Chapter 6 Notes Assignment

Gotama Siddhartha (139)

Also known as “the Buddha”. Siddhartha was born into royalty, and lived much
of his life sheltered. When he eventually ventured outside the walls of the palace, he saw
4 things that completely changed his perspective of religion. This ultimately led him to
create a new religion, based heavily on Hindu beliefs, but set to fit the entire society.

Four Discoveries (140-144)

When Siddharta ventured outside of the walls, he was finally exposed to many
harsh realities he was sheltered from inside. The first, was aging. The second, was
sickness. The third, was death. The fourth, was religion. The last one is likely what
affected him the most, as he would later go on to create his own following.

First Sermon (197)

After achieving enlightenment, Buddha went out to spread his knowledge. His
main preaching, was that all sadness was the result of desire, and desire could be
destroyed by following the eightfold path (path of the Buddha). This sermon layed the
foundation that his followers would create into Buddhism.

Caste System (200)

The Buddha was appalled by the Hindu Caste system, especially that it would put
the spiritual leaders at the top. The Buddha confronted these leaders, called “Brahmin”,
and forced them to see his point of view, that in essence, all the people are equal and
should be treated as such.

Monotheism (203-210)
Judaism was the first religion to believe in a single, all-powerful God. This is
evident from the very beginning, in Genesis, when it declares that “God created man,
heaven, and the Earth”. This idea would later spread to other religions, namely
Christianity and Islam.

Afterlife (211-213)
Most major religions believe in an end of days, but beyond this, how it happens
varies greatly. Jews believe that when a person dies, the body is left behind and the spirit
goes with God, and eventually, the Messiah will come to lead them to heaven. But when
this happens, all those left behind will perish in a fiery apocalypse that consumes the
World. This judgement will be God’s last.
Jesus in Judaism (217)
Often forgotten by modern people, is that Jesus Christ was in fact, Jewish. In fact,
Jesus did not promote Christianity, rather he tried to bring followers to the Jewish
faith, while also claiming to be the Messiah. After his crucifixion, Christ’s followers
went out and declared a new religion, which accepted Jesus as the Messiah.

Psalm 23 (209)
Arguably the most well-known Psalm in the Bible. The speaker defines himself
and humanity as sheep being led by the Sheppard God. This imagery helped refine and
define the idea of a single, powerful, loving God.

Exodus (207-208)
The epic story of Moses, and the Jews’ escape from slavery in Egypt. Moses,
raised as an Egyptian Prince, comes to discover his true identity, and turns against his
former ties, and uses the power of God to part the red Sea, and lead the Jews away. Here,
we see God bring the 10 plagues down upon Egypt, showing that he is indeed a vengeful
God.

Apocalypse (216-218)
The judgment of God is a hrash one. At the end of days, all those who lived in
the grace of God (Jews, Muslims, and Christians) will ascend to heaven. All else will
perish in the fires of Armageddon.

It is truly amazing how differently Buddhism and Judaism developed, considering their
close proximity (in time and space) of when they came to be. One focused on single
God, at times merciful, at other vengeful, while the other is focused on several Gods.
Where Monotheism has heavy focus on the afterlife and apocalypse, Buddhism is all
about harmony in life.