Buddhism

1
Buddhism

• Teachings and Development

2
Teachings of Buddha

• Contrary to traditional Indian thought there is
  no ultimate reality of things
• The permanence of atman and Brahman is an
  illusion
• All things are transient and impermanent
• Reality consists of a succession of consecutive
  impersonal events (dharmas) a series of
  manifestations and extinctions
• Dharmas do not have a permanent existence, but
  are always changing thus there is no individual
  ego or self
• Eg. Nagasena the illustration of the chariot
• Anatman the no-self
• There is no self to be reborn, nothing like a
  soul to transmigrate.
• What transmigrates is the subjective effect of
  karma/deeds which follow one in the process of
  rebirth
• N.b. this is the orthodox Theraveda position
  some schools of thought different

3
Teachings of Buddhism The Three Marks of
Existence

• Three Marks/Characteristics of Existence All is
  suffering, all is transient, all is no-self
• Dukkha suffering all existence is permeated by
  suffering
• Anicca transience/impermanence- all things are
  vanishing and dissolving from moment to moment
• An-atmanno self Idea of a permanent,
  unchanging ego as the basis of individual
  personality is a fiction no permanent soul (cf.
  Hinduism)

4
Teachings (cont.) Principle of Dependent
Co-Arising

• Principle of Dependant Co-Arising or Origination
  (often equated with Dharma) The 12 hubs of the
  wheel of existence
• As a function of ignorance
• psychic structures arise impulses of the will
  directed at existing objects, and existence
  itself. Arise in the person who lacks redeeming
  knowledge. As a function of these structures
• consciousness arises after death, causing
  personal existence as a function of that,
• the body develops, and further
• the six organs of sense ( the 5 senses plus
  thought) from this follows
• Contact of these sense organs (including
  thought/mental processes) with their objects.
  From this
• sensations and feelings arise which causes
• craving Literally thirst) for objects and
  existence. After death, this thirst causes new
  becoming-forces
• bringing about the seizing of a new womb, to
  becoming, to the new
• birth. Which brings one about again to
• Renewals of existence (rebirth) which leads to
• Old age and death which causes ignorance again

5
Principle of dependent co-arising explained

• Ignorance (not starting point but underlying
  cause of human suffering) of the true nature of
  reality, especially Four Noble Truths leads to
• conceiving which begins conceptualizing (i.e.
  processes turn into objects). This creates a
  latch for the mind to hold onto which then
• conditions the mind that now makes distinctions
  (e.g. self or this, that) and thus gives rise to
  consciousness/mental awareness which gives rise
  to
• personal existence and the body which now is a
  reference point which uses
• senses to experience objects and referents which
  then leads to
• a more conscious (fuller understanding/meaning)
  form of direct observation and encounter (Here
  is the stage at which we can apply mindful
  awareness to break the chain that leads to
  suffering.) which gives rise to
• Sensations and experience

6
12-fold chain explained

• craving Literally thirst) for objects and
  existence. After death, this thirst causes new
  becoming-forces
• bringing about the seizing of a new womb, to
  becoming, to the new
• birth. Which brings one about again to
• Renewals of existence (rebirth) which leads to
• Old age and death which causes ignorance again

7
Wheel of Becoming
8

• Wheel of Becoming
• Center circle animals representing lust, hatred
  and delusion
• dove passion
• snake hatred
• pig stupidity/delusion
• Second circle
• left- fate of those with good karma
• right- fate of those with bad karma
• Third circle
• six spheres of existence/destinies from the gods
  to hell (originally five destinies increased to
  six in Tibetan Buddhism)
• hells
• animals
• ghosts
• gods
• human beings
• rebel gods (Tibetan addition)
• Outer circle- 12 fold chain of causation chain
  of cause and effect
• Demon grasping wheel is Mara, representing death
  and impermanence (the whole is swallowed by
  impermanence)

9
Causality (cont.)

• Interconnectedness
• The principle of causality is the normative
  principle of Buddhism
• Causality- every event is caused by a prior event
  having itself been the subject of many
  conditions
• Breaking the chain of causality requires
  eliminating craving or desire (3rd noble truth)
• Two things are unconditioned
• Dharma the unconditioned truth
• Nirvana the unconditioned state

10
Buddhism and the Human Problem

• Suffering, caused by desire, is at the root of
  the problems of human beings.
• This is because of the transitory nature of
  things. All is subjected to continuous change -
  all is coming into being and passing away
• Nothing in creation is permanent (including the
  soul) all things pass away and their
  disappearance causes us pain.
• Thus all of life is suffused by suffering we
  cannot escape it
• It is out of ignorance that we continue to search
  for something permanent
• Human desire for that which is and cannot be
  permanent causes suffering.

11
Buddhism The Four Noble Truths

• 1. Life consists of suffering
• Everything is suffering - that is to say that all
  things are passing away all is transitory
• out of ignorance we seek those things which we
  perceive to be permanent
• but because nothing is permanent we will be
  subject to grief
• 2. The origin of suffering is desire or craving
• desire leads us from one life to the next
  binding us in samsara
• suicide or the desire for bodily annihilation
  would not be an answer because it too is a form
  of desire.
• 3. Destroy desire and destroy suffering
• 4. Solution to suffering and the way to
  extinguish desire Follow the eight-fold path

12
The five skhandas

• Karma does link us from one existence to the
  other but it is not a personal self (e.g. atman)
  that transmigrates.
• A person is made up of five types of events
  (skhandas) or aggregates
• Bodily events
• Perceptions
• Feelings
• Dispositions
• States of consciousness
• All these groups of events or aspects of
  personhood are subject to change (constant
  emergence and dissolution) there is no soul
• At death these groups of events are dispersed and
  then reassembled because of the continuing
  impulses that are contained therein
• Desire causes rebirth
• The chain of causes that links you from life to
  life.

13
Eight-Fold Path

• Twelve-fold Chain of Causation
• Eight-fold path as counter to the Twelve-fold
  chain of causation

14
The Eight-Fold Path

• Prajana Wisdom
• Right understanding
• Four Noble truths
• Includes doctrines such as impermanence (annica)
  and an-atman
• Counter ignorance
• Other steps follow on this one
• Right resolve, intensions or aspirations
• Cultivating virtues, such as love and
  selflessness

15
Eight-Fold Path (cont.)

• Sila moral conduct
• Right speech
• Telling the truth, speaking kindly
• Right conduct or action
• E.g. five moral precepts
• Right livelihood
• Occupations which avoid doing harm but rather
  promote well- being

16
Eight-Fold Path (cont.)

• Samadhi correct meditation/contemplation (most
  impt.)
• Right effort
• Developing a will that develops right states of
  mind
• Towards wholesome states
• Preventing unwholesome states
• Right mindfulness or concentration
• Awareness of states of being- mind, thoughts,
  feelings
• Right contemplation or ecstasy
• To attain by direct experience the higher states
  of awareness
• Penetrate reality directly
• At this point we achieve Nirvana

17
The Path

• Wisdom Grasping four noble truths and resolving
  to observe them
• Moral Conduct (see Ludwig) Five Moral Precepts
• To refrain from taking life
• To refrain from taking what is not given
• To refrain from wrong sexual relations
• To refrain from wrongful speech
• To refrain from drugs and liquor
• Purpose of correct moral behavior is to master
  the senses through
• Kindness
• Sympathy
• Sharing of joy
• Serenity
• N.B. that Buddhist ethics stress
  intention/attitude, rather than literally
  following duties
• Note universal moral code for each person rather
  depends upon their stage of liberation but five
  precepts is guide to right conduct
• Meditation/Contemplation Liberation, mind
  control and the cessation of sense experience

18
Nirvana

• Goal of Dharma is to achieve Nirvana
• Can be achieved in present
• Buddha does not speak about existence or
  non-existence in Nirvana

19
Nirvana (cont.)

• What is Nirvana?
• Nirvana is a state free from conditions- freedom
  from suffering
• Primarily negatively defined
• Ceasing of pain
• End of sensation
• End of delusion
• Extinction of volitional drive
• Ultimately indescribable
• Extinction but not nihilistic
• Not annihilation but is yet formless and
  uncreated
• It is the end of the phenomenal self, but not
  annihilation
• For those who are enlightened it is absolute
  peace cut off from world
• Nirvana as unconditioned by any causes
• State transcends conditions of the world
• life is fully lived in the present moment

20
Nirvana (cont.)

• How is Nirvana achieved?
• Fourth Noble Truth solution to suffering is to
  extinguish desire. Means to extinguishing desire
  is the Eight-Fold Path
• Path of salvation is the middle path, avoiding
  extremes of pleasure and asceticism
• Dharma part of the infinite pattern which is to
  be known to achieve liberation (vs. dharma) as
  impersonal cosmic law

21
(No Transcript)
22
(No Transcript)