A statue of the Buddha in Bangkok, Thailand. Statues are decorated, offerings are taken to the monasteries and there may even be fireworks. Wesak is a very important Buddhist festival. They pray to the Bodhisattvas for help in their daily lives and want to become more like them. Mahayana Buddhists believe in Bodhisattvas, people who have gained Enlightenment. Theravada Buddhists do not pray to the Buddha, but believe that each person must gain Enlightenment for themselves. All Buddhists follow the teachings of the Buddha, but different groups interpret the teachings in different ways. There are two main types (or schools) of Buddhism: Theravada and Mahayana. They often show the Buddha meditating, sitting with his legs crossed and his hands in his lap. The faces of Buddha statues are usually made to look calm and serene. Once people were able to do this, they could achieve Enlightenment, an understanding of why suffering happens and how it can be stopped. Siddhartha taught people to focus their mind on good thoughts and develop strength by refusing to do wrong. People show their love of Buddha by meditating, lighting candles and making offerings of flowers and incense. When Buddhists enter a temple they put their hands together and bow to the image of the Buddha.Ī wheel with eight spokes ( dhamma) is often used as a symbol of Buddhism and the teachings of the Buddha. Some Buddhists have a shrine in their own home with a small statue of Buddha. Buddhists worship in a temple or at home. Temples exist in all Buddhist countries but Buddhists do not need to go there to worship and meditate. In Buddhist countries, there are many temples where people can make offerings of flowers and incense for Buddha and give food for the monks. Some monks in Thailand live alone in the forest for three months of the year, praying and meditating. You might have seen pictures of Buddhist monks wearing robes the colour of saffron (a kind of orange-yellow). Buddhist monks and nuns rely on the kindness of others for their food, shelter and clothes. Their job is to teach and guide other Buddhists using the Buddha’s teachings. Some Buddhists choose to become monks and nuns and make religion the most important thing in their lives they are known as the Sangha. :max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/481192627-56a0c4663df78cafdaa4d73c.jpg "buddha ways of life")
About 400 years after the death of the Buddha, his teachings were first written down in Pali and Sanskrit, two very old North Indian languages. The first stories and teachings of the Buddha weren't written down but were passed down by word of mouth. The most important festival in Buddhism is Wesak, celebrated in May or June, when Buddhists remember the Buddha's birth and his Enlightenment.Calm, peaceful and shady gardens are important areas in monasteries. Buddhists worship at shrines at home and in temples and in monasteries ( viharas).
Buddhists believe in a constant cycle of life and death, and that people will be reborn after they die unless they reach Enlightenment and reach nirvana.
Buddhist monks and nuns wear orange robes and shave their heads. Some Buddhists choose to leave their families and live as monks (if they are men) or nuns (if they are women) and dedicate their lives to sharing the teachings of the Buddha.Through meditation, Buddhists believe they can calm and clear the mind, making it peaceful. Meditation is a very important part of Buddhism.In Buddhism, the lotus flower is a symbol of enlightenment, which means seeing things as they really are.Countries with the highest proportion of Buddhist citizens are Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Tibet but China is the country with the largest Buddhist population (over 102,000,000). There are now about 500 million Buddhists all over the world.The word ‘Buddha’ means the ‘enlightened one’, ‘the one who knows’.Siddhartha Gautama, who became known as the Buddha, grew up in a Hindu family.Buddhists do not believe in a God who created the world and everything in it.
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