Download Chapter7: The Religious Development of Buddhism Chapter

Chapter7: The Religious Development of Buddhism
Chapter Objectives
After reading this chapter, the student should be able to:
 Explain the original tenets of Buddhism and their effects on the Indian populace.
 Recognize a common theme that runs through Buddhism and other great religions of
leader as divine, with followers endowing religious practice with myth and ritual.
 Describe the early organization of Buddhism, its holy writings, and the various sects
that took root as it spread through India and Southeast Asia.
 Discuss the beliefs of Buddhist monks and nuns, and the theology behind the steps to
enlightenment.
 Explain the similarities and differences between the Theravada, Mahayana, and
Vajrayana branches of Buddhism.
 Illustrate the historical events in China, Korea, and Japan that allowed Buddhism to
take hold among followers.
 Discuss the social and political implications of Buddhism around the world today.
Chapter Summary
Classical Buddhism is devoid of supreme deities and its austere path to salvation
involving intense self-study and a rejection of the world finds little reception among the
masses. As so often occurs in religion, the followers imbued the founder with god-like
attributes and this resulted in a more hospitable receptacle for the yearning of human
beings for the answers they sought. The influx of laypersons from a variety of statuses,
cultures and traditions gives Buddhism its heterogeneity and thus it is accurately called a
family of religions.
The spread of Buddhism was initially communicated through oral traditions and
several centuries passed before the teachings found expression in texts (e.g. Pali canon).
The tangible expression of belief in written form provided further fodder for branching of
Buddhist believers. The power wielded by those on the thrones of various regions
provided the fuel for the spread of several varieties of Buddhism across Asia. Growth of
Buddhist orders were often established through the support of monks and nuns. The
monks have been instrumental in adapting doctrine to incorporate local traditions and
desire for expressions of belief.
In India Mahayanist Buddhism was the dominant expression of Buddhism and
added to the glorification of Gautama and the identification of other deities which found
acceptance by believers seeking the reassurance of higher powers. The spread of
Buddhism in China was enhanced by the intellectual appeal of the Mahayana doctrines
and survived the changes in ruling emperors. It spread from China to Korea and from
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there to Japan. Buddhism in Tibet and Mongolia arrived later and in a different
expression than elsewhere. Interestingly, the rise in these regions coincided with a decline
in Buddhism in India and currently just 0.8% of the population of India is Buddhist.
The variety of Buddhist doctrines are expressed in the Mahayana, Theravadin
Schools, and Tantrism. These are further differentiated by their expression in a variety of
different lands. Buddhism today has experienced a revival, often as a reaction to the
introduction of new religions (e.g. Christianity). The political influence and participation
of Buddhist monks across Asia (e.g. Vietnam, Tibet) is an ongoing legacy.
Chapter Outline
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Introduction
A.
The Founder as a Refuge
B.
Lay Interests Asserted
C.
A Family of Religions
The Spread of Buddhism in India and Southeast Asia
A.
The First Two Centuries in India
B.
Asoka
1. The Rock Edicts
2. Systematic Moral Education
3. Missionaries
C.
Sri Lanka (Formerly Ceylon)
D.
Burma and Southeast Asia
E.
The General Character of the Theravada
1. A Monk’s Daily Routine
2. A Monk’s Meditation
3. Nuns and the Religious Life
4. The Stages of Dhyana
5. Revering the Buddha’s Perfection
6. Devotional Life at a Wat
7. The Roles of Monks and Laity
The Rise of the Mahayana in India
A.
The Name
B.
The Locus: Northwest India
C.
The First Step: Further Glorification of Gautama
D.
The Next Step: Discovering Other Buddhas and Bodhisattvas
The Spread of Buddhism in Northern Lands
A.
China: The Tentative Early Contacts
1. The Appeal of Mahayana Teaching
2. Cycles of Growth and Repression
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V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
B.
The Arrival of Buddhism in Korea
C.
The Arrival of Buddhism in Japan
D.
Buddhism in Tibet and Mongolia
E.
The Decline of Buddhism in India
The Help-of-Others Message of the Mahayana
A.
The Divine Authors of Salvation
1. Manushi Buddhas
2. Bodhisattvas
a. Avalokita (Guan-yin)
b. Kshitigarbha
3. Dhyani Buddhas (Tathagatas)
B.
The Vow of the Bodhisattva
The Mahayana Philosophies of Religion
A.
The Background: The Theravadin Schools
1. The Sthaviravadins
2. Sammatiya
3. The Sarvastivadins
B.
Two Mahayana Schools
1. Nagarjuna’s Madhyamika
2. Yogacara (Mind Only)
C.
Buddhist Tantrism
D.
The Wisdom That Has Gone Beyond (Prajna-paramita)
E.
The Trikaya of Triple Body
F.
Comparison with Vedanta Monism
Mahayana Schools of Thought in China and Japan
A.
Pure Land Schools: Jing-tu and Jōdo
1. The Jōdo Sect in Japan
2. The Jōdo-Shinshū
B.
Meditative Schools: Chan and Zen
1. Actualizing Nonduality
2. Methods for Halting Duality Reasoning
3. Nonduality and Gender
4. Zen Influence upon the Arts
C.
Rationalist Schools: Tian-tai in China
D.
Esoteric or Mystery Schools: Zhen-yen Shingon
1. The Influence of Kukai (Kōbō Daishi)
2. The Spiritual Ladder
3. Mandalas
E.
A Japanese National School: Nichiren
Buddhism in Tibet
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IX.
A.
The Early “Red Hat” Sect
B.
Tibetan Tantric Doctrine
C.
Cosmic Spousal Pairs: Upaya and Prajna
D.
Public Ceremonies
E.
Benevolence in Ferocious Forms
G.
Mantras
H.
The Clergy (Lamas) in History
I.
The Reincarnation of Head Lamas
Buddhism Today
A.
Myanmar (Burma)
B.
Sri Lanka
C.
Thailand
D.
Cambodia and Vietnam
E.
Tibet and China
F.
Women in Buddhism
Discussion Questions
1. In original Buddhism, one academic points out that the gods are virtually dethroned;
their heavenly seats become merely transitory places of reward, no deity in the
complete sense of the word exists, worship seems an absurdity, prayer has no place,
and true knowledge can be found only in the narrow circle of monks. Yet, as in other
great religions, believers saw divinity in the Buddha and brought long-established
customs and traditions into an active worship process. Why do you think Buddhism
and other religions evolved along these lines and explain why this process was
necessary for the propagation of the faith?
2. In 273 BCE, Asoka, one of India’s greatest emperors, ascended to the throne. He was
instrumental in transforming Buddhism into an organized religion, using it to govern
his people with a unified moral code and attempting to expand the faith as a world
religion by sending forth missionaries and ambassadors to other lands. How do you
think religion is used politically and socially by world leaders in their own countries
and abroad?
3. What is the objective of promoting a universal faith system? Does the universality
meet the political objectives hoped for in the active promotion of one religion?
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