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Buddhism
Profound Differences
Christianity
• Human Person
– Eternal, enduring,
substantial soul
• Final Destination
– Heaven or Hell: Final
Judgment
• Method to Achieving Goal
– Accepting of revealed
doctrinal Truths of Bible:
Love of God, Neighbor,
Self
Buddhism
• Human Person
– Illusionary, temporary
collection of 6 aggregates,
empty: marked by Annica
(impermanence), and
dukkha (suffering)
• Final Destination
– Nirvana: an extinguishing of
consciousness: non-existent
union with the All
• Method to Achieving Goal
– Achieve wisdom through
meditation and nonattachment
A. Introduction
• Began in Northern India (Nepal)
around 530 BCE
• A reaction to Hinduism
– Polytheism
– Corruption of the caste system
• Buddhism stems from "Buddha",
meaning he who is awake, who
"woke up“, “the Awakened One”
B. Siddhartha, the prince
• Born in Nepal (566-486 BCE)
• Born to King Suddhodhana and
Queen Mahamaya
• Tradition: Siddhartha’s father given
prophecy: son would be mighty ruler
OR enlightened ascetic leading
others to enlightenment
• Father driven to make sure his son
would become his successor
• Refused to expose Siddhartha to life’s
miseries
• Sid eventually married (16) and had a
son
1. The Four Passing Sights
• While on a pleasure excursion, Siddhartha
notices an 1) an old man; 2) a diseased
man; 3) burial of corpse; 4) wandering
ascetic or holy man
• Sid questions servant, Channa, who
exposes Sid to the truths and realities of
life denied him
• Sid is reduced to tears and suffering
• Sid finally feels the pains of life and
develops huge compassion for all
humans
• Sees wandering ascetic and wonders
• Should he abandon…
• Luxury?
• Power?
• Family?
2. The Great Going Forth
• At 29, leaves everything to become a
‘forest dweller’
• Joined five other ascetics
• For six years; slept on ground, ate only
enough to live
ASCETICISM
•Assumption: embrace the physical, lose soul
•Deny body: save soul; very dualistic
Body
Spirit
Spirit
Body
3. Doctrine of the Middle Way
• Sid. realized an unhealthy body not
conducive to spiritual development
Spirit
Body
4. Buddha’s Enlightenment
• Sitting under a fig tree (Bo Tree, from
“bodhi”: wisdom)
• Experiences enlightenment; sees true
nature of his existence
• Buddha rejects Hindu teaching of
Atman (the eternal, True-Self);
• develops doctrine of No-Self, or
Anatman
• Anatman: idea that nothing has a
permanent, unchanging character.
• Everything in constant state of flux or
change (no-self)
• More one realizes no-self, the more
connected, the more interrelated you
become to all others, and all things.
• Doctrine of the Middle Way, or Middle
Path is key to achieving no-self
• Essentially a psychological training and
discipline of mind and body
Buddha’s Enlightenment
• Realized his existence was a temporary
collection of mental and physical
sensations
• Experienced pleasure when needs were
met; pain when they were not
• Practice of mindfulness: a self-analysis
• rather than subduing his sensory or mental
experiences, simply sat and watched them
arise and fall
C. The Dharma (Teaching:
Doctrines)
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Four Noble Truths
Eightfold Path
Five Precepts
Three Marks of Existence
Nirvana
1. The Four Noble Truths
• 1) Dukkha: reality of suffering: dis-ease
of life
• 2) Tanha: desire, or attachment, as root
cause of Dukkha
• 3) Nirodha: ending of suffering is possible
• 4) Magga (the cure) The Eightfold Path is
the Path to Enlightenment
Three Categories/Practices of
Eightfold Path
• Not very strict categories: *Main idea is
that the inner life influences the outer
life
• 1.) Morality: moral action brings about
good Meditation
• 2) Meditation: brings about wisdom
• 3) Wisdom: gives rise to right moral
actions
2. The Eightfold Path: A Course of
Treatment for Life’s ills
1.
2.
3.
4.
Right Intentions
Right Speech
Right Views
Right Conduct
5.
6.
7.
8.
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Meditation
For Now….
• How might the Eightfold Path be
categorized by these three practices?
• Morality:
Meditation:
Wisdom:
3. The Five Precepts
Buddhist Morality: All lay Buddhists
(Sangha, or community) are to refrain
from…
• Destroying life
• Stealing
• Sexual misconduct: monastics abstain
• Untrue, deceitful speech
• Using intoxicants
4. The Three Marks of Existence
• Dukkha (suffering)
–Life has become disordered
• Anicca (impermanence)
–The realization of change
• Anatta (no-self)
–Since all things change, including
the Self, there cannot be a
permanent Self
5. Nirvana
Nirvana: literally to “blow out”…the flames of
desire
• possible to achieve in this lifetime
• Selfish desire brings bad karma, keeping
individual in samsara
• A bodhisattva (Buddha in the making):
enlightened teacher who vows to lead all
others to enlightenment: key ethic of
compassion
Sacred Places and Spaces
• Temples: (Therevadas)
– places of communal meditation and offerings
– Monks perform religious rites
– Stupas: relics of Buddha or his followers
– Mahayana temples: images of many other
enlightened individuals (buddhas)
• Pagodas: large stupas: :usually decorated
domes
Places of Pilgrimages
• Lumbini Gardens
– Birth of Siddartha
• Bodh Gaya
– Bodhi tree where Buddha achieved
enlightenment
• Sarnath
– Deer Park where the Buddha gave first sermon
• Kushinara
– Traditional death of the Buddha
D. The “Rafts” (Sects)
1. Mahayana
a. Vajrayana / Tibetan
b. Ch’an / Zen
2. Hinayana / Theravada
Theravadan Monks atop a monastery
Mahayana Monks
2a. Tibetan / Vajrayana
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•
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“Vehicle of the Diamond”
Dates back to 200 CE in Tibet
Has an official hierarchy: lamas “teachers”
Dalai Lama “ocean of wisdom”
Goal is to fight selfish desires by focusing on
good desires
– Mantras: monotonous, hypnotic, repeated
phrases
– Mudras: choreographed hand movements
– Mandalas and thangkas: artistic symbols
used to excite the senses
The Dalai Lama…the 14th reincarnation
of the Bodhisattva
of Compassion, Avilokiteshvara
A thangka or yantra
A mandala