Transcript PPT from 11/10

Agenda:
Independent reading
Introduction to Siddhartha
Thursday, November 10, 2016
HW: Finish chapter 1
Independent Reading
Warm-up
• Realistically, where will you be in 10 years? What will you be doing? What
is your best-case scenario?
• Write for 7 minutes.
If you can’t imagine 10 years, try 5… or 1.
Warm-up
Draw yourself one year from today in a specific setting.
• What does 2017 look like for you?
• What will you be doing?
• What will your relationships be like with your family and friends?
• What will you be looking forward to? Worried about?
“Know thyself ”
-Socrates said that an unexamined life is not one worth living.
What does that mean to you?
AuthenticityThis is something we all strive for, but what does it even mean?
Achievement –how do you define this word? What does it mean to achieve
something?
Know thyself
Socrates said that an unexamined life is not one worth living.
What does that mean to you?
Authenticity
This is something we all strive for, but what does it even mean?
Achievement
What does achievement mean?
Words like success and happiness are thrown around, but also money
usually comes to mind.
Let’s not forget there are plenty of “successful” people who are miserably
unhappy.
By the way…
Nel Noddings, author of Critical Lessons, wrote that true happiness is
“most often satisfied by the pursuit of intrinsically valued, freely chosen
goals.”
Intrinsic?
Your #1 Job
Reach your highest potential.
“Be the youiest you.”
Let’s be real…
You don’t need to be passionate about everything, but you do need to be
passionate about something.
Self-actualization
To realize one’s true self and one’s path to full potential.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Siddhartha
A Study of Self-Actualization
Hand out books!
Hermann Hesse (1877-1962)
German painter, poet, and novelist
Depicted in his works:
• the dualistic nature of existence
• body versus mind
• the individual's spiritual search outside the
restrictions of the society
Hermann Hesse
• Born on July 2, 1877, into a family of
missionaries and religious publishers in the
Black Forest town of Calw, in the German
state of Württemberg
• High expectations from family
• Entered Seminary in 1891; expelled in 1892
Hermann Hesse
• Worked in book stores as a young man
• Published first work in 1899
• Called his books “biographies of the soul.”
• Visited India in 1911 and became interested in
studies of Eastern religions
• Joined pacifists in anti-war activities during
World War I
Hermann Hesse
• Naturalized as Swiss citizen and is buried there.
• Died August 9, 1962 at the age of 85
• He is still one of the best-selling German writers
throughout the world.
Hermann Hesse
Siddhartha – his novel
• It’s the story of an individual’s search for truth
and identity.
• Written in 1922 after WWI when people were
trying to make sense of the devastation inflicted
by “civilized” countries, but the roots of the story
were always there, inside Hesse.
• Written in German, so it was later published in the
U.S. in 1951.
• Hesse's ninth novel
• Style: simple yet powerful, lyrical
• Became influential in the US during the 1960s
Hesse and the Hippies
• Following his death in 1962, Hesse’s novels revived
popularity due to association with popular themes
of the counterculture (or “hippie”) movement (–
nonconformity).
• Hesse became a “cult hero” to 1960s youth
• Many fans of his literature were going through
similar personal journeys, seeking identity and truth.
• His fans were also able to identify with his
rebellious, passionately spiritual heroes and their
struggles to transcend the materialism of society
through art, mysticism, and love” (Malthaner).
Overview
• Beauty and Depth > Excitement and Entertainment
• The story begins at Siddhartha’s religious home/community. He is the
son of a Brahmin (a member of the highest ranking social class of the
Hindus– the priest class), yet feels he needs to breakaway from religious
inadequacies.
• A search for god leads to a search for self and harmony.
• The story is founded in Buddhist ideals, but it eventually breaks away
from Buddhism.
Siddhartha: Overview
• Published in 1922.
• Largely autobiographical.
• Set in India during the ministry of Gotama Buddha (c. 563-483 BCE)
• Siddhartha = “he who has achieved his aim” in Sanskrit
• It traces Siddhartha’s lifelong quest for the ultimate meaning of existence
and for a way of living that will provide self-realization.
Prior Knowledge?
• What do we know about Hinduism?
• What do we know about Buddhism?
Ancient Indian Society
•
Some research suggests that Indo-Aryan invaders established a
long-standing social stratification in India. Records of the caste
system date back to the Vedic Period (300 BCE).
•
Certain Hindu scriptures describe a caste system for organizing
society but never endorse discrimination based on caste.
•
Traditionally, an individual’s
caste defined occupation,
diet, social interaction, and
style of dress.
Indian Caste System
• Brahmins / Priests - intellectual and spiritual leaders
(Siddhartha)
• Kshatriya / Warriors and aristocrats - protectors of
society
• Vaishyas / Merchants, farmers,
artisans - skilled producers
• Shundras / unskilled labor
• Untouchables - outside of caste
system
Hinduism and Castes
• Many sacred texts in Hinduism recognize the traditional caste system
as a divine order in which upward social mobility is only achieved
through reincarnation, or rebirth.
• Collected karma (actions) influences your atman’s
(soul’s) position in next life.
Concepts in Hinduism
Hindu concepts of god, spirituality, etc. vary widely with each particular
tradition or philosophy. Siddhartha’s family practiced a form of Vedic
Hinduism. Here are a few useful terms from that tradition:
Atman – the true soul, or “self,” of a person
Brahman, the supreme spirit or truth. Most want to find
a connection between this universal spirit and self. (Do
not confuse this term with Brahmin caste.)
Concepts in Hinduism
Samsara – The cycle of life, death, and rebirth
connected to reincarnation. The wheel of life is a
symbols for this process.
Nirvana – state of true understanding and freedom
from samsara. (Also known in some traditions as
Moksha)
Concepts in Hinduism
Meditation - a mental discipline by which one attempts to
get beyond the conditioned, "thinking" mind into a deeper
state of awareness. This is one method for achieving
enlightenment.
Om – a highly symbolic
sound made to focus and
guide religious meditation.
Each syllable (a-u-m) takes
on a specific meaning in
Sanskrit and represents
a sacred, all-encompassing sound.
From Hinduism to Buddhism
Around 500 BC, Buddhism was a new philosophy founded by
a “Buddha,” a man who had reached enlightenment by his own
means.
This Buddha had new ideas
about reaching enlightenment.
What is Buddhism?
1993 CHICAGO PARLIAMENT OF
THE WORLD RELIGIONS
“The Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was not God or a god. He was a
human being who attained full enlightenment through meditation and
showed us the path of spiritual awakening and freedom. Therefore,
Buddhism is not a religion of God. Buddhism is a religion of wisdom,
enlightenment and compassion. Like the worshippers of God who believe
that salvation is available to all through confession of sin and a life a prayer,
we Buddhists believe that salvation and enlightenment are available to all
through the removal of delusion and a life of meditation. However, unlike
those who believe in God who is separate from us, Buddhists believe that
Buddha, which means ‘one who is awake and enlightened’ is inherent in us all
as Buddhanature or Buddhamind.”
39
Buddhism is…
• a path of practice and spiritual development leading to insight into the
true nature of life
• A way of life, a philosophy of BECOMING/AWAKENING
What gods do Buddhists worship?
• Buddhism does not include the idea of worshipping a creator god; some
people do not see it as a religion in the normal, Western sense.
• No creator, no god.
Then how is Buddhism a religion?
• The basic tenets of Buddhist teaching are straightforward and practical:
• nothing is fixed or permanent
• actions have consequences
• change is possible.
Thus Buddhism addresses itself to all people irrespective of race, nationality, or
gender.
• It is a religion of wisdom, enlightenment, and compassion.
Who is the Buddha?
• The word ‘Buddha’ is a title, which means ‘one who is awake’ — in the
sense of having ‘woken up to reality’
His story is an interesting one.
• The Buddha was born as Siddhartha (“he who achieves his aim”)
Gautama in Nepal around 2,500 years ago. He did not claim to be a god
or a prophet. He was a human being who became Enlightened,
understanding life in the deepest way possible.
The Story of the Buddha
• Siddhartha was born into the royal family of a small kingdom on the
Indian-Nepalese border.
• According to the traditional story he had a privileged upbringing, but he
was jolted out of his sheltered life on realizing that life still includes the
harsh facts of old age, sickness, and death.
The Story of the Buddha
• This prompted him to puzzle over the meaning of life.
Eventually he felt impelled to leave his palace at age 29 and
follow the traditional Indian path of the wandering holy man,
a seeker after Truth. He became very adept at meditation
under various teachers, and then took up ascetic practices.
This was based on the belief that one could free the spirit
by denying the flesh. He practiced austerities so
determinedly that he almost starved to death.
• But he still hadn’t solved the mystery of life and death. True
understanding seemed as far away as ever.
• So he abandoned this way and looked into his own heart and
mind; he decided to trust his intuition and learn from direct
experience. He sat down beneath a pipal tree and vowed to
stay there until he gained Enlightenment. After 49 days, on the
full moon in May, Siddhartha Gautama finally attained ultimate
freedom.
Four Noble Truths
• The Four Aryan (or Noble) Truths
are perhaps the most basic
formulation of the Buddha's
teaching.
Enlightenment
• This is a lofty, vague word that will be mentioned a lot in this unit.
Whenever we say the word consider these things:
• Nirvana
• Ultimate wisdom
• Ultimate awareness of one’s place in the world
• Ultimate peace with the state of every aspect of one’s life.
It can mean whatever you would like to mean
Essential Questions
• How does one achieve contentment, peace, wisdom, etc.?
• How does one discover one’s truest self ?
• How are we supposed to find our way?
• What is happiness?
• How do we carve out a meaningful life for ourselves?
Are we ready to travel inwards?
• Let’s open up to chapter one!