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Buddhism…
The “middle way of wisdom and compassion”
A 2500 year old tradition that began in India
and spread and diversified throughout the Far
East
A philosophy, religion, and spiritual practice
followed by more than 300 million people
Based on the teachings of the Buddha
The “Three Jewels” of
Buddhism
Buddha – the teacher
Dharma – the teachings
Sangha – the community
Who was the Buddha?
Born Siddhartha Gautama – of noble caste in India,
563 B.C.E.
Raised in great luxury to be a king
Empathy for the suffering of others; at age 29 rejected
the life of luxury to seek enlightenment and the solution
to suffering
Followed a strict ascetic lifestyle for six years
Rejected this extreme, sat in meditation, achieved
Nirvana – an awakening to the truth about life, becoming
a Buddha, the “Awakened One”at the age of 35
Spent the remaining 45 years of his life teaching others
how to achieve the peace of mind he had achieved
What did the Buddha teach?
The Four Noble Truths:
To live is to suffer
The cause of suffering is self-centered desire &
attachments
The solution is to eliminate desire and
attachment, thus achieving Nirvana
The way to Nirvana is through the “Eight-Fold
Path”
What is the Eight-Fold Path?
Wisdom:
•Right understanding
•Right motivation
Moral discipline:
•Right speech
Mental discipline:
•Right action
•Right effort
•Right livelihood
•Right mindfulness
•Right meditation
How does Buddhism differ
from Hinduism?
Buddhism rejects…
Authority of the ancient Vedic texts
The Vedic caste system
The Vedic and Hindu deities
The efficacy of Vedic worship and ritual
The concept of Brahman
How does Buddhism differ
from Jainism?
Buddhism rejects…
The concept of Atman
The practice of strict asceticism and
withdrawal from the world (preferring the
“middle way”)
Vegetarianism as required
What do Buddhists believe?
Rebirth (reincarnation) results from attachments (karma)
Nirvana is a peaceful, detached state of mind
Achieving Nirvana means escape from the cycle of
rebirth
Once Gautama Buddha died, after 80 years of life in this
world, having achieved Nirvana and teaching multitudes
his way of life, he ceased to exist as a distinct being
Buddhism is non-theistic: Buddha is not the Buddhist
God – he is just a revered teacher
Some lamas are considered reincarnations of their predecessors.
These are termed sprul-sku lamas, as distinguished from
“developed” lamas, who have won respect because of the high
level of spiritual development they have achieved in the present
lifetime. The highest lineage of reincarnate lamas is that
of Dalai Lama, who was, until 1959 when he went into exile, the
temporal ruler of Tibet. The title is given to the head of the
dominant order of Tibetan Buddhists, the Dge-lugs-pa (Yellow
Hat sect). He is considered the physical manifestation of the
compassionate bodhisattva (“buddha-to-be”) Avalokiteshvara.
The second highest line of succession is that of the Panchen
Lama, head abbot of the Tashilhunpo monastery, believed to be
the manifestation of the Buddha Amitabha. Other, lesser sprulsku lamas, of which there are several thousand, are revered as
reincarnations of great saints or teachers, ranked as great,
middle, or lesser incarnations. The idea probably originated
from the tradition of the 84 mahasiddhas, or master yogins
(spiritual adepts, or ascetics), many of whom were identified as
manifestations of earlier sages, coupled with the accepted
The Lama of Compassion
The 14th Dalai Lama (religious
name: Tenzin Gyatso
Dalai Lamas are believed to be the
reincarnation of Avalokitesvara, an important
Buddhist deity and the personification of
compassion. Dalai Lamas are also enlightened
beings who have postponed their own afterlife
and chosen to take rebirth to benefit humanity.
"Dalai" means "ocean" in Mongolian (the name
"Gyatso" comes from the Tibetan word for
ocean). "Lama" is the equivalent of the Sanskrit
word "guru," or spiritual teacher. Put together,
the title of Dalai Lama is literally "Ocean
Teacher," meaning a "teacher spiritually as
deep as the ocean."
Lhamo Thondup was born on July 6,
1935 in Taktser, China, northeast of
Tibet, to a peasant family. He is the
head of state and spiritual leader of the
Tibetan government-in-exile based in
Dharamshala, India. Tibetans believe
him to be the reincarnation of his
predecessors. For nearly 50 years, he
had aimed to establish Tibet as a selfgoverning, democratic state.
Lhamo Thondup was the fifth of 16
children—seven of whom died at a
young age. After several months of
searching for a successor to the 13th
Dalai Lama and following many
significant spiritual signs, religious
officials located Lhamo Thondup, at age
2, and identified him as the
reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama,
Thubten Gyatso. Young Lhamo was
renamed Tenzin Gyatso and proclaimed
the 14th Dalai Lama.
Buddhist Metaphysics
Dukkha: life in this world is filled with suffering
Anicca: everything in this world is impermanent
Suffering is a state of mind – achieve a
balanced, peaceful, detached state of mind and
suffering can be extinguished (Nirvana)
What are some Buddhist texts?
Tripitaka (the Pali Cannon) – the “Three
Baskets”:
Vinaya (“discipline”) – rules for monastic life
Sutta (“discourse”) – sermons of the Buddha
Abhidhamma (metaphysical “teachings”)
Dhammapada – collected sayings of the
Buddha
Other texts used by specific schools
The Spread of Buddhism
Within two centuries
after the Buddha
died, Buddhism
began to spread
north and east into
Asia
By 13th century
Buddhism had
disappeared from
India
Schools of Buddhism Theravada
The “Way of the Elders” (a.k.a.: the “small
vehicle”)
Oldest school of Buddhism
Found in southern Asia (Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand,
etc.)
Monasticism is the ideal life for achieving Nirvana
A “do-it-yourself” approach to enlightenment
Focus on wisdom and meditation
Goal is to become a Buddha
Fairly unified in belief & practice (some cultural
differences)
Schools of Buddhism Mahayana
The “Great Vehicle”
Developed first century C.E.
Found in Northern Asia (China, Japan, etc.)
Lay Buddhism – Buddhism “for the masses”
Devotional – seek guidance from Bodhisattvas (“wise
beings”) & heavenly Buddhas (kwan Yin, Amida, etc.)
Focus on compassion
Goal is to become a bodhisattva and assist others
toward enlightenment (the “Bodhisattva Ideal”)
Diverse schools and sects including:
Pureland, Nichiren, Tendai, Shingon, and others
Schools of Buddhism Tibetan
Vajrayana – the “Diamond Vehicle”
Developed 7th century C.E.
A mix of Theravada & Mahayana:
Rituals (Tantra):
Mantras (chanting)
Mandalas & Thankas (symbolic images)
Mudras (hand gestures)
Bodhisattvas, including living Lamas (Dalai Lama)
Meditation, monasticism, wisdom & compassion
Bardo Thodol -Tibetan Book of the Dead
Schools of Buddhism –
Zen
The “meditation” school:
Lay and monastic
Seeks sudden enlightenment (satori) through
meditation, arriving at emptiness (sunyata) and
the “Buddha Nature”
Use of meditation masters (Roshi)
Koans (paradoxical riddles to confound reason)
Beauty, arts & aesthetics – gardens, archery,
the tea ceremony, calligraphy, etc.
Buddhism in the West
Over the past two centuries, especially since the
later half of the 20th century, Buddhism has made
inroads into the Western world through…
Immigration of Asian peoples who have brought their
diverse forms of Buddhism to the West
Western followers who tend to adopt meditation practices
and the philosophy rather than more devotional forms of
Buddhism
Many such western followers remain within their own
faith traditions, finding Buddhism to be a complement to
rather than in conflict with other religions
The two groups remain independent of one another
Quotation by Siddhãrtha Gautama (Buddha):
"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by
many.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your
religious books.
Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers
and elders.
Do not believe in traditions simply because they have been handed
down for many generations.
But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees
with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all,
then accept it and live up to it."
Created by Laura Ellen Shulman
“If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who
drive us crazy, can be our teacher.”
“Without inner peace, outer peace is
impossible. We all wish for world peace, but
world peace will never be acheived unless we
first establish peace within our own minds.
We can send so-called 'peacekeeping forces'
into areas of conflict, but peace cannot be
oppossed from the outside with guns. Only by
creating peace within our own mind and
helping others to do the same can we hope
to achieve peace in this world.”