Unit 3 // Buddhism

The Story of Buddha

Founded 2,500 years ago by Siddhartha Gautama (The Great Buddha)

Gautama was born as a prince in a small kingdom in Nepal, lived about 563 to 483 B.C.

Prophesized from the start according to legend that he'd be a religious leader

He was isolated by his father to ensure he'd be a political leader instead of a religious one, never experienced or witnessed suffering until he was 29-years-old and learned the inevitability of old age, illness, and death through an old person, sick person, and a corpse

Decided he wanted to become a monk after witnessing this

He sought enlightenment through self-deprivation, but that failed. As a result, he found The Middle Way which is a path that avoids the extremes of self-indulgence and self-denial

He experienced enlightenment, according to legend, after he meditated overnight under the Bodhi Tree

The Buddha's Teaching

The Buddha's teaching lacks the following: supernatural elements, addressing of the issue of god, ritual, tradition, and the chain of authority, all of which are found in many other religions

Due to the geographical closeness and Siddharta Gautama's own upbringing, Hinduism does influence Buddhism in many ways

Due to it being more of a way of living and thinking, rather than a religion concerned with the supernatural or any mythology, some people consider Buddhism to be more of a philosophy

The Four Noble Truths the pillars of Buddhist teaching

The Truth That Life is Suffering Essentially, suffering is inherent to human life, even though much of life is enjoyable. No amount of wealth, power, talent, or exertion can free an individual from this fact

The Root of Suffering is Desire We always want more. Advancing our careers, tending to our physical needs. We suffer when these desires are not met.

The Only Way to Break From Suffering is to be Free of Desire Without desire, there is no suffering. Rather than desiring nothing, Buddhists seek to focus less on selfless desires and more on desires for the welfare of others and of the world as a whole

The Eightfold Path Frees Oneself From These Selfish Desires It removes an individual from the cycle of suffering, and that person achieves Nirvana.

The Noble Eightfold Path The components of the path are aspirations that a Buddhist seeks to accomplish in their pursuit of Nirvana

Right Views Beliefs are important to who we are and how we behave. A Buddhist strives to have correct and productive beliefs and associate with others of the same "right views" belief system

Right Intent Adjusting one's behavior to be in line with one's beliefs. The practitioner tries to remove all ill will from their character.

Right Speech Two components: mindfulness of one's own speech and the impression one's speech leaves on others. A Buddhist wants to be truthful and kind as much as possible and looks to correct any deficiencies.

Right Conduct Being mindful of one's actions and then modify their behaviors. Abstaining from theft, illicit sex, intoxicants, and murder of humans and often animals are all most often parts of Buddhist moral conduct.

Right Livelihood One's occupation takes up a greater portion of one's behaviors and thoughts. So, the Buddha advised against choosing an occupation that brings harm to others or fails to bring one towards enlightenment

Right Effort A Buddhist is to put in consistent and constant effort in their quest towards enlightenment, always persisting and pushing through obstacles and hardships.

Right Mindfulness A.K.A. self-awareness. Always trying to be aware of negative behavior and the underlying causes of these actions.

Right Concentration Involves the practice of Buddhist meditation. Every Buddhist seeks revelation through meditation as the final step up the Noble Eightfold Path.

What makes a Buddhist a Buddhist

An individual who takes refuge from suffering and desire in the Three Jewels of Buddhism These are:

The Buddha himself

The Dharma the teachings of the Buddha

The Sangha the community of enlightened Buddhists

To be Buddhist, one needs to voluntarily associate with the Buddha, the Buddha's teachings, rather than just alone behaving as the Buddha would approve

Buddhism After the Great Buddha

After enlightenment, Buddha wandered through India and spread his teachings. He didn't preach himself to be a god, only a teacher.

Two branches of Buddhism formed as a result of the Buddha's death: Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism

Many schools of thought exist in Buddhism, but most derive from one or the other sects

Theravada Buddhism This branch of Buddhism is the more conservative of the two

Believe humans are self-determining

Don't believe supernatural has an influence on human condition

Buddha is a model and teacher

See the pursuit of Nirvana as a full-time journey, central to their lives, very dedicated

More patriarchal despite having religious positions able to be held by women

Prevalent in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia

Mahayana Buddhism

Although Theravadas esteem wisdom as the greatest of virtues, Mahayanas place a higher value on compassion

Individuals are not self-determining islands but part of an interconnected web of human beings

They see the joys and sufferings of others as their own

Monastic (relating to monk life)

Religion isn't seen as a monastic pursuit, but they rather celebrate the spiritual journeys of people of all walks of life

All beings are capable of enlightenment because of buddha nature

Very inclusive; much more popular

Prominent in China, Japan, and Korea, but may vary from country to country

Pure Land Buddhism, Zen, and Tibetan Buddhism

Mahayanas revere the Buddha as someone with more supernatural qualities, rather than a human, and they pray

Buddhism Art and Culture

Most familiar piece of Buddhist art is the statues of the Buddha, though art of the Buddha isn't accurate as it wasn't first produced until 500 years after the Buddha's lifetime

Due to many different cultures' coexistence with Buddhism, many countries have influenced Buddhist art

Buddhist architecture generally takes three forms: monasteries, stupas, and temples

Buddhist monasteries began as simple structures to house monks during the rainy season, but have grown to be complex centers for shrines, scholarship, and public service

Early stupas were more works of sculpture than architecture, originally decorative mounds of earth containing sacred relics.

Buddhist temples are generally structures centered around a stupa of some sort

Buddhism Today

Many Buddhists practice today

Main reasons it's hard to get an accurate number of followers: due to its prominence in communist countries that are officially atheist, and the philosophical nature of Buddhism can make it difficult to distinguish between a practicing Buddhist and a secular individual with Buddhist ideals

Large following in East Asia, as well as some central Asian countries like Sri Lanka, but there are small communities of Buddhists all around the world