Download Alexis Atkinson Prof. Sirpa Nelson World Religions Final Paper

Alexis Atkinson
Prof. Sirpa Nelson
World Religions
Final Paper
Basics of Buddhism
When I think of Buddhism, I think of peace, happiness, and living in the present
moment. I was raised as a Christian, and I never really questioned the Christian faith when I
was younger. I was involved in the church bible study group; I participated in mission trips,
I was baptized at a young age, and I went to church every Sunday with my family. When
you’re younger you believe almost everything that you’re told by your parents. God seemed
too real and magical to me to even question his existence. Eventually when I got older and
more curious, I started questioning my faith. When I was about fifteen, I stopped following
the Christian faith so closely, and became more spiritual than religious. I became interested
in the Buddhist faith and was curious about what it had to offer. A real interest struck me
when two summers ago, a Buddhist monk approached me at a music festival. The monk
offered me two books for a small donation. One book was about yoga, and the other one
was called The Journey of Self Discovery. I was so anxious to start reading and learning more
about the Buddhist life style. After reading the books, my eyes were opened to another
world. Yoga, reincarnation, enlightenment and meditation were what really stood out and
interested me the most. I started meditating on my own, and signed up for yoga classes. I
always felt so refreshed after and ready to take on the day. I felt aligned, whole, and at
peace. During the course of this World Religions class, I learned more about the Buddhist
religion and it really intrigued me. It made me want to learn more, and I decided to do some
more of my own research.
It all started in 580 BC with the birth of Siddhartha Gautama. He was born a prince
in Nepal to the Royal family. Siddhartha was sheltered from all negative things in life such
as poverty, death, and all the other forms of suffering that was occurring everyday in
normal societies around the world. Gautama, sick of the royal life, left home at 29 in search
of enlightenment. His eyes were opened and he was exposed to things he has never
witnessed before. He felt that he needed to help other people over come their suffering, but
first he had to find the right way to do it. Siddhartha tried many different forms of mental
and spiritual discipline, which resulted in him finally reaching enlightenment under a
Bodhi tree in Northern India. His path to enlightenment led to modern day Buddhism
teachings and practices. He dedicated his life to spreading the Buddhist dharma. Buddhism
is one of the oldest religions that survived to modern day. It is mostly practiced through out
Asia and followed by about 8% of the world’s population.
The Buddhist teachings start with the four noble truths. The first noble truth is
suffering or dukkha. Life as we know it is unsatisfactory. It consists of pain, death, sickness
and old age. “Nothing is permanent or is able to provide real satisfaction;” as stated in Isms
Understanding Religion (94). The second noble truth focuses on the cause of suffering.
Suffering is caused by desire, as said from the Buddhist point of view. As man, we always
are yearning for more. We are never truly satisfied because material things and the
material life we are accustomed to always leave us wanting more. Charlie Chaplin gave The
Great Dictator speech in 1940. This quote from his speech has always stuck with me;
“Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us
into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in.
Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want.” I think that his speech and that quote
in particular does a really well job at pointing out the root of mans suffering. The third
noble truth is that suffering can be overcome. Suffering can be overcome by self-discipline.
This is perhaps the most important of the noble truths because the Buddha assures that
happiness can be achieved. When we don’t give in to useless cravings and temptations,
when we learn how to live each day at a time, we can achieve the most desired feelings in
all living beings, happiness and freedom. When we patiently endure our problems without
feelings of anger or hatred, we can feel peace. I think that is the hardest thing for humans. It
is so easy to be vulnerable towards negative feelings such as jealousy, anger, resentment or
regret. The hardest part of being a chemical being is learning how to control your chemicals
to achieve the peace and joy we all long for. The fourth is that suffering can be eliminated,
and enlightenment or nirvana can be achieved. This fourth noble truth consists of the
eightfold path. The eightfold path consists of the right view, right intention, right speech,
right discipline, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration.
Once every path is achieved, Buddhist ethics and spiritual practices are developed, such as
meditation and yoga. The Buddhist goal is finally achieved, which is Nirvana.
There are three types of Buddhism. Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism, and
Zen Buddhism. Theravada Buddhism claims to be the original form of Buddhism based on
the teachings of Siddhartha, stated in Isms Understanding Religion (98). Theravada
Buddhists believe that the historical Buddhist, Siddhartha Gautama, was an ordinary
human being. They believe that he earned his special status of the Buddha from his own
ability to achieve enlightenment. They do not believe that worship or prayer to super
natural avatars will help them achieve their path to enlightenment. They believe that it
comes from within yourself, and your own discipline. Faith is a huge part of the Theravada
teachings. It is believed that without your own faith, the road to the eightfold path will be
blocked, and you will never be able to achieve enlightenment. The book that is used to help
guide Theravada Buddhists in their own spiritual journey is the Pali Canon. This book is
edited by three monastic councils from 483 BCE to 225 BCE as mentioned in the book Isms
Understanding Religion (98). The book is split into three collections. The Vinaya Pitaka
contains rules for monastic discipline. The Sutta Pitaka incorporates the sermons of the
Buddha and his monks. The last book from the collection is called the Abhidharma Pitaka;
which encompasses the philosophical and intellectual codification of the teachings. The
monastic councils who edited the collection felt that Siddhartha’s teachings were complete
and no further revising or additions were needed to complete the collection. Theravada
Buddhists also believe that only male monks are able to achieve the goal of nirvana.
Mahayana Buddhism is the largest form of Buddhism out of the three. Mahayana is
mostly based off of Japanese, Chinese, and Tibetan traditions. Mahayana means the greater
vehicle in Sanskrit. According to Isms Understanding Religion (100), about 400 years after
the Buddha’s death, innovators started to question the old traditions of the original
Buddha. The innovators are also known as Mahasanghikas; who were the creators of
Mahayana Buddhism. Mahayana is different because they have different Buddhist views on
certain things. They believe that suffering belongs to the realm of illusion, but it is only
recognized by the enlightened. Eternal absolute or absolute reality is a chain of eternal
beings. Some of these beings appear on Earth, and others are apart of the Buddha realms.
Mahayana believes that enlightenment can be achieved with the help of these beings
through prayer and worship, unlike the Theravada Buddhists. Mahayana Buddhists also
hold the concept of bodhisattvas, which are Buddha’s who do not enter the final stage of
nirvana until all beings are liberated. Dominant areas that practice Mahayana Buddhism
include Tibet, China, and Japan.
Zen Buddhism is my favorite out of the three. Zen is based off of Mahayana, but is
different. Its origins are traced back to the Buddhism School called Chan, located in China.
Zen is the form of Buddhism that is mostly focused on achieving enlightenment through
meditation on your own. Even though it is based off of Mahayana, it is not so much focused
on the super natural beings that Mahayana Buddhists rely on for their enlightenment. Zen
Buddhism is mostly practiced throughout China, where it originated, and Japan. “Through
extensive meditation, practitioners aim to achieve satori, an insights into the essential
nature of all existence, the Buddha heart or essence.” (Isms 105). There are different
schools of Zen, which are based off of how quickly satori was achieved. The school of Rinzai
is for people who achieved satori fairly quickly. “The Rinzai school also makes use of koans,
paradoxical anecdotes or riddles without solutions, to demonstrate the inadequacy of
logical reasoning and provoke enlightenment.” (isms 105). If satori was achieved gradually
over time, Soto was the school for that individual. Zen’s popularity throughout Western
Asia has grown, and continues to grow.
There are four types of yoga practiced in Buddhism; Karma yoga, Bhakti yoga, Jnana
yoga, and Raja yoga. “As the result of devotion to God, one achieves Samadhi.” This is an
aphorism out of the book How to Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali (163). This
aphorism is used to describe the practice of Bhakti yoga. Yoga means union, and Bhakti is
the path of loving devotion to God. This particular practice is between the worshiper and
the worshiped. A personal relationship between the worshiper and their God is developed
through these physical rituals.
My personal favorite and most relatable is Karma yoga. “Karma yoga is the path of
selfless, God-dedicated action.” (HTKG 164.) The purpose of this type of yoga is to achieve
wisdom and non-attachment. This is a perfect practice for those who feel a strong urge to
pay it forward and to help other people. Buddhists believe in the concept of karma, what
goes around comes around. I have seen many instances of karma happen throughout my
life, and I too am a strong believer in this concept. If I were to practice any form of Buddhist
yoga, it would be karma yoga.
Jnana yoga is my next personal favorite out of the bunch. “Jnana yoga is the path of
intellectual discrimination, the way of finding Brahman through analysis of the real nature
of phenomena.” (HTKG 164.) The Jnana yogi reaches Brahman through the process of
elimination. From my research, I have found that reaching Brahman through Jnana yoga is
very difficult and not for the average person. Jnana yoga is more about using your thoughts,
opinions, your morals, and your ego to decide what is real for you and what is not.
The last yoga practiced in Buddhism is Raja yoga. Raja yoga is the meditation yoga.
“It’s not so easy to define as the other yoga’s, since, in a sense, it combines all of them.”
(HTKG 164.) Raja yoga teaches the technique of prayer and focuses on the body of how it
channels spiritual energy. This is a practice that should be considered by spiritually
minded people since it incorporates all of the practices into one. The world Raja means
King. This type of yoga is organized into eight separate parts to achieve Brahman. Yama or
self control, Niyama or discipline, Asana or physical exercises, Pranayama or breathing
exercises, Pratyahara or withdrawal of the senses from all external object, Dharana or
concentration, Dhyana or meditation, and last but not least, Samadhi which means
complete realization. Yoga is more than just a physical practice or ritual. Yoga is a huge part
of Buddhism; without it, enlightenment could not be achieved.
Buddhism is a beautiful religion with practices that help you better yourself and
your soul. Between the yoga, meditation, and other spiritual practices or rituals, Buddhist
followers are very peaceful people overall. We could all learn a little something about
personal well being by taking a look at the Buddhist lifestyle and beliefs. I think this is
probably my favorite religion that I have studied, and I would love to continue researching
and learning more about the Buddhist lifestyle. Buddhism really cannot be defined because
there are so many aspects of it that make it the religion that it is today. I only covered a few
of my favorite Buddhist topics, but I learned so much from my research that was conducted
throughout the duration of the World religions course.
Works Cited
Gabriel, Theodore P. C. and Ron Geaves. --Isms: Understanding Religion. New York, NY:
Universe, 2007. Print.
"History of Buddhism." Buddhism History, Buddhism Religion History, Religion. Buddhist
Temples. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.
Patañjali, Prabhavananda, and Christopher Isherwood. How to Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms
of Patanjali. Hollywood, CA: Vedanta, 1953. Print.
"Basics of Buddhism." PBS. PBS. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.