Transcript Chapter 6: Buddhism

Exploring the Religions
of Our World
Chapter 6 Buddhism
Chapter 6, Introduction: Buddhism
A Human-Centered Religion
 Sanskrit budhi = to wake up
 Human centered religion—responsibility for spiritual
development on individual
 Purpose = to be awakened or enlightened to what is real
 Founded by Siddhartha Gautama (circa 560-483 BCE)
 Kshatriyas (warrior caste) in India (present day Nepal)
 Buddha = Awakened One
 Teachings lead to Nirvana = to extinguish or blow out suffering, impermanence,
delusions, & all that continues samsara; the spiritual goal of Buddhism
 Human being—neither god not messenger
 Respect as most compassionate person through bowing to image; not worship
 2,500 years old
 Theravada & Mahayana (subdivided) are two main branches
 Complex history & vast sacred texts
 Simple to elaborate rituals & meditative practices
 Most live in Asia but spreading in Europe, Australia, & North America
Chapter 6, Introduction: Buddhism
The Basics
• The purpose behind Buddhism is to be enlightened
about that which is real
• Founder: Siddhartha Gautama
• The goal of Buddhism is to attain Nirvana
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“Bliss”, the extinction of suffering, impermanence, delusion,
& all that seemingly keeps the life cycle going
• Two main branches:
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Theravada Buddhism - priest centered
Mahayana Buddhism - embraces / encourages all people’s
participation (American Buddhism)
Chapter 6, Section 1: A Brief History of Buddhism
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Origin = birth of Siddhartha Gautama in 560 BCE
Continues w/ the preservation of his teachings through the Four Councils
Began in India, spread throughout Central, Eastern, & SE Asia
In modern times has become worldwide due to meditation, spirituality, & wisdom
Siddhartha Gautama
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Shakyamuni = sage of the Shakya clan—Gautama’s nickname
Kshatriya caste; father a king in small Nepalese village; mother Queen Maya
Dreamed she conceived through an elephant’s touch = king or holy man
On way to father’s house in 560 BCE born miraculously in Lumbini Gardens
From her right side, 7 steps, “No more births for me”, mom died 7 days later
Father raised a pampered prince—comfortable & sheltered from suffering
Married Yasodhara at 16 & bore son Rahula; at 19 traveled outside boundaries
Four Sights = old man, sick man, corpse, & holy man w/out possessions
At 29, left wife & son for the forest (vanaprastha) & simple robes of a holy man
Lived as a wandering ascetic for 6 years—meditation & fasting
Questioning the meaning of life, especially suffering
Tempted by Mara the stealer of Wisdom—thirst, lust, discontent, & sensuality
Chapter 6, Section 1: A Brief History of Buddhism
Siddhartha Gautama cont.
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Enlightened under bodhi tree (fig)—Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya in Bihar
Returned to Deer Park & hesitantly preached wisdom to 5 ascetics
Middle Way = neither indulgence nor asceticism lead to moksha from samsara
Living in the middle of the spectrum consists in following the Four Noble Truths
The fourth truth is to live the Noble Eightfold Path
5 ascetics followed him & formed the sangha—monastic & later entire community
Traveled, preached, converted near home & then at home—wife, son, & cousin
Died at the age of 80 from food poisoning & entered Nirvana around 483 BCE
“Nothing is permanent” & “You must work out your own salvation w/ diligence”
Cremated, relics divided where he traveled, stupas built to house, pilgrimages
The Four Councils
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Buddha didn’t leave a successor or writings but Dharma = teachings to “uphold”
Concern over the purity of his teaching about righteous acts to uphold laws of nature
First Council—500 monks; 1 yr. post death; preserve by reciting memories
Second Council—100 yrs. later; liberal practices of monks; unlawful; split
Chapter 6, Section 1: A Brief History of Buddhism cont.
The Four Councils cont.
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Sthaviras (conservative—10) & Mahasanghikas (liberal—8) — subdivided more
Theravada was 1 of 10 Sthaviras & only one still in existence today
Mahasanghikas = forerunners of modern Mahayana Buddhism (Great Ox Cart)
Third Council—conversion of King Ashoka in 200’s BCE after disenchantment
with war led to rapid growth (stupas—relics, monasteries, & missionaries to
Ceylon (Sri Lanka)—Tissa, Greece—Antiochus II, & Egypt—Ptolemy II) but
also some questionable practices
 Fourth Council—evolution of Mahayana Buddhism as distinct sect by 100 CE
brought more lay people into Buddhism but also various interpretations of
scripture so two meetings were held—Sri Lanka & Kasmir (India/Pakistan)
Buddhism in India
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Great strides in India in 1st few centuries of CE—continued monasteries & stupas
Under the Gupta dynasty (240-550)—but also universities/missionaries: Nalanda
Rise in Mahayana Buddhism as education available to all via two channels
Monks became elitist & laity drifted away to bhakti Hinduism
Chapter 6, Section 1: A Brief History of Buddhism cont.
Buddhism in India cont.
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These factors along with Hun invasion in 470 CE almost killed Buddhism in India
Huns defeated in 528 CE but Buddhism never recovered
Theme: when Buddhism declines in one place it rises in another
Chinese Buddhist pilgrims came to India & returned w/ knowledge & texts
Partial recovery under the Pala dynasty—“protector”; 700-1200 CE; Tibetan
monastery focus
 Invasion of Muslims & end of Pala dynasty ends Buddhism in India until 1900 CE
 Slow return of Buddhism to birthplace: 1) exiled Tibetan Buddhists by Chinese
communism & 2) Hindu conversion in India to protest caste system
Buddhist Expansion Beyond India
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1. Central Asia—shortly after the death of Buddha introduced
Important for centuries in: Afghan-, Uzbek-, Tajik-, and Pak- istan
Shared religious landscape including Christianity
Ultimately Islam was dominant
Chapter 6, Section 1: A Brief History of Buddhism cont.
Buddhist Expansion Beyond India cont.
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2. Southeast Asia—introduced via Ceylon (Sri Lanka today)
In Malaysia & Indonesia with Hinduism until 900 CE when Islam replaced both
Thailand & Myanmar—Theravada Buddhism
Vietnam—Mahayana Buddhism
Kampuchea (Cambodia)—Mahayana until 1000 CE then Theravada
European colonialism & Chinese communism overwhelmed & devastated but did
not destroy; slow revival today
 3. China—early CE; slowly joined Confucianism & Taoism; heavily engrained
 Ch’an & Pure Land Buddhist schools of thought developed in China
 Moved to Korea—deep reverence to the Tripitaka = early Buddhist scriptures
 From Korea to Japan—Ch’an Buddhism became known as Zen & 2 other sects; rulers
embraced but Shintoism did not at first; can’t distinguish after awhile
 4. Tibet—Vajrayana Buddhism (aka Tantric) emerged from Mahayana Buddhism;
emphasis on mantras, rituals, & meditation as paths to Enlightenment
 1300 CE idea that monastery leaders are avatars of bodhisattvas = beings that refrain from
entering Nirvana out of compassion to help others enter; deities from Mahayana Buddhism
 Called lamas & head of lamas is called Dalai Lama = political leader in Tibet as well until
1959 when exiled to Dharamsala, India by Chinese communists
Chapter 6, Section 1: A Brief History of Buddhism cont.
Buddhism in Modern Times
 Buddhist meditation, wisdom, & spirituality
has attracted interest of West
 Non-Buddhist writers & thinkers but not until modern times
 Sporadic encounters until British colonization in 17th century
 John of Damascus translated life of Buddha; 8th century—Barlaam & Josephat
 Francis Xavier in Japan & Matteo Ricci in China in 16th century
 Western intellectuals got European translations of Buddhist texts from British
 Henry David Thoreau translated French sutra into English in US
 19th century railroad expansion brought Chinese Buddhist immigrants & agriculture
brought Japanese Buddhist immigrants to Hawaii & California
 World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893—Japanese Zen master D. T.
Suzuki influenced American author Allen Ginsberg & monk Thomas Merton
 20th century decline in Soviet Union, China, Tibet, SW Asia due to communism
 As declined in East, rose in the West—England & California
 One of the fastest growing world religions—isolated
 Individualism, self-help, & self-realization
Chapter 6, Section 1: A Brief History of Buddhism cont.
The Dalai Lama
 Exiled spiritual & political leader of Tibet
 1989 Nobel Peace Prize
 “Mental peace, not hatred & competition,
can bring world peace”
 “True religion must be a destroyer”
 “The aim of religion applied rightly is
always the same—better human beings”
 Nonviolent campaign to end 40 years of
Chinese persecution & genocide in Tibet
 Tibetan people are “good hearted”
 Historical gifts = spirituality, peace,
nonviolence, relationship to nature & people
You Tube Video: Buddhism
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The Life of Buddha: BBC Documentary
Chapter 6, Section 1: A Brief History of Buddhism cont.
Facts about Siddhartha Gautama:
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Born about 560 BCE & died about 483
Born into a Hindu warrior caste
Was married at 16-years old & fathered one son
At 19, he encountered four things his father had tried to
shield from him
• Reached enlightenment by taking up meditation on this
suffering & the cycle of rebirth; he wrote no texts
• Converted many countrymen by preaching that moksha
could be attained by the Middle Way
Chapter 6, Section 1: A Brief History of Buddhism cont.
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Middle Way – the teaching the liberation comes from neither
sever asceticism nor from a life of wild indulgence; his insight
came from watching a man tuning a string instrument
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The “Four Sights” - what Gautama’s father tried to shield from him
• Siddhartha ‘saw’: Old age; Illness; Death; Ascetic
(renouncing material comforts to live a self-disciplined life)
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Bodhi tree – the fig tree where Buddha found enlightenment
Chapter 6, Section 1: A Brief History of Buddhism cont.
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Dharma – upholding with cosmic laws or with a
natural order; for Buddhists, dharma is the teaching
of Buddha
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Bodhisattva - someone who compassionately
refrains from entering nirvana in order to save
others; is worshiped as a deity in Mahayana
Buddhism
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Buddha’s Influence
• Catholicism – St. John of Damascus, St. Francis
Xavier, Thomas Merton
• American’s – Henry David Thoreau, Chinese
immigrants building the railroads
Chapter 6, Section 1: A Brief History of Buddhism cont.
Who is the Dalai Lama?
 The head Tibetan Buddhist monastic leaders
• A “lamas” is the leader of a monastery
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A political leader of Tibet
• Until the Chinese communist government forced them out of
Tibet in 1959
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Mandala – sacred geometric symbols, art
• A spiritual & ritual symbol of Buddhism, representing the
Universe. The basic form of most mandalas is a square with
four gates containing a circle with a center point.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA3su0ECdPc
Chapter 6, Section 1 Review Questions
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Briefly summarize the birth, Enlightenment, and
death of Siddhartha Gautama.
What were the main issues addressed by each of the
Buddhist councils?
What attracted King Ashoka to Buddhism?
Why were the Japanese attracted to Zen Buddhism?
List countries in Asia where Buddhism took hold, at
least for some time.
Who is the Dalai Lama?
Chapter 6, Section 2: Sacred Stories & Scriptures
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Buddha & immediate followers wrote no texts—recitation of memories
Few generations removed from Buddha & went on for many centuries
Open canon—able to add books to scriptures: like H; unique from J, I, & C
Enormous corpus; many genres & languages; poor translations; division
Summary here of major texts; little agreement among of within branches
Scriptures of Theravada Buddhism
 Tripitaka– “3 Baskets”; early Buddhist scriptures; passed down orally from
4th to 1st century BCE in Sanskrit; written down in Pali so aka Pali Canon;
authoritative scripture for Theravada Buddhists; words of historical Buddha
 Vinaya Pitaka—ordered code of monastic discipline (monks 227 & nuns
311); rule & explanatory story; life & ministry of Buddha
 Sutra Pitaka—discourses of Buddha; source of moral and doctrinal teaching;
Buddha’s birth & Nirvana
 Abidharma Pitaka—Buddha’s psychological teachings; doctrinal analysis;
popular amongst monks/students; other branches add material here
Chapter 6, Section 2: Sacred Stories & Scriptures cont.
Scriptures of Mahayana Buddhism
 Own version of the Tripitaka but also other unique texts
 Lotus Sutra–“The Lotus of the True Law”; attribute to Buddha; probably several generations;
final teachings of the Buddha; most important with Tripitaka 2nd; universal message
 All living things possess Buddha-nature so all, not just monastics, can achieve Enlightenment
 Bodhisattva ideal—while work on Nirvana help others attain; share wisdom & compassion
 Perfection of Wisdom—how to attain the wisdom of a boddhisattva; go beyond ordinary &
rational to the transcendent; use paradoxes to solve contradictions; light & darkness = finite
Scriptures of Vajrayana Buddhism
 Kanjur—“Teachings”; contains Theravada & Mahayana & unique texts
 Sutra = discourses on Buddha’s teachings
 Adds tantric texts from India & China—Sanskrit ritual/worship acts of body, mind,
spirit to harness/appropriate energy of Ultimate Reality to untie with it; how to do
 Examples: mandala (sacred geometric symbol) & mantra (sacred word/phrase)
 Tantur– “Translation of the Treatises”; commentaries on Kanjur
 Tibetan Book of the Dead—most popular; writings of death, dying, rebirth, &
especially the transmigration of the soul; read at death or recently after
You Tube Videos: Buddhism
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Buddhist Sects &
Scriptures:
Southern/Theravada
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Buddhist Sects &
Scriptures:
Eastern/Mahayana
You Tube Videos: Buddhism
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Buddhist Sects &
Scriptures:
Northern/Vajrayana
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Buddhist Sects &
Scriptures: Pure
Land/Ch'an & Zen
Chapter 6, Section 2: Sacred Stories & Scriptures cont.
Scriptures of Mahayana Buddhism:
Lotus Sutra
The final teachings of the Buddha
which makes Enlightenment
available to everyone
Perfection of Wisdom
A treatise on how to achieve
the perfection of
wisdom of a bodhisattva
Tripitaka
Three baskets
Orally passed down
the words of
historical Buddha
Chapter 6, Section 2 Review Questions
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In English, what does the term
Tripitaka mean?
What is the most popular Mahayana
sacred text?
What is the most popular Vajrayana
sacred text? Why?
Chapter 6, Section 3: Beliefs & Practices
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The Four Noble Truths are the center of all Buddhist beliefs
From earliest sermons of the Buddha
Can’t achieve samsara without
Leads one to the Noble Eightfold Path or living of the Middle Way
Heart of all Buddhist practices—avoid extremes & all in moderation
The Four Noble Truths
 1. Life is Filled with Suffering
• Physical & mental; karma causes samsara = endless cycle of suffering
• Built into all nature—impermanence, incompleteness, imperfections, &
discontentment
• Anatma = no soul; not self; permanent self does not exist; ignorance of this
causes suffering; soul can’t be God & self at the same time
 2. The Cause of Suffering is Desire
• Beliving the soul is real & permanent rather than anatma causes cravings
• Lack of satisfaction causes suffering & if satisfied it is impermanent
Chapter 6, Section 3: Beliefs & Practices
The Four Noble Truths cont.
 3. To Cease Suffering, One Must Cease Desiring
• The only thing that is real is Nirvana which is the end of samsara & therefore
the end of suffering
• Happens when we free ourselves from desires & cravings & embrace anatma
 4. The Path to the End of Suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path
• The Middle Way between self-denial & self-indulgence; moral standard
 Hindus & Buddhists agree on existence of samsara but disagree on cessation of it
 Hindus—moksha = realization that atman is one with Brahman (immortality)
 Buddhists—Nirvana = realizing that the individual self does not exist
(enlightenment to the reality of the human condition); not + or – but just is
Chapter 6, Section 3: Beliefs & Practices cont.
 Perfection of these practices leads to enlightenment & attaining Nirvana
The Noble Eightfold Path
 1. Right Understanding—summation of the Four Noble Truths (cause,
endurance, & end of suffering)
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2. Right Thought—replacing wrong thoughts with right ones; single-heartedness
3. Right Speech—speak truthfully & kindly; no lying, slander, gossip, or harshness
4. Right Conduct—no cheating, stealing, murder, or sexual misconduct
5. Right Livelihood—not to earn a living by harming other living things (e.g. drugs)
6. Right Effort—diligent in removing bad thoughts & cultivating good ones
7. Right Mindfulness—knowing oneself and being aware of ones thoughts & deeds
8. Right Concentration—meditation through concentrating on one object with full
attention allows one to dispel distractions & gain enlightenment
 Three categories of the path = morality, meditation, & wisdom
 Cyclical in nature: morality to meditation to wisdom & back to morality
Chapter 6, Section 3: Beliefs & Practices cont.
Community
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The 3 Jewels of Buddhism = Sangha, Buddha, & Dharma
Core of Buddhism that is proclaimed upon conversion
Development in understand of sangha from only monks/nuns to include lay
Two parts of sangha depend upon one another—spiritual vs. human food
Community is essentially the same but slight differences
Theravada—arhat = worthy one who has attained Nirvana already in this
life; monk or nun; celibate
 Mahayana—bodhisattva = compassionate one who has elected to delay
enlightenment; lay, monk, or nun; also celibate; add rules about witnessing
 Zen—Japanese sect that works rather than begging for alms
 Shin—Japanese sect that permits monks to marry
You Tube Videos: Buddhism
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The Four Noble
Truths & The Noble
Eightfold Path
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The Enthusiastic
Buddhist: 4 Truths
The Enthusiastic
Buddhist: 8 Path
Chapter 6, Section 3: Beliefs & Practices cont.
The Four Noble Truths
1. The path to the end
of suffering is the
Noble Eightfold Path
3. To cease suffering one
must cease desiring
2. Life is filled with
suffering: both physical
and mental
4. The cause of
suffering is desire
Chapter 6, Section 3: Beliefs & Practices cont.
• Buddhist understanding of suffering
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Physical / emotional
Change / transitory
Illusion of pleasure (disconnect)
• Catholic understanding of suffering (it is a
mystery)
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Human (finite) condition (after the fall)
Suffering is redemptive (through Jesus’ death,
though in itself suffering is not good)
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Humans are to work to alleviate suffering
Chapter 6, Section 3: Beliefs & Practices cont.
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The Four Noble Truths
• Anatma –
“no soul”, “not self”; Our invisible
“non-spiritual self” (seen as our soul in Western
religions)
• Sangha –
a Buddhist community of priests/nuns
(contemporary practices includes laypeople)
• Three “Jewels” of Buddhism
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Buddha – “Enlightened one”
Dharma – the teachings of Buddha
Sangha – those who study and practice
Chapter 6, Section 3: Beliefs & Practices cont.
Right
Concentration
The Noble Eightfold Path
Characterized by 3 stepping stones
Meditation, Morality, Wisdom
Right
Thought
Right
Understanding
Right
Conduct
Right
Speech
Right
Mindfulness
Right
Effort
Right
Livelihood
Chapter 6, Section 3 Review Questions
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2.
3.
Name and explain the Four Noble
Truths.
List the three major categories of the
Noble Eightfold Path.
What are the Three Jewels of
Buddhism?
Chapter 6, Section 4: Sacred Time
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No special day of the week for worship
Offerings to Buddha at any time for Theravadan & Mahayanan
Mahayanan also to other buddhas & bodhisattvas
Incense (good virtue), flowers (impermanence), or candles (enlightenment)
Bowing to image of B(b)uddha = respect for not worship of buddha nature
Meditation
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Central for all Buddhists—last 3 of Noble 8-Fold Path
Right-effort, -mindfulness, & -concentration are forms of meditation
Way to enlightenment thru heightened awareness as means to good karma
Mindfulness of Breath—1st learned; focus on ebb & flow of breath; distractions
creep up; concentration strengthens if persist; inner calm of whole person
 Meditation of Loving-Kindness—begins with Mindfulness of Breathing as most
meditations do; focus on self by saying loving things about self; turn to others
(love, neutral, and dislike); wish all well
 A Place for Meditation—Central Juvenile Hall in East Los Angeles; inmates
Chapter 6, Section 4: Sacred Time cont.
Puja
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Part of the daily practice of life for Buddhists & Hindus
Monks in monasteries & laity in homes
Image of the Buddha; for some ancestral representation
Flowers (beauty & impermanence), fruit (what good conduct brings), water
(purity/goal & example), incense (good conduct), candle (dispel ignorance)
Gratitude to Buddha for Dharma that points to Enlightenment & Nirvana
Reverence—remove shoes, folding hands, bowing, prostration (for some)
Prayers, mantra, meditation on Dharma, recitation of 3 Jewels & 5 Precepts
= life, property, sexual-misconduct, false speech, and intoxicants
Not confined to home—Buddhist shrines & temples; public places & images
Statues (some paintings) of Buddha but variety of materials, sizes, & places
Mahayanan include bodhisattvas (statues & painting) in reverence
Reminder of how to live but also source of power & good karma
Chapter 6, Section 4: Sacred Time cont.
Festivals
 Two major categories—life of Buddha & the sangha
 Minor festivals—seasons esp. spring & autumn; national/regional not religious
Celebrating the Buddha
 Visakha–“Buddha Day”; most holy; Theravada; May full moon; birth, death, &
enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautama; light = lanterns & candles; image & sermon
 Mahayana celebrate on 3 separate days; bathing image to reverence & remind all
need to cleanse faults, procession
Celebrating the Sangha
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Began as a mendicant (begging) order of monks; nomadic; preaching Dharma
3 month break during monsoon season = Rains Retreat
For monks but laity consider it time of great holiness
Ends with festival put on by laity—monks given new robes who gain spiritual power
Hope that radiates onto them to shorten samsara
Chapter 6, Section 4: Sacred Time cont.
Celebrating the Buddhist Life Cycle
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Buddhism plays little role in life cycle rites of passage except for death
Tibetan Book of the Dead—death as a sacred act b/c life after death through rebirth
Important rituals aimed at assisting higher rebirth & attainment of Nirvana
No specific rituals for birth, initiation, or marriage—according to local custom
Birth is connected to samsara & therefore suffering
Karma from previous existences determines present character
Often Buddhists marry civilly with no specific Buddhist element present
Monk from local sangha will bless after in temple, shrine, or home
Often includes chanting and sermon on married life
You Tube Videos: Buddhism
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Visakha (Vesak):
Festival of Lights
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Rains Retreat-Katina
You Tube Videos: Buddhism
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Mindfulness of
Breathing
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Loving-Kindness
Chapter 6, Section 4: Sacred Time cont.
Meditation
Mindfulness
of Breath; Mantras
Goal: gain wisdom
Offerings to
Buddha
Flowers, Fruit,
Water, Incense
Candlelight
Buddha
Day
Born, became
Enlightened, died
On same day
Puja
Rituals to honor
the deity; generally
performed
in homes
Celebrating
the Buddhist
Lifecycle
Death rituals
celebrated as holy
Rebirth
Celebrating
Sangha
Celebrated during the
3-month rainy
season
Chapter 6, Section 4: Sacred Time cont.
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Five Precepts
1. Do not take the life of any living
creature
2. Do not take anything not freely given
3. Abstain from sexual misconduct
4. Refrain from untrue and deceitful
speech
5. Avoid intoxicants
Chapter 6, Section 4 Review Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
Why is meditation important for
Buddhists?
Briefly describe Mindfulness of
Breathing meditation.
How do Theravada and Mahayana
Buddhism celebrate the birth of the
Buddha?
What is the origin of the Rains Retreat?
Chapter 6, Section 5: Sacred Places & Spaces
 The monastery is the primary sacred place for Buddhists; connected to a temple
 In Theravada, men must spend time before marriage & after kids grown in one
 Lay people maintain & provide food for monks to share in merit of monks
Temple
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Equally sacred to monastery in Theravada Buddhism—home of monks
Laity come to center for religious rites, instruction, devotion, & meditation
Images & statues/depictions of stories of the life of Buddha; place for a sermon
Stupas are usually present contained the relics of Buddha
Mahayana & Vajrayana temples will enshrine other buddhas & bodhisattvas
Stupas
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Originally small mounds of brick or stone to house relics of Buddha near temple
Expanded to house relics of other buddhas & objects
Grew into pagodas = large, elaborately decorated towers/domes w/ curved roofs
Circumambulation in Vajrayana
Chapter 6, Section 5: Sacred Places & Spaces cont.
Places of Pilgrimage
 Other sacred spaces are connected to the life/ministry of Buddha—India/Nepal
Lumbini Gardens
 Birth place of Buddha; Nepal; pilgrimage site shortly after death in 483 BCE
 Ashoka built a 22 ft. pillar in 3rd century CE to memorialize
Bodh Gaya
 Bodhi tree where Buddha meditate & was enlightened is located here; India
 Present tree is descendent of original tree; sandstone slab marks Enlightenment
 Footprint in stone is from Buddha; saplings from tree transplanted
 All pilgrimage sites; pilgrims decorate & offer flowers
Sarnath (India)
 Deer Park near Varanasi; 1st sermon (4 Noble Truths) & followers; Ashoka stupa
Kushinara (India)
 Place of the death of Buddha; 1500 year old red stone statue of Buddha reclining
 Kushinara Nirvana Temple built in 1956 to mark 2,500th anniversary of entrance
You Tube Videos: Buddhism
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Enthusiastic
Buddha: Pilgrimage
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Holy Sites of
Buddhism
Chapter 6, Section 5: Sacred Places & Spaces cont.
Stupas
Hold important relics of the Buddha
or other important figures
Relics – a piece of the body, clothes,
items of a saint
Temples
Monks live at temples and
perform religious devotions
(lay people come to meditate);
Enshrined images of buddhas
Pagodas
Large stupas with
elaborately decorated
Towers and domes
Chapter 6, Section 5 Review Questions
1.
2.
3.
Name a difference between a Theravadan
temple and a Mahayanan temple.
How does a pagoda differ from an ordinary
stupa?
Name the four major sites of pilgrimage
related to the life of Siddhartha Gautama.
Why are these significant?
Chapter 6, Section 6: Buddhism
Through a Catholic Lens
Sources of Agreement
 Peace & compassion—Christianity preaches & Buddhists live; non-violence;
walk gently & speak/act kindly
 Monasticism—4th century Middle Eastern caves for Christians; shelter for
Buddhist monks during monsoon season
 Meditation—content different but experiences can be quite similar
 Thomas Merton—Catholic proponent of inter-religious dialogue with
Buddhists which began in 1968 in Bangkok, Thailand monks
Jesus Christ & Siddhartha the Buddha
 Similarities—miracle birth; tempted before public ministry; followers;
miracles (water & multitude); preached a message; path to freedom; founded a
world religion; spread quickly (Buddhism = East & Christianity = West);
today Buddhism = West & Christianity = East; few around origin (Israel &
India)
 Differences—divinity; socio-economic; marriage; K. of God vs. cessation of
suffering
Chapter 6, Section 6: Buddhism
Through a Catholic Lens cont.
Suffering
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Common theme but distinct approach
Buddhists—all who are not Enlightened or in Nirvana are prone to suffer
Negative activity of past lives causes one to return for another life of suffering
To break this cycle of samsara, one must stop desires & cravings by practicing
the Noble Eightfold Path
3 categories of suffering: physical/emotional; life change or transition
(attachment); pain in the midst of pleasure (illusion that pleasure will please)
Not pessimistic but life giving source of peace & true happiness
Catholics—part of finite human condition
2 categories of suffering: natural disasters; humans (due to Original Sin)
Suffering is never good per se but Christ’s death & resurrection transforms
God does NOT create or desire suffering but rather the cessation of—heaven
Humans can be the instrument to alleviate but remains a mystery
Most important is trust in God who provides the necessary grace
Judgment & own resurrection of the body = cessation
You Tube Videos: Buddhism

Catholic-Buddhist
Dialogue
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Thomas Merton &
Buddhism
Chapter 6, Section 6: Buddhism
Through a Catholic Lens cont.
Similarities
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Emphasis on peace and compassion
Long monastic tradition
The practice of meditation
Parallels between the life of Jesus and Buddha
Chapter 6, Section 6: Buddhism
Through a Catholic Lens cont.
Differences
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Jesus claimed to be divine, Buddha did not
Jesus’ message was about the Kingdom of God,
Siddhartha’s was about the cessation of suffering,
non-self
The understanding of the meaning and purpose of
suffering
Chapter 5, Section 6 Review Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
Name two similarities and two differences
between Jesus and Siddhartha.
How is compassion manifested?
Why would Buddhists say there is no such
thing as pure pleasure?
What is an opportunity for dialogue between
Catholic and Buddhist monastics?
Chapter 6: Buddhism Conclusion
 Buddhism is a very unique world religion
 Divine beings are not central but they do not deny the existence
of gods
 The human person is central but they deny the existence of the
soul
 Suffering is a part of life but it can be extinguished through the
8-Fold Path
 Meditation is the method thru which one gains wisdom &
compassion as one realizes there is no permanence in life
 Paradoxically, realizing all is impermanent leads to the only
permanent bliss –Nirvana
Chapter 6: Buddhism Vocabulary
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Chapter 6: Buddhism Vocabulary cont.
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Chapter 6: Buddhism – Vocabulary Definitions
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Chapter 6: Buddhism – Vocabulary Definitions cont.
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Chapter 6 Review Questions (Extra Credit)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Briefly summarize the life of Siddhartha Gautama.
What is the Middle Way?
Highlight the accomplishments of the First Council.
Outline the expansion of Buddhism beyond India into the
continent of Asia.
How did the rise of communism in Asia affect Buddhism?
What is the Tripitaka? What is the role it plays in Theravada
and Mahayana Buddhism?
What is the Tibetan Book of the Dead and why is it popular?
Compare the traditional role of monks to lay people in
Buddhism.
Briefly compare and contrast Theravada, Mahayana, and
Vajrayana Buddhism.
What is the difference between Hindu and Buddhist
understandings of samsara?
Chapter 6 Review Questions cont. (Extra Credit)
11.
12.
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14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
What are the Three Jewels of Buddhism? When are they recited?
What is the meaning of anatman to Buddhists?
What is Nirvana? How is it attained?
What are the three main categories of the Noble Eightfold Path?
What is the festival celebrated most by Buddhists? How do
Theravada and Mahayana Buddhists celebrate that festival,
generally?
Why do Buddhists not have standard life cycle rites for birth and
marriage but they do for death?
What is a stupa? How is it used?
Name the Buddhist pilgrimage sights related to the birth, life, and
death of Siddhartha Gautama.
List three similarities and three differences between Jesus Christ
and Siddhartha Gautama.
How do Catholics and Buddhists each explain the cessation of
suffering?