Buddhism Worksheet
Write a 1- to 2-paragraph response for each of the following.
1. Explain the basic Buddhist teachings including the three marks of reality, the Four Noble Truths, and the Noble Eightfold Path.
The three marks of reality are Change, No Permanent Identity, and Suffering. Change meaning to simply look at life as it really is. Nothing we experience in life ever remains the same so we can be surprised by change or pained by it because we do not expect it. No Permanent Identity meaning the existence of permanent anything was denied by Buddha. He urged people to abandon their fixation of material things. Suffering meaning dissatisfaction. Also that life can never be satisfying due to inescapable change.
The Four Noble Truths: 1. To Live Or To Suffer- the past cannot be relived and the future is uncertain. 2. Suffering Comes From Desire- wanting what we cannot have and not being satisfied with what we do have. 3. To End Suffering, End Desire- strain to achieve every imaginable desire. Do not desire and you will not suffer. 4. Relief From Suffering Is Possible and can be obtained by following the Noble Eightfold Path- the individual has self- control and no longer driven by raging emotional forces from the unpredictable events of life.
Noble Eightfold Path: The Way to Inner Peace 1. Right Understanding 2. Right Intention 3. Right Speech 4. Right Action 5. Right Work 6. Right Effort 7. Right Meditation 8. Right Contemplation
Following these 8 steps will lead you towards liberation from the impermanence and suffering of reality.
2. Describe the three major Buddhist traditions—Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana—and how each tradition developed from the early teachings.
Theravada also known as “the way of the elders” takes its name from the