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BUDDHISM
A few preliminaries
What is Buddhism?
Buddhism is a religion and life philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha
Buddhism is a mystically oriented religious tradition
Buddhism is essentially a path to spiritual discovery… It recognizes the suffering that all people endure and provides a way to overcome it
Buddhism is one of the world’s oldest and most influential
religious traditions
The influence and spread of Buddhism
Buddhism is the majority religion in Thailand, Mongolia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Laos, Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore. And even though China is officially an atheist naDon, a sizable minority of its people adhere to Buddhist beliefs and are influenced by the cultural aspects of Buddhism.
In the West, Buddhism has grown significantly since the 1960s, when it became popular among arDsts and writersfor its promoDon of spiritual values and promise of inner peace.
The origin and development of Buddhism
To understand Buddhism you must understand the life of the Buddha himself
The heart of Buddhism is really a story of one man’s realization
Siddhartha Gautama who came to be known as the Buddha
(or ‘awakened one’)
There are many legends about the Buddha’s life and teaching, so it’s a bit difficult to know what really happened, but the basics are pretty consistent...
The Buddha’s birth and upbringing
The Buddha observes pain and suffering
The Four Sights
The gods created a old man to walk in Siddhartha’s sight, to which he asked his charioteer, ‘Who is this man that has come here, with white hair and his hand res8ng on a staff, his eyes hidden beneath his brows, his limbs bent down and hanging loose? Is this a change produced in him, or his natural state, or an accident?’ The charioteer responded carefully, ‘Old age has broken him down. It is the ravisher of beauty, the ruin of vigor, the cause of sorrow, and the destruc8on of delights, the afflic8on of memories, the enemy of the senses…’
Siddhartha responded, ‘What! Will this evil also come to me also?’
The Four Sights
‘It will certainly come in 8me even to my long-‐lived lord. All the world knows that old age will destroy their beauty….’ replied the charioteer.Then the gods created a diseased man to cross Siddhartha’s gaze. ‘That man with a swollen belly, his whole frame shaking as he pants, his arms and shoulders hanging loose, his body all pale and thin, uJering ‘mother’ when he embraces a stranger—who is this?’ Gentle sir, it is a very great afflic8on called sickness that has grown up, caused by the inflamma8on of three humors. It has made even this strong man no longer master of himself.
‘Is this evil peculiar to him, or are there people threatened by sickness?’ ‘O prince, this evil is common to all. Pressed by diseases, people run to pleasure, though racked with pain…”
The Four Sights
Then the gods also created a dead man to cross the prince’s gaze. ‘Who is this carried by four men, followed by mournful companions, who is adorned but no longer breathing?’ ‘This is some poor man who, bereP of his intellect, senses, vitality and quali8es, lying asleep and unconscious, like mere wood or straw, is abandoned by both friends and enemies aPer they have carefully guarded him.’ ‘Is this an accident peculiar to him alone, or is such the end of all living creatures?’
‘This is the final end of all living creatures. Be one a poor man, a man of middle state, or a noble, destruc8on will come to all in the this world.’
The Four Sights
Then he saw a holy man, ‘Tell me, who are you?’ ‘O bull of men, I who am terrified at birth and death have become an asce8c for the sake of libera8on. Desiring libera8on in a world subject to destruc8on, I seek that happy indestruc8ble abode. I am isolated from mankind. My thoughts are unlike others, and my sinful passions are turned away from all objects of sense. I am a beggar ready for any food, and I seek only the highest good...’
Upon the last word, the holy man suddenly flew up to the sky like a puff of smoke...
The Buddha goes out searching for answers
Why is there suffering? Why do people have to grow old and die? Is there an unchanging divine reality behind the surface of things? Is there a soul and an afterlife? Are we reborn? Can we avoid pain and suffering? How should people live?
The Buddha lives the life of an ascetic
The Buddha adopts the path of moderation
The Buddha “wakes up” and becomes enlightened
“Through many a birth I wandered in this world, seeking in vain the builder of this house. Unfulfilling it is to be born again and again! O housemaker! Now I have seen you! You shall build no more houses for me! Your beams are broken, your ridgepole is shattered. My mind is free from all past conditionings, and craves the future no longer...”
The Buddha saw suffering, aging and death in a new way and realized that although these
things were an inevitable part of human existence, it was possible to find a kind of ultimate release
Buddha becomes a traveling teacher of his insights and way of life
The Buddha dies and leaves a legacy
“You must be your own lamps, be your own refuges. Take refuge in nothing outside yourselves. Hold firm to the truth as a lamp and a refuge, and do not look for refuge to anything besides yourselves...”
Trust your own insights and use self control to reach perfection
and inner peace
A few important beliefs shared by all Buddhists
Two overriding practical questions form the basis of the
Buddha’s concentration...
How can we minimize pain and suffering– both our own and that of others? And how can we attain inner peace and tranquility?
The three jewels of Buddhism
The three Jewels
The basic Buddhist profession of faith is known as “Triple Refuge” (trisarana) or “Three Jewels” (triratna)(1) Refuge in the Buddha – the ideal
human life and model of self control and mindfulness that is to be emulated by all
(2) Refuge in the Dharma – the collecDve teachings of Buddhism
(3) Refuge in the Sangha – the monasDc community of Buddhism
Common to all forms of Buddhism is a way of looking at
the world that is ultimately designed to help lead an
individual to inner peace and joy
The three marks of reality
The three marks of reality
All Buddhists believe that reality clearly manifests three important characterisAcs (1) Constant change – nothing is
permanent (anichcha), everything is constantly changing
(2) A lack of permanent iden2ty – there is no permanent, enduring soul or self (anna4a)
(3) The existence of suffering – convenDonal life is painful and unsaDsfying (dukkha)
The four noble truths
The four noble truths
The four noble truths are a linked chain of truths about the way the world and life really are(1) Suffering exists: to live is to suffer
(2) Suffering has a cause: suffering comes from desire
(3) Suffering has an end: to end suffering, you must end desire
(4) Release from suffering is possible: to be released from suffering, follow the eighYold path to “inner peace”
The noble truths: to live is to suffer
Living means sorrow... “birth is a\ended with pain, decay is painful, disease is painful and death is painful...”
Suffering can be analyzed in Buddhist thought in three different ways:
As mental or physical pain
As change -‐ everything we experience, is changing moment by moment
As a condiDon -‐ the world is a place of uncertainty in which we can never be sure what is going to happen next
The noble truths: suffering comes from desire
Suffering comes from wanDng or “craving” (trishna) what we cannot have and never being saDsfied with what we do have
Deep in the minds of beings there is a greed or desire that manifests itself as an unquenchable thirst
In a world of shi_ing and unstable condiDons, cravings of whatever kind will never be able to hold on to the things it craves. This is the origin of suffering
The noble truths: to end suffering, end desire
I cannot change the outside world, but I can change myself and the way I experience the world
We will never be able to find anything permanent and stable, which we can hold on to and thereby find lasDng happiness. So...
The Buddhist soluDon is simple: let go of everything... renounce all desire
If craving is the cause of suffering, then the cessaDon of suffering will surely follow from “the complete fading away and ceasing of that very craving”
The noble truths: follow the eightfold path
The ulDmate goal is nirvana, which suggests the end of suffering, inner peace, and liberaDon from the limitaDons and a\achments of the world
Upon a\aining nirvana, the individual has self-‐control and is no longer driven by inner cravings or bothered by the unpredictable events of life
To a\ain nirvana, Buddhism recommends following the eighYold path
The eightfold path to nirvana
The noble eightfold path to achieving nirvana
The “way to inner peace” is to follow/live according to the eighCold path(1) Right understanding: I recognize the
impermanence of life, the mechanism of desire, and the cause of suffering.
(2) Right intenDon: my thoughts and moDves are pure, not tainted by my emoDons and selfish desires.
(3) Right speech: I speak honestly and kindly, in posiDve ways, avoiding lies, exaggeraDon, harsh words.
(4) Right acDon: my acDons do not hurt any other being that can feel hurt, including animals; I avoid stealing and sexual conduct that would bring hurt.
(5) Right work: my livelihood does no harm.
(6) Right effort: with moderaDon, I consistently strive to improve.
(7) Right meditaDon: I use the disciplines of meditaDon and focused awareness to contemplate the nature of reality more deeply.
(8) Right contemplaDon: I culDvate states of blissful inner peace
Three main goals of the eightfold path...
1. Face life objectively
2. Live kindly
3. Cultivate inner peace
A few important Buddhist schools of thought
Theravada – the “way of the elders”
The monastic life is the surest path to nirvana
Theravada buddhism: “the way of the elders”
The Theravada school of thought takes it’s name from its goal of passing on the unaltered teachings of the Buddha
The name of the school comes from two words: thera (‘elders’) and vada (‘way’) -‐ The “way of the elders”
Theravada is the conservaDve branch of Buddhism
The heart of Theravada Buddhism is the monasDc community and it’s focus is on reaching Nirvana through detachment and desirelessness by means of meditaDon
Although Theravada does accept that laypeople can a\ain nirvana, the life of the monk offers a surer path
The arhat (or ‘perfect being’), a person who has reached nirvana, is the ideal
As a lay follower, one can earn religious merit by observing the silas (or rules of moral conduct) and by catering to the needs of the monasDc community (Sangha)
If, however, one wished to break the chain of rebirths forever and break out into the freedom of Nirvana, this was best a\empted by becoming a monk
The Theravada collecDon of the Buddha’s teachings are known as “Pali Canon”
The collecDon of teachings were grouped according to there subject ma\er into three categories or Tripitaka (‘three baskets’)
The vinaya provided the rules for monasDc life
The sutra was comprised of various “sayings” or “sermons” of the Buddha
The abhidharma were a more sophisDcated and systemaDzed presentaDon of the doctrines of Buddhism: “the works that go beyond the elementary teachings”
Mahayana – the “big vehicle”
The compassionate life is the surest path to nirvana
Mahayana buddhism: “the big vehicle”
Mahayana, or “the Great Vehicle”, by way of contrast with the earlier forms of Buddhism, which were called “Hinayana” (small or Inferior Vehicle)
Mahayana emphasizes that Nirvana is not only a\ainable by monks but is possible for everyone
The Mahayana school stressed that enlightenment is a call to compassion (karuna), for “the Mahayana tradiDon maintains that a person must save himself by saving others.”
Of course, wisdom remained an important goal, but the pairing of wisdom and compassion was central to Mahyana teachings
In fact, compassion became an essenDal virtue for the school and the preeminent expression of wisdom
The term for compassion is karuna which means “empathy,” “sympathy,” or “kindness” and implies that we are all part of the same ever-‐changing universe... That the individual is not really different from anyone or anything else.
So, since we are all connected, to be kind to others is actually to be kind to oneself...
With such a percepDon of the interrelatedness of all beings, including animals, the idea of showing compassion seems to come naturally: “if I am kind, my kindness must be shown toward anything that that can feel pain”
The central prayer of Buddhist compassion proclaims “may all creatures be well and happy”
The noDon of karuna was so central to the Mahayana school that the “ideal” figure became the person of deep compassion, the bodhisa\va (‘the enlightenment being’)
The ideal of the arhat was replaced by the bodhisattva ideal in Mahayana Buddhism
“Just as all the previous Sugatas, the Buddhas, generated the mind of enlightenment and accomplished all the stages of the Bodhisattva training, so will I too, for the sake of all beings, generate the mind of enlightenment and accomplish all the stages of the Bodhisattva training...”
The multifaceted nature of Mahayana Buddhism
Mahayana emphasizes and encourages a vision of reality (worldview) that is imaginaDve, wide and profound.
The many ideas associated with Mahayana Buddhism provide the context for a variety of different schools of interpretaDon and pracDce
The noDon of “skillful means” recognizes that different people find themselves at different stages of spiritual evoluDon and as such accepts that there are many different ways of moving toward spiritual enlightenment
The “big wheel” movement started to get really big
Some people need images to look to and gods to pray to
Some people need a community of devout friends
Some people need silence and contemplation
Jodo - devotion to the Pure Land
The devotional life is the surest path to nirvana
The Jodo or Pure Land tradiDon is essenDally a devoDonal form of Buddhism
According to legend, the Chinese monk Tan Luan had a powerful vision about a kind of other-‐worldly paradise that devout Buddhists could inhabit so long as they devoted themselves to the veneraDon of the parDcular bodhisa\va overseeing that “pure land”
As such, complete devoDon to Amitabha Buddha would result in the devotee’s re-‐birth into paradise
Jodo Buddhism: an important sub-school of Mahayana
According to the Jodo tradiDon, the primary (and perhaps only necessary) act of devoDon consisted of the regular repeDDon of a parDcular phrase of praise: “Namo Amito-‐fo”, which means “Praise to Amitabha Buddha”
In the Jodo tradiDon, human acDons to a\ain salvaDon were unimportant in comparision to the saving power of the Buddha
As such, the conDnued recitaDon of of Amitabha’s praise was sufficiant to ensure one’s rebirth into the Pure Land
Jodo Buddhism: an important sub-school of Mahayana
Zen - the simple “dhyana” path
The meditative life is the surest path to nirvana
Zen takes its name from the seventh step of the Noble eighYold Path—dhyana (‘meditaDon’).
Things were genng a bit complex within the larger Mahayana tradiDon, and the emergence of the Zen movement can be understood as a return to simplicity... to the example of the Buddha
In contrast with other schools of Mahayana thought, Zen de-‐emphasized the focus on rituals and the endless chanDng of the sutras or Buddhist scriptures.
Zen buddhism: an important sub-school of Mahayana
Zen Buddhism traces back to the monk Bodhidarma, who came to China about 500 CE from India or central Asia and started a meditation school in China
MeditaDon is the key to enlightenment. The enlightenment experience (satori) brings an awareness of the unity of oneself with the rest of the universe
The enlightened person realizes that human disDncDons (e.g. mine, yours; this, that; one, many) are merely projecDons of the mind.
Such disDncDons are not ulDmate. Rather, all human beings ulDmately consist of the same basic energy of the universe, appearing in many shapes.
The realizaDon and experience of ulDmate oneness brings new insights and emoDons to the art of living: less anxiety over a\aining goals, less concern about death, and an appreciaDon for the preciousness of everyday life.
The “art” of meditaAon in Zen Buddhism
The core of Zen pracDce is seated meditaDon, called zazen.
MeditaDon pracDces differ in different schools: generally, Soto Zen teaches shikantaza, and Rinzai Zen teaches koan pracDce.
Shikantaza (nothing but sinng) involves sinng, in a state of alert a\enDon that is free of thoughts.
Koans are paradoxical quesDons, phrases, or stories that cannot be solved using normal intellectual reasoning.
Understanding Zen Koans?Koans are teaching tools used to break down the barriers to enlightenment.
Koan refers to a statement made by a Master to a student of Zen or a discussion or dialogue between Master and student. The purpose of a Koan is to open the mind and percepDon to the truth. Koans are quesDons or riddles designed as instruments by the Zen Master to aid the student in finding the truth behind the everyday images of reality.
Koans are not raDonal quesDons with final linear conclusions. They are especially designed for one purpose; this purpose is to open the mind that has been closed by habitual responses to the world and reality.
A few famous Zen Koans...What is the Buddha?
What is Zen?
Why did Bodhidharma come from the West?
What is the sound of one hand clapping?
What is the sound of one hand clapping?
Of course, in terms of the convenDonal world there can be no sound from a single hand.
The quesDon is not about sound or hands clapping per se. The quesDon is rather about hearing the impossible, which is only termed impossible within the framework of convenDonal reality.
The Zen master is therefore pressing and encouraging the student to criDque ordinary reality and to force the mind into other areas of understanding.
The Zen awareness of the ultimate unity of all things
Vajrayana - the “diamond” vehicle
The ritualistic life is the surest path to nirvana
Vajrayana Buddhismis also known as Tantric Buddhism, Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Vehicle.
Vajrayana is a complex and mulDfaceted system of Buddhist thought and pracDce which evolved over several centuries and encompasses a variety of opinions.
Its main scriptures are called Tantras.
A disDncDve feature of Vajrayana Buddhism is ritual, which is used as a subsDtute or alternaDve for the earlier abstract meditaDons.
Vajrayana buddhism: the “diamond” vehicle
Vajrayana - Tibetan prayer wheel
