Transcript powerpoint - Philosophy HKU

Buddhism and the Meaning of Life
 Life and reincarnation
 Eternal life without God/heaven
 Karmic repayment for behavior
 Hindu and Western bias
 Permanent soul
 Soul = mind = real value
 Body = emotions = distraction (evil)
 Sex, gluttony, selfishness
Nirvana Samsara Distinction
 Christian heaven and Nirvana
 Puzzling nature of Nirvana
 Samsara is this life—and next 輪 回
 Blowing out the candle 涅 盤
 No value  value in Nirvana (nothing)
 Pessimistic: Life is suffering
 Negative (Renunciation religion) escape
Buddha Story
 As a foreign religion in China
 Zen (Chan 禪) a Chinese version
 Related to Daoism
 Divine birth (no sex) and prophecy
 Father’s resolve—only pleasure
 Exposure and realization
 Life is suffering
 Meditation and enlightenment
 Becomes Buddha (Nirvana?)
Mystery of Meaning of Life
 Four Noble Truths
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Life is suffering
Suffering caused by desire
Cessation of desire = cessation of suffering
Eight-fold path  cessation of desire
 No value or meaning
 Avoid suffering
 Sickness, old age, death
Mahayana 大 乘 development
 Individual soul paradigm (Arhat)
 Hinayana 小 乘 or Theravada
 Bodhisattva 菩 薩
 Waits for everyone to be enlightened at
once
 Comes back to teach the rest of us
 Buddha as historical model
 Some in this class
Paradox of Desire
 Why give up desires
 Desire for nirvana
 To reach nirvana we have to stop wanting
 Logic of the bodhisattva
 One more step for Chan (Zen)
 Why make it the last?
Daoist Influence
 Desires come from distinctions 辯
 Optimism about life
 Opposite mood
 Model of total involvement
 Cook Ding (庖丁) and absorption in skill
 Choice of butcher!
Chinese Schools
 All Mahayana
 Universal salvation (moral equality)
 Positive reading of Nirvana, Buddha Nature
 Tiantai (天 台) Huayen (華 嚴) and Chan (禪)
 Theory and practice!
Story of Hui Neng
 Southern, illiterate woodcutter
 Hears and “instantly” englightened
 Goes to temple (why?)
 Assigned ordinary labor – no study
 Poem competition
 Constant care to make mind clear (the mirror)
 Mind is originally clear—no dust (no illusions)
 Leaves temple (kicked out?)
 Throws away robe, wanders and chops wood
Nirvana = Samsara
 To give up a desire is to give up the
distinction
 Giving up desire for nirvana
 Giving up distinction between nirvana and this
life
 No distinction between meditation and everyday
life
 Between enlightenment and ordinary
consciousness
 Meditation school with no meditation
Buddha Nature = Self-nature
 Everything is Buddha nature
 Paradoxes of Chan masters: burning Buddha
 All are already bodhisattva
 Nothing to seek
 Self acceptance – stop seeking for
enlightenment
 Meaning of life from giving up the search
 And just living
Meditation = Everyday
Consciousness
 What I’m doing now
 Butcher, flower arranger, tea ceremony, actor
 Samurai warrior
 Painter, philosopher, Zen priest
Every Moment Zen
 Umbrella to left or right of clogs?
Doctor Story
 Zen is care for patients
 A Koan – meaningless
 Absorbed in care for patients and lost fear of
death
The Strawberry
 Values of eating, drinking, sleeping
 Tiger and strawberry
Awake!
 Beating
 Spitting and abuse
 Throwing out (walking zen)
 Shouting
 Koans
Five Common Doctrines
 Highest truth cannot be spoken (thought)
 Spiritual cultivation cannot be cultivated
 In the end nothing is gained
 Nothing much in Buddhist teaching
 In carrying water and chopping wood, therein
lies the wonderful dao