Transcript Document 7166581

Buddhism
Unit Five
Introduction
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Buddhism has become very popular in the west
as people try to “find themselves” and search for
the meaning of life.
It emphasizes things to do rather than things to
believe, and does not recommend that anyone
accept its teachings without experimentation.
A central idea of its teachings is that everyone
has the right to find truth for his or herself, even
if its outside of Buddhism.
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This tolerance and general calmness and
serenity of Buddhism may explain why
many in the west are turning to it for
answers.
The ultimate goal of Buddhism is to end
suffering and thereby attain absolute
peace and joy.
In the west we try to achieve happiness
by acquiring material possessions, but we
see unhappiness and suffering
everywhere.
Buddhism offers another way to end
suffering.
At the end of this unit you should
be able to………
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Explain the origins of Buddhism and significant events in
its history.
Identify key figures in the development of Buddhism.
Evaluate key concepts like nirvana and enlightenment.
Identify key passages from the Tripitaka.
Examine the importance of sacred writings in Buddhism.
Show the origin and significance of Buddhist practices,
rituals, symbols and festivals.
Review the impact of Buddhism on various cultures.
Analyze the role of women in Buddhism.
Understand the difference between Buddhism and
Hinduism.
Buddhism in Canadian society.
The Origins Of Buddhism
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Founded approximately 2500 years ago in India.
The Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, was born into
the Kshatriya caste, in the kingdom of Shakya,
around 563BCE. His father was King
Shuddhodana.
The kingdom was located in the foothills of the
Himalayas, in present day Nepal.
The story of the Buddha’s early life varies from
one Buddha tradition to another and was not
recorded until hundreds of years after his death.
Buddha’s Early Life
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The Buddha’s birth was a miracle. His mother, queen Maya,
conceived when Siddhartha descended from heaven and entered his
mother’s womb in the form of a baby white elephant, a symbol of
purity.
She carried him for 10 months and could see the baby in her womb.
She gave birth from her side while standing and holding on to a
tree. ( some believe the tree helped with the delivery) His mother
died a week later and he was raised by his aunt.
After he was born he immediately took seven steps and said, “This
is my last birth.” This meant he would be a great ruler or religious
teacher. His father wanted him to be a great ruler and discouraged
the suggestion that he would become a religious leader. So he
spoiled his son, making his life as pleasant as possible.
At age 16, Siddhartha married Princess Yasodhara, and they had a
son, Rahula.
The Four Sights
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Siddhartha craved spiritual satisfaction. His father feared that he
would leave home for a religious life and had the streets filled with
healthy people so Siddhartha would not see any unpleasantness.
When he was 29, Siddhartha visited the city four times and
experienced what Buddhists refer to as the four sights. He saw an
old man leaning on his staff, a sick man lying by the roadside, a
corpse being prepared for cremation and a Hindu monk with his
shaven head and tattered robe, holding a bowl.
These sights inspired Siddhartha to find a spiritual solution to the
problems of human life. He then decided to leave the palace and his
privileged life, to become a homeless beggar.
He became a wandering seeker of spiritual knowledge and after
trying meditation and self denial, soon discovered that the best
course was the Middle way, that the best lifestyle was one of
moderation.
Enlightenment
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While meditating, Siddhartha saw all of his previous lives in detail.
He realized that good deeds brought a better life after rebirth, while
bad deeds brought unpleasantness.
In this moment he achieved nirvana, a state of supreme realization
that is also described as truth, tranquility and peace, and
enlightenment, an understanding of the truth of life and the
freedom from ignorance.
By attaining these things he experienced the end of suffering and
the endless cycle of rebirth. He had attained perfect wisdom and
absolute truth.
Siddhartha stayed in this state for seven days, then decided to make
public his teachings and ideas, the dharma, to the world.
The Mahabodhi Temple
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This temple commemorates the enlightenment
of Siddhartha Gautama and is one of Buddhism’s
most sacred sites.
It was built at the site of the Bodhi tree under
which Buddha attained enlightenment and
therefore is considered the birthplace of the
religion.
Today the temple is an active pilgrimage sight
and learning center.
The First Sermon
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Siddhartha became Buddha, which means “the
enlightened one,” or one who has awakened.
In Sarnath, India, he preached his first sermon, an event
known as, “setting in motion the wheel of the dharma.”
Five Hindu ascetics accepted his insights and became
Buddhist monks, the start of the Buddhist community.
After five years an order of monks called the sangha
was established.
For the next 45 years Buddha traveled all over India
preaching his philosophy.
Buddha died in 486BCE and upon his death reached
parinirvana, or complete nirvana, releasing him from
the cycle of rebirth.
Buddhist Beliefs
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The ultimate goal of Buddhism is the end of human
suffering.
When studying Buddhism ask yourself these
questions…..How happy am I? What are the most
important goals in my life? What makes us suffer? How
do humans deal with suffering?
You are responsible for your own salvation!
All Buddhist teachings show the way to end samsara, the
endless cycle of rebirth.
Achieving nirvana is therefore a Buddhist’s salvation.
Women and men are considered equal as we all have
had past lives as males and females.
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Buddha identified three characteristics of
existence………
Anicca or impermanence, which
represents the world as in total flux,
where nothing stays the same for long.
Dukkha or dissatisfaction, where all
humans and animals experience
suffering.
Anatta or no-self, which is connected to
the idea that we cannot point to any one
thing in ourselves and call it self. We are
the sum of all our parts, which together
make us a person.
Buddhists follow the five precepts for lay
people to follow to avoid suffering:
1.
Abstain from killing or harming living beings.
2.
Abstain from stealing.
3.
Abstain from improper sexual conduct.
4.
Abstain from false speech, eg., telling lies.
5.
Abstain from alcohol or drugs.
For Buddhist monks there are an additional five
precepts: abstain from eating after noon,
abstain from looking at dancing, singing or
drama, abstain from the use of perfumes or
things that beautify or adorn, abstain from
using comfortable beds and abstain from
accepting gold and silver. In some monasteries
there could be as many as 200 precepts to
follow.
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Buddha observed that no one could
escape death and unhappiness. As
Buddha looked at the cause of
unhappiness, the result was The Four
Noble truths.
The Noble Truth Of Suffering – to live is
to suffer.
The Noble Truth Of The Origin Of
Suffering – the cause of suffering is
negative desire.
The Noble truth Of The Extinction Of
Suffering – the goal of Buddhism is to
end suffering.
4. The Noble truth Of The Path Leading To
The Extinction Of Suffering – adopt the
middle way and follow the Noble Eightfold
Path.
Adopting this path is to live the Buddhist
way of life, a life of self-improvement.
When giving his first sermon Buddha put in
motion the wheel of the dharma, the
eight-spoke wheel that represents the
eight steps of the path. The center is
nirvana, the only fixed point.
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The Eight Steps Of the Noble Path
Include:
Right view – know the four noble truths.
Right thought – free the mind from
sensuous desire, ill-will and cruelty.
Right speech – don’t lie, curse, criticize
or gossip.
Right conduct – or right action, be aware
that you are judged on your behavior.
Right livelihood – earn without harming
living things. Don’t be a butcher, money
lender or trade in weapons, liquor or
poison.
6. Right effort – conquer all evil thoughts
and strive to have good thoughts. Do your
best at all times and have goodwill
towards others.
7. Right Mindfulness – full attention must be
paid to proper thoughts, words and deeds.
8. Right concentration – focus on one
thought or object at a time. Deep
meditation will lead to enlightenment.
The Three Refuges (The Triple
Jewel)
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A refuge is a place of safety from danger. In order to
make it easier to follow his teachings and take refuge
from a difficult existence, the Buddha established the
Three Refuges. They include:
The Buddha – the guide
The Dharma – the path
The Sangha – companions and teachers.
For a Buddhist, taking refuge is the first step to
enlightenment.
The Six Perfections
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A Bodhisattva is a person who has attained
nirvana but chooses to be reborn within samsara
in order to help others on their path to
enlightenment.
They practice the six perfections: giving,
morality, patience, vigor, meditation and
wisdom.
Wisdom is most important because it indicates
full awareness.
Practices, Rituals, Symbols and
Festivals
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Puja, the honoring of holy beings.
Bowing to show respect. You bow three times to
images of Buddha, one for each refuge.
Offerings, such as flowers, are common. Flowers
wilt and fade showing the notion of
impermanence.
Burning incense to symbolize the Buddha’s odor
of sanctity.
Light a candle to symbolize Buddha’s
enlightenment.
Meditation
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Meditation leads to wisdom, which in turn leads to the
end of suffering.
Its purpose is to improve concentration, calm the mind,
and clear yourself of bad thoughts caused by greed,
hatred and ignorance.
It can also improve confidence, as well as general
mental and physical health.
To properly meditate one should be in the lotus position,
back straight, tongue touching back of your upper front
teeth and eyes downcast with lids partially closed.
The meditator concentrates on breathing and the
movement of the diaphragm. They meditate on a object
or idea, identified in Buddhist manuals.
Good Karma
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Karma is much the same as it is for Hindus.
Giving alms or donations to the sangha gives
good karma. A ceremony called a Dana, is an
occasion where lay people can donate food,
robes, medicines, etc. It often takes place
outside a temple but can also occur in private
homes. Here the monks arrive about 10 am.,
have their feet washed (ancient symbol of
hospitality) and the monks then chant Buddhist
teachings which help purify the mind.
All who are present gain merit!
The Life Of A Monk
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Awake at 3am. to the sound of a bell-shaped instrument
called a mokt’ak.
Wash, put away bedding and go to the main hall for
chanting.
After chanting, meditating monks go to the meditation
hall, students go to the study hall and working monks go
to their place of work.
At 10:30 am. more chanting and the offering of rice, to
mark the Buddha’s habit of only eating once a day.
At noon they eat lunch and chant to remind themselves
that food is for sustaining the body and not for greed.
After lunch Monks return to their activities. At 6pm. a
bell announces more chanting, which is followed by quiet
study or meditation. The day ends at 10pm.
Symbols
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Buddha images are respected but not
worshipped. He is either standing, sitting
in the lotus position or reclining. He is
often dressed as a monk with his left
shoulder covered and his right bare.
Elongated earlobes are a regular feature.
They do not always show Buddha as being
fat!!
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Mudras are hand gestures that symbolize
different states of mind. The idea is that
we can often tell someone’s state of mind
by looking at their stance or gestures.
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Stupas are domed shaped mounds that
were built to house the relics of the
Buddha or other holy figures. You walk
around them three times to show your
devotion.
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The Lotus flower refers to the Buddha’s
vision of the human race as a bed of lotus
flowers. Some were bogged in mud, some
were emerging from it and others were
about to bloom, as humans have the
potential to rise from a undesirable life.
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Buddhapada are representations of
Buddha’s footprints. They are usually
carved in stone and feature 32, 108 or
132 signs of the Buddha.
Festivals
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Buddha Day – full-moon day of May, celebrates the
birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha.
Dhamma Day – full-moon day of July, commemorates
the first sermon.
Sanhga Day – full-moon day of March, celebrates the
proclamation of the basic teachings of Buddhism and a
sermon called the “Basis for success”
Songkran – Thai festival celebrated in mid-April,
symbolizes the observance of the First precept.
Festival of Floating Bowls – Thai festival held on the
full-moon night of the 12th lunar month. They place
bowls in the river and as they float away so does your
bad luck.
Becoming A Monk
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Stage One – when a boy is seven or eight
years old he enters a monastery as a novice. He
undertakes the ten precepts and usually acts as
an assistant to a senior monk. The senior monk
is responsible for teaching the boy Buddhist
rituals, philosophy and scripture.
Stage Two – ordination, occurs when the
young man has reached the age of 20 and is
able to read, write and chant a few simple texts.
He must shave his head, take a religious name
and wear the traditional robes.
Weddings and Funerals
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When a couple gets married they go to a
monastery and feed the monks in order to
receive a blessing. The monks never attend the
wedding itself.
If not enough wood is available for cremation, a
burial is permitted. Usually involves a
procession, prayers, water-pouring rituals,
cremation and a shared meal. Similar services
are held after three months and after a year.
Sacred Writings
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The main written source of Buddha’s wisdom is
the Tripitaka or three baskets. Its called this
because the palm leaf manuscripts were kept in
three different baskets.
Called the Vinaya-Pitaka, the Sutta-Pitaka and
the Abhidhamma-Pitaka, they are considered the
most accurate record of Buddha’s teachings.
Vinaya-Pitaka – basket of discipline, consists
of five books that address the rules of monastic
life and codes of conduct.
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Sutta-Pitaka – basket of discourses,
incorporates the teachings of Buddha.
Considered the most important by
Buddhists.
Abhidhamma-Pitaka – basket of further
teachings, discusses the nature of
consciousness and technical explanations
of the Sutta-Pitaka.
Three Forms of Buddhism
1. Mahayana School – aka northern school, found
in China, Vietnam, Korea and Japan. Considered
the new school, less conservative.
2. Theravada School – aka southern school, found
in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.
Considered the old school, more conservative.
3. Vajrayana School – aka esoteric school, found in
Tibet, Bhutan and Nepal. More emphasis on
rituals, mantras and visualization. Combined
with Tibetan “BON”
Buddhism In Canada
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There are many Buddhist sanghas, temples and
centers in Canada.
Some universities have student Buddhist
organizations.
Many schools offer courses in Eastern Studies
and there has been a growth in courses on
Buddhism.
The Chandrakirti Buddhist Center in Toronto
offers instruction in Buddhist philosophy and is a
place for meditation and prayer.