Download Buddhism an Introduction Vedic Beginnings The Vedic Scriptures

Buddhism an Introduction
Vedic Beginnings
The Vedic Scriptures are the outcome of an ideological and cultural clash that occurred during
the second millennium BC. Aryans (Eastern Europeans migrating or invading into North India)
invaded the indigenous people of India and influenced society and developed the caste system
(social order). The Vedic literature developed the basic pantheon (the gods of a particular
religion) of Hinduism, with a trinity of gods, Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver), and
Shiva (the destroyer), representing the life cycle. By the time of ‘the Buddha’ (Siddhartha
Gautama) the Vedic traditions had grown ritualistic and caste order had become a metaphor for
the body. The Brahman or priest class represented the ‘head’ of an organism; the warrior and
the class of nobility represented the ‘arms’; the merchant and craft class represented the ‘thighs’;
and the peasant class represented the ‘feet’. People were born into their class and that is where
they remained. Siddhartha Gautama would have been well versed in the principles of Hinduism
especially that of reincarnation and karma. He was hostile towards Aryan culture because it
stressed sacrifice and prayer to manipulate the gods with groveling and bargaining.
Life of Buddha
Buddha’s name was Gautama, a name belonging to his caste position. Siddhartha was later
added. He was born the son of the King of the Sakya people of North East India (Nepal today).
His father who had hoped he would inherit his position and wealth but was concerned when his
mother had a dream that he would become a sadhu (a holy man who has renounced worldly
things). The King's hopes were shattered by the Four Sights. Siddhartha Gautama grew tired of
his palace life and instructed his charioteer to take him beyond the confines of the gates.
The first sight was of an old frail man. When he asked his companion why the man was like that
he was shocked by the response. His companion explained to him that that happened to us all as
we grew old. The second sight was that of a sick person. This reinforced the idea that disease and
illness affect us all. The third sight was of a corpse. Siddhartha Gautama realised the lack of
control people have over their destiny. These first three sights are the fundamental problem that
must be identified and then addressed. By being aware of the realities around us and by
transforming our own understanding of what it means we can take full advantage of human life
and fulfill our potential. The fourth sight was that of a sadhu (holy man), walking the streets with
an alms bowl. Such a wanderer relying on others for sustenance acknowledges that this world of
change and of suffering, called the realm of samsara is one in which social roles and position
and material things cannot answer the riddle of human destiny. To try to unravel the mysteries of
this world he had to give up everything- wealth, position, family etc.
He was influenced by the Jains (an offshoot of mainstream Hinduism). They believed that the
highest moral action is no action at all, since a person's spiritual self could not get free of their
material (karma-determined) self. Only through non-action can one annihilate karma matter and
thereby allow the soul to rise to a state of tranquil bliss. Siddhartha Gautama adopted this
lifestyle. He probably wore a mask so he didn't inhale insects and walked carefully as to avoid
stepping on life. He most likely didn't wear many clothes, limited his food and sleep and did not
wash. For six years he practiced this self-mortification until emaciated he collapsed. He
realised that the life of self-negation was as unproductive as his previous life of leisure and
luxury.
He came to a great pipal tree and meditated beneath it using intense yogic concentration. He fell
into a trance and after many hours was able to detach his senses, emotions and desires. Next he
entered a state of pure inner consciousness and awareness, and ultimately a non-conscious
ecstasy. It was then that he grasped the cause of suffering, the pathway around suffering and the
nature of supreme peace (nirvana). This event is often referred to as The Great Awakening. The
Buddha went on to share his insights and gathered large numbers of disciples. He taught them
the path (dharma) would free them from suffering. He argued that enlightenment was available
to everyone and attaining nirvana is ultimately within the power of all people. Neither a priest
class nor a god bestows truth upon the searcher. From this viewpoint it is not the Buddha who is
important, it is his teaching and the path itself.
His death is said to have been brought about by food poisoning, and he passed away in a state of
meditation, reclining on his right side.
Buddha was the name given to him by his followers meaning 'to know'. It is important to know
that Buddha was a gifted person who was only a man, not a god, or even a prophet of a god. He
denied he was immortal or divine although a century after his death his followers had proclaimed
him to be a god and an extensive amount of myths have been created to prove he was a
supernatural being.
Look at the words in bold, match them to their definition.
▪ A holy man
▪ social order
▪ Shame humiliation
▪ born in the region- native
▪ Eastern Europeans migrating or invading
Into North India
▪ a chariot driver
▪ to formally have given up something
▪ this world of change and of suffering
▪ Supreme peace
▪ the preserver
▪ to behave humbly
▪ priest class
▪ Concerned with the doctrines and opinions or
way of thinking.
▪ the path
▪ the creator
▪'to know'
▪ the destroyer
▪ the gods of a particular religion
▪ to cause or become abnormally thin
Q1) Explain the symbolism of the pantheon trinity.
Q2) Look at the caste system; which class in society was valued the most and the least?
Q3) What was Siddhartha Gautama hostile towards in the Aryan culture?
Q4) What were the Four Sights?
Q5) What was the fundamental problem?
Q6) How did the Fourth Sight contradict the social order?
Q7) Explain what the Jain's believe?
Q8) Why are priests and gods not important for Buddhists in discovering the truth?
Q9) What did Buddha claim himself to be?
The Spread of Buddhism and the development of the Mahayana and
Theravada groups
Buddha died at the age of 80. His teachings were memorized by his followers and passed on
orally. By 480BC a council was convened to agree to a definitive version of the Buddha’s
message. One hundred years later a second council was called to ensure that the Vinaya (the
code of discipline) was adhered to by all Buddhist monks. It was here that two main schools of
thought emerged. The first group was the Mahayana, meaning ‘great vehicle’, which spread to
present-day Nepal, China, Tibet, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. They use the Sanskrit as their
language. The other was Theravada, meaning ‘doctrine or way of the elders’, which spread
southwards into Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. Pali is the language used.
Mahayana
Mahayana Buddhist believe that scriptures determined by other people and that can’t be traced
back to Buddha himself are equally as important as those that were determined by Buddha. The
Scriptures are not only written in Sanskrit. They also believe that there was not only one Buddha
but others before him and others yet to come. There are a number of enlightened beings.
Mahayanan Buddhists aspire to become a Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva refers to a being with the
essence of enlightenment who delays his entry into nirvana in order to help all sentient beings.
Out of compassion he or she returns to the samsaric realm to help others along the path. The
rationale is to be found in the Mahayana emphasis on no-self which denies individualism or
‘selfness’ in all its forms. The Bodhisattva path is rooted in the practice of the Six Perfections:
patience, giving, morality, vigour, meditation and wisdom. Mahayana Buddhists believe that
Theravada Buddhists are blinded by their short-sighted conception of nirvana as the ultimate
goal. What has been revealed is beyond their thinking; however, the Buddha will ultimately lead
them to recognize this new awareness.
Theravada
Theravada Buddhists believe that the first Buddhists Scriptures were written down by
Theravadin monks of South-East Asia at the fourth council in the first century BC. They used
ancient colloquial Indian language of Pali. The Scriptures were written on palm leaves and
became known as the Pali Canon. The scriptures are divided into three.
1. The Vinaya Pitaka containing 2227 rules by which the monks must live
2. The Sutta Pitaka which contains the teachings of the Buddha on the Four Noble Truths,
Eightfold Path and the popular Buddhist literature.
3. The Abhidamma Pitaka contains the more philosophical teachings which are the basis for
the Buddhist outlook on life.
The highest aspiration of the Theravada Buddhist is to become as arhat, or one who has passed
beyond the shackles of samsaric existence and upon death they will enter nirvana. The Scriptures
describe an arhat as one in whom the ‘outflows’ (sense, desire, becoming, ignorance, wrong
views) have dried up; one who has ‘done what has to be done’.
Mahayana
Theravada
Countries where the religious
group is mostly found
The importance of Scriptures
which come from Buddha
himself
Main aspiration; in regards to
nirvana
Q1) Do Mahayana Buddhists believe they have to convince Theravada Buddhists to change their
awareness?
Q2) Which of the two groups is more individualistic and why?
Q3) On the map below mark the areas of the two groups.