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4. Buddhism I. Origins A. Siddhartha Gautama (c. 560-480 B. C. E. ) 1. Early life - son of a minor ruler who sheltered his son from the sufferings of the world to avoid the fulfillment of a prophesy Ashoka Column Lumbini, Nepal - by age 13 Gautama began to receive glimpses of human suffering: the Four Signs: > an old man > a diseased man > a rotting corpse > an ascetic the - unhappy, he became determined to find meaning of human suffering and left his family, comfortable life, and inheritance behind to do so - Gautama first studied with a guru,; he then joined a group of five wandering monks and practiced severe asceticism, but still found no answer - after rejecting his studies and severe asceticism and having eaten and enjoyed a full meal, he sat under a fig tree, began to meditate and achieved enlightenment - he came to realize that it is people’s desires that bring suffering and causes karma that results in the cycle of birth, death and rebirth - Buddha gave his first sermon to his former companions at Deer Park B Buddha’s Teachings (dharma – law) 1. The Middle Way 2. Anatman (No Self) - the soul does not exist - human personality is comprised of five skandas: physical body, feelings, understanding, will and consciousness - like very compound human personality is unstable and will come apart - karmic energies will bring together a new set of five skandas > reincarnation 3. The Four Noble Truths > suffering is inevitable as it is part of the human condition > suffering is caused by self-centered desires and cravings > suffering can be overcome by eliminating our self-centered desires and cravings > the way to achieve this is to follow the Eightfold Path 4. The Eightfold Path - right views, right intention > attitude - right speech, right action, right livelihood > actions - right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration > meditation 4. Nirvana - once self-centeredness and desire are extinguished, one can live on the level of universal compassion and joy (nirvanic consciousness) - freedom from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth - arhant > one who has attained nirvana Buddha’s Parinirvana C. Practice 1. Lay followers - expected to observe five basic rules (precepts): no killing, lying, stealing, improper sexual activity and intoxicants - support the monks and nuns with food, clothing and life’s necessities 2. Monks - were to lead a modest and celibate life and be the epitome of virtue avoiding dishonest, harmful and frivolous activity - they shave their heads, wear course saffron robes and possess only a beggar’s bowl 3. Nuns - toward the end of his life Buddha agreed to allow women into the monastic order - an important alternative to marriage “I take refuge in the Buddha; I take refuge in the Dharma; I take refuge in the Sangha” (The Three Jewels) Buddha Tongdo-sa, South Korea Houses relics of teeth and bone Dharma Haein-Sa, South Korea (built 1488) - houses the Tripitaka Koreana (over 81,000 wood blocks, 6,791 volumes) Sangha Bulguk-Sa, South Korea D. Innovations - Unlike Hinduism > no one was excluded from the monastic order > Nirvana was achieved only through individual effort > undermined the caste system and role of the Brahmins - Unlike Jainism > women as well as men could achieve Nirvana > vegetarianism was not required II. Development of Buddhism A. Division 1. a council met a year after Buddha’s death to settle differences in interpreting his teachings, but failed as did a second council held in 390 B. C. E. and a third called by Asoka in 247 B. C. E. 2. division remained permanent: - Hinayana (Theravada) - Mahayana B. Spread of Buddhism 1. Asoka (r. 268-232 B. C. E.) - sent out missionaries to non-Indian people 2. The Silk Road Sokkuram on Toham-san C. Theraveda Buddhism (the lesser vehicle, the tradition of elders) 1. Tripitaka (Three Baskets) written in Pali - contain works on monastic conduct, Buddha’s discourses, doctrinal principles 2. People achieve enlightenment through their own efforts and meditation only 3. Monks - seek lives of meditation and self-denial and live in the Sangha - when they achieve enlightenment they become arhants (saints) - when they die they achieve Nirvana - one can become a monk for a short period of time 4. Lay followers - try to live by the five precepts - focus on earning merit through supporting the monks, building temples, helping the community, etc. - goal to achieve good things in this life and a better position in the next life 5. Buddha - his relics (arahats) are revered - Jataka Tales > tales of Buddha’s previous lives to illustrate the moral values needed to become a Buddha and are a common theme in art 6. Wat – Buddhist complex of buildings Angkor Wat, 12th century, Cambodia Can Tho, Vietnam - Munirangsyaram Pagoda 6. Meditation - Sammatta > involves intense concentration to achieve spiritual states that open the path of enlightenment - Vipassana > insight meditation that strives for sudden, intuitive realization of Buddhist truths Big Goose Pagoda, Xi’an, China Stupa at the Silver Pagoda, Royal Palace, Phnom Penh, Cambodia D. Mahayana Buddhism (The Greater Vehicle) 1. Tripitaka and the Sutras (Sankrit) 2. Basic Assumptions - In addition to the teachings openly taught by Buddha, there are principles he shared with only a few of his followers - Buddha is a godlike being who came to earth as a man due to his compassion and desire to help humankind - that there are also other compassionate Buddhas worthy of respect and veneration in the cosmos (allowing the incorporation of local gods into Buddhist practice) - Bodhisattvas > enlightened individuals who delayed achieving Nirvana to help others attain enlightenment > some live in heaven, others on earth; all respond to prayers for help > worshiped as saviors Avalokiteshvara - Dharmakaya > there is a universal reality everywhere (Void, Nirvana, Buddha-Nature) that everyone is capable of realizing and any effective means can be used to do so 3. Pure Land Sect (Ching-t’u Judo) - believe in many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas including the Dhyani Buddhas that preside over heaven like lands where virtue can be cultivated and evil does not exist - focus is on Amitabha who presides over the Western paradise called the Pure Land - the goal is to achieve after death eternity in the Pure Land by leading a virtuous life and reciting Amitabha’s name - monks may marry, have children and live in the world - worship may take place in a church where sermons are heard and prayers are offered to Amitabha 4. Intuitive Sects (Ch’an, Zen, Cho) - founded in the 5th century by the monk, Bodhidharma - focus on meditation as a means to intuitively (as opposed to rationally) receive truth - study of texts, monastic discipline, temples and images are important, but only direct insight can bring enlightenment - Koans > case studies or riddles used in meditation to confuse reason so that truth (a flash of insight) can be found - Zen principles of beauty, simplicity and profound thought have influenced many aspects of Japanese culture Shao Lin Temple in Henan Province, China –Home of the Fighting monks This Chan Buddhist Monastery founded in 495 C. E. uses Martial Arts (King Fu) as a means to discipline the body and mind. 5. Rationalist Sect (T’ien-t’ai, Tendai) - in order to ascertain the truth of Buddhist teachings one must study the Buddhist scriptures as well as meditate 6. Sociopolitical Sect (Nichiren > Sun Lotus) - Nichiren was a 13th century Japanese Tendai monk who rejected all the Buddhist scriptures except the Lotus Sutra which states the existence of a universal truth (Buddha nature) that is found in all life making attainment of enlightenment possible for all people - chanting, studying and teaching the Lotus Sutra is the basis of the practice - claimed the source of Japan’s internal and external problems were due to the following of false sects - strongly patriotic and intolerant taught that once Japan was purified it could then reach out to the rest of the world Soka Gakkai International Focus on the Lotus Sutra 7. Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana, Bon, Tantric) - a form of folk Buddhism that blended Buddhism and traditional Tibetan religion - similar to Mahayana Buddhism but also relies on magic and manuals (tantras) that contain the incantations and spells that are used to help deal with the unknown and achieve enlightenment - use of the phrase, “om manu padme hum” (“Om, the jewel in the lotus, hum”) to invoke the Bodhisattva, Avalokiteshvara, the patron of Tibet revered for his great compassion Mahakala is the fierce manifestation of Avalokiteshvara - Lamas (Superior Ones > Monks) > from the 9th century the kings gave the lamas land and right to collect funds from its inhabitant and the monasteries became very wealthy and powerful > by 14th century Tibet was ruled by the lamas > Red Hat School - Bardo Thodol (Book of the Dead) > Yellow Hat School - Dalai Lama Prayer Wheel - Dalai Lama > 1950 China invaded Tibet and established a puppet government > 1959 failed revolt led by the Dalai Lama who escaped with his followers to India > spokesman for peace and human rights and Nobel Prize winner > Buddhism and the monasteries had been repressed by the Chinese, but repression is loosening - March 2008 demonstrations against Chinese rule over Tibet E. Buddhist Syncretic Religions 1. Cao Dai > a reformed sect of Buddhism founded in Vietnam in 1926 based on the revelations received by Nho Van Chien > a universal faith that contains elements of Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Christianity that stresses prayer, simplicity and social justice 2. Hoa Hao > a reformed Theravada Buddhist sect founded in Viet Nam in 1939 by the Buddha and Prophet Huynh Phu So > contains elements of Buddhism, Confucianism and Animism > advocates a pure and simple religious practice III. Buddhism Today: Revival A. Reasons for the Revival 1. Translation of Buddhist Texts by Christian missionaries in 19th and 20th centuries 2. Rise of Asian nationalism after World War II decline of colonialism 3. Its message of peace and tolerance compelling in the modern nuclear age B. Missionary Impulse in Today’s World 1. Socially engaged Buddhism - focus on non-violence, compassion 2. In the East - China > renewed interest after 1949 repression and the Cultural Revolution - Korea and Japan > Buddhism remains strong Sokkul-Am Buddhist Grotto, South Korea 3. In the West - Post Viet Nam War > immigrants from Viet Nam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand and Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara – Los Angeles - Westerners Adopting Buddhism > Beginning of Western Zen attributed to Japanese Soyen Shaku who had attended the1893 World’s Parliament of Religions and returned in 1905 to the U. S. in 1905 > Adaptation – focus on meditation, social and ecological responsibility