Download Lecture 2.1- The historical Buddha and his teachings

EL29 Mindfulness Meditation
Lecture 2.1: The historical Buddha
and his teachings
Consciousness States: Medical
Awareness allows us to
receive and process
information
communicated by the
five senses and thereby
relate to ourselves and
the rest of the world.
Awareness has
psychological and
physiological
components
Meditative
Sate?
Right now…….
NWC
How many medical states of
consciousness can you recall?
Arousal is regulated
solely by
physiological
functioning. Its
primitive
responsiveness to
the world is
demonstrated by
predictable reflex to
involuntary response
to stimuli
http://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2014/08/07/exploring-the-conscious-and-unconscious-brain-inevery-day-life/
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Lecture Overview
! 
Topics:
• Buddhism as a way of life
• Buddhism as an experiential
meditative-based religion
• The spread of Buddhism
Key Learnings:
! 
! 
! 
Key Learning #1: Buddhism is non-theistic way of life as
opposed to a religion – Buddha was not a god. His
message was primarily about overcoming suffering.
Key Learning #2: Buddhism is a pragmatic approach that
hinges on meditation, morality and wisdom to achieve its
goal of nirvana (extinction of suffering and happiness)
Key Learning #3: Buddhism originated in India and
gradually spread through S.E. Asia (and more recently
Europe and N. America) and as moved into different
countries it developed a number of different traditions and
schools.
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Key Learnings:
! 
! 
! 
Key Learning #1: Buddhism is non-theistic way of life as
opposed to a religion – Buddha was not a god. His
message was primarily about overcoming suffering.
Key Learning #2: Buddhism is a pragmatic approach that
hinges on meditation, morality and wisdom to achieve its
goal of nirvana (extinction of suffering and happiness)
Key Learning #3: Buddhism originated in India and
gradually spread through S.E. Asia (and more recently
Europe and N. America) and as moved into different
countries it developed a number of different traditions and
schools.
Buddhism…
The “middle way of wisdom and compassion”
!  A 2500 year old tradition that began in India and
spread and diversified throughout the Far East
!  A philosophy, religion, and spiritual practice
followed by more than 300 million people
!  Based on the teachings of the Buddha
!  Buddhism is non-theistic: Buddha is not the
Buddhist God – he is just a revered teacher
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Who was the Buddha?
! 
! 
! 
! 
! 
! 
Born Siddhartha Gautama – of noble caste in India,
563 B.C.E.
Raised in great luxury to be a king
Empathy for the suffering of others; at age 29
rejected the life of luxury to seek enlightenment and
the solution to suffering
Followed a strict ascetic lifestyle for six years
Rejected this extreme, sat in meditation, achieved
Nirvana – an awakening to the truth about life,
becoming a Buddha, the “Awakened One”at the age
of 35
Spent the remaining 45 years of his life teaching
others how to achieve the peace of mind he had
achieved
Zeitgeist of the time in India –
6th B.C.E
Political: kingdoms at constant
War with each other
Spiritual:
wandering mendicant
Seeking the truth
Spiritual: Vedic Brahmanism - suffering
an overcoming endless rounds of rebirth striving to overcome suffering.
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IS BUDDHISM A RELIGION?
! 
! 
! 
! 
! 
! 
! 
Buddhism is more of a way of life
Ethical
Psychological
Philosophy of BECOMING/
AWAKENING
NO ‘GOD-NOTION’
NO CREATOR
NO ULTIMATE REALITY TO WORSHIP
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BUDDHA AND THE‘ULTIMATE
QUESTIONS’
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
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Nature of the soul?
Life after death?
Origin of the universe?
Where did we come from?
What is our purpose?
Parable of the man shot with an
arrow. Buddha’s response: Life
is short – focus on what
matters - overcoming suffering.
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Quick check:
How much can you recall so far?
Which of the
following describes
Buddhism?
a)  A polytheistic
religion
b)  More of a lifestyle
about relieving
suffering
c)  Buddha was an
ancient god
d)  A sect of Hinduism
! 
What do Buddhist
believe about life
after death?
a)  You will go to hell if
bad
b)  Heavenly realms
await you if you are
good.
c)  No comment – not
relevant to suffering
d)  Your soul will go to
God
Key Learnings:
! 
! 
! 
Key Learning #1: Buddhism is non-theistic way of life as
opposed to a religion – Buddha was not a god. His
message was primarily about overcoming suffering.
Key Learning #2: Buddhism is a pragmatic approach that
hinges on meditation, morality and wisdom to achieve its
goal of nirvana (extinction of suffering and happiness)
Key Learning #3: Buddhism originated in India and
gradually spread through S.E. Asia (and more recently
Europe and N. America) and as moved into different
countries it developed a number of different traditions and
schools.
6
What did the Buddha teach?
The Four Noble Truths:
!  To live is to suffer
!  The cause of suffering is self-centered desire,
craving & attachments
!  The solution is to eliminate desire and
attachment, thus becoming awake or Nirvana
(“extinction”)
!  The way to Nirvana is through the “Eight-Fold
Path”
What exactly is Nirvana?
! 
! 
The ultimate goal in Buddhism – literally,
to extinguish, quenching or blowing-out.
Blow out what?
•  3 fires of: passion/greed, haltered & ignorance/
delusion
•  When this happens, liberation from suffering
and endless rounds of re-births
! 
! 
Not a place, but a state of existence.
Understand the true nature of reality,
ultimate happiness, freed from
misconceptions.
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Alerted States of
Consciousness
Nirvana
Altered State of Consciousness:
a state of consciousness in
which there is a redirection of
attention, a different type of
mental state.
! 
Examples of ASC are:
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
Daydreaming
Sleep
Dreaming
Hypnosis
Meditation
Drug induced states
of mind
http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00625/full
Is Nirvana the penultimate ASC?
He really did
discover an
advanced state of
consciousness most
of us will never
know, or…
His efforts led to a
psychosis delusional
state of
consciousness?, or
Budai, not “The
Buddha”. The future
Buddha in Chinese
beliefs
Perhaps scholars and
well-meaning
Buddhist
philosophers over
time embellished the
experience
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The “Three Jewels” of
Buddhism
Buddha – the teacher
Dharma – the teachings
Sangha – the community
Focal Elements of Buddhism
! 
The Three Refuges:
•  Buddha
! 
Acknowledge the authority of the Buddha
•  Sangha
! 
Acknowledge the authority of the monastic
community of monks and nuns
•  Dharma
! 
Acknowledge the authority of the teachings
of Buddha on living a moral life – but more
importantly, the actual experienced dharma
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Three Marks of Existence
! 
! 
Anicca: All existent things are constantly
changing, there is an ongoing flow or of processes
Anatta: There is no permanent self. There is no
unchanging essence to anything, we are constantly
changing
! 
! 
Dukkha: Suffering or things off kilter is part of the human
condition, a natural result of anatta and anicca.
Nirvana: Suffering is a state of mind – achieve an
awakening to reality as it really is and suffering can be
extinguished
Three Marks of Existence
Scientific Update
Most scientists would
agree – the new field
of complex systems
studies how
subsystems in the
universe interact
Modern neuroscience would
agree – the self arises when
the conditions for
consciousness arise. The
self evaporates when
consciousness fades.
! 
! 
permanent self. There is no
unchanging essence to anything,
we are constantly changing
! 
Psychologists might
agree in part – but
humans are much more
complex and have the
capacity for a widerange of conditions.
Anicca: All existent things
are constantly changing,
there is an ongoing flow or
of processes
Anatta: There is no
Dukkha: Suffering or things
off kilter is part of the human
condition, a natural result of
anatta and anicca.
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What is the Eight-Fold Path?
Wisdom:
• Right understanding
• Right motivation
Moral discipline:
• Right speech
• Right action
• Right livelihood
Mental
discipline:
• Right effort
• Right mindfulness
• Right meditation
10 PRECEPTS:"
1) 
(1-5 for laypeople, 1-10 for monks)
2) 
3) 
4) 
5) 
6) 
7) 
8) 
9) 
10) 
Refrain from taking life (ahimsa)
Do not take what is not given
Chastity
Do not lie or deceive
Do not take intoxicants, drugs, etc.
Consume food in moderation; never after
noon
Do not partake in public spectacles
(dancing, singing)
Do not ornament your body
Do not recline on wide or high beds
Do not accept gold or silver
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Buddhism
! 
Meditation: a variety
of Vipassana
techniques all having
the goal of bringing
the consciousness of
the practitioner to a
state in which they
can experience insight
to “enlightenment”,
“liberation”, “ultimate
reality” or
“awakening”
! 
Concentration: a
companion and
perquisite to
meditation.
Concentration and
meditation are two
key components of the
8-fold path.
Nirvana
Samadhi vs. Vipassana
meditation
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What are some Buddhist texts?
! 
Tripitaka (the Pali Cannon) – the “Three
Baskets”:
•  Vinaya (“discipline”) – rules for monastic life
•  Sutta (“discourse”) – sermons of the Buddha
•  Abhidhamma (metaphysical “teachings”)
! 
! 
Dhammapada – collected sayings of the Buddha
Other texts used by specific schools – an
ongoing collection of knowledge achieved by
enlightened beings.
Epistemology and religious
hierarchies: Buddhist Asian
(traditional)
Epistemology:
from
meditational
practice,
Buddha Dharma
& Sangha
Meditators
(central to
theology &
philosophic
interpretation)
Religious scholars
& philosophers
(frequently
meditators
themselves)
Devotional
(praying for
luck, chanting
Buddha’s name,
generally not
committed to
meditation)
Buddhism - Asia
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Interdependent Origination
More broadly: all things are
interdependent/interbeing:
Is an apple just an apple?
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How does Buddhism differ from
Hinduism?
Buddhism rejects…
!  Authority of the ancient Vedic texts
!  The Vedic caste system
!  The Vedic and Hindu deities
!  The efficacy of Vedic worship and ritual
!  The concept of Brahman & an individual
internal soul
!  Samadhi (concentration) is only part of the
meditative approach to liberation.
How does Buddhism differ from
Christianity?
Buddhism rejects…
!  The concept of an everlasting soul
!  Devotion to a one almighty God
!  Sacred texts as absolute truth from God
!  The Buddha is a god and should be
prayed to
!  Priests as intermediaries to the truth
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Quick check:
How much can you recall so far?
What is the goal of
Buddhist mediation?
a)  Gain insight into
reality
b)  Merge the
individual self with
the cosmic self
c)  Calm the body and
mind
d)  Attain psychic
powers
! 
Which of the
following is NOT
considered one of
the marks of
existence?
a)  Impermanence
b)  Suffering
c)  Nirvana
d)  Buddha as a god
Key Learnings:
! 
! 
! 
Key Learning #1: Buddhism is non-theistic way of life as
opposed to a religion – Buddha was not a god. His
message was primarily about overcoming suffering.
Key Learning #2: Buddhism is a pragmatic approach that
hinges on meditation, morality and wisdom to achieve its
goal of nirvana (extinction of suffering and happiness)
Key Learning #3: Buddhism originated in India and
gradually spread through S.E. Asia (and more recently
Europe and N. America) and as moved into different
countries it developed a number of different traditions and
schools.
16
Evolution of Buddhism
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! 
! 
Number of
schools & sects
tends to rise over
time – true of
most religions.
More
philosophical and
scholarly ideas
get added on to
the original
teachers ideas.
Complexity rises.
The Spread of Buddhism
! 
! 
! 
Within two centuries
after the Buddha
died, Buddhism
began to spread
north and east into
Asia
To Europe & N.
America in the 19th
to 20th centuries
By 13th century
Buddhism had
disappeared from
India or absorbed
into Hinduism
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Divisions of Buddhism
! 
Three Rafts for Crossing
the River
•  Theravada Buddhism
•  Mahayana Buddhism:
•  Vajrayana Buddhism:
Schools of Buddhism Theravada
The “Way of the Elders” (a.k.a.: the “small
vehicle”)
! 
! 
! 
! 
! 
! 
! 
Oldest school of Buddhism
Found in southern Asia (Sri Lanka, Burma,
Thailand, etc.)
Monasticism is the ideal life for achieving
Nirvana
A “do-it-yourself” approach to enlightenment Focus on wisdom and meditation
Goal is to become a Buddha
Fairly unified in belief & practice (some cultural
differences)
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Schools of Buddhism Mahayana
The “Great Vehicle”
! 
! 
! 
! 
! 
! 
! 
Developed first century C.E.
Found in Northern Asia (China, Japan, etc.)
Lay Buddhism – Buddhism “for the masses”
Devotional – seek guidance from Bodhisattvas (“wise
beings”) & heavenly Buddhas (kwan Yin, Amida, etc.)
Focus on compassion
Goal is to become a bodhisattva and assist others
toward enlightenment (the “Bodhisattva Ideal”)
Diverse schools and sects including:
•  Pureland, Nichiren, Tendai, Shingon, and others
Schools of Buddhism - Tibetan
Vajrayana – the “Diamond Vehicle”
th
!  Developed 7 century C.E.
!  A mix of Theravada & Mahayana:
•  Rituals (Tantra):
! 
! 
! 
Mantras (chanting)
Mandalas & Thankas (symbolic images) Mudras (hand gestures)
•  Bodhisattvas, including living Lamas (Dalai Lama)
•  Meditation, monasticism, wisdom & compassion
! 
Bardo Thodol -Tibetan Book of the Dead
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Schools of Buddhism –"
Zen
The “meditation” school:
!  Lay and monastic
!  Seeks sudden enlightenment (satori) through
meditation, arriving at emptiness (sunyata) and
the “Buddha Nature”
!  Rejects reading of sacred texts
!  Use of meditation masters (Roshi)
!  Koans (paradoxical riddles to confound reason)
!  Beauty, arts & aesthetics – gardens, archery,
the tea ceremony, calligraphy, etc.
Buddhism in the West"
Over the past two centuries, especially since the
later half of the 20th century, Buddhism has
made inroads into the Western world through…
! 
! 
Immigration of Asian peoples who have brought their
diverse forms of Buddhism to the West
Western followers who tend to adopt meditation
practices and the philosophy rather than more
devotional forms of Buddhism
•  Many such western followers remain within their own
faith traditions, finding Buddhism to be a complement
to rather than in conflict with other religions
The two groups remain somewhat independent of
one another
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Epistemology and religious hierarchies:
Buddhist North American
Epistemology:
from the Leader
(plus, individual
meditational
practice, Buddha
Dharma & Sangha)
Meditators
(central to
theology &
philosophic
interpretation)
Retreat Centers
or Small
Sanghas lead by
Eastern or
Western teacher
Religious scholars
& philosophers
(almost always
senior meditators
trained by the leader
and serious
meditators
themselves)
Small group
of dedicated
monks
Retreat or Small
Sangha
participants
(part-time)
Buddhism - Asia
Divisions of Buddhism
Three Rafts for Crossing
the River
Final quick quiz to consolidate your
memory!
! 
•  Theravada Buddhism
Name the three major schools
Mahayana
Buddhism:
or rafts• of
Buddhism
•  Vajrayana Buddhism:
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Part 2: Hand’s on practice
- Mindful Breathing
22