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Buddhism
Origins
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 The founder of Buddhism is Siddhartha Gautama the
son of an Indian king who traveled in search of a
deeper understanding of the world, and decided that
suffering would bring the end of all existence.
 He lived from around 566 to 480 B.C.E.
 And he spent his life spreading his knowledge
Supreme Beings
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 Buddhism originally had no deities but there are
many variations of Buddhism
 No creator God
 Japanese: Jizō – protector of vulnerable; children,
travelers, women during childbirth.
 Chinese: Harati – goddess of fertility
 Tibetan: Chakrasamvara – embodiment of pure
compassion
Sacred Texts
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 Dhammapada – A collection of Buddhist scripture. It
comes from a division of the Pali Canon of
Theravada Buddhism.
 Tipitaka – This book describes the monastic rule and
has a philosophical system
 Bardo Thӧdol – Is the Tibetan book of the dead that
describes the Buddhist beliefs of rebirth
Reaching Salvation
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 One must reach Nirvana through the eightfold path
 The Path
 1. * Samma-Ditthi — Complete or Perfect Vision, also translated as
right view or understanding. Vision of the nature of reality and the
path of transformation.
 2. Samma-Sankappa — Perfected Emotion or Aspiration, also
translated as right thought or attitude. Liberating emotional
intelligence in your life and acting from love and compassion. An
informed heart and feeling mind that are free to practice letting go.
 3. Samma-Vaca — Perfected or whole Speech. Also called right
speech. Clear, truthful, uplifting and non-harmful communication.
 4. Samma-Kammanta — Integral Action. Also called right action.
An ethical foundation for life based on the principle of nonexploitation of oneself and others. The five precepts.
Reaching Salvation
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5. Samma-Ajiva — Proper Livelihood. Also called right livelihood. This is a livelihood based on correct
action the ethical principal of non-exploitation. The basis of an Ideal society.
6. Samma-Vayama — Complete or Full Effort, Energy or Vitality. Also called right effort or diligence.
Consciously directing our life energy to the transformative path of creative and healing action that fosters
wholeness. Conscious evolution.
7. Samma-Sati — Complete or Thorough Awareness. Also called "right mindfulness". Developing
awareness, "if you hold yourself dear watch yourself well". Levels of Awareness and mindfulness - of
things, oneself, feelings, thought, people and Reality.
8. Samma-Samadhi — Full, Integral or Holistic Samadhi. This is often translated as concentration,
meditation, absorption or one-pointedness of mind. None of these translations is adequate. Samadhi
literally means to be fixed, absorbed in or established at one point, thus the first level of meaning is
concentration when the mind is fixed on a single object. The second level of meaning goes further and
represents the establishment, not just of the mind, but also of the whole being in various levels or modes
of consciousness and awareness. This is Samadhi in the sense of enlightenment or Buddhahood.
Core Beliefs
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 The Three Trainings or Practices:
 Sila: Virtue, good conduct, morality. This is based on two
fundamental principles:
 The principle of equality: that all living entities are equal.
 The principle of reciprocity: This is the "Golden Rule" in
 Christianity -- to do onto others as you would wish them to do
 onto you. It is found in all major religions.
 Samadhi: Concentration, meditation, mental development.
Developing one's mind is the path to wisdom which in turn leads
to personal freedom. Mental development also strengthens and
controls our mind; this helps us maintain good conduct.
 Prajna: Discernment, insight, wisdom, enlightenment. This is the
real heart of Buddhism. Wisdom will emerge if your mind is pure
and calm.
Core Beliefs
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 The Buddha's Four Noble Truths explore human suffering. They
may be described (somewhat simplistically) as:
 Dukkha: Suffering exists: (Suffering is real and almost universal.
Suffering has many causes: loss, sickness, pain, failure, the
impermanence of pleasure.)
 Samudaya: There is a cause for suffering. (It is the desire to have
and control things. It can take many forms: craving of sensual
pleasures; the desire for fame; the desire to avoid unpleasant
sensations, like fear, anger or jealousy.)
 Nirodha: There is an end to suffering. (Suffering ceases with the
final liberation of Nirvana (a.k.a. Nibbana). The mind experiences
complete freedom, liberation and non-attachment. It lets go of any
desire or craving.)
 Magga: In order to end suffering, you must follow the Eightfold
Path.
Religious Practices
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 Meditation and observance of moral precepts were the
foundation of Buddhist practice. The five basic moral
precepts, undertaken by members of monastic orders and
the laity, are to refrain from taking life, stealing, acting
unchastely, speaking falsely, and drinking intoxicants.
 Members of monastic orders also take five additional
precepts: to refrain from eating at improper times, from
viewing secular entertainments, from using garlands,
perfumes, and other bodily adornments, from sleeping in
high and wide beds, and from receiving money.
Important Terms
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Cycle of Rebirth (samsara) -- The endless reincarnation of sentient beings
dhyana [Japanese: zen]) -- The state of the mind as it truly "sees"
Soul (atman) -- The core of "self" erroneously ascribed to mental activity
Enlightenment (bodhi) -- Awakening to the awareness of one's Ignorance
Karma -- The value of mental acts (which are linked to behavior), in relation to their
effect on increasing or decreasing Ignorance
Nirvana -- The extinction of the illusory self in a clear perception of the Emptiness of
existence;
withdrawal from Cycle of Rebirth
Arhat -- An enlightened being who has "reached" a state of nirvana
Bodhisattva -- An enlightened being who remains in the Cycle in order to "ferry"
other beings to nirvana
Theravada/Hinayana Buddhism -- The group of Buddhist schools which take the
Arhat as the ideal (currently most popular in Southeast Asia)
Mahayana Buddhism -- Those schools which take the Boddhisattva as the ideal (the
major form of Buddhism in China, Korea, and Japan)
Symbols
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 The stupa
 Dharma wheel: traditionally represented with eight
spokes, can have a variety of meanings
 The lotus flower
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Shintoism
Origins
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 Formal State Religion of Japan that was first used in 6th
century C.E. but its roots go back to 6th century B.C.E.
 The religion was not fully formed by one person or
practice. The first inhabitants of Japan were devoted to
spirits of nature.
 They developed rituals and stories which enabled them to
make sense of their universe, by creating a spiritual and
cultural world that gave them historical roots, and a way
of seeming to take control of their lives, in what would
otherwise have been a fearful and puzzling landscape.
Supreme Beings
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 The word “Kami” is used to refer to gods, goddesses,
ancestors, and different kinds of spirits that inhabit
natural habitats.
 Shintoism is a polytheistic religion.
 The emperors of Japan usually claim to be the
descendent of Shinto Sun Goddess Amaterasu.
Sacred Texts
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 The two sacred books of Shintoism are Kojiki and
Nihon-gi.
 Kojiki means records of ancient matters
 Nihon-gi means chronicles of Japan
Reaching Salvation
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 No heaven
 Spirits on earth
Core Beliefs
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 Impurity is anything that separates people from kami and from
musubi.
 Things that make people impure- tsumi
 “cleanliness is not district from godliness”
 Human beings are born pure and share a divine soul
 Cleansing or purifying rituals
 Tsumi can be disease, disaster, and error, anything connected with
death or the dead.
 Kami can cause destruction
 No moral absolutes
 World created by Kami
 Kami interact with Japanese people in good ways and bad ways.
 Kami exist everywhere
Religious Practices
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 Children taken to shrine 30-100 days of age to be
accepted as new members
 Age 5 for boys and age 7 for girls- go to the shrine on
November 15th to thank the kami for protection and
also ask for health. Similar rites happen for adults.
 New Years- purification of home with prayers for
luck
 Obon festival- celebrates departed ancestors
 Cherry blossom- celebrates return of spring
Important Terms
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 Zazen: "seated meditation" The basic method of Zen meditation,
traditionally practiced while seated int he lotus position in a
meditation hall.
 Zen: "meditation" The Japanese sect of Buddhism that focuses on
the experience of enlightenment; it began to flourish under the
direction of Hui-Neng (in China) in the seventh century AD.
 Rinzai: The school of sudden awakening, brought to Japan in the
twelfth century AD by EIsai; on of the two major sects of Zen.
 Sumie: It is a black ink painting. It places great significance on
empty spaces, thereby conveying Zen's principle of simplicity.
 Soto: The school of gradual awakening, brought to Japan in the
thirteenth century AD by Dogen; one of the two major sects of Zen.
 Satori: The Zen experience of enlightenment, a flash of insight in
which the true nature of one's being is known directly.
Important Terms
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 Koan: A verbal puzzle designed to short-circuit the workings of the
rational, logical mind; used especially in Rinzai Zen as a means of
triggering satori.
 Kami: Anything that the Japanese hold sacred, including deities,
certain human beings, natural entities, and animals.
 Butsudo: "Buddha's Way".
 Izanagi and Izanami: The primal male and female. They were
commanded by other deities to create land. Used Izanagi's spear to
churn the sea and create an island (Japan) from the brine that
dripped from the spear. Izanami gave birth to many deities and the
heat god, killed her when he was born from his heat. Izanagi killed
the heat god and followed Izanami to the underworld, who afraid
he'd see her decaying body blocked the underworld. He purified
himself in the ocean and from the filth in his eye rose Amaterasu,
the sun goddess. He also made the sun and moon god.
Important Terms
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 Kamidana: The "kami shelf," a small altar in the home, patterned after Shinto
shrines, that serves as the focal point of domestic worship.
 Misogi: A ritual cleansing done prior to entering a shrine. It is rite that is
identified with natural purity.
 Bushido: "way of the warrior" A code of conduct for the samurai that is based
on Shinto nationalism, Confucian ethics, and Zen Buddhist self-discipline.
 Samurai: A Japanese medieval warrior knight.
 Torii: An archway marking the entrance to a Shinto shrine or other sacred site,
formed by two upright pillars and a cross beam; Shinto's most recognized
 Emperor Hirohito: After WWII, was forced to announce publicly that he was
not divine. Emperors are sacred in Japan as they descend from Amaterasu.
 Amaterasu: the sun goddess created from Izanagi's filth. Her grandson was the
first emperor.
 Matsuri: A festival that celebrates life.
Symbols
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 Maneke Neko: a good luck charm
 Tomoe: related to yin yang symbol and represents
the play of forces in the cosmos
 Omamori: amulets one receives for donating to a
Shinto or Buddhist temple
 Magatama: emblem of identity
Bibliography
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 http://www.spiritualtravel.org/OBE/afterdeath.html
 http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/plaintexthistories.asp?historyid=ab77
 http://www.chinabuddhismencyclopedia.com/en/index.php?title=Buddhist_Gods
_and_Goddesses
 http://www.atiling.org/teachings/further-teachings/48-deity-practice•
http://www.patheos.com/Library/Shinto.html
 http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/shinto-deities.html
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/shinto/texts/books.shtml
 http://www.indiana.edu/~e232/Buddhism.html
 http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/8foldpath.htm
 http://buddhism.about.com/od/abuddhistglossary/g/skandhadef.htm
 http://people.opposingviews.com/shinto-salvation-3538.html
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/shinto/shintoethics/ethics.shtml
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/shinto/beliefs/purity.shtml
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/shinto/ritesrituals/harae.shtml
 http://www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism1.htm