Transcript Founding and Spread of Buddhism

FOUNDING AND
SPREAD OF
BUDDHISM
Siddhartha Gautama
• The Historical Buddha
• Early Life
• There is little consensus regarding Siddartha Gautama’s birth date, although he
probably died sometime around 400BCE
• He was born into the noble Shakya clan in either northern India or southern Nepal.
• According to tradition, shortly after his birth a seer predicted that Siddhartha would
become either a chakravartin king or a great sadhu.
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Siddhartha Gautama
• Early Life
• Not surprisingly Siddartha’s father wanted his son to become a Universal
King. Therefore, he shielded him from religious teachings and knowledge.
• The young prince grew up in luxury, all his worldly wants and needs
provided for.
• He married a beautiful princess and had a son.
Siddhartha Gautama
• The Historical Buddha
• Mid-life Crisis
• At some point in his mid to late 20’s Siddhartha left the
palace to meet his subjects.
• On his first trip from the palace he encountered an old man.
Channa, his charioteer explained that all people grow old.
• On subsequent trips he encountered a diseased man, a
corpse, and a wandering ascetic.
• Siddhartha chose to give up the life of a prince and become
a wandering ascetic.
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Siddhartha Gautama
• The Historical Buddha
• Enlightenment and teaching
• Siddhartha practiced yogic meditations under two
teachers and achieved high levels of success but
ultimately rejected both as the path to
enlightenment.
• He, and five companions, then turned to extreme
asceticism.
• They rejected all worldly pleasures including food
and shelter.
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Siddhartha Gautama
• Enlightenment and teaching
• After nearly starving to death Siddhartha
rejects extreme asceticism.
• He vows to sit in meditation in the shade of a
pipal (bodhi) tree until he discovered the
truth.
• After 49 days he achieved enlightenment and
became a Buddha.
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Early Buddhism
• Having achieved enlightenment Buddha rejoined his friends who
had abandoned him.
• At first he was not sure of his path, doubting that humans could grasp the
depths of nirvana.
• A Brahman named Sahampati convinced him that “some will understand.”
• In the Deer Park at Venerasi (Baneres) he delivered his first sermon; the
Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta.
• The Four Noble Truths
• The Eightfold Path
Core Teachings
The Three Jewels
• Buddha who, depending on one's interpretation, can mean the historical
Buddha, Shakyamuni, or the Buddha nature—the ideal or highest spiritual
potential that exists within all beings;
• Dharma the teachings of the Buddha.
• Sangha The community of those who have attained enlightenment, who
may help a practicing Buddhist to do the same. Also used more broadly to
refer to the community of practicing Buddhists.
• The Buddha taught many things, but the basic concepts in
Buddhism can be summed up by the Four Noble Truths and the
Noble Eightfold Path.
The First Noble Truth
• The first truth is that life is suffering
• Life includes pain, getting old, disease, and ultimately death. We
also endure psychological suffering like loneliness frustration, fear,
embarrassment, disappointment and anger. This is an irrefutable
fact that cannot be denied. It is realistic rather than pessimistic
because pessimism is expecting things to be bad, instead,
Buddhism explains how suffering can be avoided and how we can
be truly happy.
Second Noble Truth
• The second truth is that suffering is caused by craving and
aversion.
• We will suffer if we expect other people to conform to our
expectation, if we want others to like us, if we do not get
something we want, etc.
• Wanting deprives us of contentment and happiness. A lifetime of
wanting and craving and especially the craving to continue to exist,
creates a powerful energy which causes the individual to be born.
So craving leads to physical suffering because it causes us to be
reborn.
Third Noble Truth
• The third truth is that suffering can be overcome and happiness can
be attained; that true happiness and contentment are possible. lf
we give up useless craving and learn to live each day at a time (not
dwelling in the past or the imagined future) then we can become
happy and free. We then have more time and energy to help others.
This is Nirvana.
Fourth Noble Truth
• The fourth truth is that the Noble 8-fold Path is the path which
leads to the end of suffering.
The Eightfold path
• In summary, the Noble 8-fold Path is being moral (through what we
say, do and our livelihood), focusing the mind on being fully aware
of our thoughts and actions, and developing wisdom by
understanding the Four Noble Truths and by developing
compassion for others.
The Eightfold Path
• Prajñā (Wisdom)
1.
2.
•
Śīla (Ethical conduct)
3.
4.
5.
•
Right view
Right intention
Right speech
Right action
Right livelihood
Samādhi (Concentration)
6.
7.
8.
Right effort
Right mindfulness
Right Concentration
The Five Precepts
The moral code within Buddhism is the precepts, of which the main
five are:
1. not to take the life of anything living,
2. not to take anything not freely given,
3. to abstain from sexual misconduct and sensual overindulgence,
4. to refrain from untrue speech,
5. and to avoid intoxication, that is, losing mindfulness.
Karma
• Karma is the law that every cause has an effect,
• According to Buddhists this law explains a number of things:
• inequality in the world,
• why some are born handicapped and some gifted,
• why some live only a short life.
• Karma underlines the importance of all individuals being
responsible for their past and present actions.
• Karmic effect can be tested by looking at (1) the intention behind
the action, (2) effects of the action on oneself, and (3) the effects
on others.
The Three Marks of Existence
• Anicca "inconstancy" or "impermanence". This refers to the fact that all
conditioned things (sankhara) are in a constant state of flux. In reality there is
no thing that ultimately ceases to exist; only the appearance of a thing ceases
as it changes from one form to another. Imagine a leaf that falls to the ground
and decomposes. While the appearance and relative existence of the leaf
ceases, the components that formed the leaf become particulate material that
may go on to form new plants. Buddhism teaches a middle way, avoiding the
extreme views of eternalism and nihilism.
• Dukkha or "unsatisfactoriness" (or "dis-ease"; also often translated
"suffering", though this is somewhat misleading). Nothing found in the
physical world or even the psychological realm can bring lasting deep
satisfaction.
• Anatta or "non-Self" is used in the suttas both as a noun and as a predicative
adjective to denote that phenomena are not, or are without, a permanent self,
to describe any and all composite, consubstantial, phenomenal and temporal
things, from the macrocosmic to microcosmic, be it matter pertaining to the
physical body or the cosmos at large, as well as any and all mental
machinations, which are impermanent .
Dependent Origination
pratītyasamutpāda
When this is, that is.
From the arising of this comes the arising of that.
When this isn't, that isn't.
From the cessation of this comes the cessation of that.
The final goal
• Nirvana – “Blowing out”
• By following the Noble Eightfold Path one can extinguish the cycle of
Samsara.
• In doing so one has passed beyond the state of dependent origination.
• It is unfathomable, indescribable, it is neither self nor non-self, neither
being nor non-being.
Buddha’s Ministry
• After delivering his first sermon in the Deer Park at Varanasi, the
Buddha and his five chief disciples wandered the Gangetic plain
giving Dharma talks and converting adherents.
• The Buddha “walked and talked” for 45 years during which time he
converted Kings, Criminals, Cannibals and Peasants.
Mahaparinirvana
• At the age of 80 Buddha announced that he would soon reach
Parinirvana, the final deathless state, at which time he would
abandon his material form.
• Shortly thereafter he ate his final meal, became deathly ill and
passed on.
• At the time of his death the Buddha was asked who should lead the
Sangha, he replied “be a light unto yourselves.”
Development of various traditions
• The Nature of Buddha
• The Dona-sutta
• “I am awake.”
• The Pali Canon presents Buddha as human but endowed with great
powers.
• Mahayana Buddhism presents Buddha as a transcendent, eternal being.
The Second Buddhist Council
• Some time around 330BCE a group of leading monks gathered to discuss 10
points:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Storing salt in a horn.
Eating after midday.
Eating once and then going again to a village for alms.
Holding the Uposatha Ceremony with monks dwelling in the same locality.
Carrying out official acts when the assembly was incomplete.
Following a certain practice because it was done by one's tutor or teacher.
Eating sour milk after one had his midday meal.
Consuming strong drink before it had been fermented.
Using a rug which was not the proper size.
Using gold and silver.
• Mahamghikas (the majority) and Sthaviras (the minority) argued these points
but to no resolution. The Sthaviras went about their business separately from
the Mahamghikas.
The Second Buddhist Council
• The Sthaviras were the elders who wanted to reform the Vinaya to
be more strict.
• The Mahamghikas were younger and wanted to keep things the
way they were (more lax).
• What they were really arguing about was the fallibility of the
Arhats.
• The Sthavira Sect became Theravada Buddhism, adhering to the Pali
Canon
• The Mahamghikas became Mahayana Buddhism (the greater
Vehicle)
Spread of Buddhism
• Buddhism has been characterized as a reformation of early
Hinduism.
• At the time of the Buddha there were several such reform efforts
occurring throughout the subcontinent:
• Jainism – ahimsa, non-violence towards all things
• Charvaka - inferred knowledge is conditional
• Ajivika - Absolute Determinism
Spread of Buddhism
• Buddhism remained a philosophical movement within the larger
Hindu culture for the first two centuries of its existence.
• It was not until the Mauryan Emperor, Asoka, converted in 263BCE,
that Buddhism became a major religion in it’s own right.
• With the support of the powerful Mauryan rulers, Buddhism spread
throughout Asia.
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Spread of Buddhism
• Like most World Religions, Buddhism was adopted and then
molded to fit with local traditions and practices.
•
•
•
•
•
Hellenistic Philosophy of the Seleucid Empire
Tengrism of Central Asian nomadic people
Tantric practices of Northern India, Nepal, and Tibet
Daoist conceptualizations in China
Shinto naturalism in Japan
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Buddhism Today
• Approximately 500 million followers worldwide
• Mahayana = 360 million
• Theravada = 150 Million
• Vajrayana = 18.2 million
• Incredibly diverse schools and practices.
• Growing by both population and adherents.
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