Transcript Lecture 9: Buddhism

Lecture 9: Buddhism
Today’s Lecture
In today’s lecture we will:
1. Discuss how to begin writing and researching your research project
2. Investigate the origins of Buddhism
3. Become familiar with the Buddhist principle of Dharma and the central
teachings of Buddhism
BEGINNING YOUR
RESEARCH PROJECT
Beginning your research
1. Preliminary Research
a) Go to your local library and look at the DCCC library
b) Look online for journal articles
c) When using websites be very careful and keep in mind the following:
o Websites that end in .edu / .gov / .org are more reliable than other
websites
o NOTE! Wikipedia is NOT a reliable resource and must not be used
in your final research paper.
o Always be sure to check the accuracy and authenticity of any website
you use
d) Keep lists and notes on what you read and try to start ranking your
resources by relevance
Beginning your research
2. Writing; Start writing NOW!
a) Write your way through your thesis statement
o Begin formulating questions you need to answer
o Make a list of important things you will need to research
b) Brainstorming
c) Free-writing
d) Create a “discovery draft”
e) Redraft, redraft, redraft!
BUDDHISM
Outline
The founder of Buddhism was Siddhartha
Gautama (Gautama Buddha)
Buddhism originated in the 5th century B.C.E.
It began in India and spread throughout
Eastern Asia, and now can be found
throughout the world
Currently Buddhism is the world’s fourth
largest religion (5.84%)
Famous Buddhists include
o The Dalai Lama
o Richard Gere
o Orlando Bloom
Complexities in Buddhism
“The Buddha” is not a name but instead
is a religious title meaning “One who has
awakened” or “The Enlightened”
Like Hinduism, the title Buddhism
includes a wide variety of practices
differing by geography, philosophy, beliefs
and personal preferences.
Because of its geographical diversity
throughout Asia, Buddhism uses both
Sanskrit and Pali words
THE ORIGINS OF
BUDDHISM
Origins of Buddhism
Buddhism’s origins can be traced back to the life of Siddhartha Gautama in the 5th
century B.C.E. in India
Buddhism grew out of Hinduism and shares some important similarities and
differences.
Hence, the origins of Buddhism is based on biographical narratives of Siddhartha’s
life, trials and death.
There are three main parts to the story of Gautama Buddha’s life:
1. His birth and life up to the age of twenty-nine
2. His spiritual search and subsequent awakening
3. His travels throughout India from the age of forty-five teaching what he
had learnt, up until his death at the age of eighty.
The Buddha’s early life
Siddhartha’s mother (Maya) had a dream that a
white elephant entered her womb.
Priests foretold that the child would either
become a great king or a person who would
renounce earthly life and share his
enlightenment with the world.
Siddhartha was born in the foothills of the
Himalayas but his mother died a week after
giving birth.
Siddhartha’s father (Shuddhodana) was a
powerful ruler and warrior and sought to
make Siddhartha a great king
The Buddha’s early life
Shuddhodana kept Siddhartha in a palace in
isolation from the suffering of the world, gave
him all the pleasures he could and trained him in
martial arts.
A key shift occurs when Siddhartha follows his
urges to leave the palace walls and witnesses;
o
o
o
o
A sick man
An old man
A dead man
A Shramana (an ascetic Yogi)
These sights changed Siddhartha’s life and at the
age of 29 he ran away and began his own
personal spiritual search.
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The Buddha’s Journey
Siddhartha first found a Shramana guru named Arada
Kalama who used meditation to achieve a state of
“nothingness.”
Disappointed, Sidddhartha then found a second
teacher named Udraka Ramaputra who used
meditation to bring forth trances.
This discontent lead to Siddhartha finding five other
ascetics who were experimenting with extreme
fasting, breath control, and long periods of sitting
without moving.
Siddhartha’s dismay and disappointment lead to him
seeking awakening through the balance between
asceticism and pleasure (“The Middle Way”)
The Buddha’s Journey
Siddhartha refused to give up and sat beneath a ficus tree by a river and
vowed to find either success or death
Siddhartha continued to meditate but
was tempted by Mara (a supernatural
being that personifies death, delusion,
and temptation)
By touching his right hand to earth,
Siddhartha brought forth earthquakes
and a cooling stream which washed
Mara away
After resuming his meditations
Sidhhartha gained more perceptions
and supernatural faculties (Memory of
his past lives, psychic vision, levitation,
telepathy and superhearing)
The Buddha’s Enlightenment
Finally, Siddhartha extinguished all of his desires and
ignorance and realized his capacities for insight
Siddhartha “woke up” under the Bodhi
(“Enlightenment”) tree to the nature of reality, just as
dawn broke
From that point on Siddhartha became the “Buddha”;
the enlightened one.
The Buddha remained around the Bodhi tree for
seven weeks enjoying Nirvana when Mara returned
again and tempted the Buddha to keep what he had
learned to himself.
But the high Gods urged the Buddha to teach what
he knew, and the Buddha compassionately vowed to
teach what he had learned to the whole world.
The Buddha’s first teachings
The Buddha’s first pupils were the five ascetics he had earlier fasted with and
taught them the central teachings of Buddhism (Dharma):
o The four noble truths
o The Eight-Fold Path
The ascetics became Arhats and taught on behalf of the Buddha
Gautama Buddha eventually formed a new set of religious institutions
Travels and Death
At the age of 45 the Buddha traveled throughout India teaching what he had
learned and establishing religious schools
Finally at the age of 80 the Buddha died after eating some poisonous food
The Buddha was cremated and his remains were spread throughout eight shrines
which became the focus of Buddhist worship
The Teachings of Buddha
DHARMA
Central teachings
Buddhists seek Nirvana (Liberation) and is known as the “Middle Way”
The Buddha is recognized as the founder and teacher of Buddhism but typically he is
not worshipped as a God
As in Hinduism, Buddhists believe in Reincarnation and Karma
The primary teachings (Dharma)of the Buddha include:
1. The Four Noble Truths
2. The Noble Eightfold Path to liberation
3. The wheel of Birth and Death
4. Nirvana
The Four Noble Truths
1. Life inevitably involves suffering (dukkha) and is imperfect
and unsatisfactory
2. Suffering originates from our desires
3. Suffering will cease when all desire ceases
4. There is a way to reach this state; the Noble Eightfold
Path
The Noble Eightfold Path
1. Right Understanding
2. Right Thought or Motives
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Meditation
The Buddhist’s Universe
Unatman
Buddhist’s believe that there is no eternal or immortal soul which can be reborn
The Wheel of Birth and Death
Buddhists believe in Karma and claim that greed, hate and delusion (the three
evils) motivate the wheel of Birth and Death. By doing the opposite of these evils
one can move towards escape.
Buddhist Metaphysics
Buddhists believe that there are multiple planes of existence (including realms of
hells) hungry ghosts, animals, humans, and Gods etc.
Nirvana
The term Nirvana is problematic has multiple interpretations and definitions
For example:
Escape from suffering
Extinction of aging and dying
Peace of Mind
Liberation
Some Buddhists claim that it can be attained while one is alive
Others claim it can be attained at death and one who reaches Nirvana is not
reborn
In general Nirvana can be interpreted as extinguishing
Discussion
1. In what way is Buddhism similar to Hinduism?
2. How does Buddhism differ from Hinduism?
3. How does the story of the Buddha’s life relate to the central teachings of
Buddhism?
4. Can you identify which aspects of the Buddha’s life reinforce particular
teachings?