The Ascetic & Enlightened Life

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Ascetic and Enlightened life

Siddhartha left his life in order to seek a solution to suffering.

Four sights

Siddhartha was bored and made four trips out of the palace: 1) He came across an old man without teeth and a walking stick. 2) He saw a sick person in agony. 3) He met a funeral procession carrying a dead body to the river. 4) He met a barefoot man with a shaven head and simple robe.
- These are known as the Four Signs or Sights.

Ascetic Life

Aged 29, Siddartha left the palace in order to find the solution to suffering.
He lived an ascetic life in the forest for six years.
He punished his body and followed many teachings but did not find the answers.
He was nursed back to strength with some rice milk a young girl gave him. He then sat under a large Bodhi tree and began to meditate.
Under the tree he was tempted by Mara, the demon, but he ignored it and touched the ground with his right hand. Then the earth began to quake.

Enlightenment

Siddartha meditated until he had reached a state of purity.
He had three insights in the night known as 'Threefold Knowledge':
- He saw his own previous lives.
- Then he understood the causes of birth and death
- Then he reached omniscience and became aware of the true nature of all things.
This is when he achieved Enlightenment and became the Buddha (XXVI Buddhavamsa).

After the Enlightenment

The beginning of the Sangha (community) was marked by the five friends Buddha taught in Sarnath, first teaching the Noble Truths.
Buddha travelled around India teaching anyone who would listen for 45 years. -'All conditioned things are subject to decay. Attain perfection through diligence'(Digha Nikaya), were his last words.

1Buddhism

2Christianity

2.1Key Beliefs

2.1.1The Nature of God

2.1.2The Problem of Evil

2.1.3Monotheism

2.1.4Creation

2.1.5Bible Accounts of Creation

2.1.6The Trinity and Creation

2.1.7Afterlife

2.1.8Heaven and Hell

2.1.9The Influence of Afterlife on Life

2.1.10End of Topic Test - Christianity Key Beliefs

2.1.11Exam-Style Questions - Christian Beliefs

2.2Jesus Christ & Salvation

2.2.1The Incarnation

2.2.2Jesus - Divine & Human

2.2.3The Crucifixion

2.2.4Jesus' Betrayal

2.2.5Resurrection & Ascension

2.2.6Sin

2.2.7Original Sin

2.2.8Punishment

2.2.9The Means of Salvation

2.2.10Achieving Salvation

2.2.11Disagreements About Salvation

2.2.12The Role of Christ in Salvation

2.2.13Theories of Salvation

2.2.14End of Topic Test - Jesus Christ & Salvation

2.3Worship & Festivals

2.3.1Different Forms of Worship

2.3.2Prayer

2.3.3Sacrament

2.3.4Baptism

2.3.5Other Sacraments

2.3.6Eucharist

2.3.7Pilgrimage & Celebrations

2.3.8Christmas & Easter

2.3.9End of Topic Test - Worship and Festivals

2.4Community

2.4.1Local Community

2.4.2Mission, Evangelism & Church Growth

2.4.3Worldwide Church

2.4.4Reconciliation

2.4.5Persecution

2.4.6Caring for Those in Need

2.4.7End of Topic Test - Community

2.4.8Exam-Style Questions - Christian Practices

3Catholicism (Christianity)

4Islam

5Judaism

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