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Episode 3 Summary
- Siddhartha Gautama grew up in a life of privilege, until he was confronted by the reality of suffering. Buddhism was born out of his quest to find a cure for suffering.
- Buddhists believe in the Three Marks of Existence, the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and also submit to the Five Precepts. All of these have as their primary goal the elimination of suffering.
- The goal of Buddhism is nirvana, which involves the end of all desire and suffering.
Discussion Questions
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Did you learn anything new about Buddhism from this video? Was anything surprising to you?
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Do you think eliminating desire and attachment would actually eliminate suffering? Why or why not?
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Many people believe that Buddhism and Christianity are compatible, and that it’s possible to be both a Christian and a Buddhist. Based on this video, do you think that’s possible? Why or why not?
Diving Deeper
Skye Jethani once said about karma, ”Prior to the cross, and in many places today, suffering was interpreted through a karmic lens in which victims were seen as getting their just deserts… the suffering, marginalized, or oppressed had earned their misery, and showing compassion or bestowing dignity upon them would be a violation of divine justice.” What would be the effect of believing this? Do you think Christianity is different? Why or why not?