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Buddhism
Alan D. DeSantis
Introduction
• Buddhism was started by a man named
Siddhārtha Gautama (563-483 B.C.) in India
• He was a Hindu
• Siddhartha was a social reformer of sorts
– He taught that anybody might achieve higher
enlightenment
• Buddhism, with about 708 million adherents,
is the fourth-largest religion in the world
Buddha’s Life
• Siddhārtha's father was the ruler of the city
of Patliputra.
• Under strict instruction of his father,
Siddhārtha was never exposed to suffering
or pain
• At the age of 29, he came across what has
become known as the Four Passing Sights:
• He decided to abandon his worldly life,
leaving behind his privileges, rank, caste,
and his wife and child
Buddha’s Life
• He decided that if he continued on his path of poverty,
he would die without reaching any understanding
• After six years, Siddhārtha (now 35), sitting under a
pipal tree, attained Enlightenment and became a
Buddha.
• For the remaining 45 years of his life, Buddha traveled
northeastern India, teaching to all – from nobles to
outcaste street sweepers
The Four Noble Truths
• The Buddha taught that life was inherently suffering, that it
is caused by craving, but that this condition was curable
– 1) Suffering:
– 2) The origin of suffering:
– 3) The cessation of suffering:
– 4) The way leading to the cessation of suffering:
• Or . . . To put it another way . . .
– 1 Life's a bitch.
– 2 The reason life's a bitch is that people are attached to
material things.
– 3 Life doesn't always have to be a bitch. You can achieve
nirvana.
– 4 The way to achieve nirvana is by following the eightfold
path.
The Noble Eightfold Path
• The Noble Eightfold Path is a progressive series of stages through
which the practitioner moves
• 1 Right View - Realizing the Four Noble Truths
• 2 Right Intention - Commitment to mental and Ethical growth
• 3 Right Speech - One speaks in a non hurtful, not exaggerated, truthful
way
• 4 Right Action - Wholesome action, avoiding action that would hurt
others
• 5 Right Livelihood - One's job does not harm in any way oneself or
others; directly or indirectly (weapon maker, drug dealer, etc.)
• 6 Right Effort - One makes an effort to improve
• 7 Right Mindfulness - Once you've beaten your physical self into
submission, you have to start working on your mental state, seeking
the ability to think clearly and see things as they really are.
• 8 Right Concentration - Focus, focus, focus! (and meditate)! The path
is only complete when you have refined your mind into a state of total
focus on reality
Some Important Concepts
• The Middle Path
– The Middle Way or Middle Path is often
described as the practice of non-extremism; a
path of moderation away from the extremes of
self-indulgence and opposing self-mortification.
• Meditation
– Meditation helps one's mind become calm,
tranquil, and luminous.
Some Important Concepts
• Karma and Reincarnation
– You remember them from Hinduism, right?
• No Caste
• No Gods
– Buddhist denounced god-worship
Addressing the “God” Question
(from Bhûridatta Jataka)
• If the creator of the world entire
They call God, of every being be the Lord
Why does he order such misfortune
And not create concord?
• If the creator of the world entire
They call God, of every being be the Lord
Why prevail deceit, lies and ignorance
And he such inequity and injustice create?
• If the creator of the world entire
They call God, of every being be the Lord
Then an evil master is he,
Knowing what's right did let wrong prevail!
Some Important Concepts
• Nirvana (heaven and hell)
– Nirvana is the end of suffering while you're alive,
and the end of rebirth after you die.
– Heaven: Everything is just the way you want it to
be. You are ultimately happy.
– Hell: In the hell realm, the worst place, you find
the most suffering.
• One day you might be walking through a forest,
when all the leaves on a tree turn into razor blades
and fall, cutting you into a million pieces. You cry
out in pain, and your hell body resurrects, so you
can be killed over and over again.
Buddhist scriptures
• Buddhist scriptures and other
texts exist in great variety.
Different schools of
Buddhism place varying
levels of value on them.
Buddhism Schools:
the three main
• Today, Buddhism is
divided primarily into
three traditions:
• Each branch sees itself
as representing a true,
original teachings of the
Buddha
– Just like Christian
denominations
The Theravada school
(Southern school)
• The Theravada school bases its
practice and doctrine exclusively on
the Pali Canon.
• Theravada Buddhism are viewed as
elitists and selfishness
The Mahayana School
•
•
•
•
•
The biggest and most popular (with many off-shoots)
Emphasizes universal compassion and the selfless
ideal of the bodhisattva.
Recognize all the scriptures that were put in writing
around 1 CE.
The way of the Mahayana, in contrast to the more
conservative and austere Theravada school, can be
characterized by
Zen Buddhism is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism
– A popular American branch since the 1960s
The Vajrayana School
• Found primarily in Tibet
• Like Mahayana Buddhism, but with
additional practices:
• These profound states are used as
a path to Buddhahood
Vajrayana School
The End . . .