Buddhism

“All that we are is founded in our thoughts. With our

thoughts we make the world.”

Basic Buddhism• Founder - Siddhartha Gautama, or

Buddha, which means "enlightened one.“

• Geographic Origin - Developed in India.

• Currently Practiced - Most common in Southeast Asia and Japan.

• Significant Writings - Tripitka, or Three Baskets of Wisdom.

Basic Buddhism

• Places of Worship – Buddhism may be practiced individually, but temples and monasteries do exist.

• Significant Religious People –

– Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan sect of Buddhism

– Buddhist monks

The Buddha

• Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism,

• born about 566 BCE & raised in luxury;

• around age 29, Gautama left his wife & newborn son & wandered throughout India in search of a way to end people's suffering

Buddha

• Gautama lived as a hermit for seven years, seeking the truth through fasting & self-denial;

• one day he gained a flash of insight into the problem of suffering, & he began to share this insight w/ others,

• earning the title the Buddha, or "Enlightened One."

Buddha

• The Buddha developed a new religious philosophy, based on the Four Noble Truths

Four Noble Truths:

1. “dukkha” - all people suffer & know sorrow

2. people suffer b/c of their desires / craving

3. people can end their suffering by eliminating their desires

4. people can eliminate desire, achieve nirvana, by following the Eightfold Path

The Noble Eightfold Path – Traditional Description

               

                                   

1. Right ViewWisdom

2. Right Intention3. Right Speech

Ethical Conduct4. Right Action5. Right Livelihood6. Right Effort

Mental Development

7. Right Mindfulness8. Right Concentration

Eightfold Path – Plain EnglishThe Wheel of Life is one of the most important symbols of Buddhism, as it represents the endless cycle of life through reincarnation and because each of its eight spokes represents one of the teachings of the Eightfold Path.

1. Know that suffering is caused by desire.

2. Be selfless and love all life.

3. Do not lie, or speak without cause.

4. Do not kill, steal, or commit other unrighteous acts.

5. Do not do things which promote evil.

6. Take effort to promote righteousness.

7. Be aware of your physical actions, state of mind, and emotions.

8. Learn to meditate.

Reincarnation Debate

• Buddhists believe in an endless cycle of reincarnation, or samsara, which is similar to beliefs of Hinduism.

– Buddhists do not believe that deities are responsible for the phenomenon.

– Buddhists do not believe in a soul

– Zen ideal – reincarnation = reawakening in each moment to suffering

• Caste System is rejected by Buddhists

– person's place in life depended on the person, not on the person's birth

Nirvana

• By avoiding extremes & following the Eightfold Path a person could attain nirvana, a state of freedom from the cycle of rebirth.

• “See life as it really is”

• “You are your own salvation”

• “Don’t believe it unless it agrees with your own common sense”

Buddhism’s take on reincarnation

• Anatman - “no-soul” –

• Individ = temporary combination of stuff

• stream of renewed existences, rather than a permanent being that moves from life to life—in effect a belief in rebirth without transmigration.

• The pieces regroup again b/c of craving and suffering

Buddhism’s take on gods

• “No comment” b/c it doesn’t matter b/c cannot prove one way or another.

• Non-issue.

• Parable: arrow

Spread of Buddhism

After the Buddha's death, his thousands of disciples carried the new religion beyond India to other parts of Asia.

Spread of Buddhism

The rise of Buddhism led to a flowering of architecture & the arts.

“First Buddhist Council”

• As Buddhism spread, disagreements developed among the Buddha's followers.

• “First Buddhist Council”

– Century after death

– 2 camps

– Argued over carrying condiments over to next day and handling gold & silver

Spread of Buddhism

• Theravada, in South Asia & Southeast Asia, regarded the Buddha as a teacher;

• Mahayana, dominant in China, Korea, & Japan, encouraged the worship of the Buddha as a divine being & savior.

• Also…

– Zen, Hinayana, Pure Land, variations evolving in North America

Spread of Buddhism• Today, most Indians

= Hindus, w/ Muslims, Jews, & Christians making up the rest of the population;

• recently, however, Buddhism has gained new followers in India, as well as in the West.

Dies out in India…• Invaders from Afghanistan

11th-12th century

• Monasteries along Ganges river vulnerable to attack & persecution

• Served as universities religious and secular

• Never fully recovered in India