Transcript Buddhism intro L3

What is Buddhism?
Buddha
under
Bodhi
Tree,
Sri
Lanka
1993 CHICAGO PARLIAMENT
OF THE WORLD RELIGIONS
“The Buddha was not God or a god. He was a human being who
attained full enlightenment…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.”
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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.
Followers
There are around 350 million
Buddhists and a growing number of
them are Westerners. They follow many
different forms of Buddhism, but all
traditions are characterized by non-
violence, lack of dogma, tolerance
of differences, and, usually, by the
practice of meditation.
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 interesting
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 Gautama (Buddha) 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 was jolted out of his
sheltered life on realizing that life
includes the harsh facts of old
age, sickness, and death.
Pipal Tree
The Story of the Buddha
This prompted him to puzzle over the meaning of life.
Eventually he left his palace at age 29 and to follow the
traditional Indian path of the wandering holy man, a
seeker after Truth. He 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’d gained Enlightenment.
After 49 days, on the full moon in May, Siddhartha
finally attained ultimate Freedom.
Four Noble Truths
The Four Aryan (or
Noble) Truths are
perhaps the most
basic formulation of
the Buddha's
teaching.
Defining the Four Noble Truths
In Buddhism, the precepts that are the
essence of the Buddha's teaching: that life
is suffering, that desires cause suffering,
that the annihilation of desires can relieve
suffering, that the way to do this is by
following the Eightfold Path
FIRST NOBLE TRUTH:
LIFE INEVITABLY INVOLVES
SUFFERING:
- Imperfect
- Illness
- Hateful
- Separation
SECOND NOBLE TRUTH:
THE ORIGIN OF SUFFERING IS OUR
DESIRES:
- Grasping for pleasure
- Grasping for becoming
- Grasping for sensual delight
- Grasping for what we don’t have
THIRD NOBLE TRUTH:
SUFFERING WILL STOP WHEN
DESIRES ARE STOPPED:
- When the ‘grasping’ stops
- Elimination of passions
FOURTH NOBLE TRUTH:
THERE IS A WAY TO GET TO THIS
POINT: THE EIGHTFOLD PATH
1) RIGHT
VIEW/UNDERSTANDING
Understanding reality of the imperfect
nature through the Four Noble Truths
Seeing through illusions
2) RIGHT THOUGHT/MOTIVES
Uncover ‘unwholesome’ emotional roots
that guide our thinking
Commit to ethical and mental selfimprovement
Only then do we become free from selfcentredness
3) RIGHT SPEECH
Abstain from vain talk, gossip,
harsh/hurtful words, lying
Communication must further truth and
harmony
Avoid critical ‘self-talk’: “You’re such an
idiot,” or “I always mess things up” and
replace with positive self-talk
4) RIGHT ACTION
FIVE RULES OF MORAL CONDUCT:
1)
2)
3)
4)
DO NOT DESTROY LIFE
DO NOT STEAL
AVOID SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
DO NOT USE INTOXICANTS
ABOVE ALL: ALL ACTIONS SHOULD BE
BASED ON CLEAR UNDERSTANDING
MONKEYS TAKE CARE OF
THE TREES, STORY
The Monkey King and the Mangoes
Once upon a time, the Buddha came into the world as a
Monkey King and ruled over 80,000 monkeys. He was very tall
and strong and had wisdom like the sun. In his kingdom on the
banks of the Ganges River, there was a mango tree as big as
the moon. The 80,000 monkeys jumped from branch to branch
chattering and eating the lovely fruit that was big and sweet and
delicious. Sometimes a ripe mango fell into the river.
One day, the Monkey King strolled downstream and came upon
a river palace where a human king lived. "Soon danger will
come if the mangoes float downstream," he told the monkeys.
"Pick all the mangoes and flowers on the trees and take them
deep into the forest."
But one mango, hidden by a bird's nest, was left unseen by the
80,000 monkeys. When it was large and ripe, it fell into the river
and floated downstream where the human king was bathing.
The human king, who was very curious, tasted the beautiful
mango. "This is delicious!' he exclaimed. "I must have more.
Servants, find all the mangoes and bring them to me at once!"
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Deep in the forest, the servants found hundreds of mango trees. In the
trees were the 80,000 monkeys. When the human king heard about the
monkeys, he was very angry, "The monkeys are eating my mangoes. Kill
them all!" he ordered his archers.
"Very well," said the archers and chased the monkeys to the edge of the
forest where they came to a deep cliff. There was no way for the monkeys
to escape. Shivering with fright, they ran to the Monkey King asked, "What
shall we do?"
"Don't be afraid. I will save you," said their king. Quickly, he stretched his
huge body as far as possible and made a bridge over the cliff to a bamboo
grove on the other side.
"Come monkeys, run across my back to the bamboo grove," he called. And
so the 80,000 monkeys escaped.
The human king watched all that happened. He was amazed, "This
Monkey King has risked his life to save his whole troop! And all I'm doing is
being selfish. I have learned a great lesson." Then he called to his archers,
"Put down your bows. It isn't right to kill this King of Monkeys."
Forgetting about the mangoes, the human king went back to his palace by
the river and ruled kindly and wisely for the rest of his life.
5) RIGHT LIVELIHOOD
One should earn a living a righteous and
peaceful way
One’s work should not harm others
No weapons, no slaughter/butchery, no
selling of intoxicants and poisons
6) RIGHT EFFORT
Without effort, an act of the will, none of
this can be achieved.
Refers to the constant effort that must be
put into achieving these wholesome goals
and preventing unwholesome ones.
IT TAKES EFFORT!
7) RIGHT MINDFULNESS
Mental ability to see things as they are
with a clear consciousness.
The way to liberation is through the mind
Practice meditation
“CHECK YOUR MIND
BE ON GUARD
PULL YOURSELF OUT
LIKE AN ELEPHANT FROM THE
MUD.”
The Parable of Pavaraka
The parable that best shows the Buddha’s teaching on mindfulness is the
story of Pavaraka, a powerful elephant belonging to King Kosol. King Kosol was
famous as the conqueror of a small Indian country during the Buddha’s
lifetime. Pavaraka had helped the king to win many wars, but now he was getting
old, and his strength was getting less and less. One day, as Pavaraka was looking
for food in the jungle, he fell into a mud hole and could not get out. The king
ordered Pavaraka’s trainer to rescue the elephant. Concerned about the difficulty
of the job, the trainer called the king’s soldiers to help him. He ordered the soldiers
to act as if they were going to attack. Frightened by the sounds of battle, Pavaraka
could not stand still. In an attempt to protect himself, the elephant used all his
strength and courage to run away from the oncoming army. Empowered by his
increased inner strength caused by fear, Pavaraka was able to pull himself free
from the mud-hole trap.
Their interest attracted by the story, the bhikkhus asked the Buddha what
lesson they should draw for their own lives. The Buddha answered that the
elephant fell into the mud hole because he was not mindful of what he was
doing. Similarly, bhikkhus can be captured by defilements if they are not
constantly careful and attentive. Bhikkhus must follow the elephant’s example and
work hard to free themselves from the chains of the defilements. When bhikkhus
become free from the defilements, they are no longer open to temptation by
thoughts of ill will, greed, hatred, and delusion.
The Buddha’s warning is directed in particular at bhikkhus, especially those
who live in monasteries, because if they are negligent, they risk damaging
relationships with their associates and their followers. Like the elephant, bhikkhus
must use all their strength and courage to be good disciples and good spiritual
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leaders for their communities.
8) RIGHT MEDITATION/
CONCENTRATION
Applying mental discipline to quiet the
mind, and unify the mind to wholesome
thoughts and actions.
THE MIND IS SUBTLE, INVISIBLE, AND
TREACHEROUS
USE SKILLFUL MEANS TO SEE AND
UNDERSTAND ITS NATURE
Meditation
Buddhist practices such as meditation are
means of changing oneself in order to
develop the qualities of awareness,
kindness, and wisdom.
10 PRECEPTS
(often compared to 10 commandments, but they are not commandments – more like
recommendations)
Refrain from…
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
…taking/harming life
…taking things not freely given
…sexual misconduct
…false speech (lies)
…intoxicating drinks and drugs
…untimely meals and over eating
…dancing, singling, public spectacles
…garlands, perfumes, ornaments to body
…high seats and high beds
…accepting gold or silver
MONASTICS VS LAY PEOPLE
ONLY FIRST FIVE PRECEPTS
FOR BUDDHIST FOLLOWERS
ALL TEN FOR THOSE
MONKS/NUNS IN
PREPARATION FOR A
MONASTIC LIFE
Hermann Hesse
(Copy to your white Notes handout)
Background on Hermann Hesse
1877-1962
German descent, Christian background
Rebelled against parents (left seminary)
Traveled and searched for answers (Italy, India)
Witnessed WWI devastation
Pacifist – wrote antiwar essays (hated by
German government)
Wanted escape from death and savagery
Naturalized as Swiss citizen (and is buried there)
The Chinese Buddha
Themes
Quest
Asceticism
Meditation
Autonomy
Self-Esteem
Contentment
Alienation
Materialism
Rediscovery
Loss
Harmony