Transcript Buddha and Buddhism

The Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama
Born
c. 563 BCE (or 490 BCE) in
Lumbini, today in Nepal
Diedc. 483 BCE (or 410 BCE) (aged 80) in
Kushinagar, today in India
Birth
Sheltered life
The Four Passing Sights
Leaving Home
The Quest
1) Raja Yoga
2) Asceticism
There is a Middle Way
The Temptation
First Sermon
The Four Noble Truths
1) Life is suffering (dukkha)
2) The cause of suffering is desire (tanha)
3) The cure for suffering is in overcoming desire
4) The way to overcoming suffering is the eightfold path
The eight-fold path
Meditation
Basic Buddhist Concepts
THE THREE MARKS OF EXISTENCE
Dukka - Suffering
Anicca - The doctrine of impermanence.
Anatta - The doctrine that there is in humans no permanent, underlying substance that
can be called the soul.
THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF BUDDHISM
Nirvana- The extinction of desire, hatred, and ignorance and, ultimately, of suffering and
rebirth. Literally, it means “blowing out” or “becoming extinguished,” as when a flame
is blown out or a fire burns out.
Common View
Buddhist View
What does “No-Self” mean?
Subject/Perceiver
Perceptions -- Thoughts -- Feelings
Perceptions -- Thoughts -- Feelings
Subject/self/ perceiver
• Common view
Perceptions --- thoughts ---- feelings
• Buddhist View
Perceptions --- thoughts --- feelings
Theravada (Hinayana) vs. Mahayana
Theravada
Mahayana
Human beings are emancipated by selfeffort, without supernatural aid.
Human aspirations are supported by divine
powers and the grace they bestow
Key virtue: Wisdom
Key virtue: Compassion
Attainment requires constant commitment,
and is primarily for monks and nuns
Religious practice is relevant to life in the
world, and therefore to laypeople.
Ideal: The Arhat who remains in nirvana
after death
Ideal: the boddhisattva
Buddha is a savior
Buddha a saint, supreme teacher, and
inspirer
Elaborates metaphysics
Minimizes ritual
Emphasizes ritual
Practice centers on meditation.
Includes petitionary prayer
The Three Bodies of the Buddha
Emptiness
Nagarjuna
Types of Mahayana Buddhism
Pure Land
Zen
Hotei (Laughing) Buddha
Vajarayana: Tibetan Buddhism