Chapter 5 Buddhism

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Chapter 5Buddhism
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Definitions

• Ahimsa the doctrine of non-violence toward all
  living beings represented in the first of the
  Five Precepts or teachings.
• Anatta No-self the notion that there is no
  permanent self, and that a person is a changing
  combination of components.
• Anicca Impermanence the idea that the world is
  in constant flux / a state of change.
• Arhat Someone who has achieved nirvana the
  ideal of spiritual perfection in Theravada
  Buddhism.
• Ascentic One who practices very strict
  devotions using severe self-denial.
• Bhikkhu a fully ordained monk who has left his
  home and renounced all his possessions in order
  to follow the way of the Buddha.

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Definitions

• Bhikkhuni sangha the community of fully
  ordained nuns.
• Bodhisattva a compassionate being who
  enlightens himself or herself and helps others to
  be enlightened.
• Buddha the Enlightened or Awakened One the
  founder of Buddhism, formerly Siddhartha Gautama.
• Dalai Lama the ruler and spiritual leader of
  Tibet.
• Dana a ceremony that takes place at the temple
  or in a private home, which involves the donation
  of food, robes, medicines, and other necessities
  to the sangha (the community of Buddhist monks
  and nuns) Those who participate in this ritual
  gain merit.
• Dharma the teachings of the Buddha and his idea
  of truth concerning the laws of the universe.

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Definitions

• Dukka Dissatisfaction the idea that human
  suffering is inevitable.
• Enlightenment understanding the truth of life
  by attaining freedom from ignorance.
• Five Precepts the rules that Buddhists follow.
  They include abstaining from harming living
  beings, stealing, improper sexual activity, false
  speech and taking alcohol or drugs.
• Four Noble Truths the Buddhas diagnosis of the
  main problem in life suffering, the cause of
  suffering, elimination of suffering, and the path
  to end suffering.
• Four Sights the sights that led to the Buddhas
  departure from his palace to help humankind a
  sick man, a corpse, an old man, and a begging
  monk.

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Definitions

• Karma action, or the law of cause and effect
  the totality of ones thoughts and actions, which
  determines ones fate in the next life.
• Koan an unsolvable riddle presented to a novice
  by his or her master for the purpose of mental
  discipline and to bring about a state of
  realization. Eg. When both hands clap, a sound
  is produced. Describe the sound of a single hand
  clapping?
• Lama a Tibetan religious leader translation of
  guru or teacher.
• Mahayana One of the 3 major forms of Buddhism
  dominant in East Asia, it is considered the most
  liberal and practical.
• Mandala Maps or geometrical diagrams, of the
  spiritual journey. Looking at them helps awaken
  spiritual potential.
• Mantras Symbolic phrases that are chanted.

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Definitions

• Meditation a method of calming and training the
  mind through concentration.
• Middle Way the path in life prescribed by the
  Buddha the path between extremes.
• Nirvana an everlasting state of great joy and
  peace resulting from the end of desire and
  suffering.
• Noble Eightfold Path the last of the Four Noble
  Truths. This is the path leading to the end of
  suffering.
• Parinirvana sometimes called the final nirvana,
  the state attained upon the death of someone who
  has achieved nirvana.
• Puja offerings to holy beings.
• Reincarnation the transference of consciousness
  into new bodies being born again.

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Definitions

• Samsara the endless cycle of uncontrolled
  rebirths.
• Sangha the community of Buddhist monks and nuns
• Satori spiritual enlightenment in the Zen
  tradition.
• Six Perfections Giving, morality, patience,
  vigour, meditation, and wisdom what a
  Boddhisattva practices.
• Sutras scriptures establishing the teachings of
  Buddhism. They are represented as the discourses
  or sermons of the Buddha.
• Thangkas wall hangings found in Tibetan
  Buddhist temples.
• Theravada one of the three major forms of
  Buddhism. Dominant in Southeast Asia, it is
  considered to be the original and orthodox form
  of Buddhism.

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Definitions

• Tripitaka known as the Three Baskets a
  collection of early Buddhist scriptures.
• Vajrayana One of the three major forms of
  Buddhism popular in Tibet.
• Wheel of Life a complete visual representation
  of samsara, or the endless cycle of uncontrolled
  rebirths.
• Zen a Buddhist sect that originated in Japan.
  This sect favours meditation and intuition rather
  than scripture or rituals as the means to
  enlightenment.

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"May all that have life be delivered from
suffering"Gautama Buddha(c.566 BC - c.480 BC)
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Spiritual Tradition

• Buddhism is a spiritual tradition that focuses on
  personal spiritual development and the attainment
  of a deep insight into the true nature of life.
• Buddhism teaches that all life is interconnected,
  so compassion is natural and important.
• Buddhism is 2,500 years old
• There are currently 376 million followers
  worldwide
• Buddhism arose as a result of Siddhartha
  Gautama's quest for Enlightenment in around the
  6th Century BCE
• There is no belief in a personal God. It is not
  centred on the relationship between humanity and
  God
• Buddhists believe that nothing is fixed or
  permanent - change is always possible
• The two main Buddhist sects are Theravada
  Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism, but there are
  many more
• Buddhism is a very colourful faith with many
  festivals throughout the year
• Buddhists can worship both at home or at a temple

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The Basic Teachings and Concepts of Buddhism

• Karma Actions have consequences so our lives
  are conditioned by our past actions.
• Rebirth Consciousness continues after death,
  and finds expression in a future life.
• Liberation from karma By following the Buddha's
  path one escapes the cycle of craving and
  suffering.
• The Four Noble Truths These are the essentials
  of Buddhism.
• Enlightenment The highest goal of life is to
  reach Enlightenment a state of being that goes
  beyond suffering.
• Dharma The teachings and hence the way to
  nirvana.
• The core of Buddhist teaching At the heart of
  the Buddha's teaching lie The Four Noble Truths
  and The Eightfold Path which lead the Buddhist
  towards the path of Enlightenment.
• Facing the truth The Buddha taught that the
  human tendency is to avoid the difficult truths
  of life and this in turn leads to suffering. By
  enabling the mind to be at peace through
  meditation a human being can confront reality and
  overcome hatred and craving.

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Buddhisms Hindu Origins
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Buddhisms Hindu Origins

• Buddha born into the Kshatriya caste (warrior)
  born Hindu
• Some Hindus believe Buddha is an avatar
  (incarnation )of the god Vishnu
• Buddhism grew out of Hinduism and while there are
  many differences, some similarities include the
  notion or reincarnation, samsara, karma, dharma
  and nirvana.
• Buddha rejected the caste system particularly
  the power of the Brahmin caste. It was contrary
  to the Buddhist notion of equality of all
  individuals.
• Buddha believed that the search for spiritual
  fulfillment was the responsibility of each and
  every person rather than something to be dictated
  to by the Brahmins.
• Buddha objected Hindu rituals (offerings to gods,
  chants, sacrifices) which he saw as
  insignificant, meaningless activities for which
  Brahmins collected money.
• He considered questions and theories about the
  creation and eternity of the world futile. It
  was pointless to tackle such questions which
  cannot be answered. He believed in practicing a
  religion that was practical and free from such
  mystical obsessions.
• The Buddha disapproved of the language of
  Hinduism. The Brahmins continued to use
  Sanskrit, a language that few spoke or
  understood. It left Hindu religion under the
  control of the priests. The Buddha gave all his
  talks in Pali, the common language of the people
  making Buddhism accessible to all.

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Introduction to Buddhism

• Buddhism was founded approximately 2500 years ago
  in India. The Buddha was born Siddhartha
  Gautama, (according to Hindus, one of the ten
  incarnations of Vishnu) a prince of the Sakya
  tribe of Nepal, in approximately 563 BC. He was
  born into the Kshatriya caste (military caste) in
  a kingdom called Shakya located at the foothills
  of the Himalayas inside present day Nepal. His
  father was King Shuddhodana, who belonged to the
  Gautama clan and his mother was Queen Maya.
• According to Buddhist literature, Siddharthas
  birth was miraculous. Queen Maya conceived her
  son when he descended from Heaven and entered his
  mothers womb in the form of a baby white
  elephant a symbol of purity. She carried him
  for ten months and gave birth from her side on
  the full-moon day of May, while standing and
  holding on to a tree. It is written that he was
  born clean and unstained in any way. Queen Maya
  died a week after giving birth.

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Introduction to Buddhism

• Siddhartha was raised by his aunt. It is written
  that when he was born, he immediately took seven
  steps and said, This is my last birth. This
  foretold that he would grow to be a great ruler
  or religious teacher. His father, King
  Shuddhodana wanted his son to be a great ruler
  and was disturbed by the idea that he would be a
  religious leader. He proceeded to shower him
  with riches vowing to make his life as pleasant
  as possible to discourage him from wanting to
  leave the palace.
• At sixteen, Siddhartha married Princess Yasodhara
  and together they had a son named Rahula. They
  lived in luxury in palaces built for them by the
  king.

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Introduction to Buddhism

• Despite living a very comfortable life,
  Siddhartha still hungered for spiritual
  satisfaction. Fearing his son would adopt a
  religious life, the King arranged for the city
  streets to be filled with only healthy, happy
  people. He wanted to avoid his son witnessing
  unpleasantness or suffering that would trouble
  him.
• At the age of twenty-nine and accompanied by his
  charioteer, Channa, Siddhartha visited the city
  four times and experienced what Buddhists refer
  to as the Four Sights.
• An old man leaning on a staff, his body broken
  by life.
• A sick man lying by the roadside.
• A corpse being prepared for cremation
• An ascetic Hindu monk who practiced
  self-denial. His head was shaven, he wore a
  tattered yellow robe and was holding a bowl.

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Introduction to Buddhism

• The last image troubled Siddhartha and so he
  asked his charioteer, Channa for the meaning of
  this sighting. Channa answered, This is a man
  living the homeless life in order to seek the
  answer to lifes riddle. This answer inspired
  Siddhartha to seek a spiritual solution to the
  problems that plague human life. That night, he
  left the palace and became a homeless beggar.
• What does the palace life represent?
• What do the four signs represent in relation to
  human life?
• List some of the problems that you feel plague
  human life. What is the cause of these problems?
  Can you come up with any possible solutions?

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Seeking Enlightenment

• In the pursuit of enlightenment, Siddhartha
  became a wandering seeker of spiritual knowledge.
  His first teacher taught him to meditate and
  attain a state of deep trance. The experience
  was positive but did not produce the results he
  sought. Upon leaving the trance, Siddhartha
  found the same problems still existed. Next, he
  tried controlled breathing (retaining ones
  breath for increasing longer intervals). This
  only resulted in headaches. Next, he began to
  reduce his food intake to just one grain of rice
  a day. This resulted in Siddhartha becoming ill
  and emaciated. He abandoned this type of
  asceticism (self-denial) realizing that extremes
  of any kind are not productive. Eventually, he
  realized that a life of complete self-denial was
  as unsatisfactory as the over-indulgent life he
  once practiced in the palace. The drew him to
  the conclusion that the best path is the Middle
  Way, the course found between both extremes.

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Seeking Enlightenment

• Following this revelation, Siddhartha began to
  eat again as well as meditate. One day he was
  sitting under a bodhi tree mediating when he
  entered into a higher state of consciousness and
  became aware of all of his previous lives. He
  saw the death and rebirth of all types of beings
  as a consequence of their good and bad deeds
  (karma) good deeds resulted in a better life in
  the next rebirth, while bad deeds brought
  unpleasantness. Upon realizing this, he removed
  craving and ignorance for himself. In that
  moment, he achieved nirvana, (a state of total
  liberation and serenity) or enlightenment the
  supreme realization of the truth of life and the
  freedom from ignorance.
• By attaining enlightenment, Siddhartha
  experienced the end of suffering and was released
  from the endless cycle of rebirth he had
  successfully attained perfect wisdom and absolute
  peace.
• Siddhartha stayed in this state of enlightenment
  for seven days (or seven weeks, according to
  other versions), pondering his future.
  Afterwards, he decided to publicize his teachings
  and ideas about the nature of reality and the
  laws of the universe (the dharma of the world).

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The Enlightened One

• On the full moon of May, with the rising of the
  morning star, Siddhartha Gautama became the
  Buddha which means the Enlightened One or One
  Who Has Awakened.
• The Buddha wandered the plains of north-eastern
  India for 45 years more, teaching the path or
  Dharma (ultimate and transcendent truth utterly
  beyond worldly things) he had realized in that
  moment. Around him developed a community or
  Sangha of monks and, later, nuns, drawn from
  every tribe and caste, devoted to practicing this
  path.
• When he was eighty years old and in poor health,
  his followers debated on whether or not Buddha
  would have a successor. The Buddha declared that
  the dharma together with the rules of monastic
  life, would be the peoples spiritual guide upon
  his death. Buddha believed that each person
  should decide, for themselves, which teachings to
  follow, based on personal evaluation and that
  ultimately, each person is responsible for
  his/her own salvation.
• In approximately 486 BC, at the age of 80, the
  Buddha died resting between two trees. Upon his
  death, her reached a state of parinirvana or
  complete nirvana and a release from the cycle of
  involuntary rebirth.

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The Enlightened One

• His last words are believed to be
• Hold firm to the truth as a lamp and a refuge,
  and do not look for refuge to anything besides
  yourselves. A monk becomes his own lamp and
  refuge by continually looking on his body,
  feelings, perceptions, moods and ideas in such a
  manner that he conquers the cravings and
  depressions of ordinary men and is always
  strenuous, self-possessed, and collected in mind.
  Whoever among my monks does this, either now or
  when I am dead, if he is anxious to learn, will
  reach the summit.
• Reflection How does this compare to the
  Christian understanding of salvation? Explain.

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The Four Noble Truths

• Whilst seated beneath the Bodhi tree the Buddha
  experienced the Four Noble Truths
• Dukkha - Life is suffering All existence is
  unsatisfactory and filled with suffering.
• Tanha - Suffering is due to attachment The
  root of suffering can be defined as a craving or
  clinging to wrong things searching to find
  stability in a shifting world is the wrong way.
• Nirvana - Attachment can be overcome It is
  possible to find an end to suffering.
• The Noble Eightfold Path - There is a path
  (Middle Path) for accomplishing this a solution
  to suffering and bringing it to an end. The
  Noble Eightfold Path is made up of Right
  Understanding, Right Aspiration, Right Speech,
  Right Action Right Livelihood, Right Effort,
  Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.

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Elements of the Noble Eightfold Path

• Wisdom (panna)
• 1. Right Understanding (samma ditthi)2. Right
  Aspiration (samma sankappa)
• Morality (sila)
• 3. Right Speech (samma vaca)4. Right Action
  (samma kammanta)5. Right Livelihood (samma
  ajiva)
• Concentration (samadhi)
• 6. Right Effort (samma vayama)7. Right
  Mindfulness (samma sati)8. Right Concentration
  (samma samadhi)

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Moral Code

• The Buddhist Moral Code
• As with other major religions, Buddhism has an
  established moral code, or system of ethical dos
  and don'ts. For lay people (Buddhists who are not
  monks or nuns) this is encapsulated in the five
  precepts. A precept is a rule about how we should
  act or conduct ourselves. Monks and nuns adhere
  to further precepts and adhere to the particular
  rules laid down by their community.
• The five precepts are
• I undertake to abstain from harming living
  beings
• I undertake to abstain from taking what is not
  given
• I undertake to abstain from sexual misconduct
• I undertake to abstain from false speech
• I undertake to abstain from intoxicating drugs
  or drink

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Moral Code

• The First Precept 'I undertake to abstain from
  harming living beings'
• Buddhism teaches that one of the most important
  qualities we should have as human beings is
  respect for life. For Buddhism this means not
  only respect for fellow human beings but also
  animals and insects. Consequently, it is seen as
  morally reprehensible to kill another being.
  There is a hierarchy involved in this, however.
  To kill a human being is a worse action morally
  than killing an animal. Killing an animal is seen
  to be more severe than killing an insect. The
  general approach by Buddhists is to avoid killing
  or harming any living thing. The Buddhist
  perspective is that all beings feel pain and
  suffering, and value their individual existence.
  Consequently, just as we would not want to
  inflict pain and suffering on ourselves so too we
  should not inflict pain and suffering on others.
  It's a simple approach. The Buddha explained in
  the following way All fear death comparing
  others with oneself, one should neither kill nor
  cause to kill. On top of this empathy with
  others the Buddha also warns that harming other
  beings will have karmic consequences. Killing
  animals, even for food, is also something the
  Buddha urged his followers not to do. He
  discouraged hunting as an occupation, for
  example. This does not mean that Buddhists are
  all necessarily vegetarian. The Buddha allowed
  his monks to eat meat as long as the animal had
  not been specifically killed for them.

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Moral Code

• The Second Precept I undertake to abstain from
  taking living what is not given
• This precept is a simple one. Essentially the
  Buddha asks us not to steal from others. As well
  as urging his followers to have respect for life,
  the Buddha also encourages respect for other's
  belongings and property. Instead of appropriating
  what is not given, the Buddha urges his follows
  to practise generosity and to share what one has
  with others. Dana or giving is a quality highly
  regarded in Buddhism.
• The Third Precept I undertake to abstain from
  sexual misconduct
• In Buddhism, monks and nuns live a celibate life.
  Lay Buddhists, however, have the freedom to have
  sexual relationships and to marry. In a modern
  context, sexual misconduct would cover the
  following activities sex with animals, minors,
  other people's partners, and prostitutes. It
  would also include casual sex and sexual assault.
  The basic moral guideline with sexual activity is
  that if it brings harm to oneself and/or others
  then it is to be avoided. In partnerships and
  marriage, the Buddha encourages mutual respect
  and fidelity.

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Moral Code

• The Fourth Precept I undertake to abstain from
  false speech
• The Buddha fully understood the importance of
  speech, its potential for effecting good or ill.
  He compared speech to a treasure which should be
  uttered at the right moment and be moderate and
  full of sense. He urged his followers to always
  speak the truth, and to avoid deception and
  falsehood.
• The Fifth Precept I undertake to abstain from
  intoxicating drugs or drink
• A great deal of Buddhist practice is about
  keeping the mind clear and aware. Alcoholic
  drinks and recreational drugs cloud the mind and
  impair judgement. Consequently, the Buddha
  encouraged his followers to abstain. In practice,
  some Buddhists do drink alcohol but would be
  guided by the principle of moderation. Medicinal
  drugs are, of course, acceptable.

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The Three Characteristics of Existence

• All things outside of Nirvana have three
  fundamental characteristics
• Anicca impermanence. The world is in constant
  flux and therefore nothing stays the same for
  long. Impermanence can be witnessed in the
  natural environment, our changes in likes and
  dislikes, our aging bodies, etc.
• Dukkha dissatisfaction. All humans and animals
  experience suffering. Physical and mental pain
  are examples of Dukkha. Happiness only lasts for
  a limited period of time. As a result,
  dissatisfaction or Dukkha touches everything that
  exists.
• Anatta no self or soul-lessness. Buddhism denies
  the existence of an unchanging or eternal soul
  (atman) created by a God or emanating from a
  Divine Essence. There is no permanent,
  independent self that is unchanging (soul).
  Instead, everything is impermanent.