REL2300 B001 July 1st Buddhism Buddha was born a Hindu in the second caste His objections to Hinduism 1 Too many gods Humans should get more attention than the gods 2 Too many rituals too ritualistic 3 Too much focus on castes 4 Too much emphasis on sacrifices There is a difference between Atman Hinduism and Anatta Buddhism Common elements with Hinduism 1 Karma 2 Reincarnation 3 Ahinsa 4 Nirvana moksha Hinduism Buddhism Om Aum Wheel of Karma Life of Buddha Buddha was born in 560 B C in the chatriyas second caste His father was a king of a small kingdom Nepal he hoped that his son would become a great king His full name is Siddhartha Gautama Buddha o Siddhartha means The one who has overcome the cycle of birth and death o Gautama means Good soul o Buddha means The one who has awakened and found wisdom Legends about Buddha 1 The moment he was born Buddha walked seven steps This symbolized that this birth was his seventh and final birth 2 His mother saw in a dream a white elephant walking into her womb Experts in dream interpretation decided that Buddha would either become a great king or a great teacher As a result of the dream interpretation the king raised his son in a luxurious and princely manner her had every extravagance and was given the finest education including the arts of battle and warfare Still unsatisfied Buddha went for a walk outside the castle one night There he saw a sick man an old man a dead body and finally a sadhu monk smiling and content in meditation Reflecting on what he had seen Buddha age 25 decided to leave his house wife and son to practice austerity meditation fasting Despite following these strict Hindu guidelines Buddha still felt unsatisfied At the age of 35 sitting under a banyan tree in Deer Park Benaras Buddha achieved wisdom The Four Noble Truths 1 Life existence is suffering dukkha 2 Suffering is caused by desire tishna 3 Desire must be overcome 4 Desire is overcome by joining monastic life Sanga How does one become Buddhist The Three Jewels 1 I take refuge in Buddha 2 I take refuge in Dharma 3 I take refuge in Sanga The Eightfold Path The Middle Path 1 Right understanding 2 Right intention 3 Right speech 4 Right action 5 Right work 6 Right effort 7 Right meditation 8 Right contemplation Buddhist Scriptures This is practiced b joining Sanga monkish life Called Pitakas Baskets Written 300 years after the death of Buddha Pitakas are 3 in number o Sutta Pitaka sayings of the Buddha o Vinaya Pitaka describes the rules and regulations from monastic life o Abhidhamma Pitaka contains metaphysical and philosophical doctrines Sects of Buddhism There are 3 sects 1 Hinayana or Theravada small vehicle or boat 2 Mahayana 3 Vajryana 3 Sects Hinayana Buddhists are found in India Ceylon Burma and partly in Thailand and China and other Southeastern Asian countries Mahayana Buddhists are found in China 50 Korea and Japan Vajryana Buddhists are found mostly in Tibet Various Sects Hinayana Hinayana Smaller Vehicle or Theravada The Ways of Elders o Nirvana can be achieved only by joining Sanga Monastic Order o Buddha was simply a human being in spite of being a great teacher and a o The goal or the ideal of Hinayama Buddhism is to become Arhat a perfect man of profound character being like Buddha o It considers only Sutta Vinaya and Abhidhamma Pitakas as the Scriptures and authentic teachings of Buddha Various Sects Mahayana Mahayana Greater Vehicle suggests a large ferry boat which carries everyone across the river 1 One does not need to join Sanga Order Every layman Buddhist by helping others who are in Sanga is in fact showing Compassion Karuna for others 2 Buddha is Divine Being divine nature manifests in three body doctrine Trikaya 3 Body Doctrine Trikaya o Everything has a cosmic Buddha nature and everything is its manifestation o Buddha nature has also taken bodily shape in supernatural Buddhas Pure Land where we reside after achieving Nirvana is full of such beings o Heavenly Boddhisatvas who help humans on this Earth 3 Goal of life is to become Boddhisatva the enlightened one namely the one who follows the footsteps of Buddha who refuses to enter Nirvana The Statue of Sleeping Buddha 4 Besides Pitakas they also consider Sutras as the sources of Buddha s teachings Various Sects Vajryana Vajryana Diamond Vehicle 1 It mostly employs esoteric practices such as chants and rituals to gain supernatural powers 2 Is found blending with Tibetan Buddhism and believes that Lamas Gurus or Teachers are the incarnations of the previous Lamas Zen Buddhism One of the Mahayana schools of thought Zen comes from Sanskrit word Dhyana o Sanskrit Dhyana becomes Chinese Chan o Japanese pronounced it as Zen a Satori or Enlightenment achieved by zazen sitting meditation and deep regular breathering b Koan exercise in the form of questions and answers make you think by yourself p 163 c Tea Ceremony Flower Arranging Haiku poems consisting of 17 syllables 5 7 5 written in 3 lines Matsuo Basho 1644 1694 is a great Haiku poet of Japan o Old Pond A frog jumps in Sound of water Zen Buddhism Haiku Interpretation of poem Three Marks of Reality o Old pond majestic with its permanence o Frog seeker of Satori o Splash is enlightenment comes suddenly after long practice of Zen Reality manifests 3 characteristics 1 Change or Impermanence Anitya Everything is in flux 2 Anata a atman no atman no soul your soul must change contrary to Hinduism where soul is unchanging 3 Our existence is dis ease and dis content It is full of desires cause by five Skhandalas 1 Sense perception 2 Thought 3 Consciousness 4 Desire 5 Greed The Five Skhandalas They must be emptied out of our self or soul That is nirvana to blow your mind or blow out your self Thus nirvana is defined as emptiness