Module 3: BUDDHISM

Prerequisite Skills: Knowledge and skills in the application of spirituality

Instructor:
Mrs. Nieves R. Madelar
Level:
First Year College
Allotted Time:
Three Hours
OVERVIEW
This module is designed to help you understand the basis of Spirituality of all existing religion

OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this module, you should be able to:
1. Develop a sense of spiritual awareness in Buddhism
2. Appreciate the spiritual value necessary for the enhancement of their spiritual life.
3. Equip oneself on the basic knowledge and information about Buddhist view of God and man and their relationship.

PRETEST

1. Direction: Answer the question briefly but completely.

1. Why did Siddhartha Gautama leave Hinduism and started to search a new belief.

Direction: Read the following sentences and write True if the statement is correct and False if the statement is wrong. Write
your answers in a sheet of yellow paper.
1. Siddhartha Gautama was a prince.
2. Buddhism is the state religion of Burma and Nepal.
3. Buddha experience hardship in life when he was young.
4. Buddhism sprung from Hinduism.
5. Buddhism did not prosper in India but well spread in China and Japan.

LEARNING FOCUS
What did Buddha offer? -Happiness. Pain which was the result of suffering was the normal condition of life.
Therefore, happiness can be achieve by getting rid of pain and suffering. What causes pain and suffering? -Desire
both of wanting what we cannot have and feeling of having too much. A man can die of too little water or too
much wine. So Buddha taught the Middle path.

His doctrine was put into simple form. First, The four Noble truths:
1. All who live suffer.
2. Suffering is due to desire which can never be fully satisfied.
3. Suffering will end when all desires are put down.
4. Desire can be put down by walking the Middle Path of moderation embodied in

The Noble Eightfold Path:

1. Right Views- Believe the truth is the guide of man.
2. Right resolves- Live at peace and harm no living things.
3. Right Speech- Never lie, slander, or use language to cause trouble.
4. Right Behavior- Never steal, kill, or cause pain.
5. Right Occupation- Never chooses an occupation that is neither dishonest nor bad.
6. Right Effort- Always seeks the good and avoids the evil.
7. Right Contemplation- Always be calm and never let anything cause wrong.
8. Right Concentration- the stage of peace is found when the other rules are kept.

Buddhism has no teaching of sin. It simply teaches self discipline to escape all pain. It has no
teaching of salvation. The goal for right conduct through self- discipline is Nirvana which is simple
spiritual existence where all desires are suppressed, even the feeling of joy.
Buddha taught nothing of God. He believed in a Great Power but never spoke about it. He
personally claimed to be just a man who discovered a way that would lead to peace in this life.
Both Hinduism and Buddhism teach the doctrine of reincarnation and that man can workout his
own salvation and attain happiness. The Hindus first desire is to be completely merged with the
Universal Spirit, the Buddhist goal is to gain Nirvana.
Buddha taught men to have self- discipline. Christ did too, but he knew that men cannot do this
alone. So, he offered to help man. Buddha did not know this for he has no sense of the joy that comes
from serving a personal Savior.
While the Hindus and Buddhists sweat in working for their own salvation, the salvation
promised to us Christians has been made complete by Jesus Christ, Gods own son, For God loved the
world so much that He gave his only son, that everyone who believes in Him may not die but have
eternal life-John 3:16. Some Chinese in the Phil. are Buddhist although many are Christians.
Who is Buddha? Buddha was named Siddhartha. He was born a prince of the House of Gautama
of the clan of the Sakyas. He grew up in a palace in India. He lived a pampered life of laze, luxury, and
splendor. He was not aware of the suffering and misery of this world. Servants helped to protect him
from the sight of anything unpleasant and they were forbidden to speak suffering in his presence. If he
was to go out into the street, servants went ahead to see that all the old, crippled, sick and dying were
removed.
In spite of a life sheltered and protected from the worlds ill and misery, he came to know of evil
in the world. A legend tells of a day when he went hunting with his cousin Davadatha, they argued their
skills as archers. To settle the argument, they decided to have a contest. Davadatha lost his temper, shot
his arrow of the mark and wounded a pigeon. Siddhartha won, removed the arrow and set the bird free.
This angered Davadatha, That was my bird, he screamed. I wounded it.
But I saved it, the young prince said. So I have the right to free it. He had learned his first
truth: he who saved life has more virtue than he who takes life. As he grew older he gradually became
aware of the other problems in the world. In his twenties he married and had a son. Yet, all the time he
had been wondering what the world outside his stately palace looked like. One day, he was able to
escape from his servants. He was able to do it four times.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Activity 1
Organize the students into four groups and discuss in their grouping the life of Siddhartha Gautama and
make a script set to Drama.

Activity 2
Dramatize the story of Siddhartha Gautama, Buddha by group.

Activity 3
Graded recitation

POST TEST
Name: __________
Course: __________
Course/Year/Section: __________
Date:
__________
Direction: Fill in the blank with the correct answer. Write your answer in each item in a sheet of
paper.
1. The parents of Siddhartha Gautama were from the southern part of _____________.
2. Buddha came from the clan called the ___________.
3. The head of the clan of Buddha was _____________.
4. _____________ was the mother of Siddhartha Gautama.
5. Siddhartha Gautama was born in a small town of ___________.
6. Just after the birth of Siddhartha Gautama, _________ blossoms rose in his footstep.
7. Buddha was named _________which means he who has attained his goals.
8. Siddhartha was married to ___________when both were 16 years old.
9.__________ means the enlightened one.
10._________ was the first ordained Buddhist monk.
11. Buddha was _____ years old when he achieved his enlightened years while spreading his teachings.
12. Buddha organized the order of the monks which was named _________.
13. ________ was the only son of Buddha who followed his footstep.
14. Buddha was ______ years old when he died.
15. He died in the land of ___________.
References:
1. World Religions by: Michael Keen, pages 68- 85
2. The World Religions-Understanding the Living Faith by: Dr. Peter B. Clark, pages 148 172
Online References
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/bits/bits004.htm
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/sbe11/sbe1104.htm
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/bb/bb18.htm