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Buddhist Sects, Holy Places, and History Inside Buddhism Author: Walter Hazen Editor: Lisa Marty Illustrator: Art Kirchhoff Book Design: Jon Davis file EMP346804 ISBN: 978-0-7877-2677-5 Release Date 2015 Sa m ple Copyright © 2003 Milliken Publishing Company, a Lorenz company. P. O. Box 802 Dayton, OH 45401-0802 www.LorenzEducationalPress.com All rights reserved. The pages in this packet were originally published in Inside Buddhism, (EMP3468). Sections that don’t apply to this packet have been hidden. Permission to print or photocopy the student activities in this book is hereby granted to one teacher as part of the purchase price. This permission may only be used to provide copies for this teacher’s specific classroom setting. This permission may not be transferred, sold, or given to any additional or subsequent user of this product. Thank you for respecting copyright laws. Lorenz Educational Press Milliken Publishing Company Teaching and Learning Company Show What You Know® Publishing LEP interactive OFBuddhism UDDHISM AN n OVERVIEW verview Of B Sa m ple file uddhism began in India some 2,500 years ago. It It sprang sprang from from Hinduism Hinduism when when an Indian prince named Siddhartha Gautama—unhappy with lifelife andand thethe sufferings of the an Indian prince named Siddhartha Gautama—unhappy with sufferings of world—gave up wealth and and prestige to seek enlightenment, or wisdom. Buddhists the world—gave up wealth prestige to seek enlightenment, or wisdom. Buddhists believe he attained just that sometime around 531 B.C. while while meditating meditating under under aa bodhi, or or fig, fig, tree.After tree. Afterbecoming becomingthe theBuddha, Buddha,which whichmeans means“the “theenlightened enlightenedone,” one,” Siddhartha Gautama preached and spread his ideas across India until his death at the age of 80. Buddhists Buddhists believe believe he he then then broke broke the the endless endless cycle cycle of of death death and and rebirth rebirth that that is central to both Buddhism and Hinduism and attained Nirvana, aa state state of of blissful blissful nonnonexistence. In the centuries following the Buddha’s death, the the religion religion he he founded founded spread spread throughout Asia. Asia. One One branch branch became became predominant predominant in in southeast southeastAsia Asiawhile whileanother another prevailed in north Asia.Today, Asia. Today,ininterms termsofofadherents, adherents,Buddhism Buddhismranks ranksfourth fourthbehind behind Christianity, Islam, are about 324,000,000 persons Islam,and andHinduism.There Hinduism. Although the overwhelming majorityworldwide live in Asia,who follow its beliefs.Although the overwhelming majority live in Asia, Buddhists are found Buddhists are found in small numbers throughout the world. in small numbers throughout the world. In Inside Buddhism, you will read about Siddhartha Gautama’s life and what led you will read aboutpalace Siddhartha Gautama’s andYou whatwill led himIn toInside give upBuddhism, the privileges of his father’s to become a holylife man. him to his givetrials up the palace to become a holy that man.You will follow andprivileges sufferingsofashis hefather’s seeks the answers to questions had troubled follow and will sufferings as hehe seeks thethose answers to questions had troubled him all his his trials life. You learn how found answers and thenthat embodied them him his life.You will learn he found thosePath—guidelines answers and thenheembodied in hisallFour Noble Truths and how his Noble Eightfold set downthem for in his Fourseeking Noble Truths and his Noble Eightfold Path—guidelines he set down for people people enlightenment and nirvana. seeking enlightenment and nirvana. In addition to a detailed account of Buddha’s life and teachings, Inside Buddhism In addition to a detailed of Buddha’s and teachings, Inside Buddhism introduces Buddhism’s basicaccount beliefs and writings,life its holidays and festivals, and its introduces basic As beliefs its you holidays and festivals, and itsand ceremoniesBuddhism’s and holy places. you and readwritings, and learn, will be able to compare ceremonies holy places.As you with read those and learn, youBuddhist will be able to compare and contrast yourand own religious beliefs of your counterparts. contrast your own religious beliefs those of your Buddhist counterparts. Inside Buddhism is a book thatwith should answer your basic questions about an Inside Buddhism is way a book that should answer your basic questions about an interesting religion and of life. interesting religion and way of life. 1 MP3468/Inside MP3468/Inside Buddhism Buddhism © © Milliken Milliken Publishing Publishing Company Company 1 CHAPTER SIX Buddhist Sects T 26 file Sa heravada Buddhism is one of two large schools or groups to which most Buddhists belong. (The other is Mahayana Buddhism, which is covered next.) Theravada means “teachings of the elders.”As you learned in a previous chapter,Theravada Buddhism is the dominant form of Buddhism in southeast Asia. Most Buddhists in Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia,Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos follow this school of Buddhism. Theravada Buddhists look to the Pali Canon of the Tipitaka as the authority in scripture. By so doing, they believe their form of Buddhism adheres more closely to the original teachings of Buddha.They point to Buddha himself in their belief that each person must find the way to enlightenment and Nirvana alone.They see Buddha as only a man.They do not worship him nor do they pray to him. Theravada Buddhists, in fact, do not pray ple Theravada Buddhism at all during worship.When they leave an offering at a statue of Buddha, they do so only in the hope of earning merit in their next life. Unlike Mahayana Buddhists in northern Asia, they have not created a pantheon (family) of deities to whom they offer prayers. The followers of Theravada Buddhism see monks as the perfect models of Buddhism. It is even possible for young men to become monks on a temporary basis. During the rainy season, when there is little for farmers to do, many young men retire to a monastery for a short time and live the life of a monk. They shave their heads, don saffron robes, and carry begging bowls.When the rainy season is over and farming begins again, these young men leave the monastery and return to their usual life. Sometimes boys as young as 4 or 5 put on orange robes and spend a night in a monastery. Monastic ordination, or the ceremonies surrounding a person becoming a monk, even serves as a coming-of-age ritual for many Buddhist boys. In some ways, it resembles the rite of passage (recognizing a young person as an adult) observed in other religions. Boys might spend from a few months to a few years in a monastery, studying Buddhist practices and learning to read and write. But they may, if they choose to do so, take the necessary vows and become regular members of a monastery. m S hortly after Buddha died in 486 B.C., a Buddhist council was called and was held in the ancient Indian city of Rajagrha.The purpose of the council was to establish doctrine that all Buddhists could agree on.The council apparently did not altogether succeed, because about a century later a Second Buddhist Council met to iron out the details. But there were many issues that could not be resolved. The debate led to the splitting of Buddhism into several schools and sects. (The word sect, as used here, refers to a religious group that separates itself from an established church or belief.) In this chapter, you will learn some facts about the most important of these schools and sects. Section Review: 1. Into what two large groups did Buddhism divide in the fourth century B.C.? 2. To which countries did Theravada Buddhism spread? MP3468/Inside Buddhism © Milliken Publishing Company 26 3. How do Theravada Buddhists view Buddha? 4. Whom do Theravada Buddhists consider to be exemplary Buddhists? Mahayana Buddhism M 27 m sect pantheon monastic ordination rite of passage Sa Words to remember: ple file any Buddhists did not agree with those who followed the Theravada school of the religion.They came to be called Mahayana Buddhists. Mahayana means “greater vehicle.”The term implied that there were different ways to attain Nirvana. It is the opposite of Theravada, which, as was mentioned previously, means “teachings of the elders.” Originally, Theravada Buddhism was referred to as Hinayana Buddhism. Hinayana means “lesser vehicle.” Mahayana Buddhists believe that people need the help of others in attaining Nirvana.They do not agree with their Theravada counterparts who maintain that each person must find the way to nirvana alone. Mahayana Buddhists further say that because of reincarnation and the continuing birth/death cycle, all people are related. For that reason, Buddhists must help one another.This belief even applies to criminals. Mahayana Buddhists insist that you should help a criminal become enlightened because that person might have been your mother or father in a previous life. For help in becoming enlightened, Mahayana Buddhists rely on bodhisattvas. A bodhisattva is someone who has already become enlightened but who has willingly postponed his or her entry into Nirvana to help others get there.A bodhisattva chooses to be reborn again and again for this reason. Mahayana Buddhists recognize thousands of bodhisattvas.They pray to them for guidance and help.Thus, Mahayana Buddhists, unlike those of the Theravada school, have created a family of quasi-deities. Quasi is a prefix that means “almost or partly.” Deities, of course, are gods. So bodhisattvas are seen as being almost god-like. The most important celestial, or heavenly bodhisattva is Avalokiteshvara, or “The Lord Who Looks Down.” Avalokiteshvara is thought to “look down” on earth and protect people. He is the Bodhisattva of Compassion. In the Himalayan nation of Tibet,Avalokiteshvara is believed to be reincarnated in the person of the Dalai Lama. (More about the Dalai Lama, who he is, and the kind of Buddhism practiced in Tibet later in the chapter.) Another important bodhisattva is Maitreya, the “buddha of the future age.” Maitreya is believed to rescue people in danger.You may be familiar with Maitreya and not know it. In China, Maitreya became the round-bellied Laughing Buddha. Perhaps you have seen a statue of the Laughing Buddha in a shop that features Oriental objects. Two other bodhisattvas of note are Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom, and Kshitigarbha, who provides comfort to the dead and protects children, travelers, and pilgrims. The best known bodhisattva who has become a heavenly buddha is Amitabha, a name that means “infinite light.” In Japan, Amitabha is worshiped as Amida. He is believed to have established a paradise called Pure Land. Pure Land is one of the many offshoots of Mahayana Buddhism that is covered in another section of this chapter. Mahayana Buddhism spread to the northern Asian nations of China, Japan, Korea, and Tibet. Section Review: 1. What does the word Mahayana mean? 2. How do Mahayana Buddhists differ from Theravada Buddhists in terms of the way to enlightenment and Nirvana? 3. Who are bodhisattvas? 4. What is meant by the term quasideities? MP3468/Inside Buddhism © Milliken Publishing Company 27 Section Review: 1. In which Himalayan countries does Tantric Buddhism prevail? 2. Why is Tantric Buddhism also called “Lamaism”? 3. How is a new Dalai Lama determined? 4. From a careful reading of the text, why do you think the present Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959? Z file Zen Buddhism en Buddhism is one of the many offshoots of Mahayana Buddhism. It is the predominant kind of Buddhism found in Japan.There are two schools or types: Soto and Rinzai. Soto Zen holds that enlightenment can be gradually attained. Rinzai Zen, on the other hand, teaches that enlightenment comes in a sudden flash of insight or awareness. Zen Buddhism began in China, where it was called Chan. Chan means “meditation.”According to legend, a wise Indian man named Bodhidarma once sat staring at the wall of a cave in China for nine years. During his period of intense meditation, he cut off his eyelids because their weight added to his weariness. He also eventually lost the use of both legs from sitting in the lotus position (the position in which Buddha is usually depicted) for so long. But he supposedly attained enlightenment. It was this intense form of meditation that was brought to Japan in the 12th century A.D. By far the most difficult form of Zen Buddhism to practice is Rinzai. Monks-tobe go through a very strict period of training.They are required to sit for hours in the lotus position.All the while, ple A Words to remember: Hinayana Buddhism Hinayana Buddhism bodhisattvas bodhisattvas Avalokiteshvara Avalokiteshvara Maitreya Maitreya Laughing Buddha Laughing Buddha Manjushri Manjushri Amitabha Amitabha Amida Amida Pure Land Pure Land Buddhism Tantric Tantric Buddhism Tantra Tantra lamas lamas Lamaism Lamaism mandalas mandalas Dalai Lama Dalai Lama Dalai Dalai oracles oracles Sa third school of Buddhism exists in the Himalayan nations of Tibet and Nepal. It is called Tantric Buddhism.The word Tantric is derived from Tantra which means holy books dealing with rituals, discipline, and meditation. Because monks or priests in Tibet are known as lamas,Tantric Buddhism is also referred to as Lamaism. Tantric Buddhism first appeared in Tibet in the 7th century A.D. It blended Indian Buddhism with ancient Tibetan beliefs. It is completely different from other forms of Buddhism. Its worship consists of reciting prayers and sacred texts, as well as the chanting of hymns. Much is also made of meditation around mandalas, circular diagrams that represent the universe.All of this is accompanied by the blowing of trumpets and the beating of drums. Magic charms and mystical incantations also come into play, and dancing lamas wear masks and perform ritual dances to appease the spirits. At one time, more than one-fifth of the people of Tibet were lamas.That number decreased dramatically after the Chinese Communists seized control of the country in 1950. Still, lamas and the monasteries they occupy flourish to a certain extent.The highest lama is the Dalai Lama. Dalai means “ocean,” indicating the power of this all-important priest-king.Tibet has had Dalai Lamas for centuries.As you have already learned, Tibetans believe the Dalai Lama is the reincarnation of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. When a Dalai Lama dies, his spirit is believed to be reborn into a speciallychosen child. Oracles are consulted as to just where this child might be found. Then a search throughout the country begins.When the present Dalai Lama (who is the fourteenth) was found as a child, the oracles had a vision that led searchers to the farmhouse where the child was found. Like all previous Dalai Lamas, the child had to pass certain tests.Among these tests was his ability to recognize objects from a former life. The present Dalai Lama of Tibet lives in exile today. He left the country in 1959, and presently resides in Dharmsala, India. m Tantric Buddhism 28 MP3468/Inside Buddhism © Milliken Publishing Company 28 Words to remember: Soto Rinzai Chan Bodhidarma koans they, and lay people (non-monks) seeking to become enlightened, try to think of nothing.They do not think of their families.They do not think of their jobs or daily concerns.“Be nothing, think nothing,” is the principle followed. Zen Buddhists of the Rinzai school also make use of koans.A koan is a riddle in the form of a paradox used to stimulate intuitive (as opposed to strictly rational) thinking. One of the better known koans is “Imagine the sound of one hand clapping.”As an aid to meditation, koans are intended to encourage a person’s mind to work in a different way.These riddles, along with shouts and blows on the part of monks, attempt to shock a person into sudden enlightenment. file Section Review: I n addition to Zen Buddhism, there are at least five other offshoots of Mahayana Buddhism prevalent in Japan. The most important of these, Pure Land Buddhism, was mentioned earlier. Pure Land is also called Jodo-shu. It fulfilled the need some Buddhists felt for a heaven-like nirvana. It is believed to be a Most Happy Land ruled by a Buddha called Amida. Pure Land scriptures describe Pure Land as a place where people suffer no pain and enjoy all kinds of pleasure. Heavenly music plays constantly, and there are beautiful birds everywhere. Lakes are filled with gems and ponds are lined with gold dust.When a good person who follows Pure Land Buddhism dies, he or she is said to be immediately reborn into Amida’s Pure Land. Section Review: 1. Who is believed to rule over the Pure Land? 2. Briefly describe what the Pure Land is thought to be like. Sa m ple 1. How do the Soto and Rinzai forms of Buddhism differ? 2. Where did Zen Buddhism originate? 3. What is the main focus of Zen Buddhism? 4. What are koans? Pure Land Buddhism For Further Thought: 1. Which school or sect of Buddhism do you think more closely follows the original teachings of Buddha? Explain your answer. 2. Draw a map of Asia. Label and color red those countries where Theravada prevails. Label and color blue those countries where Mahayana Buddhism is predominant. 3. Pretend you are a monk in a Zen Buddhist monastery. Describe what you think your typical day would be like. 4. During the Middle Ages, Japan’s warrior or knightly class, the samurai, were attracted to Zen Buddhism.Tell why you think the samurai would find Zen appealing. 5. Imagine yourself being whisked back by a time machine to the cave in China where the Indian holy man Bodhidarma has just emerged after nine years. Create a dialogue you might have had with this founder of Chan (Zen) Buddhism. 6. Consult your classmates and try to determine why Buddhism, which spread throughout Asia, eventually almost died out in India, the land of its birth. 7. What benefits do you think people derive from meditation, a ritual practiced in most religions of the world? 29 MP3468/Inside Buddhism © Milliken Publishing Company 29