Transcript 8 - Homework Market

WORLD RELIGIONS
Welcome
to
the Complex World
Of
**Buddhism**
The Religion of Enlightenment
TRIRATNA (“THREE JEWELS)
Ways to Nirvana
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BUDDHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI
DHARMAM SARANAM GACCHAMI
SANGHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI
=>The “three Jewels” (TIRATANA in Pali, and
TRIRATNA in Sanskrit) is repeated every day by
all Buddhists, both monks and laity.
I
take refuge in the Buddha
I take refuge in the Dharma
(Teaching)
I take refuge in the Community
(Sangha)
3 Pillars of Buddhism
(or Main Concerns)
 Wisdom
(Enlightenment)
 Morality
 Meditation
Not
Blind Faith!
* These 3 Pillars are clarified in the famous doctrine of 4
Noble Truths.
BUDDHIST DOCTRINE
 I.
 II.
The Four Noble Truths
The Noble Eightfold path
THE 4 NOBLE TRUTHS
1.
DUKKHA
2. TANHA (or TRISHNA)
3. NIRVANA
4. EIGHTFOLD PATH
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1. DUKKHA (Suffering)
2. TRISHNA (“thirst”, desire)
3. NIRVANA (extinguishing the desire)
4. EIGHTFOLD PATH (the way for removing the
desire)
The 4 Noble Truths
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1. Life is DUKKHA
2. The cause of Dukkha is TANHA.
3. Nirvana: to end suffering we must extinguish
the desire
4. To reach Nirvana the method is that of
eightfold path
The Eightfold Path
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Right
Right
Right
Right
Right
Right
Right
Right
views
intentions
Speech
action
livelihood
effort
mindfulness
concentration
These 8 steps represent the 3 fundamental aspects of
Buddhist Spirituality:
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1. PRAJNA: Knowledge, Wisdom, Insight (1-2)
- Entails Views and Thought
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2. SILA: Morality, Ethical conduct (3-5)
- Entails Speech, Action, Livelihood
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3. DYANA: Meditation or Mental Discipline (6-8):
Samadhi, Samatha.
- Entails Effort, Concentration, Mindfulness
BUDDHAGHOSA, a 5th-century C.E. Theravadin
commentator referred to
 the two legs of Buddhism as
Morality and Meditation,
upon which
 the body of WISDOM or Insight
stands.
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A. WISDOM (PRAJNA):
 1. Right views
Eightfold path:
 2. Right intentions

B. ETHICS (SILA):
 3. Right Speech
 4. Right action
 5. Right livelihood
C. MEDITATION (DYANA)
 6. Right effort
 7. Right mindfulness
 8. Right concentration
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1. Right views,
Especially of the 4 Noble Truths
 or Right understanding
 or Right vision of reality.
(“To see things as they really are,” not as I wish them to be).
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2. Right intentions or “Right Thought,”
Thought that is shaped by detachment from
hatred and cruelty
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3. Right Speech,
Speech that refrains from
falsehood, gossip, frivolity.
 4.
Right action
Action free of killing, stealing, harming.
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5. Right livelihood,
Refraining from earning a living through
astrology, casting magic spells,
or careers that involve inflicting harm or killing
 6.
Right effort
Effort to clear and calm the mind
 7.
Right mindfulness
 8.
Right concentration
The distinctive form of Buddhist meditation that observes
clearly the mind and body and cultivates detachment
The last stage of advanced meditation that attains the
mastery of trance states
4 Noble Truths
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1. DUKKHA (Suffering)
2. TANHA or TRISHNA (“thirst”, desire)
3. NIRVANA (extinguishing the desire)
4. EIGHTFOLD PATH (the way for removing the
desire)
4 Noble Truths
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1. Life is DUKKHA
(suffering or pain that colors all finite existence).
Human life as typically lived is unfulfilling
and filled with insecurity.
The desire causes suffering because every object of desire that is gained
is, because of its inherent impermanence, ultimately lost.
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2.
The cause of suffering (or life's dislocation)
is TANHA or TRISHNA
Tanha = selfish desire, selfish craving,
hatred, delusion, voluptuous desire,
all forms of selfishness, greed in its multiple forms
The term for desire (Trishna) literally means
“Thirst.”
It covers all that human beings “thirst after far
beyond mere liquids:
food, drink, possessions, power, sex
According to Gautama, this root of human suffering has
three forms (that correspond to the three fundamental
human appetites concerning the senses, emotions and
possessions) :
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- Greed for sense-pleasure
(gluttony and unchastity are a kind of wild forces
that lead people to much trouble)
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- Greed for individual existence
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- Greed
for non existence or vibhava tanha
With his notion of Tanha (greed in its multiple forms),
Gautama has pointed to the sickest aspect of the human tragedy.
 All human beings are victims of greed.
 But what is important is to be able to keep our appetites under control by
the force of our mind and reason.
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3. To end suffering we must extinguish the desire (= Nirvana)
NIRVANA = the blowing out of desire
= a state of ultimate peace.
Nirvana comes from a sanskrit verb meaning
“to cool by blowing.”
Thus, it refers to the state of the one who has “cooled” the
feverish Kleshas (“poisons,” “hindrances”) such as greed,
hatred and delusions that create bad karma and bind the
individual into samsara, the world of endless rebirth and
suffering.
4. The path to attain Nirvana is the Noble Eightfold path
The Eightfold Path
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1.
Right View
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or Right understanding
or Right vision of reality.
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(“To see things as they really are,” not as I wish them to be).
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2. Right intent or right thought.
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What is “Right Thought”?
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Right thought is not the same as Right Understanding,
but the one flows from the other.
Right Understanding is a vision of reality,
but Right Thoughts are inner yearnings, aspirations, and wishes.
One can have right yearnings only if one has a right vision.
Gautama detailed Right Thought as :
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1°) thoughts of renunciation,
2°) thoughts of good will toward others
3°) thoughts of compassion or non harming
They are the opposite of
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1°) the thoughts of sense-desire
2°) the thoughts of ill will
3°) the thoughts of violence or harm
Note :
 Although Buddhism does not stress the performance of acts of charity as do
Judaism, Christianity and Islam, it is not a negative religion insisting only on selfcontrol.
 Gautama insisted that every person should project thoughts of friendliness
toward others and even toward those who are not friends.
 Gautama touched the source of charity itself, which is good intention and
compassion of the heart.
3. Right Speech
Gautama has drawn attention to four types of wrong speech that should be
avoided by the truly mature person :
 1°) falsehood
 2°) slander
 3°) harsh words
 4°) gossip
Gautama insisted on good speech because he knew what its power was in the
transformation of individuals and of society.
He advised :
"Noble speech is apt. Therefore,
 Express reality, not non-reality.
 Say what is pleasant, not what is unpleasant.
 Speak what is true, not lies.
 Speak only words that do not bring remorse, nor hurt
another.
That is good speech indeed".
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4. Right Conduct or right action:
 Five Transgressions and Five Precepts
 Ten Evils
 Ten Precepts
The Five Transgressions
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1. Killing father, mother, monk, injuring the Buddha,
2. Creating disharmony in the Sangha (in Hinayana Buddhism)
3. vandalizing temple, statues, and scriptures,
4. Slandering the teaching, obstructing religious practices,
5. violating the five precepts, and committing the ten evils (in
Mahayana Buddhism)
The Five Precepts:
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1. Do not kill (animals and vegetations included)
2. Do not steal
3. Do not lie
4. Do not be unchaste
5. Do not drink intoxicants
The Ten Evils:
 1.
Killing,
 2. Anger
 3. Stealing
 4. Greed
 5. Adultery
6. Lying
7. Harsh words
8. Slandering
9. Idle talk
10.Wrong views