Buddhism Ch 4

- a king in 250 BCE
- he expanded his rule over a large part of India
- thus creating many battles
- from looking at one battle he realized that he wanted to convert to the ideals of non-violence
-he spread to principles of nonviolence through India and beyond
-its unclear whether he became Buddhist
- he spread his views by erecting many stone columns with the principles of non-violence
- they were placed at important sites in the Buddha's life

- one of the surviving conservative Buddhist schools
- taught Buddha's oppostition to Vedic ritual and brahmins priesthood, appreciation for simplicity, meditation and detachment
-principles were originally taught orally, but eventually were written down.
- the heart of Thervada Buddhism is its monks
- stresses reaching nirvana through detachment and desirelessness achieved through meditation
-Thervada spread very early from India to Sri Lanka
-where it made transportations
-then along with Indian influences traveled to Burma and Thailand
- was politically appealing to rulers for its moral rigor
- main religion in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia
-monks must beg daily for their food, so they must live close to lay people
- theravada monastaries are usually in the middle of town
- they can include medial clinics, schools, meditation centers or care for stray animals
-

- Translation: "big vehicle"
- suggests a large ferryboat where all types of people can be carried across a river
-hinting the broad scope of the Mahayana vision that it can accommodate many people seeking enlightenment
-believes that enlightenment brings upon compassion
ex: "the Mahayana tradition maintains that a person must save himself by saving others."

-meaning compassion
-as well as empathy, sympathy and kindness
- different from the western notion of kindness
- Karuna implies that we all are part of the same-ever changing universe
- deep down every person is the same, so being kind to a person is also being kind to yourself

-meaning enlightenment being
-the bodhisattva embodies compassion
- its often said that they refuse to fully enter into nirvana in order to be reborn on earth to help others
-the bodhisattva vow: to be constantly reborn until all are enlightened

- The Three- Body Doctrine (Trikaya Doctrine)
1) the dharmakaya lit. "dharma body", or "truth body", by which the Buddha is of the nature of the essential Absolute Reality, or "emptiness" (Shunyata), so called because it is "empty" of all finite characteristics.

2) the sambhogakaya the body of perfect enjoyment or perfect endowment, by which the Buddha exists as a transcendent, eternal, celestial being; a primordial archetypal deity or Tathagata buddha.

3) the nirmanakaya or "Transformation" or "Eamanation body" or body of manifestation, which is the visible historical form of the Buddha.

1) All life is suffering/ to live is to suffer/ suffering exists
2) Suffering comes from desire
3) To end suffering is to end desire
4) Release from suffering is possible and can be attainted by following Noble Eightfold Path

- Siddhartha Guatama
- known as Buddha or awakened one
- was born the son of a prince of the Shakya tribe in what is today Nepal
-- his mother had dreamt of a white elephant entering her side
- Siddhartha was born from his mother's side
- had special markings on him indicating he was a special person
-priests foretold that eithor he would follow in his father's footsteps and become a great ruler or if he were exposed to suffering, he would become a great spiritual leader
- since his father wanted Siddhartha to succeed him, he kept Siddhartha from being exposed to any suffering
- later Siddhartha rebelled

1. an old man, crooked and toothless
2. A sick man- wasted by disease
3. a corpse being taken for cremation
4. A sannyasin- a wondering holy man, who had no possessions but seemed to be at peace

- he decided to leave the luxeriouse palace he lived in
- he had become too depressed to enjoy his life anymore
- he needed to answer his questions about the human experience
- felt that his life had been a pleasant prison
- he went from teacher to teacher asking questions
- travelled with 5 other nomadic seekers
- to purify himself and rid himself of distractions, he
- practiced great austerity
-eventually he collapsed from weakness
- he was revived and came to the conclusion that austerity did not strengthen him or was the solution to his questions
- adopted path of moderation
- went under a bohi tree and meditated
- he resisted temptations from evil spirits

- a state of profound understanding
- called it his awakening
- Buddha saw aging, death, suffering in a whole new way

- he reunited with his five former companions who had left him when he stopped his acetic habits
- they became his first disciples
- Buddha spent the rest of his life traveling from town to town in northeast India, teaching his insights and way of life

- Siddhartha Guatama
- known as Buddha or awakened one
- was born the son of a prince of the Shakya tribe in what is today Nepal
-- his mother had dreamt of a white elephant entering her side
- Siddhartha was born from his mother's side
- had special markings on him indicating he was a special person
-priests foretold that eithor he would follow in his father's footsteps and become a great ruler or if he were exposed to suffering, he would become a great spiritiual leader
- since his father wanted to succeed him he kept Siddhartha from being exposed to any suffering
- later Siddhartha rebelled

- he decided to leave the luxeriouse palace he lived in
- he had become too depressed to enjoy his life anymore
- he needed to answer his questions about the human experience
- felt that his life had been a pleasant prison
- he went from teacher to teacher asking questions
- travelled with 5 other nomadic seekers
- to purify himself and rid himself of distractions, he
- practiced great austerity
-eventually he collapsed from weakness
- he was revived and came to the conclusion that austerity did not strengthen him or was the solution to his questions
- adopted path of moderation
- went under a bodhi tree and meditated
- he resisted temptations from evil spirits

- he reunited with his five former companions who had left him when he stopped his acetic habits
- they became his first disciples
- Buddha spent the rest of his life traveling from town to town in northeat India, teaching his insights and way of life
-he attracted many followers who donated land and buildings to the cause
- he formed an order (sangha) of monks and later nuns.
- The Buddha's final instructions to his disciples was: Trust your own insights, and use self-control to reach perfection and inner peace.

- in sanskrit - triratna
-the basic Buddhism
-The Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha

- the ideal human being
- whom everyone should imitate
- image of him seated in meditation
- a constant model of self-control and mindfulness
- thought of as existing in a timeless dimension beyond the world

- means the sum total of Buddhist teachings about how to view the world and how to live properly

is the community of monks and nuns

-practical
- concentrated on what is useful
- the answers to every speculation was not in his focus
-ex: questions about the afterlife, the nature of the divine
- Buddha refused to talk about unanswerable questions- it was called his noble silence
- he said it was like a man who was wounded by an arrow, but refused to pull it out until he found out who shot it
- Buddha's two most important questions he concentrated on were:
1) How can we minimize suffering- both our own and others?
2) How can we attain inner peace?

1. constant change,
2. a lack of permanent identity
3.the existence of suffering

Impermanence, constant change

In Thervada, a person who has practiced monastic disciplines and reached nirvana, the ideal

"No self"
- the doctrine that there is no soul or permanent essence in people or things

-is usually translated as "suffering" or "sorrow"
-also means "dissatisfaction" or "dis-ease"
-refers to the the fact that life, when lived conventionally can never be fully satisfying because of its inescapable change

- having a body means we can feel tired and sick
- having a mind means that we can feel troubled
- living means sorrow

- suffering comes from wanting what you cannot have and from never being satisfied

- a recommendation that everyone accept peacefully whatever occurs
- aiming less for happiness and more for inner peace
- focus on the present moment rather than the past, future or your desire for them
---because times of happiness are always paid for times of unhappiness
- I cannot change the outside world, but I can change myself and the way I experience the world

- the ultimate goal of Buddhism is nirvana
---end of suffering and karma, inner peace, and liberation from the limitations of the world

1. Right understanding: I recognize the impermanence of life, the mechanism of desire, and cause of suffering
2. Right Intention: My thoughts and motives are pure, not tainted by my emotions and selfish desires
3. Right Speech: I speak honestly and kindly, in postive ways, avoiding lies, exaggeration, harsh words
4. Right action: My actions do not hurt any other being that can feel hurt, including animals; I avoid stealing and sexual conduct that would cause hurt
5. Right work: My job does no harm to myself or others
6. Right effort: With moderation, I consistently strive to improve.
7. Right meditation (right mindfulness): I use the disciplines of meditation (dhyana) and focused awareness to contemplate the nature of reality more deeply
8. Right contemplation: I cultivate states of blissful inner peace (samadhi)

- "Meditation"
-focusing of the mind
- sometimes stages of trances

- a state of deep awareness
- the result of intense meditation

- "Do no harm"
-this ideal was already prominent in India before the time of Buddha
- may have ancient and pre-Vedic origins
- for Buddhism, ahimsa is fundamental
- causing hurt is cruel and unnecessary - life is already hard enough

- Buddha rejects notion of a soul (a unchanging spiritual reality)
- but accepts the some notion of rebirth
- the elements of the personality that makes up an individual can recombine and thus continue from one lifetime to another

- determines how one will be reborn
- in Hinduism and Jainism, karma is attached to the soul as it passes from life to life
- in Buddhism karma is thought to accompany and affect the elements of personality that reappear in later lifetimes

-the everyday world of change
- suggests decay and pain

- the liberation of samsara
- existence beyond limitation
- rarely occurs
- is possible to obtain during a lifetime
- after obtaining nirvana, rebirth is finished and in a culture that believes that individuals have been born many times - this is a welcome thought

- Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana
-followers of a Buddhist path are often not aware of other branches
- even if they know of other forms, generally they don't define themselves in contrast with other branches
- they define themselves more as Buddhist lineages- tracing their beliefs and practices back to the great teachers of the past

sayings of the Buddha

sayings of the Buddha