1. Between 1500 BC and 500 BC, Aryan Settlers Spread Eastward Across the Indian

IV. Beginnings of Buddhism

A. The Big Picture

1. Between 1500 BC and 500 BC, Aryan settlers spread eastward across the Indian

Subcontinent.

2. By 500 BC Aryan princes were in control of most of the Indian subcontinent.

3. In the far north, at the base of the Himalayas, some kingdoms held onto their

independence.

4. To keep their independence they had to make payment to the Aryan princes. This caused

struggle and conflict in their lives.

5. Some Indian people looked beyond the Vedas for answers to life’s struggles and

conflicts.

B. Life of the Buddha

1. Siddhartha Gautama was born around 563 BC in Kosala.

2. Siddhartha in Sanskrit means “He Who Has Reached His Goal.”

3. He left home and became a monk. A monk is a person who devotes their life to a

religious group.

4. As a monk he was searching for the meaning of life.

C. The Travels of the Buddha

1. Six years of travel through northern India in search for wisdom.

2. He questioned Hindu priests, but did not feel their answers were enough.

3. To clear his mind, he stopped eating, but began again when he nearly starved to death.

4. He sat one day under a fig tree and received the wisdom he searched for.

5. That wisdom would later earn him the title “Buddha.” Buddha meansawakened one.

6. He continued some teachings of the Hindu’s and changed others.

7. He believed in reincarnation and karma. Karma is a force caused by a person’s good

and bad acts.

8. Unlike the Hindus, the Buddha did not search for the one powerful force that connected

all of life. Instead he believed that the most important thing in life was to reach peace by

ending suffering.

D. The Way to End Suffering

1. Under the tree the Buddha conclude that life is ruled by Four Noble Truths.

Four Noble Truths:

1. Life is filled with suffering.

2. Suffering is caused by people’s wants. People may want more

pleasure, more power, or a longer life.

3. Suffering can be ended if people stop wanting things.

4. To stop wanting things, people must follow eight basic laws.

2. Buddha called the way to end the suffering the Eightfold Path.

3. The Eightfold Path is a set of instructions on the proper way to live.

4. The laws of the Eightfold Path were meant to represent a Middle Way of living for

Buddhists.

5. This way of life is meant not to be too strict nor too easy.

E. The Buddha’s Final Journey

1. The Buddha spent the rest of his life traveling around India sharing his message with

people of all castes.

2. The Buddha died at age 80 in 483 BC.

3. After his death, traveling monks introduced his teachings to places like; China, Tibet,

Sri Lanka, Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam.