RELI 216 Chapter Notes - Chapter 10: Four Noble Truths, Gautama Buddha, Dharma
Document Summary
Buddhism began in india and grew out of hinduism. It(cid:859)s tied to fou(cid:374)der siddartha gautama who is known as buddha, the enlightened one. Most of the 350 million buddhists live in other asian countries. Certain forms of buddhism are also popular in north america. Buddhism shares many fundamental concepts with hinduism, especially the ideas of karma and samara. The major difference with regards to the question of the ultimate reality (brahman) in. Buddhism believes that nirvana is the final destination of humans. This is a(cid:272)hie(cid:448)ed through a fi(cid:374)al (cid:862)(cid:271)lo(cid:449)i(cid:374)g out(cid:863) of this life, a(cid:374)d thus attai(cid:374)i(cid:374)g release fro(cid:373) samsara, the cycle of birth and rebirth. There is no ultimate reality (atman) to the self. The self too, is an illusion, fleeting and insubstantial. It can only lead to sufferi(cid:374)g (cid:271)e(cid:272)ause there(cid:859)s (cid:374)othi(cid:374)g per(cid:373)a(cid:374)e(cid:374)t to hold onto. Therefore, the goal is to detach oneself from all realities and strive for nirvana.