- Buddha’s teachings come from a background of polytheistic
Hinduism
- Was an atheist prayer & priest.
- His
teachings were passed on orally for centuries before being written
down during the first century B.C. in Ceylon
- Buddha came from a wealthy family, father was a
rajah
- Left
his wife and children, lived in filth, inflicted pain on himself
- After six years of searching for peace, he sat down
under a Bodh I tree (gigantic fig tree) for 40 days and became enlightened
- His
teachings surround that of suffering and how to eliminate it
- Not a religious leader but a psychologist.
- Buddhism
focuses on man’s ability to take care of himself rather than God
- Died of food poisoning
