Running head: WHAT IS BUDDHISM 1

What is Buddhism?

Tiffany Pexton

Salt Lake Community College

WHAT IS BUDDHISM? 2

What is Buddhism?

Tiffany Pexton

Comm 1020

Salt Lake Community College

Hello, my name is Tiffany Pexton. I’m going to be speaking to you today about Buddhism. I

once took a trip to Thailand and had the privilege of visiting a Buddhist temple. It was a

humbling experience, and I’ve had curiosity about the religion ever since. Parts of my speech

come from a Buddhist monk named Thich Nhat Hahn. He has written several influential books

and has traveled the world teaching the Buddhist ways. He has also appeared on many television

interviews due to his knowledge about the Buddha.

To understand Buddhism you must first know who Buddha was. Buddha was born a prince in

Nepal India. His exact birth date is unknown, but it is assumed to be around 2,600 years ago. His

name was Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha lived the life of luxury sheltered from the negatives

of the outside world. Around the age of 29, Siddhartha took a trip outside of the palace where he

saw an elderly man, people who were sick, and the poor. The was the first time he saw sickness,

suffering, and death. He wanted to understand the meaning of life. He decided he would give up

all of his worldly goods, his title of a prince, and seek true enlightenment.

*(Picture) Here is a picture of Siddhartha cutting off his hair before seeking enlightenment.

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Siddhartha had a long, hard journey to become Buddha. His first thought was to learn

yoga from yoga masters. He spent two years practicing strict yoga disciplines. In this time he

also learned true meditation. When that didn’t work he tried he tried Asceticism. Asceticism is

severe self-discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons.

This included fasting. Siddhartha thought if he fasted enough to where he was only eating to be

able to breathe that surely would bring him to true enlightenment. He ate only 1 grain of rice and

1 drop of water a day. It is debated on how long he ate like this for, but it is said that he became

so skinny he could pinch his stomach and backbone between his thumb and pointer finger.

*(Picture) Here is a picture of a statue that shows this.

Eventually he was so weak that he could not even meditate. He decided he would start eating

again, but ony enough to survive.

After six years of living this way he decided to give up Asceticism. Shortly after giving

up Asceticism, he was meditating under a tree which is where it is claimed that he reached

nirvana. Nirvana means perfect enlightenment. The image of Buddha under a tree meditating is

as important to Buddhists as the image of Christ on a cross is to most Christians.

*(Picture) This is one of the most popular pictures of Siddhartha discovering nirvana. And hence

becoming Buddha.

So what is Buddhism? Buddhism is a spiritual practice based on teachings of the Buddha.

It is important to note that the teachings of Buddha has no written text. Sure, there are people

who write books about Buddhism. There are also chants and prayers that have been written

down, but Buddhists don’t have a physical form of the teachings or rules like Christians have the

bible. The practice and teachings have been passed down and retold by chants and prayers.

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Another important fact is that Buddhists do not believe in a God. It is unclear what happens after

life ends, this is something one can only understand after reaching nirvana.

Buddhism is quite simple. There are four noble truths;

*(Picture of four truths)

Suffering, the origin of suffering, how to end suffering, and the eightfold path, or the path

leading to the extinction of suffering. Buddha believes life is all about suffering. “Birth is

suffering, ageing is suffering, death is suffering, sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress

are suffering. Being attached to the unloved is suffering, being separated from the loved is

suffering, not getting what one wants is suffering. In short, the five aggregates of grasping are

suffering.” (Kang, 2011). You might disagree with this because you are able to find happiness in

life. Such as being in love or having a child.

Buddha’s theory is that those things that bring happiness in the end will still bring

suffering. If your heart breaks, or your child falls ill for example. This brings us to the origin of

suffering. Buddha believed the way to end suffering in life, “is to understand what causes it.

Craving and ignorance are the two main causes of suffering. People suffer with their craving for

the pleasures of the senses and become unsatisfied and disappointed until they can replace their

cravings with new ones”. (Janaka, 2008). This is where being in love or having children is a

good example.

How to end suffering is a tough one. It is easy to understand but hard to achieve. “The

key to ending suffering is to remove all desire, ill will and ignorance. Without these causes of

suffering we can experience absolute happiness, perfect wisdom, peace and all the qualities of

Enlightenment.” (Janaka, 2008). This is the true goal of all Buddhists and the way to reach

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nirvana. People spend their entire lives trying to reach this phase. It is the phase that Buddha

spent 6 years trying to attain. It is nirvana. What happens after nirvana is unknown because our

simple brains cannot comprehend what comes next until we have reached this phase.

The eightfold path has eight steps, “Right View, Right Thought; Right Speech, Right

Action, Right Livelihood; Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration.” (Kang, 2011).

These can be interpreted as many ways, here is mine. You must understand the teachings of the

four noble truths, you must only think positive thoughts without anger or greed. Do not lie or

gossip. Do not destroy another’s life, or commit adultery. Keep your mind clean and clear, and

live your life in a peaceful way to serve others.

Now that we know about the four noble truths, let’s talk about the different forms of

Buddhism. Since there wasn’t any actual written documentation of the Buddha, the religion has

broken into many different forms. This can be compared to Christianity. There are Catholics,

Mormons, Presbyterian, and many other forms all with different ways to interpret the bible but

with similar roots as to who Christ was and his teachings. Buddhism is similar to this where the

different forms practice in different ways, but all go back to the four truths. The three forms of

Buddhism I’ll focus on are Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana.

Theravada, means the school of the elders. It’s teachings are about karma and uses

meditations. I’ll note that all Buddhism practices meditation, however this form highly emphasis

meditation. The School of the Elders is the closest example of Theravada. Their goal is liberation

from all disturbances. An example of this would be worldly goods and distractions. Theravada

followers hope to gain enough merit in this life to reincarnate into the next with better karma.

Mahayana means the great way. They teach about the Bodhisattva Attitude, which basically

WHAT IS BUDDHISM? 6

means the world is like a dream which can be changed through our thoughts and actions.

Mahayana’s goal is to be fully enlightened. Mahayana’s also practice the teachings of

Theravada. The Buddhist monks you think of practice Mahayana. By meditating you can change

your thoughts. If you are also able to change your actions you can change the world around you.

Mahayana believe it can take many lifetimes to reach full nirvana. The third one is Vajrayana,

which means the diamond way. Vajrayana is about the mind itself. They are also known as

Tantric Buddhism. They are the newest form of Buddhists and rely on sacred texts. Vajrayana’s

believe you can reach nirvana in a single lifetime

After learning all of these things, my biggest question was, “How do I come a Buddhist?”

is there some saying I have to recite or a baptism to undergo? The shortest answer to this is no.

Actually, a lot of people believe you can just “BE” Buddhist if you learn the four noble truth’s,

read about Buddha’s basic principles and practice the teachings. By doing this you would be

called a Bodhisattva which is someone who is on the way to obtaining enlightenment. After

doing these things you can attend a ceremony of taking the Three Refuges. At this ceremony you

vow to take refuge in the Buddha, take refuge in the dharma, and take refuge in the sangha.

There are many interpretations to what those means, so I will leave it up to you to research in

your own time.

This was quite a lot of information all compressed together. From what I have learned,

Buddhism is about spiritual enlightenment. It is based around suffering, and learning how to end

all suffering by finding nirvana. This is not a God based religion, but a belief system that we all

can reach nirvana with the right tools and self-discipline.

(Picture of girl meditating)

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The Buddhist religion, like all religions, has so many interpretations and teachings that it is hard

to cover in so short of time. However, if anything that I have spoken about today sparks your

interest, I encourage you to dig deeper, try some mediation, and find your own way of the

Buddha.

WHAT IS BUDDHISM? 8

References:

Alpert, A. (2017). Empires of Enlightenment: On Illumination and the Politics of

Buddhism in Heart of Darkness. Journal of Modern Literature, 40(2), 1.

doi:10.2979/jmodelite.40.2.01

Hanh, T. N. (2016). Miracle of mindfulness. Place of publication not identified: Beacon.

Janaka, S. (2008). Buddhist Studies (Secondary) The Third Noble Truth. Retrieved April

04, 2017, from http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhism/bs-s05.htm

Kang, C. (2011). Sarkar on the Buddha's Four Noble Truths. Philosophy East and West,

61(2), 303-323. doi:10.1353/pew.2011.0016

O'connor, R. A. (2015). Sermons in the Culture of Buddhism—Discussant's Remarks.

Contemporary Buddhism, 16(1), 141-146. doi:10.1080/14639947.2015.1008952

Pascal, E. M. (2016). Buddhist Monks and Christian Friars: Religious and Cultural

Exchange in the Making of Buddhism. Studies in World Christianity, 22(1), 5-21.

doi:10.3366/swc.2016.0134

WHAT IS BUDDHISM? 9

Outline

Tiffany Pexton

Preface: I chose this topic because I have always been interested in Buddhism but knew nothing

about it.

Topic: What is Buddhism

Specific Purpose: To inform people about Buddhism as a religion

Thesis: Buddhism is a spiritual practice based on teachings of the Buddha.

Ethos: Thich Nhat Hahn, the author of “The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching”, “The Miracle of

Mindfulness, and several other influential books. He is a well-known Buddhist monk and

travels the world teaching the Buddhist ways and has appeared on many televisions interviews.

Intro: Hello, my name is Tiffany Pexton and I will be speaking to you about Buddhism. I once

took a trip to Thailand and have the privilege of visiting a Buddhist temple. It was a humbling

experience, and I’ve had curiosity about the religion ever since.

Body:

1. Who is Buddha?

a. Buddha’s birth name was Siddhartha Gautama.

b. He was born a prince about 2,600 years ago in Nepal and India.

c. Siddhartha lived the life of luxury sheltered from the negatives of the outside

world

WHAT IS BUDDHISM? 10

d. At 29 he saw old age, sickness and death.

i. Siddhartha left his palace to find the meaning of life.

2. Siddhartha’s journey to becoming Buddha.

a. He cut his hair, relinquished all his riches and title, and left the palace.

b. Practiced strict yoga discipline.

c. He underwent severe fasting.

i. He ate only 1 grain of rice and 1 drop of water a day.

ii. This made him too weak to meditate so he began eating again.

d. For six years he tried Asceticism

i. severe self-discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgence, typically

for religious reasons

ii. This did not provide him with the results he wanted

e. After giving up Asceticism he sat under a tree and reached nirvana.

i. The image of the Buddha meditating under a tree is as important in

Buddhism as the image of Jesus Christ on the cross is to most Christians.

ii. Nirvana means perfect enlightenment

iii. After reaching Nirvana Siddhartha became Buddha.

3. What is Buddhism?

a. Buddhism has no written text.

b. There are four noble truths

i. Suffering.

1. “Birth is suffering, ageing is suffering, death is suffering, sorrow,

lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress are suffering. Being

WHAT IS BUDDHISM? 11

attached to the unloved is suffering, being separated from the loved

is suffering, not getting what one wants is suffering. In short, the

five aggregates of grasping are suffering.” Kang, C. (2011). Pg 6

ii. The origin of suffering..

iii. How to end suffering.

iv. The eightfold path or the path leading to the extinction of suffering.

1. “Right View, Right Thought; Right Speech, Right Action, Right

Livelihood; Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right

Concentration.” Kang, C. (2011). Pg 10

c. There are no God’s in Buddhism.

4. There are different forms of the Buddhist religion.

a. Theravada, which means the school of the elders.

i. Theravada teaches about karma.

ii. Theravada use pacifying meditations.

iii. School of the Elders is the closest example of Theravada.

1.  Their goal is liberation from all disturbances.

b. Mahayana which means the great way.

i. Mahayana teaches the Bodhisattva Attitude.

ii. The world is like a dream

1. Can be changed through our thoughts and actions.

iii. Mahayana’s goal is to be fully enlightened.

iv. They also practice Theravada.

v. Buddhist monks believe in Mahayana.

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c. Vajrayana which means the diamond way.

i. Vajrayana is about the mind itself.

ii. They are often known as Buddhist Tantra.

d. There are other forms but these are the main three.

5. How can one become Buddhist?

a. Bodhisattva (someone who is on the way to obtaining enlightenment)

b. Learn the four noble truth’s.

c. Read about Buddha and the basic principles.

d. Apply these principles to your daily life.

e. Attend a ceremony of taking the Three Refuges.

Conclusion:

This was quite a lot of information all compressed together. From what I have learned,

Buddhism is about spiritual enlightenment. It is based around suffering, and learning how to end

all suffering by finding nirvana. This is not a God based religion, but a belief system that we all

can reach nirvana with the right tools and self-discipline. The Buddhist religion, like all

religions, has so many interpretations and teachings that it is hard to cover in so short of time.

However, if anything that I have spoken about today sparks your interest, I encourage you to dig

deeper, try some mediation, and find your own way of the Buddha.

WHAT IS BUDDHISM? 13

Visual Aids:

I will use this at the beginning of the speech when I talk about Siddhartha cutting off his hair and

leaving his life of a prince behind

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This is a depiction of Siddhartha meditating after starving himself . I will show this picture after

speaking about him giving up Asceticism.

I will show this when talking about Siddhartha meditating under the tree and becoming Buddha.

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I will show this picture when I speak about the four noble truths.

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This picture will be shown when teaching about the different types of Buddhism and the one that

focus’ on meditation.

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This will be my final picture when talking about the refuge ceremony.

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Reflection

I chose to speak about Buddhism because it is a religion I have always been curious about

but never took the time to fully research. I wanted others to know about Buddhism because I feel

like it is a practice anyone can follow regardless of their religious beliefs. I was really excited to

read more about Buddhism once I decided to use is as my speech topic. The more I read the less

I felt I knew. For some reason I thought Buddhism would be a simple religion based off of

meditation. There was so much information to pile in. There are so many different views and

opinions that it was hard to choose the right ones to give to the audience without confusing them.

I overcame my anxieties by formatting all of my questions and topics I wanted to speak

on in a way that I could choose the most relevant ones. After doing that, I created an outline

which really helped me to narrow down exactly what it was that I wanted to say. I used a topical

pattern in arranging my informative speech because I felt it was the best way for my speech to

flow. When researching for my topics I used the SLCC online library to go through peer

reviewed journal and books. I also did several google searches for images and specific questions

I had that I couldn’t find in the library resources. I used a well-known monk’s influence as my

ethos.

The main points of my speech are:

1. Who is Buddha?

2. Siddhartha’s journey to becoming Buddha.

3. What is Buddhism?

4. There are different forms of the Buddhist religion.

5. How can one become Buddhist?

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I chose to use visual aid showing Buddha before he left the palace with hair as a general

“Before” picture. The one of the statue in bones depicts the starvation he went through. I used

the one of him meditating in front of the tree because it is as important to the Buddhist religion

as the cross is to Christians. I liked the one of the four truths because sometimes visual words are

more effective. I really liked the picture of the woman meditating. I think it shows that people in

everyday life can still practice some form of Buddhism. The final picture I chose because it

shows the taking refuge ceremony, and that everyday people do it.

From writing this speech, I have learned how to write and source APA style. I also learned

the difference in using what is found online opposed to what is peer reviewed and can be

verified. I will apply these skills in the future when I want to write my own paper to be published

so I am able to source properly and not be accused of plagiarism. Other college courses have

helped with this assignment by teaching me the same concepts of APA style, especially with

writing peer reviews.

  Advice I would give someone to effectively present my ideas would be to do their own

research before presenting. I feel like Buddhism can be interpreted so many ways, mine

shouldn’t be the only one. They also should research any words or concepts they don’t

understand incase questions arise after from the audience.