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What is Buddhism?
Tiffany Pexton
What is Buddhism?
Tiffany Pexton
Comm 1020
Hello, my name is Tiffany Pexton. Im 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 Ive 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
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.
WHAT IS BUDDHISM? 3
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 didnt 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.
Eventually he was so weak that he could not even meditate. He decided he would start eating
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
*(Picture) This is one of the most popular pictures of Siddhartha discovering nirvana. And hence
becoming 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 dont 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.
WHAT IS BUDDHISM? 4
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.
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
Buddhas 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
WHAT IS BUDDHISM? 5
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 anothers life, or commit adultery. Keep your mind clean and clear, and
Now that we know about the four noble truths, lets talk about the different forms of
Buddhism. Since there wasnt 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
Theravada, means the school of the elders. Its teachings are about karma and uses
meditations. Ill 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.
Mahayanas goal is to be fully enlightened. Mahayanas 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. Vajrayanas
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 truths,
read about Buddhas 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
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
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:
doi:10.2979/jmodelite.40.2.01
Janaka, S. (2008). Buddhist Studies (Secondary) The Third Noble Truth. Retrieved April
Kang, C. (2011). Sarkar on the Buddha's Four Noble Truths. Philosophy East and West,
Pascal, E. M. (2016). Buddhist Monks and Christian Friars: Religious and Cultural
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.
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 Ive had curiosity about the religion ever since.
Body:
1. Who is Buddha?
a. Buddhas 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
d. At 29 he saw old age, sickness and death.
i. Siddhartha left his palace to find the meaning of life.
2. Siddharthas journey to becoming Buddha.
WHAT IS BUDDHISM? 10
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
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
Visual Aids:
WHAT IS BUDDHISM? 12
I will use this at the beginning of the speech when I talk about Siddhartha cutting off his hair and
This is a depiction of Siddhartha meditating after starving himself . I will show this picture after
I will show this when talking about Siddhartha meditating under the tree and becoming Buddha.
WHAT IS BUDDHISM? 14
I will show this picture when I speak about the four noble truths.
WHAT IS BUDDHISM? 15
This picture will be shown when teaching about the different types of Buddhism and the one that
focus on meditation.
WHAT IS BUDDHISM? 16
This will be my final picture when talking about the refuge ceremony.
WHAT IS BUDDHISM? 17
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.
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 couldnt find in the library resources. I used a well-known monks influence as my
ethos.
1. Who is Buddha?
2. Siddharthas journey to becoming Buddha.
3. What is Buddhism?
4. There are different forms of the Buddhist religion.
5. How can one become Buddhist?
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
WHAT IS BUDDHISM? 18
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
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
shouldnt be the only one. They also should research any words or concepts they dont