MrsNatiBuddhism-LexyS.

=**__Buddhism__**=

Q: Who was the founder of this religion?In what year? A: Prince Siddhartha was the founder of Buddhism in 540 B.c. Prince Siddhartha left the palace for 6 years and experienced poverty. He took the middle path and found the answer he was looking for. That question was, why do people suffer, the answer was because people were wanting, and wanting causes suffering. Prince Siddhartha devoted 45 years of his life to teaching people about Buddhism.

Q: Who are the religious leaders of this religion? A: The Buddhism religion has no leaders, but Buddha is the enlightened one.

Q: What is the place of worship for this religion? A: The places of worship for this religion are shrines, temples, stupas, and pagodas. One known temple is the Vihara.

Q: Where did this religion begin?Where is it practiced today? A: Buddhism began in modern day India. Buddhism is practiced everywhere around the world.There are Buddhists in nearly every country, mainly in China

Q: What are the main beliefs of this religion? A: The main beliefs of this religion are: 1) Suffering is a part of life 2) Suffering comes from desire 3) The way to avoid suffering is to renounce desire 4) The formula for renouncing desire is the 8 fold path 1) right belief 2) right aim 3) right speech 4) right action 5) right work 6) right effort 7) right thinking 8) right concentrate **
 * Wanting causes suffering
 * Buddhists believe in reincarnation
 * Nirvana
 * The middle path
 * Charama
 * **__4 noble truths__**
 * __8 fold path__

Q: Does this religion have a god(s)?Describe the god(s). A: There is no god in Buddhism. Buddha is the enlightened one.

Q: What is (are) the sacred writing(s) of this religion? A: The sacred writings of this religion are the Tipiakas, which are sacred writings that were written long ago and are still being written.

Q: Describe the religious practices of this religion. How do they worship? How do they practice their beliefs? A: Buddhists pray at shrines and temples, and they also meditate.

Q: What are the religious festivals? How, when, and why do they celebrate these festivals? A: One festival is Wesak which celebrates Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death. It starts in the early morning. This festival resembles Christian Christmas. Kathia is a Thai festival that occurs at the end of the rainy season.

Q: What are the main symbols of this religion? What do they represent? A: There is 40 different positions of Buddha. There is the Lotus flower which represents Buddha's teachings. There is the white elephant which represents the birth of Prince Siddhartha. There is the wheel of law which represents the 8 fold path because it has 8 spokes. There is the Budhi Tree which represents when Buddha was enlightened.