&
DOCTRINES
•He never intended to start a new religion
especially so that his teachings are focused
primary on ethics, and self- understanding as
people work for their salvation on their own
without needing the assistance of any supreme
being.
•He did not claim to be a
saviour but a guide and a
teacher as he apointed the
way of others to follow
and gain spiritual bliss and
doing so.
•Another unique feature of Buddhism is the
belief that soul or atman do not exist as
people live in a state of nonsoulness or
anatman/anatta. Do not preach humans have
an external life and indestructible soul.
• Impermanence or anitya /annica
state that all conditioned things are
transitory and passing.
Four Noble Truth
 The first Noble Truth
The origin of the problem the dukhha,
suffering can be experienced
throughout the different stages of a
person’s life from birth, sickness, old
age to ultimate death.
 The Second Noble Truth
The cause of suffering or
samodaya-in craving or desire (or
tanha) in the perpetual thirst of
human to consumed things,
experiences, or ideas.
 THE THIRD NOBLE TRUTH

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 FOURTH NOBLE TRUTH

The path or magga leading to the

termination of craving and desire to
eventual cessation of pain.
 NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH

Which is an entirely practical

path and each described as “right”
or samma.
 THREE ASPECTS OF SAMMA

•Path of wisdom- this includes

right view and right intention
• Path of morality- this
includes right speech,
right action, and livelihood
• Path of meditation- it
consists of right effort,
right mindfulness, right
concentration.
 REBIRTH OR SAMSARA
The mastery of the various truths and
observance of the path would lead the
person to break the bond that binds him
or her life and obtain release from from
the eternal cycle of death.
KARMA

The Law of
Cause and
Effect
• Law of Dependent Organization or Paticca -
Is one of the most insightful teachings of
Siddhartha
• Impermanence of Things- is an unavoidable
fact of human existence
• Samsara- a being escape of all phenomena
• Nirvana- a person’s mind is at perfect peace,
called arhat or one who is “worthy of honor”.
 WORSHIP &
OBSERVANCES
Stupas are commemorative
monuments that contained
sacred relics associated with
Siddhartha himself. In Tibet the
stupa was transformed into a
chorten and in the Southeast
and East Asia called Pagoda.
 SUBDIVISIONS

The subdivision of Theravada that existed during the early

history of Sri Lanka can be traced from the three monasteries
of Mahavihara, Abhayagirivihara and Jetavana Mahavihara or
“Great monastery” of Anuradhapura was founded by King
Devanampiya Tissa who ruled between 307 B.C.E to 267
B.C.E. Abhayagiri Dagaba was the King Mahesena who ruled
277 B.C.E and 304 C.E.
 WAR AND VIOLENCE

In Buddhism, war is evil or

akusala as some scholar state that
it has no rationalization in
Siddhartha’s teaching.
 WOMAN IN BUDDHISM
• Siddhartha slowed woman to participate in the
sangha although there were some stipulations.
• Woman’s principle was to become a faithful
and devoted housewives subject to the whims
or husbands.
Within the sangha, Siddhartha recognized
the potential and value of bhikkunis who
where also expert in teaching the dhama.
These include,
•Dammadina
•Khema
•Uppalavanna
Siddhartha acknowledged that man
is not always wise as woman is also
wise . The fundamental teachings of
Buddhism are closely tied to the life
of Siddhartha Gautama who was
born between 563 B.C.E to 480 B.C.E
in Lumbini in the foothills of the
Nepalese Himalayas.
THANK YOU!!!