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THE BASICS OF BUDDHISM
Siddhartha Gautama
(Buddha = “Enlightened One”)
• Understood the cause
of human suffering –
Maintained Hindu beliefs such as
and its cure!
• Thought of himself as a
Hindu
–
individual self, karma and dharma
– HOWEVER,
• Denied the existence of gods
• Taught priests were not
necessary
• Caste system should be
abolished
– Established monasteries and
convents …for what?
“One thing I teach:
suffering and the end of suffering.
It is just ill and the ceasing of ill that I
proclaim.” -- The Buddha
The Teaching:
The Four Noble Truths
• The Noble Truth of Suffering
• The Noble Truth of the Cause of
Suffering
• The Noble Truth of the End of
Suffering
• The Noble Truth of the Path (dharma)
Beyond this…?
• Buddha intentionally left no central authority,
structure, and writings
• This led to a VARIETY of schools of thought
and adaptations found in various cultures
Theravada & Mahayana
• Buddhist beliefs vary significantly, but all share an admiration
for the figure of the Buddha and the goal of ending suffering
and the cycle of rebirth.
• Theravada Buddhism
– Prominent in Southeast Asia
– Atheistic and philosophical in
nature
– Focuses on the monastic life
and meditation as means to
liberation
Theravada & Mahayana
• Mahayana Buddhism
– Prominent in China and Japan
– Incorporates several deities, celestial beings, and other traditional
religious elements.
– Path to liberation may include religious ritual, devotion, meditation,
or a combination of these elements
– Zen, Nichiren, Tendai, and Pure Land are the major forms
The Noble Truth of Suffering
• Suffering is UNIVERSAL
• Everyone experiences suffering, sickness, pain,
unhappiness and death
• Although there are passing pleasures, they
vanish in time
The Noble Truth of the
Cause of Suffering (Attachment)
• DESIRE is the cause of suffering
• People suffer because they desire things,
crave something more, and cling to their
thoughts
– People are attached to SELF and this can never be
satisfied
– Even pleasure causes suffering, because pleasure
must end
The Noble Truth of the End of Suffering
(Liberation)
• It is possible to end suffering if one is aware of his or
her own desires, thoughts, self-attachment and no
longer clings to them.
• As a living being, one will always desire things like air,
water, comfort, kindness, etc. However, one should
not be controlled by desires.
• If one can be freed from being controlled by desires
then NIRVANA can be achieved.
– Nirvana is the condition of wanting nothing
– Some interpretations that it is freedom from the cycle of birth & death
The Noble Truth of the Path
• By changing one’s thinking and behavior (to
no longer be ruled by desires), one can be
awoken
• This way of thinking and behaving is called the
Middle Way and can be pursued through the
practice of following the Eightfold Path
Following the Middle Path:
The practice of the Eightfold Path
• Wisdom
– Right View or Undersanding (1)
– Right Thought (2)
• Ethics
– Right Speech (3)
– Right Action (4)
– Right Work or Livelihood (5)
• Meditation
– Right Effort (6)
– Right Mindfulness (7)
– Right Concentration (8)
The Eightfold Path: Wisdom
• Right View or Understanding
– Strive to clearly understand (internalize) the Four
Noble Truths
– Strive to clearly understand the workings of one’s
own mind
• Right Thought
– Strive to have the right sense of motive, intention,
attitude, mind-set and commitment (Remember
Karma!)
– Avoid dwelling on the past or the future (Be in the
Present), avoid thoughts of greed, ill will or fear
The Eightfold Path: Ethics
• Right Speech
– Strive to speak kindly and thoughtfully
– Avoid lies, slander, harsh words and frivolous speech
• Right Action
– Strive to act morally towards all living things (Karma!)
– Live in the moment, do each thing fully without attachment to
the results
• Right Work or Livelihood
– Have a vocation that does not harm the others (people,
nature, ecosystem etc.)
The Eightfold Path: Meditation
• Right Effort
– Seek enlightenment with practice, determination and followthrough
• Right Mindfulness
– Be fully aware and conscious of your body, feelings, and mind
« Awareness of pure awareness is…a taste of nirvana »
• Right Concentration
– Focus attention; strive to become one with the object of your
mind
The Three Jewels
• Over time the “Three Jewels” provided the
loose structure of Buddhism
– The Buddha
– The Dharma
– The Sangha
“The Buddha’s like the doctor; the Dharma, his
medicine; and the Sangha, the hospital staff. You
can put your life in their hands.”
The Buddha
• From the Sanskrit root
budh meaning ‘to
awaken’
• Title given to Siddhartha
because he attained
enlightenment
• More generally it refers
to any self-realized or
enlightened person
The Dharma
• Sanskrit referring to virtue, law, cosmic
process, discipline , reality or truth
• Refers to the teachings of Buddha
• More generally it refers to all that leads to the
truth
The Sangha
• Sanskrit for gathering or assembly
• Refers to the monastic order
established by the Buddha
• More generally it refers to any lay
(non-priest) followers or
communities of practice
Check for Understanding
• What is the purpose of the Eightfold
Path?
• What is the purpose of the Three
Jewels of Buddhism?