Download Buddhism

Buddhism
Project created by:
Trevor Block & Erin Bater
* = Presentation
*What is Buddhism?
Buddhism is a religion, (although most people
would argue it to be a lifestyle), based on the
teachings of Siddhartha Guatama. Buddhists
take refuge in the Three Jewels:
Buddha – the idea or highest spiritual
potential existing within all beings.
Dharma – the teachings of Buddha.
Sangha – The community of those who have
obtained enlightenment.
*Tipitaka
 Buddhism is documented in the
Tipitaka. It was documented 83
BCE in Sri Lanka. The language
that it is recorded in is Pali. The
script that it is recorded in is
Sinhala. The Tipitaka is about 11
times the size of the bible, but you
don’t need to read every chapter,
sutra, because Buddha has just
explained the same four noble
truths to his audiences under
different circumstances.
*The Four Noble Truths
There is suffering.
There is cause for suffering.
There is cessation of suffering.
There is path leading to the cessation of
suffering.
*Origin of Buddha
 “Buddha” is a title and not a name in
itself. It means “one who is awake” (in
the sense of having “woken up to
reality”). Buddha was first given to a
man who was Siddhartha Gautama
approximately 2,500 years ago.
Siddhartha did not claim to be a God
and Buddhists have never regarded
him as a God. He was just a human
being who became Enlightened,
understanding life in the deepest way
possible.
*The Eightfold Path
[Attainment of Enlightenment]
 Aim: To attain final liberation called Nirvana.
 Instruments: Your mind and body (Nama-
rupa).
 Procedure: Follow the Noble eight-fold path.
Wisdom
 Right View – To understand wholesome
deeds, unwholesome deeds and comprehend
the law of Karma.
 Right Intention – The intention of non-greed,
non-hatred and non-delusion.
Ethical Conduct
 Right Speech – Abstaining from false speech,
malicious speech, harsh speech and idle
chatter.
 Right Action – Abstaining from killing, stealing and
sexual misconduct.
 Right Livelihood – Abstaining from wrong and corrupt
means of livelihood.
Mental Development
 Right Effort – Awakening zeal for abandoning of
unwholesome states and arising & sustaining of
wholesome states.
 Right Mindfulness – The four foundations of
mindfulness (satipattana) namely contemplation on
body, contemplation on feelings, contemplation on
mind and contemplation on mind-objects.
 Right Concentration – Abandoning of five hindrances
namely lust, ill-will sloth-torpor, worry-agitation and
doubt through jhanas.
Meditation
 Buddhism began encouraging
its practitioners to engage in
mindfulness, smrti (sati).
Mindfulness is developing a
full consciousness of all about
you and within you. If it is in a
special, seated posture, or
simply going about your life.
This is the kind of meditation
that Buddha himself engaged
in under the bodhi tree, and is
referred to in the seventh step
of the eightfold path.
*Five Buddhist Precepts
These 5 precepts are the moral code of
Buddhism.
Do not kill.
Do not steal.
Do not indulge in sexual misconduct.
Do not make false speech.
Do not take intoxicants.
**Introduction To Buddhism In
Japan
Buddhism was officially introduced into Japan
in 538 A.D. when a brilliant image of Buddha,
along with scripture-scrolls and ornaments
were introduced to Emperor きっめい.
Controversy started immediately over
whether a foreign cult should be accepted or
not. Many orthodox clans, such as the ものの
べ and なかとみ clan, believed that the Shinto
religion should be the only religion, as Japan
already had it’s indigenous religion.
Further Conflict
The そが clan supported the idea of Buddhism, as they
believed it had much to offer to their culture, and would
enrich their culture. Thus, Emperor きっめい deferred
the matter to the そが clan.
40 Years later, Prince しょとく declared Buddhism as the
official religion. He believed that Buddhism would make
Japan a cultural and unified, refined country.
Because of しょとく, Buddhist temples were built in
Japan, and Buddhism was finally established on
Japanese soil.
なら Period (710-784 A.D.)
After the death of しょとく, Buddhism
continued to blossom in Japan. Buddhist
temples in this time were not just a center of
prayer, they were also schools, hospitals, and
orphanages. It was Japan’s new way of life.
As the number of monks increased they were
separated and classified into 6 schools: さんろ
ん、ほっそ、けごん、りつ、くしゃ、と じょじつ。 It
was the same way that the Chinese was
divided.
*Six Buddhist Schools
 さんろん // Teaches to refrain from
choosing between opposing positions,
and to tread a middle way.
 ほっそ // Teaches that all things are a
mind-evolution, and are neither in
themselves, real or unreal.
 けごん // Teaches that the center of
teaching is the equality of all things,
and the dependence of all things on
each other.
 りつ // Teaches the rules and regulations for
the communial life of monks and nuns.
 くしゃ is considered to be a knock-off of the
Indian school, Sautrantika.
 じょじつ is considered to be a knock-off of the
Indian school, Servastivada.
The last two schools mentions, くしゃ and じょ
じつ, teach the original texts and principle’s.
へいあん Period (794-1185 A.D.)
In 784, the Japanese capital transferred from
なら to きょうと, and apparently it became the
Buddhist center of Japan. Two new schools
were introduced from China: てんだい and し
んごん。 These new schools overshadowed
the previous six.
Two New Buddhist Schools
 しんごん // Teaches that
englightentment (Nirvana) is not
a foreign reality that takes ages
to achieve, but that it is a real
possibility in this lifetime.
 てんだい // Teaches that the
Lotus Sutra is the concept that
all beings possess BuddhaNature.
かまくら Period (1185-1333 A.D.)
This whole period had the two previous schools
decline, and many more schools appear in Japan,
teaching Zen Buddhism. The sect-founder of the
Kamakura Period noticed that all the truthful and
meaning text lay in the Lotus Sutra, but that it would
be too difficult for the normal person to understand.
He simply proclaimed that muttering the title Lotus
Stura (Myoho-renge-kyo) would be sufficient to find
oneself in the highest state of enlightenment. This,
‘Zen Buddhism’, is what’s practiced today in Japan.
*Types of Buddhism
 There are three types of Buddhism:
Theraveda [Southern], Mahayana [Eastern],
and Tibetan [Northern].
 The Buddhism taught in Japan is Mahayana
Buddhism. This sect teaches the Pali Canon,
the religious text, and additional texts and
beliefs. Nirvana is achieved by practicing
universal compassion.
*Karma
Karma is a big part of the Buddhism religion.
The theory of karma is that when you do
good things, good things happen to you in
return. This theory also goes for the opposite;
when doing bad things, bad things will
happen to you in return. This is why the
Japanese are mostly so very well mannered,
and have respect for all people. Karma has
shaped the culture of Japan.
Buddhist
Influences in
Japanese
Culture
*Grace at Meals
 いただきます! Yes – That famous phrase said before
every meal originates from Buddhism! This means “With
thankfulness, I accept this meal by reflecting on my own
work, to see whether I deserve it.”
 ごちそさま! This is said after every meal, and means “May
this offering be well received to keep my body in good
health and to fulfill the good wishes of all beings.”
The original meanings of the words spoken in a prayer
called “がっしょ” have been lost, but they are uttered and
convey the teachings of Buddhism to be thankful of all
beings who gave them life in the world.
Daily “Greetings”
“すみません!” This word simply shows
that one acknowledges that they have
not properly responded to another’s
kindness.
“ありがとう”, literally meaning “I am
obliged.” The Japanese are very serious
and feel strongly about obligations, and
etiquette.
[Trevor wouldn’t do so well there]
じゃんけん!
 はい! This game is the most popular game
that the Japanese play. We used to do this
everyday last year several times, but now
we barely do =(.
However, in Japan they play it from when
they’re young, all the way until they’re 80+.
This game conveys the profound Buddhist
teaching of interdependence and relativity.
おりがみ
おりがみ follows precise and determined
patterns to create beautiful shapes and
objects we see in our everyday world.
The idea of Buddhism
in origami is creating a
everlasting design out
of something that is
perishable.
Buddhist
Rights of
Passage
Birth
When a child is born, a report is issued
to the village office, where the name will
be entered into the family register called
こせき. The first feast is held seven days
after the child is born, and is when
they’ll take the child to a temple and
have them blessed.
Marriage
 To get married, both partners must come to a ward
office with two witnesses to sign documents for the
marriage to be legal. The wedding is held in a Buddhist
Temple, and initiated with a vow to the Buddha. After
offering incents to the Buddha, the couple receives
ritually purified water, then drink sacred rice wine
offered to the Buddha from three wine cups. They both
drink three times each, symbolizing homage to the
three treasures of Buddha. This is called drinking the さ
ん-さん-くど pledge. Then the じゅず, or Buddhist
Rosary containing 108 beads, is given to the couple,
and the wedding rings are exchanged.
Death
The funeral is held at a
Buddhist Temple and the
service lasts one hour.
After that, the body is
taken to the crematorium.
On the 49th day after
death, another service is
held at the temple or at
home, as it is believed that
karma takes a new form on
that day. A memorial day
service is done on every
1st, 3rd, 7th, 13th, 17th, 23rd,
or 33rd year after this.
Buddhist
Festivals Ｉｎ
Ｊａｐａｎ
*Buddhist Festivals In Japan
しゅしょ サービス New Year’s Day
せつぶん サービス Heralding of Spring
ねはん サービス Buddha’s Nirvana
ひがん サービス Spring+Fall Equinox
はな まつり Birth of the Budha
お-ぼん Buddhist Memorial Day
さげき サービス Buddhist Thanksgiving
じょど サービス Buddha’s Enlightenment
じょや サービス New Year’s Eve
しゅしょ Service – New Year’s
Day
A spiced rice wine (とそ), and pounded
rice cakes (もち), are served at
breakfast for three days as a sign of
prayer for longitivity and health. One
usually makes a trip to a Buddhist
temple and makes courtesy calls on
friends or relatives.
*せつぶん Service
 Roasted beans are thrown at the doorways and rooms saying
“Out with the devil, in with good fortune!”
This is held on February 3rd, the day before the beginning of
spring.
(According to the Japanese Lunar Calendar)
ねはん Service
This day is to celebrate the death of
ぐあたま Buddha, who passed away on
February 15th, 2500 years ago.
At a temple, this is celebrated by
hanging a scroll depicting Buddha’s
Nirvana surrounded with many
disciples, and even animals, weeping
over his death.
はな まつり
はな まつり, is the equivalent of
Christmas, for Buddhists. A little
Buddha is placed on a flower bed,
resembling the birth of Buddha in the
Limbini garden. Buddhists bless the
Buddha on this day.
This is celebrated on April 8th.
*O-Bon
 This literally translates to “hanging upside down”, the feeling that
someone suffers physically and mentally when someone is hung
upside down.
 Legend says that a monk found his dead mother, thinned and
yearning for food. He tried to feed her food, but they ignited into
fire before she could consume them. That monk went to
Buddha, and he said that no one had taken care of her when
she had passed away. The Buddha suggested that on July 15th,
to gather up all the monks for a memorial service, and bring
food, water, and clothing for her to be spiritually cleaned and
refreshed. The monk was very relieved to have his mother
saved from hunger and isolation in the other world.
 O-Bon service takes 4 days
starting on July 13th. The first day
is called むかえ-ぼん, and the last
day is called おくりーぼん. On the
eve of むかえーぼん, people bring
lanterns and welcome the spirits
back home. Bullocks and horses
are made of eggplants and
cucumbers for the spirits to mount
on. The people enjoy special
feasts with the spirits, as a way to
spend time with them on their trip
back to Earth. On おくりーぼん,
people send the spirits on boats
called shoryobone, filled with all
kinds of foods and a lit lantern. It is
said that the boats reach the shore
across the ocean at the time of the
next O-Bon, so no spirits will be
hungry or lonely again.
せがき Service
 This lies sometime in the summer when
people want to get together and give money
and food the poor. It’s a Buddhist’s
Thanksgiving. Unlike us, they don’t eat
gigantic feasts on this day, they just help
those who are in desperate need.
じょど Service
Lies on December 8th, which is the day
people believed ぐあたま Buddha achieved
full enlightenment. The service celebrating
his enlightenment is held at a Buddhist
Temple, reminding everyone of it’s
significance in the world.
*じょや Service
 New Year’s Eve. At the stroke of midnight, the sounds of bells
ringing 108 times will be heard. This symbolizes the expulsion of the
108 human defilements believed to be accumulated in the past year.
Many people wait to hear the bells, and gather around them in the
hundred thousands. Most people even start their pilgrimages to a
specific temple or shrine at this time.
*One Hundred and Eight [108]
 108 has a big significance in the religion of Buddhism. At New Year’s
Eve, the bell is rung 108 times to symbolize the 108 earthly temptations
one must overcome to achieve Nirvana. Most temples have 108 steps
leading up to them. Rosaries will have 108 beads.
 At first, this is a tricky calculation, but here’s the explanation of 108.
The Three Sense Experiences x The Six Senses = 18
Aversion or Craving to these experiences = 18x2 = 36.
Past, Present, and Future incidents of Aversion or Craving= 36x3 = 108
The three sense experiences : Good, Bad, Neutral.
The Six Senses : Touch, Taste, Smell, Sight, Hearing, Consciousness.