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Introduction to Buddhism
Teacher Resource Guide
By Kat Harrington Georgetown University East Asia National Resource Center
An Introduction to Buddhism Buddhism is the practice of following the Buddha’s teachings with the goal of achieving ‘enlightenment’ and reaching nirvana. The core precept of Buddhism is that life is suffering brought on by humans’ attachments and desire, and that one must shed his or her attachments and be without desire in order to transcend life’s suffering. Buddhism originated nearly 2,500 years ago and is now practiced by over 400 million people worldwide.
Who is the Buddha?
The Buddha was born in the 5th Century BCE as an Indian Prince named Siddhartha Gautama. He enjoyed a lavish royal lifestyle until one day he encountered a decrepit elderly man, a diseased man, a corpse, and a hermit outside of his palace. These experiences, known as The Four Sights, opened his eyes to the suffering in the world, and he embarked on a journey, forsaking his wealth and title, to uncover life’s truths and find the path out of suffering. Siddhartha sought out the best teachers in meditation, but after learning everything he could from them, he realized that he would have to rely on himself to discover the truth about life. He turned to extreme forms of self-deprivation and endured physical hardships, such as sleeping on a bed of thorns and starvation, in the hopes that these experiences of severe suffering would lead him to the truth. After several years of practicing this extreme form of meditation, Siddhartha, who had wasted away to skin and bones, heard a group of musicians pass by playing lutes. He thought about the dynamics of the instrument and realized that if the strings of the lute were too loose, the music would be too low and quiet, but if the stings were too taught, they would snap. He applied this imagery to himself and understood that he was straining himself too far. He abandoned this practice and began to eat regularly again,
Teacher Resource Guide
By Kat Harrington Georgetown University East Asia National Resource Center
An Introduction to Buddhism Buddhism is the practice of following the Buddha’s teachings with the goal of achieving ‘enlightenment’ and reaching nirvana. The core precept of Buddhism is that life is suffering brought on by humans’ attachments and desire, and that one must shed his or her attachments and be without desire in order to transcend life’s suffering. Buddhism originated nearly 2,500 years ago and is now practiced by over 400 million people worldwide.
Who is the Buddha?
The Buddha was born in the 5th Century BCE as an Indian Prince named Siddhartha Gautama. He enjoyed a lavish royal lifestyle until one day he encountered a decrepit elderly man, a diseased man, a corpse, and a hermit outside of his palace. These experiences, known as The Four Sights, opened his eyes to the suffering in the world, and he embarked on a journey, forsaking his wealth and title, to uncover life’s truths and find the path out of suffering. Siddhartha sought out the best teachers in meditation, but after learning everything he could from them, he realized that he would have to rely on himself to discover the truth about life. He turned to extreme forms of self-deprivation and endured physical hardships, such as sleeping on a bed of thorns and starvation, in the hopes that these experiences of severe suffering would lead him to the truth. After several years of practicing this extreme form of meditation, Siddhartha, who had wasted away to skin and bones, heard a group of musicians pass by playing lutes. He thought about the dynamics of the instrument and realized that if the strings of the lute were too loose, the music would be too low and quiet, but if the stings were too taught, they would snap. He applied this imagery to himself and understood that he was straining himself too far. He abandoned this practice and began to eat regularly again,