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WORLD RELIGIONS
STUDYING THE WORLD’S
RELIGIONS
GLOBAL VILLAGE
• ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY HAS
DECREASED THE DISTANCE
BETWEEN FORMERLY REMOTE
AREAS OF THE WORLD
• KNOWLEDGE OF PEOPLE, WHO WERE
FORMERLY NEVER IN CONTACT, NOW
IS NECESSITATED IN ORDER TO
CARRY ON BUSINESS AND AVOID
CONFLICT AROUND THE WORLD
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF
RELIGION?
RELIGIOUS QUESTIONS
• WHERE DID WE COME FROM?
• WHY ARE WE HERE?
• THE ANSWERS TO THESE MYSTERIES
LED TO THE FORMATION OF
RELIGIONS WHICH PROVIDE A WAY
OF LIVING AND DYING MEANINGFULLY
WHAT IS THE HUMAN
CONDITION?
• WHAT IS OUR ESSENTIAL NATURE?
• OUR WE ENDOWED WITH SOME FORM
OF SOUL?
• WHY IS THERE SUFFERING?
– RELIGIONS OFTEN DESCRIBE A MEANS
OF OVERCOMING SUFFERING
• ARE WE BY NATURE GOOD OR EVIL?
– CREATION STORIES OFTEN ATTEMPT TO
ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS
WHAT IS SPIRITUAL
PERFECTION?
• IS THIS ATTAINABLE NOW OR IN AN
AFTERLIFE?
• IS IT ATTAINABLE WITHOUT DIVINE
ASSISTANCE?
• THREE BASIC QUESTIONS THAT RELIGION
DEFINES SPIRITUAL PERFECTION
– WHAT IS ETHICAL?
– HOW DO WE TRANSCEND THE HUMAN
CONDITION?
– HOW DO WE ATTAIN SALVATION?
WHAT IS ETHICAL?
• TEACHING REGARDING WHAT IS
RIGHT OR WRONG IN ORDER TO
ATTAIN SPIRITUAL PERFECTION
HOW DO WE TRANSCEND THE
HUMAN CONDITION?
• BRINGING ONE FACE TO FACE WITH
THE HUMAN CONDITION, AND THEN
RAISING ONE ABOVE IT OR TO SEE
THROUGH IT.
– BUDDHIST ENLIGHTENMENT
• “CONTINUING TO INHABIT A PHYSICAL BODY
WITH THE USUAL DISCOMFORTS AND NEEDS
WHILE MAINTAINING A STATE OF
INDESCRIBABLE SPIRITUAL TRANQUILITY
AND BLISS.”
HOW DO WE ATTAIN
SALVATION?
• “MOST RELIGIONSTEACH THAT
SPIRITUAL PERFECTION IS CLOSELY
RELATED TO SOME FORM OF
SALVATION FROM THE LIMITATIONS
IMPOSED BY THE HUMAN CONDITION:
DEATH”
• SOME RELIGIONS TEACH THIS IS
ATTAINABLE IN THIS LIFE, OTHERS
THAT IT AWAITS IN THE AFTERLIFE.
WHAT IS OUR DESTINY?
• THE DEGREE ONE HAS ATTAINED
SPIRITUAL PERFECTION
CORRESPONDS TO ONE’S REWARDS
IN THE AFTERLIFE.
• RELIGIONS THAT TEACH HUMAN
BEINGS LIVE MORE THAN ONE
LIFETIME, BELIEVE THAT LIFE AFTER
DEATH IS JUST ANOTHER STEP
TOWARD THE FINAL DESTINY.
WHAT IS THE NATURE OF HE
WORLD?
• QUESTIONS ON THE CREATION OF
THE WORLD
– COSMOLOGY: UNDERSTANDING THE
NATURE OF THE UNIVERSE
• RELIGIONS EITHER SUPPORT INTEREST IN
SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY OR ARE SUSPICIOUS OF
IT
WHAT IS THE ULTIMATE
REALITY AND HOW IS IT
REVEALED?
• ULTIMATE REALITY IS REVEALED TO
HUMAN BEINGS THROUGH SACRED
STORIES, MYTHS AND TYPES OF
RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCES
• THEISTIC RELIGIONS
– BELIEF IN GOD OR MULTIPLE GODS
• MONOTHEISM, POLYTHEISM, PANTHEISM
• NONTHEISTIC RELIGIONS
– NO BELIEF IN GOD RELEVANT TO HUMAN
BEINGS
SEVEN DIMENSIONS OF
RELIGION
• ALL RELIGIONS HAVE 7 DIMENSIONS
(CHARACTERISTICS) THAT ARE
UNIQUE TO EACH RELIGION EVEN
THOUGH SOME DIMENSIONS ARE
EMPHASIZED MORE THAN OTHERS IN
A PARTICULAR RELIGION
EXPERIENTIAL
• RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE OF
INDIVIDUALS
– THEISTIC
• FASCINATION; AWE-INSPIRING
– NONTHHEISTIC
• MYSTICISM; VISION QUEST
MYTHIC
• STORIES OR SACRED LITERATURE
THAT CONVEY IMPORTANT TRUTHS
OF THE RELIGION
DOCTRINAL
• THE BELIEF ASPECT OF A RELIGION IS
CATAGORIZED AS THE DOCTRINAL
DIMENSION OR BASIC BELIEFS
– APOSTLE’S CREED
• THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE RELIGION WHICH
MAKES SENSE OF THE MYTHS AND
EXPERIENTIAL
ETHICAL
• HOW DOES A PERSON ACT IN THE
LIVING WORLD
RITUAL
• WORSHIP IN FORMALIZED SETTINGS,
OFTEN REENACTING MYTHS OR
SACRED STORIES
SOCIAL
• SENSE OF BELONGING TO A
COMMUNITY
– EMPOWERING A RELIGION THROUGH
SHARED EXPERIENCE
• FORTIFIES A COMMUNITY
– INDIVIDUALS WHO EMBODY IDEALS OF SPIRITUAL
PERFECTION: SAINTS
MATERIAL
• BOOKS, ARCHITECTURE, STATUES,
NATURAL FORMS
EMPATHY
• THE CAPACITY OF SEEING A THING
FROM ANOTHER’S PERSPECTIVE
PRIMAL RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS
• THE NATURE OF PRIMAL RELIGIONS
– NATIVE INHABITANTS OF AUSTRALIA,
AFRICA AND THE AMERICAS PRACTICE
RELIGIONS WHICH ARE CONSIDERED
PRIMAL
• PRIMAL: TEND TO COME BEFORE RELIGIONS
TRADITIONS HAVE BEEN ESTALISHED
WHY STUDY PRIMAL
RELIGIONS?
• PROVIDE SPECIAL INSIGHT INTO THE
MYTHIC ORIENTATION TOWARD LIFE
• ALL RELIGIONS STEM MORE OR LESS
DIRECTLY FROM PRIMAL BEGINNINGS
• OFTEN ARE THE TRADITIONS OF
NONLITERATE PEOPLE
– TEND TO BE THE TRADITIONS OF TRIBAL
PEOPLE, GENERALLY ORGANIZED IN
SMALL GROUPS
RELIGION OF THE AUSTRALIAN
ABORIGINES
• MAINTAINED TRADITIONS
THOUSANDS OF YEARS OLD
• HAD NO CONTACT WITH EUROPEANS
UNTIL ABOUT TWO CENTURIES AGO
THE DREAMING: THE ETERNAL
TIME OF THE ANCESTORS
• AT A CERTAIN POINT IN THE MYTHIC PAST,
SUPERNATURAL BEINGS CALLED “ANCESTORS”
EMERGED AND ROAMED THE EARTH
• THEY GAVE SHAPE TO THE LANDSCAPE AND
CREATED VARIOUS FORMS OF LIFE
• ORGANIZED HUMANS INTO TRIBES AND
DETERMINED THE TRIBE’S LANGUAGE, SOCIAL
RULES AND CUSTOMS
• WHEN THEY FINISHED THEY LEFT BEHIND
SYMBOLS OF THEIR PRESENCE IN THE FORM OF
NATURAL LANDMARKS
– ROCK PAINTINGS AND SO ON
THE DREAMING
• MYTHIC PERIOD OF THE “ANCESTORS”: THE
DREAMING
– ABORIGINES BELIEVE THAT THE SPIRITUAL ESSENCE OF
THE ANCESTORS REMAINS IN THE VARIOUS SYMBOLS
THEY LEFT BEHIND
– THESE SITES OF THESE SYMBOLS ARE BELIEVED TO BE
CHARGED WITH SACRED POWER
– ONLY CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS ARE ALLOWED TO VISIT
THESE SITES
– THE RITUAL APPROACH TO THESE SITES RE-ENACTS THE
MYTHIC EVENTS OF THE “DREAMING”
– THIS REENACTMENT GIVES THEM ACCESS TO ENDLESS
SOURCES OF SACRED POWER OF THE SITES
• ABORIGINAL COSMOLOGY PLAYS A CONSTANT ROLE IN
ABORIGINAL RELIGION
THE DREAMING (CON.)
• EACH INDIVIDUAL HAS RESIDING WITHIN THEM
THE SPIRITUAL ESSENCE OF THE ANCESTORS
• A CHILD IS BORN WHEN THE MOTHER OR SOME
OTHER RELATIVE MAKES SOME FORM OF
CONTACT WITH A SACRED SITE
– THIS USUALLY INVOLVES A RITUAL THAT DRAWS THE
ANCESTOR’S SPIRITUAL ESSENCE INTO THE UNBORN
CHILD
– EACH ABORIGINE IS A LIVING REPRESENTATION OF AN
ANCESTOR
• THIS IS SYMBOLIZED BY A “TOTEM” : THE NATURAL FORM
THE ANCESTOR APPEARED IN THE DREAMING
– TOTISM: THE SYSTEM OF BELIEF AND RITUAL BASED ON
TOTEMS
ABORIGINAL SPIRITUAL
PERFECTION
• HARMONIOUS RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN SUPERNATURAL, THE
HUMAN WORLD AND THE WORLD OF
NATURE
ANIMATING THE POWER OF THE
DREAMING: ABORIGINAL
RELIGIOUS LIFE
• MUST RECREATE THE MYTHIC PAST IN
ORDER TO TAP INTO ITS SACRED POWER
• IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH THIS CERTAIN
RITUALS MUST BE PERFORMED
• RITUALS WERE TAUGHT TO THE FIRST
HUMANS BY THE ANCESTORS IN DREAMING
TABOO: THE BASIS OF
ABORIGINAL SOCIAL
STRUCTURE
• TABOO: CERTAIN ACTIVITIES, OWEING TO THEIR
SACRED NATURE, ARE SET ASIDE FOR SPECIFIC
MEMBERS OF THE GROUP AND ARE FORBIDDEN
TO OTHERS
• AGE AND SEX ARE OFTEN THE RESTRICTIVE
FACTORS
• OLDER MEMBERS OF THE TRIBE ARE IN CHARGE
OF SUCH MATTERS
• THE YOUNG ACHIEVE RELIGIOUS MATURITY
THROUGH THE PROCESS OF INITIATION
INITIATION
• AWAKEN YOUNG PEOPLE TO THEIR
SPIRITUAL IDENTITY (TOTEM)
• THIS RITUAL BRINGS ABOUT THE SYMBOLIC
DEATH OF CHILDHOOD AND A SPIRITUAL
REBIRTH INTO ADULTHOOD
• YOUNG ABORIGININES LEARN THE
ESSENTIAL TRUTHS ABOUT THEIR WORLD
AND HOW TO ACT WITHIN IT
• THESE RITUALS MAY SEEM NONSENSICAL
TO US, BUT TO ABORIGINES THEY ARE
ESSENTIAL TO GIVE MEANING TO THEIR
LIFE
AN AFRICAN TRADITION:
THE RELIGION OF THE
YORUBA
• RELIGION OF 10 MILLION AFRICANS
THAT HAS EXISTED OVER ONE
THOUSAND YEARS
THE YORUBA AND THEIR
UNIVERSE
• LOCATED IN THE WEST-CENTRAL PORTION
OF AFRICA IN THE COUNTRIES OF NIGERIA,
BENIN AND TOGO
• ORIGINATED WITH A COMMON CULTURE
AND LANGUAGE
• GENERALLY IN URBAN AREAS; IFE HAS
BEEN THE MOST IMPORTANT CITY, SINCE IT
IS BELIEVED THE GOD ORISHA-NLA FIRST
BEGAN TO CREATE THE WORLD
YORUBA COSMOLOGY
• HEAVEN
– INVISIBLE HOME OF THE GODS AND
ANCESTORS
• EARTH
– NORMAL EXPERIENCE, VISIBLE HOME OF
HUMAN BEINGS WHO DESCENDED FROM THE
GODS
– ALSO POPULATED BY PERVERTED FORMS OF
HUMAN BEINGS SUCH AS WITCHES AND
SORCERERS
• CAUSE DISASTROUS HARM IF NOT CONTROLLED
PURPOSE OF YORUBA
RELIGION
• MAINTAIN THE BALANCE BETWEEN
THE HUMAN BEINGS OF EARTH AND
THE GODS AND ANCESTORS OF
HEAVEN, WHILE GUARDING AGAINST
THE EVIL DEEDS OF THE SORCERORS
AND WITCHES
GODS AND ANCESTORS: THE
INHABITANTS OF HEAVEN
• SUPREME GOD: OLORUN
• LESS POWERFUL GODS: ORISHAS
• ALL THESE GODS INHABIT HEAVEN
OLORUN, THE HIGH GOD
• CHARACTERISTICS
– ORIGINAL SOURCE OF POWER IN THE
UNIVERSE
– DISTANT AND REMOTE
– NOT INVOLVED IN HUMAN AFFAIRS
– OTHER GODS, ORISHAS, FUNCTION AS
MEDIATORS BETWEEN OLORUN AND
HUMAN BEINGS
ORISHAS
• SOURCES OF ALL SACRED POWER WHICH
CAN HELP OR HARM HUMAN BEINGS,
DEPENDING HOW WELL RITUALS,
DESIGNED TO APPEASE THEM ARE
CARRIED OUT
• HUNDREDS EXIST
• SOME ARE WORSHIPPED BY ALL YORUBA
• SOME WORSHIPPED ONLY BY ONE FAMILY
GROUP
SIGNIFICANT ORISHAS
• ORISHA-NLA
– CREATOR OF THE EARTH
• OGUN
– GOD OF IRON AND OF WAR
– ORIGINALLY A HUMAN BEING
– INHABITS THE BORDER AREA BETWEEN THE ANCESTORS
AND THE REST OF THE ORISHAS
• ESU
–
–
–
–
CONTAINS BOTH GOOD AND EVIL PROPERTIES
MEDIATES BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH
HAS A PLACE AT EVERY SHRINE
TRICKSTER FIGURE
• SIGNIFICANT IN MANY PRIMAL RELIGIONS
THE ANCESTORS OF THE
LIVING
• DECEASED HUMANS WHO ARE
ACQUIRED SUPERNATURAL STATUS
• CAN HELP OR HARM HUMANS
• TWO TYPES OF ANCESTORS
– FAMILY ANCESTORS
– DEIFIED ANCESTORS
• KNOWN THROUGHOUT YORUBA SOCIETY
AND NOW WORSHIPED BY LARGE NUMBERS
OF PEOPLE
CONNECTING HEAVEN AND
EARTH: RITUAL
PRACTITIONERS
• ALL PLAY THE ROLE OF MEDIATION AND
MAINTAINING THE BALANCE BETWEEN HEAVEN
AND EARTH
• SEVERAL PRACTITIONERS MEDIATE BETWEEN
HUMANS AND THE ANCESTORS DEPENDING UPON
WHAT THE WORSHIPER WANTS FULFILLED
– HEAD OF A FAMILY
– DIVINERS
• DIVINATION
– THE PRACTICE OF PREDICTING THE FUTURE BY WISDOM
STORIES
– RITUAL SPECIALISTS
• TRANSMITTING MESSAGES FROM THE DECEASED TO THE
LIVING AT FESTIVALS
RELIGION OF THE NORTH
AMERICAN PLAINS INDIANS
• “NATIVE AMERICANS” MIGRATED FROM
SIBERIA OVER 20,000-30,000 YEARS AGO
• MORE THAN 30 TRIBES, SPEAKING SEVEN
DISTINCT LANGUAGES, RESIDED IN THE
REGION OF THE GREAT PLAINS
• THEIR CULTURE WAS GREATLY AFFECTED
BY THE INTRODUCTION IF THE HORSE BY
EUROPEANS IN THE 16TH CENTURY
• THEIR RELIGION TODAY SERVES AS A
MODEL PAN-INDIAN RELIGION, WHICH IS
UNITING TRIBES FROM ACROSS NORTH
AMERICA
LAKOTA PEOPLE
• LAKOTA (SIOUX)
– KNOWN BEST FOR “CUSTER’S LAST
STAND” (1876), WOUNDED KNEE (1890)
– ABOUT 100,000 CURRENTLY LIVE ON
RESERVATIONS
BASIC BELIEFS
• SUPREME REALITY: WAKAN TANKA
(GREAT SPIRIT)
– NAME REFERS TO 16 SEPARATE DEITIES
– NUMBER 16 IS SACRED NUMBER TO THE
LAKOTA
COSMOLOGY
• CREATION AND APPEARANCE OF HUMAN BEINGS
EXPLAINED IN DETAILED MYTHS CELEBRATING
SUPERNATURAL BEINGS INVOLVED
• KEY DEITY: INKTOME-”SPIDER” (TRICKSTER)
• BELIEF THAT, IN DEATH, FOUR SOULS DEPART
FROM A PERSON AT DEATH
– ONE JOURNEYS TO THE “SPIRIT PATH” (MILKY WAY”
– ONE MEETS AN OLD WOMAN WHO JUDGES IT
• ALLOWS IT TO CONTINUE TO THE OTHER WORLD OF
ANCESTORS OR SENDS IT BACK TO EARTH AS A GHOST
– OTHER SOULS ENTER UNBORN CHILDREN AND ARE
REBORN IN NEW BODIES
THE VISION QUEST
• COMMON TO MANY PRIMAL RELIGIONS
• PRIMARY MEANS FOR AN INDIVIDUAL TO GAIN
ACCESS TO SPIRITUAL POWER IN ORDER TO
ENSURE GREATER SUCCESS IN HUNTING,
WARFARE AND CURING THE ILL.
• BOTH MEN AND WOMEN EXPERIENCE THE QUEST
• OVERSEEN BY A MEDICINE MAN OR WOMAN
– ISSUES SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS BEFOREHAND AND
INTERPRETS THE CONTENT OF THE VISION AFTERWARD
– PARTICIPANT UNDERGOES A RITUAL PURIFICATION IN
THE SWEAT LODGE BEFORE THE QUEST
VISION QUEST (CON.)
• SWEAT LODGE: REPRESENTS THE UNIVERSE
• PROCESS OF PROFUSELY SWEATING SYMBOLIZES
BOTH A PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL CLEANSING
• THE VISION QUESTER THEN GOES TO A
DESIGNATED SECLUDED SPOT FOR A PERIOD OF
TIME WITH NO FOOD OR WATER, PERFORMING
CERTAIN RITUALS AS INSTRUCTED BY THE
MEDICINE MAN OR WOMAN
• THE VISION APPEARS IN THE FORM OF AN ANIMAL,
SOME OTHER OBJECT OR FORCE OF NATURE
• THE VISION IS THEN INTERPRETED BY THE
MEDICINE MAN AND THESE LESSONS WILL
INFLUENCE THE QUESTOR FOR THE REST OF
THEIR LIFE
THE SUN DANCE
• FOCUSES ON THE TRIBE
• OCCURS AT THE BEGINNING OF SUMMER: A CELEBRATION
OF THE NEW YEAR AND AS A PREPARATION FOR THE
ANNUAL BUFFALO HUNT
• CEREMONY CONDUCTED BY MEDICINE MAN OR A WOMAN
OF OUTSTANDING CHARACTER
• CEREMONY CENTERED AROUND THE “SUN DANCE” LODGE
– COTTONWOOD TREE REPRESENTING THE “AXIS MUNDI”
CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE
– TWENTY-EIGHT POLES COMPOSE THE LODGE REPRESENTING
THE 28 DAYS OF THE LUNAR MONTHLY CALENDAR
– THE LODGE REPRESENTS THE UNIVERSE AND THE FOUR
COMPASS DIRECTIONS
A MESOAMERICAN RELIGION:
THE AZTECS AND THEIR
LEGACY
• POPULATION OF ABOUT 15 MILLION;
MAKES THEM EXCEPTION OF PRIMAL
RELIGIONS
• CENTERED IN CITY OF TENOCHTITLAN
(MEXICO CITY)
• EMPHASIZED RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN MYTH AND RITUAL
• INFLUENCE STILL FOUND IN MODERN
RELIGIOUS PRACTICES
THE AZTECS AND
MESOAMERICAN CULTURE
• CULTURE CENTERED IN REGION
FROM MEXICO SOUTH TO COSTA
RICA
• NATIVE AMERICANS ARRIVED ABOUT
20,000 YEARS AGO
• FROM ABOUT 2,000 B.C. UNTIL ABOUT
THE TIME OF THE ARRIVAL OF
COLUMBUS, AREA DOMINATED BY
SOPHISTICATED DIVERSE CULTURES
– OLMECS, MAYA, TOLTEC, AZTEC
THE TOLTEC TRADITION: THE
FOUNDATION OF AZTEC
RELIGION
• INFLUENCED BY TOLTECS
• BELIEVED TOLTEC GOD,
QUETZALCOATL, PRESIDED OVER
GOLDEN AGE
• EARTHLY DEVOTEE WAS THE YOUNG
PRINCE, WHO RULED AS PRIEST-KING
• AZTEC COSMOLOGY ATTRIBUTED THE
CREATION OF THE WORLD TO
QUETZALCOATL
TEOTIHUACAN: PLACE OF
ORIGINS
• BELIEVED THAT ORIGIN OF THE
COSMOS TOOK PLACE AT
TEOTIHUACAN
– LOCATED ABOUT 30 MILES FROM THE
CAPITAL
– QUETZALCOATL WAS WORSHIPPED
LONG BEFORE THE RISE OF THE
TOLTECS
– LOCATION IS NOW THE MOST POPULAR
ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE IN MEXICO
COSMOLOGY: TIME AND SPACE
• COSMOLOGY RELATED WITH
– PESSIMISTIC VIEW OF TIME
– PERSPECTIVE ON HUMAN CONDITION
– RITUAL OF HUMAN SACRIFICE
AGE OF THE FIFTH SUN
• CURRENT SUN WAS THE FIFTH SUN
• PREVIOUS SUNS HAD BEEN
DESTROYED AND SIMILAR FATE WAS
ANTICIPATED
• HUMAN SACRIFICE WAS THE ONLY
WAY TO FORESTALL THIS EVENT
• BELIEVED THAT THE FIFTH SUN WAS
THE LAST SUN
• EACH SUN HAD OCCUPIED ITS OWN
COSMIC LOCATION
FOUR DIRECTIONS AND THE
AXIS MUNDI
• EARTHLY REALM CONNECTED TO A
MANY-LAYERED HEAVEN AND
UNDERWORLD
• SERPENT MOUNTAIN WAS THE
CENTER OF THE WORLD AT
TENOCHTITLAN; THE TEMPLE WAS
WHERE THE FOUR DIRECTIONS
CONVERGED
– MOUNTAINS ARE FREQUENTLY AXIS
MUNDI’S FOR PRIMAL RELIGIONS
THE HUMAN ROLE IN
SUSTAINING THE COSMOS
• TWO DIVINE FORCES, ONE IN THE
HEAD AND ONE IN THE HEART,
INFLUENCED THE HUMAN CONDITION
• THE HUMAN HEAD AND HEART WERE
REGARDED AS POTENT
NOURISHMENT FOR THE SUN AND
THE COSMOS
THE RITUAL OF HUMAN
SACRIFICE
• THE HEART WAS OFFERED AS
NOURISHMENT TO THE SUN
• THE HEAD WAS OFFERED TO THE SKY
• THE INDIVIDUAL WILLINGLY WAS
SACRIFICED AND ENTERED THE
HIGHEST LEVEL OF HEAVEN
• SACRIFICES CARRIED OUT ONCE
EVERY TWENTY DAYS
– VICTEMS WERE NORMALLY CAPTURED
WARRIORS
THE MASTERY OF LANGUAGE
• MUCH RELIGIOUS POWER WAS
CONVEYED THROUGH THE MASTERY
OF LANGUAGE
• AZTECS SPOKE “NAHUATL”
• “KNOWERS OF THINGS” COULD
COMMUNICATE WITH THE GODS AND
MAKE OFFERINGS THROUGH
LANGUAGE AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO
SACRIFICE
FROM AZTEC EMPIRE TO
CATHOLIC MEXICO
• HERNAN CORTES CONQUERS THE
AZTECS IN 1521
• MONTECZUMA BELIEVED HE WAS A
GOD
• THE VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE, WHICH
APPEARED IN 1531 AT A LOCATION
THAT HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN
VENERATED AS THE SACRED PLACE
OF THE AZTEC MOTHER GODDESS
• AZTECS ALSO PERFORMED RITUALS
SUN DANCE (CON)
• SELF-MUTILATION BY SOME
PARTICIPANTS WAS CONSIDERED
THE ONLY WORTHY SACRIFICE A
HUMAN BEING COULD OFFER THE
SUPREME BEING
• EVENTUALLY OUTLAWED BY U.S.
GOVERNMENT, IT IS NOW LEGAL AND
PRACTICED IN ITS TRADITIONAL
FORM AMONG TRIBES OF THE PLAINS
HINDUISM
• MANY RIVERS TO ONE OCEAN
– HARMONY AND TOLERANCE ARE KEY
ASPECTS OF HINDUISM
– ALL BELIEFS AND PRACTICES ARE
AIMING FOR THE SAME RESULT:
SALVATION
• “GOD IS ONE BUT MEN CALL HIM BY MANY
NAMES” (from the RIG VEDA)
HUMAN DESTINY: FROM
WORLDLY REALMS TO THE
DIVINE BEYOND
• SPIRITUAL PERFECTION AMOUNTS TO
A RETURN TO THE BEGINNING
• THE FINAL DESTINY OF SALVATION
THROUGH LIBERATION RETURNS THE
INDIVIDUAL TO THE BEGINNING
LIBERATION: RETURNING TO
THE SACRED SOURCE
• TO BE LIBERATED, OR ATTAIN SALVATION, MEANS
TO BE RELEASED FROM THE CONSTRAINTS OF
THE HUMAN CONDITION
• THIS CANNOT BE ATTAINED IN ONE LIFETIME
• REINCARNATION-SEVERAL LIFETIMES
• MOKSHA: BEING RELEASED FROM THE HUMAN
CONDITION INTO THE INFINITE OR DIVINE
• THE HINDU WHO ATTAINS MOKSHA IS NEVER
AGAIN REINCARNATED AND IS UNITED FOREVER
WITH THE DIVINE
THE DIVINE: ONE ULTIMATE
REALITY, MANY “MASKS”
• HINDUS WORSHIP MANY GODS AND
GODDESSES; THOUGHT OF AS MANY
MASKS OF GOD
MONISM: ALL IS BRAHMAN
• MONISM: THE BELIEF THAT ALL REALITY IS
ULTIMATELY ONE
• PLANTS, ANIMALS, GODS, GODDESSES,
SHARE A COMMON ESSENCE
• THIS ESSENCE IS CALLED BRAHMAN
– BRAHMAN IS PURE SPIRIT, THE SOURCE OF THE
UNIVERSE AND BEYOND HUMAN PERCEPTIONS
AND THOUGHT
• THE SACRED TEXTS, UPANISHADS, REFER TO
BRAHMAN AS “NOT THIS, NOT THAT”
BRAHMAN: THE ESSENCE OF
ALL REALITY
• THE ULTIMATE REALITY CAN BE
UNDERSTOOD THROUGH INWARD
CONTEMPLATION OF THE SELF
• THE ULTIMATE REALITY WITHIN IS
NAMED: ATMAN
– THE ETERNAL SELF
• THE TERMS BRAHMAN AND ATMAN ARE
INTERCHANGEABLE
POLYTHEISM: 330 MILLION
GODS AND GODDESSES
• HINDUS REGARD ITS GODS AND
GODDESSES AS EXTENSIONS OF ONE
ULTIMATE REALITY
• SINCE THE DIVINE REALITY IS BEYOND THE
REACH OF THE HUMAN SENSES AND
THOUGHT, HUMANS NEED POINTS OF
CONTACT WITH THE DIVINE: MULTIPLE
MASKS (GODS)
• HINDUS MAY WORSHIP WHICHEVER GODS
THEY LIKE, SINCE THEY ARE ALL THE
ESSENCE OF THE ULTIMATE REALITY
MANY WORLDS, MANY
LIFETIMES: HINDU
COSMOLOGY
• IF EVERYTHING COMES FROM THE
DIVINE, BRAHMAN, WHY DOES THERE
APPEAR TO BE ANYTHING ELSE?
• NO REAL IMPORTANCE IN EXPLAINING
THIS OTHER THAN HUMANS HAVING
TO DEAL WITH THE REALITY AND GAIN
SALVATION
CYCLES OF CREATION
• TIME AND CREATION ARE VIEWED AS
ONGOING CYCLES
• LONG PATTERNS OF CREATION AND
DESTRUCTION
REINCARNATION
• WHILE THE UNIVERSE GOES
THROUGH THIS CYCLE, HUMANS
ALSO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF
REINCARNATION UNTIL THEY ATTAIN
“MOKSHA”
• “SAMSARA”: “WHEEL OF REBIRTH;
THE INDIVIDIDUAL IS REINCARNATED
FROM ONE LIFEFORM TO ANOTHER
• INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS ARE
NOT TRANSMITTED
REINCARNATION (CON.)
• REINCARNATION OCCURS ON MANY
LEVELS: GODS, DEVILS ETC…
• “BHAGAVAD-GITA”: HINDUISM’S MOST
SACRED TEXT
– THE GOD, KRISHNA, TEACHES THE
WARRIOR, ARJUNA, ABOUT MANYY
IMPORTANT RELIGIOUS ISSUES
LAW AND ORDER: DIVINE
PRINCIPLES IN THE WORLD
• KHARMA AND DHARMA CONNECT THE
DIVINE WITH THIS WORLD
• FORM A BASIS FOR MORAL LIFE AND
PERMEATE THE EARTHLY LIFE WITH
SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE
KARMA
• DETERMINES THE NATURE OF EACH
REINCARNATION
• MEANS “ACTIONS” OR “DEEDS”
• INDIVIDUAL MORAL RESPONSIBILITY
FOR YOUR ACTIONS
• INDIVIDUAL KARMIC RECORD STAYS
WITH YOU FROM REINCARNATION TO
REINCARNATION
• KARMA DETERMINES THE LIFEFORM
INTO WHICH ATMAN APPEARS
DHARMA
• STANDARD OF ETHICAL DUTY BASED
ON THE DIVINE ORDER OF REALITY
• THE COMPLETE RULE OF LIFE
• FOUR SOURCES PROVIDE GUIDANCE
ABOUT DHARMA IN PARTICULAR
SITUATIONS
– DIVINE REVELATION
– SACRED TRADITION
– EXAMPLES OF THE WISEST IN SOCIETY
– CONSCIENCE
DHARMA (CON.)
• DHARMA LIMITS PURSUIT OF DESIRES
• SHIFTS SATISFYING OWN DESIRES TO
THE CONCERN FOR OTHERS
• IT IS THE ETHICAL FEATURE OF
HINDUISM
HINDU SOCIETY: MAPPING THE
INDIVIDUAL’S IDENTITY
• DHARMA IS CONNECTED TO SOCIAL
ORDER DETERIMINED BY GENDER,
CASTE AND STAGE OF LIFE
DOING ONE’S JOB: THE CASTE
SYSTEM
• VARNA WAS THE ORIGINAL TERM
• BRAHMIN
– PRIESTS
• KSHATRIYA
– WARRIORS AND ADMINISTRATORS
• VAISHYA
– PRODUCERS: FARMERS,
MERCHANTS,ARTISANS
• SHUDRA
CASTE (CON.)
• ORIGINALLY THERE WERE OVER 3,000
CASTES
• DEPENDENT ON OCCUPATIONS
• FOR WOMEN, CASTE WAS
CONTINGENT ON WHO SHE MARRIED
• THIS WAS OFTEN DICTATED BY
DHARMA
• OUTCASTS OR “UNTOUCHABLES”,
WERE ANOTHER CASTE
ACTING ONE’S AGE: FOUR
STAGES OF LIFE
• STUDENT
– INTENSIVE STUDY OF SACRED
LITERATURE
• HOUSEHOLDER
– MARRIAGE (ARRANGED)
– PURSUING A CAREER, RAISING FAMILY
• FOREST DWELLER
– FIRST GRANDCHILD
– RETREAT FROM WORLDLY BONDS
• SANNYASIN (ASCETIC)
SEEKING ONE’S DESIRE: FOUR
GOALS OF LIFE
• SENSUAL PLEASURE (KAMA)
– A LEGITIMATE AIM OF LIFE
• CELEBRATES THE PURSUIT OF PLEASURE
– MUST REMAIN WITHIN THE LIMITS OF DHARMA
• MATERIAL SUCCESS (ARTHA)
– YEARNING FOR FULFILLMENT BEYOND SENSUAL
PLEASURE
• HARMONY WITH DHARMA
– GOES BEYOND A DUTY GRUDGINGLY PERFORMED
– PERFECT HARMONY WITH DHARMA
• THE BLISS OF MOKSHA
– PATHS TO ACHIEVE MOKSHA ARE NUMEROUS
THREE PATHS TO LIBERATION
• THREE PATHS BY WHICH THE
PERSON MOVES CLOSER TO THE
ULTIMATE GOAL OF LIBERATION
• PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT TALENTS
OR TENDENCIES
– TO BE ACTIVE
– TO GAIN KNOWLEDGE
– TO EXPERIENCE EMOTIONAL
ATTACHMENT
FOR THE ACTIVE: KARMA
MARGA, “THE PATH OF WORKS”
• SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS “KARMA YOGA”
• MARKED BY AN ATTITUDE OF UNSELFISHNESS
– ATTATCHMENT TO THE RESULTS OF ACTION MUST BE
AVOIDED
– DO THE RIGHT THING ONLY BECAUSE IT IS RIGHT
• THIS PATH HAS ALL TO DO WITH LIVING IN
ACCORDANCE WITH DHARMA
• EXEMPLIFIED BY GANDHI
– “RELIGION IS CONCERN FOR THE WORLD EXPRESSED
THROUGH SOCIAL SERVICE”
GANDHI
FOR THE PHILOSOPHICAL:
JNANA MARGA, “THE PATH OF
KNOWLEDGE”
• THE STEEPEST ASCENT TO LIBERATION
• REQUIRES DEVOTING TIME TO LEARNING
AND MEDITATION; MORE PRACTICAL FOR
THE BRAHMIN CLASS
• EMPHASIZES ATTAINING KNOWLEDGE
OVER IGNORANCE
• IT GOES BEYOND THE MERE
ACCUMULATION OF FACTUAL KNOWLEDGE
• IT MEANS TO LIVE, TO EXPERIENCE THE
TRUE NATURE OF REALITY
THREE SCHOOLS OF
PHILOSOPHY
• THREE SCHOOLS OF HINDU PHILOSOPHY: THE
ATTAINMENT OF KNOWLEDGE OVER IGNORANCE
– VEDANTA
• SHANKARA TAUGHT THAT REALITY AMOUNTS TO MONISM
– SANKHYA
• REALITY IS COMPOSED OF TWO DISTINCT CATEGORIES:
MATTER AND AN INFINITE NUMBER OF ETERNAL SELVES
• THE FOLLOWER OF SANKHYA ATTEMPTS TO FREE THE
ETERNAL SELF FROM THE BONDAGE OF THE PERSONALITY
– YOGA
• TO FREE THE ETERNAL SELF FROM BONDAGE BY STRIPPING
AWAY THE MANY LEVELS OF PERSONHOOD IN WHICH THE
SELF IS WRAPPED
• AN 8 STEP PROCESS THAT LEADS EVENTUALLY TO
“SAMADHI”, A TRANCELIKE STATE I WHICH SELFCONCIOUSNESS IS LOST AND THE MIND IS ABSORBED INTO
ULTIMATE REALITY (p. 56, 57)
FOR THE EMOTIONAL: BHAKTI
MARGA, “THE PATH OF
DEVOTION”
• LEADS SPIRITUAL ENERGY OUTWARD
TOWARDS WORSHIP OF A DEITY
• DEVOTION TO A DEITY REDUCES THE
INDIVIDUALITY THAT BINDS THE SELF
TO SAMSARA (CYCLE OF
REINCARNATION)
• ATTENTION IS FOCUSED ON THE
DIVINE, NOT ON THE SELF
GODS AND GODDESSES
• COMMONPLACE TO WORSHIP
SEVERAL GODS
• MORE POPULAR GODS: VISHNU, KALI,
SHIVA, RAMA, KRISHNA
• IMPORTANT TRIAD
– BRAHMA=THE CREATOR
– VISHNU=THE PRESERVER
– SHIVA=THE DESTROYER
AVATARS
• INCARNATION OR LIVING
EMBODIMENT OF A DEITY
– GENERALLY VISHNU
• IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH A DIVINE
PURPOSE
THE BHAGAVAD-GITA
• MOST CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH
BHAKTI MARGA
• ACCOUNTS WITH THIS TEXT FAVOR
THE PATH OF DEVOTION
ASPECTS OF DAILY DEVOTION
• RITUAL, PRAYER, VISITS TO TEMPLES
AND SHRINES.
• VENERATION OF SACRED COWS
HOUSEHOLD AND VILLAGE
RITUALS
• HOUSEHOLD DEITIES FREQUENTLY
HAVE SHRINES IN THE HOME
• VILLAGES OFTEN WORSHIP IN
UNISON DURING ANNUAL FESTIVALS
TO HONOR CERTAIN GODS OR
GODDESSES
HOLY PLACES
• ALL RIVERS, IN PARTICULAR THE
RIVER GANGES
• PILGRIMS FREQUENTLY TAKE RITUAL
BATHS IN THE GANGES IN ORDER TO
SYMBOLLICALLY WASH AWAY THEIR
SINS
COW VENERATION
• THE COW REPRESENTS LIFE
• IN THE PAST, THE KILLING OF A COW
WAS A CAPITAL OFFENSE
HINDUISM IN THE MODERN
WORLD
• THE MODERN WORLD SEEMS TO
POSE A CHALLENGE FOR HINDUISM
SINCE INDIA’S STRUGGLE TO BECOME
A DEMOCRACY, SEEMS TO BE IN
CONTRADICTION TO HINDUISM’S
CASTE CONCEPT.
THOSE WHO HINDUS
REVERE: RELIGIOUS
LEADERS
• BRAHMIN
– TEND TO ANCIENT RITUALS
• GURUS (ENLIGHTENED TEACHERS)
– TEACH THE TRUTH OF THE uPANISHADS
BUDDHISM
• A THERAPY FOR LIVING FROM ONE WHO
“WOKE UP”
– GAUTAMA WAS MORTAL, NOT A GOD, WHO
UNDERWENT AN EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCE
– HE AWOKE TO THE FULL AWARERNESS OF THE
NATURE OF THE HUMAN CONDITION AND TO
THE MEANS OF TRANSCENDING IT
– TEACHES THE EXPERIENCES OF AWAKENING
– GAUTAMA PRESCRIBED A CURE FOR THE
HUMAN CONDITION; A THERAPY FOR LIVING
THE LIFE OF GAUTAMA
• NO ACCURATE ACCOUNT OF
GAUTAMA’S LIFE EXISTS
• MOST ACCOUNTS WERE WRITTEN
HUNDREDS OF YEARS AFTER HIS
DEATH
• ACCOUNTS HAVE BEEN EMBELLISHED
FROM PAMPERED PRINCE TO
STARVING ASCETIC
• BORN INTO THE WARRIOR CLASS, HIS
FATHER WAS THE RULER OF A SMALL
NORTHERN INDIAN KINGDOM
• BORN IN 563 B.C., HIS FULL NAME
WAS SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA
• FATHER ATTEMPTED TO MAKE
SIDDHARTHA A WORLDLY PRINCE
THE FOUR PASSING SIGHTS
•
•
•
•
A DECREPIT OLD MAN
A DISEASED MAN
A CORPSE
A RELIGIOUS ASCETIC MAN
– SEARCHING FOR SALVATION FROM A
WORLD OF SUFFERING
THE GREAT GOING FORTH
• AT THE AGE OF TWENTY-NINE, HE GIVES
UP THE LIFE OF A PRINCE AND BECOMES
AN ASCETIC AND AUSTERE LIFE OF A
MENDICANT
• THIS EVENT SYMBOLIZES THE TRIUMPH OF
THE SPIRITUAL LIFE OVER THE WORLDLY
LIFE
• HE BELIEVED REDUCTION OF THE BODY
WOULD INCREASE HIS SPIRITUAL POWERS
THE MIDDLE WAY
• A HEALTHY SPIRITUAL LIFE DEPENDS
ON A HEALTHY PHYSICAL LIFE
• WHILE REJECTING OVERINDULGENCE IN BODILY PLEASURE, IT
DOES NOT REJECT THE BODY ITSELF
• SPIRITUAL HAPPINESS IMPLIES
HAPPINESS IN MIND, BODY AND IN
SPIRIT
THE ENLIGHTENED ONE
• SEATED UNDER A FIG TREE IN A LOTUS
POSITION, HE RESOLVED NOT TO MOVE
UNTIL HE FOUND COMPLETE AND PERFECT
FULFILLMENT
• MARA, THE GOD OF DEATH, ATTEMPTS TO
MOVE GAUTAMA FROM HIS SPOT
• GAUTAMA ASKS THE EARTH TO BEAR
WITNESS TO HIS RESOLVE
ENLIGHTENMENT
• HE WITHSTANDS THE TEMPTATIONS
OF FEAR AND PASSION
• HE FOCUSES INWARD AND ENTERED
A MEDITATIVE TRANCE AND
PERCEIVES THE NATURE OF THE
HUMAN CONDITION
• FIRST WATCH (EVENING)
– PERCEIVED HIS OWN PREVIOUS
LIFETIMES
• SECOND WATCH (MIDDLE OF THE
NIGHT)
FOUNDING OF THE SANGHA
• SEEKING REFUGE IN THE THREE
JEWELS
– REPEATING A RITUAL FORMULA THREE
TIMES, ACKNOWLEDGING THEIR
AUTHORITY
– A DEFFINITE COMMITMENT TO
BUDDHISM
• THREE JEWELS OF BUDDHISM
– THE BUDDHA
– THE DHARMA
• BUDDHA’S TEACHINGS
– THE SANGHA
DEATH AND FINAL NIRVANA
• IN 483 B.C., SIDDHARTHA BECOMES
ILL AFTER EATING SPOILED FOOD
• “ALL THE CONTENTMENTS OF BEING
ARE TRANSITORY; WORK OUT YOUR
SALVATION WITH DILEGENCE”
• HE MOVES FROM PERFECT
TRANQUILITY TO NIRVANA
THE DHARMA: BUDDHIST
TEACHINGS
• THE CONSTRUCTS OF BUDDHISM ARE
DEFINED BY THE TEACHING OF A
PERSON RATHER THAN FAITH IN A
DIVINE BEING
• DHARMA: THE TEACHINGS OF THE
BUDDHA
– INSIGHT IS GAINED THROUGH A
PROFOUND MEDITATION EXPERENCE
– SINCE THIS INSIGHT WAS ATTAINED BY A
MAN, IT CAN BE ATTAINED BY ALL
DHARMA (CON.)
• THIS INSIGHT IS NOT RELIANT ON
FACTS BUT DEVELOPMENT OF
WISDOM OR INSIGHT INTO THE
HUMAN CONDITION
• BUDDHISM IS THE MOST
PSYCHOLOGICAL OF ALL RELIGIONS
BUDDHISM AND HINDUISM:
THE INDIAN CONTEXT
• MANY HINDUS REGARD BUDDHA AS A
REINCARNATION OF THE GOD VISHNU
• BUDDHA OFTEN REACTED AGAINST
HINDUISM
A SHARED COSMOLOGY
• BOTH RELIGIONS BELIEVE THAT TIME
IS CYCLICAL
• GAUTAMA WAS NOT THE ONLY
BUDDHA
• MULTIPLE WORLD S EXIST: HEAVENS,
HELLS AND THE MIDDLE REALM OF
HUMANS AND ANIMALS
• BASIC TO BOTH TRADITIONS IS
“SAMSARA”= WHEEL OF REBIRTH
• ONLY THROUGH NIRVANA = RELEASE
THE BUDDHA’S REACTION
AGAINST EARLY HINDUISM
• DISSATTISFIED WITH SPECULATIVE
PHILOSOPHY AND RITUAL
SACRIFICES OF THE BRAHMIN
• USELESS FOR THE TASK OF WINNING
SALVATION
• DIRECT INWARD OBSERVATIONS OF
THE HUMAN CONDITION
• ONLY THE HUMAN MIND CAN WIN
SALVATION
• REJECTED CASTE SYSTEM
BUDDHA’S REACTION TO
HINDUISM (CON.)
• SACRED TEXTS OF BUDDHISM
WRITTEN IN “PALI”; LANGUAGE OF
THE OCMMON PEOPLE
• WOMEN WERE ACCEPTED INTO THE
SANGHA, BE IT RELUCTANTLY
INDIVIDUALS AND THEIR
DESTINY
• ALL THINGS DISCOVERED BY THE
BUDDHA ARE DISCOVERABLE BY
ONESELF
• PARADOX: EXAMINING COMPLETELY
THE INNER REALM OF SELF LEADS TO
THE DISCOVERY THAT THE SELF
“DOES NOT EXIST”
THE THREE MARKS OF
EXISTENCE:
• NO-SELF,IMPERMANENCE,
SUFFERING
• GAUTAMA DISCOVERED THAT
CHANGE
– EVERYTHING, WITHIN AND WITHOUT, IS
CHANGING CONSTANTLY= THE THREE
MARKS OF EXISTENCE
ANATTA
• SIMILAR TO ATMAN IN HINDUISM
• MEANS “NO-SELF” TO BUDDHISTS
• THE ESSENCE OF BUDDHISM IS
THERE IS NO ESSENCE
• THE “YOU” OF THE PAST NO LONGER
EXISTS IN THE PRESENT
ANNICA
• EXISTENCE IS CONSTANTLY
CHANGING: IMPERMANENCE
– LIKE A RIVER, WE ARE A CONSTANTLY
CHANGING FLOW OF THOUGHTS, FEARS,
HOPES, PERCEPTIONS, ETC….
DUKKHA
• SUFFERING: THE NATURAL RESULT
OF THE PREVIOUS TWO MARKS OF
EXISTENCE
• ALSO IS ONE OF THE FOUR NOBLE
TRUTHS
SAMSARA: BUDDHIST
REBIRTH
• REBIRTH IN THE BUDDHIST
COSMOLOGY, IS ANALAGOUS TO THE
LIGHT OF ONE CANDLE BEING
PASSED ON TO ANOTHER CANDLE
• THE TRANSFERENCE OF A BUNDLE
OF ENERGY PATTERNED ON ONE’S
KARMA
KARMA: BUDDHIST MORALITY
AND PERSONAL IDENTITY
• LIKE THE HINDU BELIEF, IT IS THE MORAL LAW OF
CAUSE AND EFFECT
• TO THE BUDDHISTS, PERSONAL IDENTITY
DEPENDS ENTIRELY ON KARMA
• AT CONCEPTION THE NEW PERSON IS POSSESSED
OF THIS PARTICULAR STATUS BROUGHT ON BY
THE KARMA OF THE PREVIOUS LIFE
• BUDDHIST MORALITY EMPHASIZES INTENTION
– THE DEGREE OF IMMORALITY DEPENDS ON THE
INDIVIDUAL’S INTENT RATHER THAN THE OUTCOME
KARMA (CON.)
• THE MORAL LIFE REQUIRES THE
OBSERVANCE OF THE FIVE
PRECEPTS:
– DO NOT TAKE LIFE
– DO NOT TAKE WHAT IS NOT GIVEN
– DO NOT ENGAGE IN SENSUOUS
MISCONDUCT
– DO NOT USE FALSE SPEECH
– DO NOT DRINK INTOXICANTS
KARMA (CON. PART 3)
• THE FIVE PRECEPTS APPLY TO ALL
BUDDHISTS
• MONKS AND NUNS HAVE FIVE ADDITIONAL
PRECEPTS
– DO NOT EAT AFTER NOON
– DO NOT WATCH DANCING OR SHOWS
– DO NOT USE GARLANDS, PERFUMES OR
ORNAMENTS
– DO NOT USE A HIGH OR SOFT BED
– DO NOT ACCEPT GOLD OR SILVER
THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS
• TO LIVE IS TO SUFFER
• SUFFERING IS CAUSED BY DESIRE
• SUFFERING CAN BE BROUGHT TO
CESSATION
• THE SOLUTION TO SUFFERING IS THE
NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH
– THEY ARE THE CENTRAL TEACHING OF
BUDDHISM
•
•
•
•
DIAGNOSING THE DISEASE
DETERMINING ITS CAUSE
ISSUING A PROGNOSIS
PRESCRIBING A CURE
DIAGNOSIS OF THE DISEASE:
DUKKHA
• HUMAN LIFE, BY ITS NATURE, IS
UNAVOIDABLEY WRAPPED UP IN DUKKHA
(SUFFERING)
• THE FIRST NOBLE TRUTH: SUFFERING,
FRUSTRATION, DISLOCATION,
DISCOMFORT
– OUR ATTACHMENT TO PLEASANT THINGS SETS
US UP TO SUFFER WHEN WE ARE SEPARATED
FROM THEM
– “A WISH IS NOTHING MORE THAN A MENTAL
ATTACHMENT TO SOME OBJECT THAT IS NOT
YET OURS TO ENJOY”
DETERMINATION OF THE
CAUSE: TANHA
• TANHA: DESIRE, THIRST, CRAVING
– SELFISH ORIENTATION; DESIRE OF
INDIVIDUAL ATTAINMENT, FOR PRIVATE
FULFILLMENT
– ATTACHED TO OUR FALSE IDEA OF
BEING AN INDIVIDUAL SELF, LEADS TO
CARE FOR OUSELVES, ALL THE WHILE
ONLY ADDING TO THE FIRE OF TANHA
(INDIVIDUAL FULFILLMENT)
– THEREBY INCREASING SUFFERING
PROGNOSIS
• WHILE THE BUDDHA’S PROGNOSIS
FOR HUMAN LIFE, SUFFERING ,
WOULD SEEM TO BE PESIMISTIC, IN
REALITY HIS PROGNOSIS IS
OPTIMISTIC
• THE “DISEASE AND ITS CAUSE CAN BE
ROOTED OUT FROM EACH OF US
PRESCRIPTION FOR A CURE:
THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH
• THE CURE ENCOMPASSES ALL
ASPECTS OF LIFE
• A LIFE OF MODERATION SET FORTH
ON THE MIDDLE WAY
• THEY CONSTITUTE ONGOING
PRACTICES, NOT STAGES TO BE
MASTERED AND THEN LEFT BEHIND
THE EIGHTFOLD PATH
•
RIGHT VIEWS
–
•
RIGHT INTENTIONS
–
–
•
MAINTAIN MENTAL ALERTNESS; TO DISCRIMINATE WISE AND UNWISE CHOICES
RIGHT MINDFULNESS
–
•
AVOID SELLING WEAPONS, LIQUOR, BUTCHERING, HUNTING OR THE MILITARY
RIGHT EFFORT
–
•
OBEY THE FIVE PRECEPTS OF BUDDHISM
RIGHT LIVELIHOOD
–
•
AVOID GOSSIP, LYING, ABUSIVE TALK, IDLE TALK
RIGHT CONDUCT
–
•
ABANDON GREED, HATRED AND DELUSION
NURTURE GENEROSITY, FRIENDSHIP AND INSIGHT
RIGHT SPEECH
–
•
LEARN THE CONTENT OF BUDDHAS’S TEACHINGS
DEVELOP MENTAL FOCUS NEEDED FOR MEDITATION
RIGHT MEDITATION
–
ASSCEND THROUGH THE LEVELS OF MEDITATION=NIRVANA
EIGHTFOLD PATH (CON.)
• THE EIGHT STEPS EMBRACE THE PRIMARY
FOCAL POINTS OF BUDDHIST TRAINING:
–
–
–
–
WISDOM (1-3)
MORALITY (3-5)
CONCENTRATION (6-8)
THROUGH THE PROCESS OF MEDITATION, AND
THE HEIGHTENED STATES OF AWARENESS IT
NURTURES, BUDDHISM EMPHASIZES THE
EXPERIENTIAL DIMENSION OF RELIGION
ENLIGHTENMENT AND NIRVANA
• FOLLOWING THE EIGHTFOLD PATH WILL
LEAD TO NIRVANA
• THE STILL-LIVING “ARHAT” WHO HAS
BECOME AWAKENED THROUGH
MEDITATION HAS EXPERIENCED A
FORETASTE OF THE FINAL NIRVANA
• BUDDHAS ARE DISTINCT FROM THEIR
FOLLOWERS IN THAT THEY NEED NO
MODEL TO PROVIDE TEACHING IN ORDER
TO ACHIEVE THEIR AWAKENING.
COMPASSION: THE
ENLIGHTENED ARHAT
• WHILE STILL BEING ENGAGED IN THE
AFFAIRS OF THIS WORLD, THE ARHAT NO
LONGER IS ATTACHED TO THE WORLD,
THEREFORE THE ARHAT IS PERFECTLY
COMPASSIONATE TOWARD ALL LIVING
THINGS.
• HE IS FREE FROM THE IMPRISONMENT OF
TANHA AND THUS FREE FROM DUKKHA
• THEY HAVE LET GO OF ANY SENSE OF
INDIVIDUAL EXISTENCE AND HAVE
ACHIEVED SPIRITUAL PERFECTION
NIRVANA
• NIRVANA: “BLOWING OUT”
– HAVING EXTINGUISHED ALL SELFISH
DESIRE, THE ARHAT HAS ATTAINED
COMPLETE LIBERATION FORM SAMSARA
– THE RESULT IS INDESCRIBABLE JOY
THREE RAFTS FOR CROSSING
THE RIVER: DIVISIONS OF
BUDDHISM
FOR BUDDHISTS, RELIGION SERVES
AS THE MEANS TO ACHIEVE NIRVANA
THE CYCLE OF LIFE, SAMSARA, IS ON
ONE SIDE OF THE RIVER; NIRVANA IS
ON THE OTHER SIDE. RELIGION IS
THE RAFT THAT ENABLES US TO GET
TO THE OTHER SIDE.
“VEHICLES” THAT ENABLE US
TO CROSS THE RIVER
• DIFFERENCES AS THE RESULT OF
REGIONAL VARIATIONS
• THERAVADA
– THE LESSER VEHICLE
• MAHAYANA
– THE GREAT VEHICLE
• VAJRAYANA
– THE VEHICLE OF THE DIAMOND
THERAVADA: “THE WAY OF THE
ELDERS”
• FOUND IN THE AREAS OF CAMBODIA,
SRI LANKA, MYANMAR (BURMA),
THAILAND
• BUDDHA IS BEYOND THE REACH OF
HUMANS
• THE TEACHINGS OF BUDDHISM ARE
MOST IMPORTANT, NOT THE FIGURE
OF THE BUDDHA
• FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS AND
EIGHTFOLD PATH
THERAVADA (CON.)
• FOCUS IS ON MEDITATION
• EMPHASIS ON MONASTIC LIFE
• MONKS OUTNUMBER NUNS; HOLD
MORE PROMINENT POSITION IN
THERAVADA BUDDHISM
• SERVING AS A MONK FOR THREE
MONTHS IS SEEN AS A REQUIRED
STEP TOWARD ADULTHOOD
MAHAYANA: THE GREAT
VEHICLE
• DOMINANT FORM OF BUDDHISM
FOUND IN JAPAN, CHINA AND KOREA
• BUDDHISM FOR THE MASSES
• FOCUS IS ON BUDDHA HIMSELF AS A
DIVINE SAVIOR
• SALVATION MADE POSSIBLE
THROUGH THE INFINITE COMPASSION
OF THE BUDDHA
• PREACH DHARMA RATHER THAN
IMMEDIATE NIRVANA
MAHAYANA (CON.)
• ROLE OF BODHISATTVAS IS
SIGNIFICANT IN MAHAYANA
BUDDHISM
• “BUDDHAS IN THE MAKING”
• STOPPED SHORT OF ENTERING
NIRVANA OUT OF COMPASSION FOR
OTHERS
• ON OCCASION THEY APPEAR IN THE
WORLD AS HUMAN BEINGS
• BODHISATTVAS ARE THE IDEAL
TYPES; NOT ARHATS
VAJRAYANA: TIBETAN
BUDDHISM
• BUDDHA’S TEACHINGS HAVE THE
STRENGTH AND CLARITY OF A
DIAMOND
• ADHERENTS BELIEVE NIRVANA CAN
BE ATTAINED IN THIS LIFETIME, HERE
AND NOW
• SMALL MINORITY OF BUDDHISTS IN
TIBET
• SHUT OFF THE ENRGY OF DESIRE TO
STOP SUFFERING
VAJRAYANA (CON.)
• THREE PRACTICES CAPITALIZE ON
THE SENSUAL ENERGIES AS A WAY
OF ACHIEVING THE GOAL OF
SPIRITUAL ENHANCEMENT
• MANDALAS: patterned icon that visually
excite
• MUDRAS: choreographed hand
movements, drawing on energies of
movement
• MANTRAS: chants harnessing spiritual
THE ENDURING WISDOM OF
THE BUDDHA
JAINISM
• AHIMSA AND ASCETICISM: JAINISM’S IDEALS
– ORIGINATED IN INDIA
– WORLDS ARISE AND DECAY IN A SERIES OF INFINITE
CYCLES
– SAMSARA, KARMA AND MOKSHA MEAN THE SAME IN
THEJAINIST RELIGION AS THE HINDU RELIGION
– AHIMSA: ETHICAL FOUNDATION OF JAINISM (MANY
VEGETARIANS)
• THE CENTRAL PRINCIPLE
• RELIGIOUS LIFE IS PRIMARILY THE AVOIDANCE OF HARMING
OTHER LIVING CREATURES
• MONKS AND NUNS PRACTICE AN EXTREME LIFESTYLE OF
AHIMSA THROUGH ASCETICISM
MAKERS OF THE RIVER
CROSSING
• TERM DERIVED FROM THE WORD JINA
(CONQUEROR)
• THE SPIRITUAL CONQUERS THE PAST
• TIRTHANKARAS: THOSE WHO HAVE
ATTAINED SALVATION
• JAINIST BELIEVE THAT 24 PEOPLE
HAVE ACHIEVED A RIVER CROSSING
DURING THIS WORLD
CYCLE=CONQUERORS
PREVIOUS SLIDE (CON.)
• THESE “CONQUERORS” HAVE BEEN
OF AN INFINITE NUMBER OVER THE
COURSE OF ETERNITY
• ONLY THE LAST TWO TIRTHANKARAS
ARE REGARDED AS HISTORICAL
PERSONS
– PARSHVA: LIVED IN THE EIGHTH
CENTURY B.C.
– MAHAVIRA: ROLE MODEL FOR JAINS
THROUGH THE CENTURIES
MAHAVIRA THE TWENTYFOURTH TIRTHANKARA
• “GREAT HERO”; LIVED 599-527 B.C.
• CONTEMPORARY OF GAUTAMA
• JAINISM REPLACED THE HINDU CASTE
SYSTEM WITH ONE OF THEIR OWN
• LIFE SIMILAR TO THAT OF
SIDDHARTHA
• EXTREME ASCETIC
• MAHAVIRA:
– HELD FAST TO ASCETICISM
– LEARNED TRUE PRACTICES OF JAINISM
MAHIVIRA (CON.)
• KEVALA: JAIN ENLIGHTENMENT
• COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE OR
OMNISCIENCE
• HIS ELEVEN PRINCIPLE DISCIPLES
WERE BRAHMINS WHO HAD
CONVERTED FORM HINDUISM
• AT THE AGE OF 72 HE STARVED
HIMSELF TO DEATH
• JAINS BELIEVE HE DWELLS IN
KNOWING THE UNIVERSE:
COSMOLOGY AND SALVATION
THE JAIN UNIVERSE
UPWARD AND DOWNWARD
CYCLES