UNIT 3 Buddhism

Burning House and Skillful Means

•The man lures his sons out of the house by promising them their favorite "vehicle" as a plaything. •He succeeds in rescuing all his sons from the house, and in his gratitude gives each of them a jeweled cart as the reward. •The man devised a "skillful means" to achieve the vital goal of rescuing his children. •Both Buddha and Shariputra agree that the man is not guilty of falsehood. •Not the same as "any means necessary."

Siddhartha as a model of insight

•The prince connects the sights: •"It is not that I despise the objects of sense, and I know full well that they make up what we call the 'world.' But when I consider the impermanence of everything in this world, then I can find no delight in it." •Sights are not self-interpreting. They require the prince's reflection on the experience. •He connects them to a more general principle about the nature of reality.

What you should know by now

•Three Jewels/Refuges •Geographic Distribution of Buddhism •4 NT: •Diagnosis of the Nature of Existence and Prescription for its Remedy •Three Marks of Reality •Legend of Buddha Shakyamuni •Sangha •Three Vehicles

Previously....on Buddhism

•Three Jewels/Refuges •I take refuge in the Buddha •I take refuge in the Dharma •I take refuge in the Sangha •Middle Way •Path to liberation = a "middle way" between self-gratification and self-mortification •Four Noble Truths •Summary of the condition of all beings and the prescription for release from Samsara

Pure Land and the Doctrine of Trikaya

•Trikaya = Three Bodies •Appearance body = Historical Buddha •Appeared as an expedient device to lead beings toward the truth; •His death and apparent Nirvāna were a device to help deeply ignorant beings begin the path to enlightenment •= An example of Mahayana emphasis on "skillful means"

Trikaya: Truth Body

•Truth Body (Dharma Body) = Absolute essence of the universe •Unity of Buddhahood manifest in both heavenly and earthly forms •Buddhahood is potentially everywhere and in every being •Enlightenment possible to all beings: Even your dog! •Raises question of whether one must be in the Sangha or take a bodhisattva vow to obtain enlightenment (vs. Theravada)

Vedic to Vedantic

•Upanishads •Vedanta, 600 to 300 BCE •Discuss several important philosophical ideas that are central to later Hinduism: •Karma, Samsara, Moksha, Atman, Brahman Period of religious innovation •Driven by critique of brahminic sacrifice •Ascetics ("forest-dwelling" stage/elders) experimenting with ways to attain moksha. •Emergence of a new religious movement: Jainism

The Religious Context: Vedas and Vedic Religion

•Vedic Period: Ca 1500-500 BCE. •Named after the "Vedas"—earliest Hindu Scriptures •ORDER, ORDER, ORDER •Vedic practice centered on maintenance of social/cosmic order •Brahmins necessary for proper rites of sacrifice •Power of hymns & flawless performance of ritual •Propitiation of gods •Maintaining cosmic order

Mahayana Buddhism

"Great Vehicle" branch of Buddhism followed in China, Japan, and Central Asia. The focus is on reverence for Buddha and for bodhisattvas, enlightened persons who have postponed nirvana to help others attain enlightenment.

Now for you: How is this "myth?"

•Realizations and understandings help explain reality and our place in that reality. •Every part of the story is layered and motivated by cosmic meanings that explain the nature of reality for Buddhists •The story tells about the truth that suffering is inevitable—but there is a remedy •Story passed down that is used to explain meaning. Lat = tradition •Connection to other dimensions: •Ethically we learn that it is best to respond with compassion for all living things

Shunyata

•Recall: Principle of Interdependent Origination/Conditioned Arising •Emptiness (Shunyata) •Identifies the highest insight of the Buddha as regarding all aspects of reality as "empty." •"Empty" = "absence of possessing being in and of itself." •Extension of the concept of conditioned arising

A New Religious Goal

•Religious goal need no longer to be to exit the world •Seek correct understanding of the world, not transcendence of it. •This goal = "Buddhahood" •Embodiment of the pure mental state and virtues of the Buddha •"Buddha nature" can be shared by other beings. •Indeed, by all other beings

Lotus Sutra;

and Skillful Means

Four Noble Truths

as taught by the Buddha, the four basic beliefs that form the foundation of Buddhism

Three Marks of Reality

change, no permanent identity, suffering

The Buddha

enlightened one

Dharma

the teachings of the Buddha

Buddhism as a World Religion: A Quick Demographic Sketch

•Ca. 500 million worldwide (Brodd, p. 147) •= 4th-largest world religious tradition •Vast majority live in Asia •Originated and flourished in India •Declined over a period of centuries (Brodd, p. 169f.) •Current estimates: only 7.5 MM practitioners in India now •Majority tradition in several Asian nations •Significant minority in several others •Increasing # in N. America and Europe •Very diverse. The portrayal of Buddhism as a unified tradition is the work of modern Westerners.

Third Noble Truth

•Cessation of Suffering is Possible (Nirodha) •Remove desire and one also removes suffering. •Desire involves any effort to obtain something permanent or to avoid separation •"Nirvana" not a place. It is not the "goal" or "end" of the path.

Fourth Noble Truth: The 8-fold path

•Cessation of Suffering is obtained by following the eight-fold path •The "middle way"—neither immersion in sensual pleasures, nor extreme mortification •The path is not sequential. Not eight steps in order, but rather "eight legs" that support the practice •It is a path! •Remaking of one's attachment over time •The goal is not other than the path. The path itself is also the goal

Chan

•Chan (8th c.-) •Contrast to other Mahayana schools: little emphasis on scriptural knowledge. •More open to popular practice •Focus on silent, seated meditation. •Enlightenment either sudden or gradual

Mahayana and Skillful Means

•Chief purpose of Sangha = Study, Preserve, Spread the Dharma •Mahayana known for openness to innovation in studying and teaching the Dharma •Particularly marked by aim to go "beneath" the word of the Dharma to reflect on its underlying principles •This is where "skillful means" becomes important

Not just clever word play

•Comes from a conviction about the nature of the Buddha and the Dharma •Reflects an innovation in Buddhism about the goal of the Dharma • •Aim is NOT to instruct about the dharma •BUT •To awaken consciousness of the dharma in the student

More insight from Siddhartha

•Compassion is not simply a response to perception of impermanence •S sees the interdependence and interconnection of all things. •Becomes "awake" to the impermanence and suffering of reality

Emptiness, Nirvana, and the Religious Goal

•Critique of Theravada: •Theravadins hold that nirvana possesses reality outside of conditioned arising: it is the one unconditioned reality. •Mahayana: •All phenomena are marked by emptiness of self-nature •Nirvana is a phenomenon •Consequence: Nirvāna is also empty of self-nature. •NO ULTIMATE DISTINCTION BETWEEN Nirvana and Samsara. They are two sides of the same coin.

A cautionary tale: Devadatta

•D = Cousin to the Buddha and member of the sangha. •Consumed by pride, plots against the Buddha •Incident of the rock •Incident of the elephant •Devaddata: "after he had in his malice done many wicked and evil deeds, fell to the regions below, detested by all alike, whether they were kings or citizens, Brahmins or sages." •Two questions: •What does this account show about the early Sangha? •How might this story be retold (See Lotus Sutra!)

Challenging the Ideal of the Arhat

•DKD attains enlightenment even though: •She is non-human •She is female •She grasps the nature of enlightenment in the "space of an instant" •She is not part of the sangha •All of these conditions challenge the authority of the Arhat.

Lotus Sutra

•Date/Language of original composition uncertain. •Known in modern era most definitively through early Chinese translation. •Presented as a sermon preached by Buddha Shakyamuni late in life •Insists on Buddhahood as the sole goal of religious practice •Presents itself as the highest level of truth of the Buddha's preaching •Two important themes •Universal accessibility to Buddhahood •Need to fit teaching to audience ("expedient means")

Mahayana

•Developed in India starting 1st century BCE •Dominant form in China, Korea, Japan •Chinese language Scriptures •Focused on the ideal of the bodhisattva

Zen

•Development of Chan meditation practices in Japan •Obtained support of Samurai for emphasis on personal discipline •More significant with commoners, particularly through funeral and memorial rituals •No distinction between work and meditation: •"In carrying water and firewood, there is the Dao." •Meditation alone is sufficient, since no distinction between practice and realization.

In Hinduism....Dharma

•Dharma = duty (+ other things) •Upholds the cosmic order •Defined by one's class status and stage of life •Contingent and shifting through life

In Buddhism....Dharma

•Dharma= the teachings taught by the Buddha after his awakening. •Buddha did not formulate the dharma. He perceived it in its fullness. •He "turns the wheel of the dharma" •Teachings gathered by the "elders" (thera).

Parable of the Burning House

•Dialogue between the Buddha and one of his disciples, Shariputra. •S = one of the earliest disciples of the Buddha, so his view is particularly important in this case. •Buddha employs a story to illustrate the necessity of "skillful means." •"Whatever is preached is preached for the sake of converting the bodhisattvas."

1st Mark of Reality: Dukkha

•Dukkha = "Suffering" •Inexact translation. Not that things/events are in themselves suffering, but they serve as occasions on which suffering arises. •Not that all of life is suffering. •But even achievements and satisfaction are shadowed by their inevitable passing. •Dukkha characterized by the inevitability of separation.

The Vehicles: Theravada

•Earliest form of Buddhism to take shape •Dominant in South and Southeast Asia •Pali language Scriptures (Tripitaka, Pali Canon) •Focused on the ideal of the arhat

"The Greater Vehicle"

•Emerged in the context of Theravada school practice •1st cent. BCE to 2nd cent. CE •Continued to live alongside Theravada monks for most of history •Critique of Theravada: •Slights Theravada as "Hinayana" (The "Lesser Vehicle") •Critiques ideal of the arhat •Pressed for deeper realization of the central insights of the Buddha •Open to innovation •Broader conception of the role of laity

The Bodhisattva and Emptiness

•Emptiness means: No absolute distinction between one's self and another being •Consequently: •All beings are part of a wider web of being. •All actions affect the entire web •Result for the Moral Life: •Whatever you do to others you also do to yourself •Thus, an individual quest for nirvana (as pursued by the arhat) is illusory: •No ultimate distinction between Nirvana and Samsara •You cannot "enter" Nirvana if other beings are not also part of that journey

Second Mark of Reality: Impermanence (Anicca)

•Everything that arises must pass. •What arises? •Everything! Not just material things, but all consciousness •Consequently: There is no permanent being that undergirds the change in the universe. •"Not being" is prior to "being" •No-thing-ness is more fundamental than being •Nor is change a permanent "thing." It is simply the fruit of all the karmic forces in motion

Ascetic Experiments

•For six years, Siddhartha studies with ascetics, trying to mortify the body. •Eventually, S. determines that wearing out the body does not produce complete mindfulness: •"Inward calm cannot be maintained unless physical strength is constantly and intelligently replenished. Only if the body is reasonably nourished can undue strain on the mind be avoided."

4NT = One Truth

•Purpose of the Dharma: To bring clear recognition of the cause of suffering and the remedy for its removal. • •Not four separate truths: one truth expressed as four. •Diagnosis and Prescription: Buddha as "spiritual physician" •Four related to each other as pairs of "cause and fruit." •first pair relate the world of "becoming" •second pair the cessation of becoming.

Vedic Society

•Purusha Sukta, 'Hymn to the Supreme Person' (Rig Veda 10.90) •Origins of the four classes (varnas) •Brahmin (priests, scholars) •Kshyatriya (warriors, kings, royal/ruling families) •Vaishya (merchants, peasants, agriculturalists, artisans) •Shudra (servants) •Untouchables (dalits, harijans) •Performance of proper duties (dharma) according to: •Social status/class (varna) •Stage of Life (ashrama)

Finger pointing to the Moon

•Question: •How can you teach a truth if "emptiness" qualifies all phenomena? •OTOH, Sangha founded to preserve and transmit the teaching of the Buddha •Teaching Emptiness •Emptiness cannot be directly apprehended •Teaching is Provisional •"Finger pointing to the moon" •Develop in the student a skillful frame of mind. •Authentic teaching awakens the awareness of emptiness in the student

The Dragon King's Daughter

•Bodhisattva Manjushri tells of his preaching at the bottom of the sea to the dragon king. •M. relates something astounding: •The king's 8-year old daughter "in the space of an instant conceived the desire for Bodhi and reached the level of no regression."

Trikaya: Body of Bliss

•Body of Bliss = Heavenly Buddha that presides over a Buddha realm and can be venerated •Pure Lands exist beyond the reach of samsara. Celestial Buddhas reside there •Those who (1) meditate on these Buddhas or (2) call on their names in the appropriate frame of mind ("faith") are born into their Lands at the time of death •In the Pure Land, they continue to practice toward complete enlightenment (= no backsliding).

Sangha in Early Buddhism

•Buddha did not want authority to be held by a single person or institution. •Separate monastic centers developed •No consensus on rules of discipline or emphasis of doctrine •3 Councils (Ca. 486 BCE-250 BCE) •Reflects growing diversity of practice and authority •After the Councils (3rd cent. BCE): •Eighteen different sects, each with its own oral version of the Buddha's teachings •Gradually crystallized into the Vehicles

The First Jewel: Summation

•Buddha revered as the "awakened one" for this age. But he is not the only Buddha •Buddhahood and Dharma are eternal realities. •Following the Buddha means seeking the same insight. •"Seeing" the Buddha does not suffice. •Nor is the Sangha the ultimate authority. •The Dharma is the ultimate "refuge" for those who seek release from the cycle of rebirth.

Third Mark of Reality:Non-Self (Anatman)

•Buddhism: No Atman •Recall: In Hinduism, core of Identity given by "atman" = the fragment of Brahman that connects the self to permanent being. • •Anatman à No persistent and continuous selfhood. •What we experience as "self" does not have autonomous and independent existence apart from the interplay of all other forces.

What is the Sangha?

Buddhist community; •Sangha = (Monastic) Community •Monasticism at the heart of Buddhist practice •Primary Duty: Preserve, Teach, and Spread the Dharma •Buddhism one of the earliest missionary religions

Vajrayana

Developed in India by the 7th cent. CE Dominant form in Tibet, Mongolia, Manchuria •Tibetan Language Scriptures Noted for "esoteric" tradition Scholars question whether Vajrayana is a form of Mahayana

The Third Jewel:

Sangha

Mahayana Buddhism:

Skillful means

Calling the Earth to Witness

The Buddha's Gestures

An explanation:

The Nickel Version

The Vehicles:

Theravada

Buddhism....As a Philosophy

•Being Buddhist not necessary to walk the path to enlightenment. Mindfulness can be sought in any tradition • All creatures are on the path, whether or not they are "Buddhist" •Sangha ≠ "church." •Buddhists use the term "Dharma" to describe their teachings, not "Buddhism" •Dharma not invented by the Buddha •Dharma not bound to the Buddhist community

Stilling Desires: The Arhat

•"Calm is his mind, calm is his speech, calm is his behavior who, rightly knowing, is wholly freed, perfectly peaceful and equipoised" •(Dhammapada, 96). •What this means: •Arhat no longer produces karmic results leading to rebirth •Devoid of negative emotions, but still manifesting mindful alertness, lovingkindness, compassion. •Physical pain does not produce mental pain, since the arhat does not see this pain as "mine," but only as a non-self passing phenomenon.

Mahayana Scriptures

•"Discovery" of previously unknown Scriptures •Mahayana grew from confederation of schools that accepted these Scriptures •Lotus Sutra •Portrays Theravada as completed in Mahayana •Buddha taught lower level and higher level truths •Lower level: 4NT establishes the goal of nirvana achieved by the arhat •Higher level: True nirvana achieved at Buddhahood, and all beings can attain this level. Arhats have settled for lesser goal. •Arhats compromised by desire for individual enlightenment

The First Truth: All life entails suffering

•"Now this, monks, for the spiritually ennobled, is the first painful true reality: •[i] birth is painful, aging is painful, illness is painful, death is painful; •[ii] sorrow, lamentation, pain, unhappiness and distress are painful, •[iii] union with what is disliked is painful; •[iv] separation from what is liked is painful; •[v] not to get what one wants is painful." • •Buddha, Dhamma-cakka-ppavattana-Sutta (Buddha's first sermon)

This is a "Koan"

•= A paradoxical anecdote or riddle, used in Zen (1) to demonstrate the inadequacy of logical reasoning (2) and to provoke enlightenment. •Example of "Skillful Means" •Cultivate the Right Disposition by challenging shared principles of logic and dharma

Parable of the Burning House

•A wealthy man owns a vast house. His large family lives in this property, which has only one gate by which to enter and exit. •His sons are absorbed in their games, so much so that they do not attend to the threat of a fire that will shortly consume the entire house.

Awakening

•Across three watches of the night, the bodhisattva successively perceives the nature of samsaric existence and the interdependent production of all things. •"From the summit of the world downwards he could detect no self anywhere. Like the fire, when its fuel is burnt up, he became tranquil. He had reached perfection." •An "awakening"—a discernment of reality itself

Three Refuges: The Ritual Dimension

•All Buddhists recite the following formula: •I take refuge in the Buddha •I take refuge in the Dharma •I take refuge in the Sangha •See Brodd, p. 178: •"[T]his formula [is] Buddhism's most fundamental ritual practice and the closest thing the Buddhist tradition has to a creed."

Interdependent Origination

•All things arise in connection with prior conditions. •A flower comes into being through things that are not it. •Everything that becomes is conditioned. •The self that you experience is simply a moment in the conditioned process.

Theravada: The Arhat

•Arhat = "worthy one" (worthy of great respect). Has attained Nirvanic experience and been radically transformed by that experience. •Has completed spiritual training and fully incorporated all factors of the eightfold path •Attained within the context of a monastic vow

Turning the Wheel of the Dharma Diagram

•At Right: Dharma wheel with deer, Jokhang monastery, Lhasa Tibet (Wikimedia commons, posted by archer10 [2006])

The First Truth

•Based on an analysis of reality itself. •Buddha = One who is awakened to the nature of reality. •What are the "marks" of reality?

Sangha

•Begins to take shape in the Buddha's own lifetime •Barred criminals, runaway slaves, and army deserters from joining the sangha. •Required regular meetings •Extends and emphasizes the "fourth aim" of life in Hinduism •Not restricted to those who have completed the duties of the householder •Includes women •Constraints and extra regulations often placed on nuns • •At Left: Buddha depicted with Sangha, Siripada cave, Sri Lanka (Wikimedia Commons, posted by PhotoDharma 2016)

Theravada Buddhism: You tell me

•Geographically: India//S and SE Asia. "Southern" route for the spread of Buddhism from India. •Way it looks at itself: "Theravada"= Way of Elders. Preserver of the Buddha's ORIGINAL teachings. "Strict Constructionists" of the Buddhist world •Ideal: Arhatà Monastic vow//worthy one. A person who has reached perfect self-control "tranquility" Who will enter nirvana when he dies. •Laity: =non-monks (Gk<laos = "people") Common people. Main function is to support the sangha. Karmic rewards for the gifts to the sangha. à attaining nirvana is the work of many lifetimes.

Siddhartha in the Palace

•His father keeps S. in the palace grounds •Surrounds him with sensual pleasures and insulates him from "anything that could perturb his mind." •Siddhartha engages in pleasures and fathers a son. Fulfills dharma of a householder

What you should know now...

•How the telling of myth(s) embodies the ideals of the Mahayana sangha. •How the "ritual" of teaching promotes the vision of community •How the doctrine of "emptiness" (=shunyata ) undergirds a radical transformation of the Buddha's teaching

Three Jewels/Refuges

•I take refuge in the Buddha •I take refuge in the Dharma •I take refuge in the Sangha • •All of these are interconnected

DKD appears

•In response to this disbelief, the girl suddenly appears and does obeisance to the Buddha. •Objection is raised: •"You suppose that in this short time you have been able to attain the unsurpassed way. But this is difficult to believe. Why? Because a woman's body is soiled and defiled, not a a vessel for the Law...The road to Buddhahood is long and far-stretching. Only after one has spent immeasurable kalpas...can one finally achieve success."

And Now...on Buddhism

•It's all about the Sangha •Two Keys •Historical Development •Wide Diversity in Thought, Ideals, Practices

The Impact of Skillful Means

•Legitimizes the entire Mahayana project against the Theravadins •Gives basis for innovation and change within the lifetime of the Buddha •Provides Interpretive guide for exploring the dharma •Encourages an open-ended approach to dharma •Provides Pedagogical guide: •Aim of teaching is to develop skillful mindset in student rather than command of specific doctrine

Universal accessibility to Buddhahood

•Lotus Sutra, Chapter 12 ("Devadatta") •Two stories showing unlikely figures attaining Buddhahood. •Devadatta •cousin and bitter opponent of the Buddha. •Attempted to kill the Buddha. Sank down to hell. •In Lotus Sutra, Buddha praises D. for expounding dharma to him so that he could attain the six paramitas ("Perfections") of the Buddha.

Mahayana

•Mahayana = One of the three vehicles in Buddhism •Primary form of Buddhism in E. Asia (China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam) •Originated in India. Brought by missionaries to China. •Extensive development in China. Spread through E. Asia from China •Variety of schools (Pure Land, Zen) •What can you tell me about •Pure Land •Chan/Zen

Important Mahayana Schools

•Mahayana itself marked by great diversity •Numerous schools: Most prominent = •Pure Land •Originated in India. Most popular form of Buddhism in east Asia •Focuses on the veneration of a celestial buddha •Chan (Zen) •Originated in China. Separate schools developed in Japan. •Focuses on meditation

Vajrayana

•Majority practice in Himalayan region. Prominent in Tibet, Nepal •"Third turning" of the Wheel of Dharma: •Culmination of Theravada/Mahayana •Combines Mahayana with Hindu tantric practices •Left: Shiva Linga with Buddha, Nepal (Wikimedia commons, Sarah Welch, 2016) •Dalai Lama: •Regarded as reincarnations of previous dalai lamas •14th Dalai Lama: Tenzin Gyatso (b. 1935). Escaped Tibet in 1959.

Pure Land

•Most popular form of Buddhism throughout East Asia. •Emphasizes salvation through the compassionate grace of the Buddha, Amitābha (aka Amida)

Why Kill the Buddha?

•No attachment to anything •So you don't have to write a paper •Distraction •Because he's been dead for hundreds of years, he must be zombie •To help him to escape samsara • •Skillful here?à Self-reliance. Not being attached. •SHOCK

What do you do?

•Offer him food •Kill him •Give him the finger •Worship him •Offer the standard blessing for travelers on the road

The disturbance deepens

•On a second outing, Siddhartha sees ploughed fields: • •"The ploughs had torn up the sprouting grass, scattering tufts of grass here and there, and the land was littered with tiny creatures who had been killed and injured, worms, insects, and the like. The sight of all this grieved the prince as deeply as if he had witnessed the slaughter of his own kinsmen.. . .he then alighted from his horse and walked gently and slowly over the ground, overcome with grief."

A disturbance

•On an outing, the prince encounters three disturbing sights: •An old man •A diseased man •A corpse •(The fourth sight comes a bit later)

Theravada

•One of the eighteen divisions of early Buddhism •Little known about its earliest history •Probably widespread by the reign of Ashoka •Sees itself as the preserver of Buddha's original teachings •Conservative tradition •Rejects the inclusion of later scriptures into canon

Ideal of the Bodhisattva

•Original meaning •One who vows to seek enlightenment. A "buddha in training." •Applied to the stages of a buddha prior to awakening •In Mahayana •Contrast to arhat •Applied to a being who vows to serve and save all suffering beings •Primary virtue= compassion (karuna) •Open to monks and laity alike •All beings have within themselves the resources necessary to reach the highest possible perfection

Arhats scoff

•Others are skeptical of M's report: •It took the Buddha "immeasurable kalpas" of "accumulating merit, piling up virtue, seeking the way of the bodhisattva without ever resting...Only after he had done that was he able to complete the Bodhi way. I cannot believe that this girl in the space of an instant could actually achieve correct enlightenment."

Welcome to Buddhism!

•Place of Buddhism among world religions •Buddhism as a "religion" and as a "philosophy" •Three Jewels/Refuges

Turning the Wheel of the Dharma

•Resolves to assist in the freeing of all living beings. •Act of compassion •Spends next 45 years until the end of his life teaching the path to freedom. •Accepts the alms-bowl from the "world guardians." •A beginning to the Sangha •First discourse to the five mendicants (deer park): •First exposition of the four noble truths and eightfold path: "[1] suffering must be comprehended, [2] its cause given up, [3] its stopping mastered, [4] and this path developed."

The Fourth Sight

•S. has a vision of a "mendicant" (a religious wanderer). •[See note in text: Some versions of Legend place this immediately after the other encounters] •The mendicant tells S. that he has given up all attachment: "greed and hate for all this world of sense have ceased to be...Possessions I have none, no expectations either." •The prince accepts this course, and "then and there he intuitively perceived the Dharma •The Dharma is an eternal reality. The Buddha is not the founder of the Dharma. •He imitates the mendicant and abandons the palace.

Foundations of Mahayna

•Scriptural •Development of new scriptures beyond the traditional (Theravadin) canon •Doctrinal •Extension of the principle of "non-self" in far-reaching ways •Ethical: •Focus of practice on virtue of compassion •Social •Less centered on monastic community. Expands the participation of laity. •We will see all of these aspects in the Lotus Sutra

A middle path

•Seeks a "middle way" between sensuality and asceticism. •Reflects a different view of the human person: the person is not an "atman" contained in a body. •Accepts Nandabala's gift: •"Most fruitful moment" in her life. •Gives him the strength to seek enlightenment. •In Buddhist view, the Dharma is not "ascetic," but is the "middle way"

DKD Claps Back

•She provides irrefutable proof of her claim: •Turns into a man •Carries out all the practices of a bodhisattva •Is translated to the "Spotless World" •Expounds before all living beings, so that all who hear experience "hearts filled with great joy" and were able to reach the level of no regression. •The assembly surrounding the Buddha "silently believed and accepted these things."

What are "skillful means"?

•Short Answer •Distinctive approach to teaching the dharma in Mahayana. •Emphasizes cultivation of proper mental disposition for the novice to perceive the truth of the Dharma rather than conveying information about the Dharma •Longer Answer: Buckle Up. It's coming... •But first an example

Historical Spread of Buddhism

•Spread of Dharma from India over a 1000-year period •Monastic centers key to spread of Buddhism •Two main routes: •Northern [yellow] •Southern •[Peachy/Tan color]

Night vigil

•Strengthened by the gift, Siddartha sits under the fig tree in a cross-legged posture, and vows not to change position until he attains enlightenment •Defeats the temptations of Mara. •At right: The Buddha calls the earth to witness

Suddhodana and Siddhartha

•Suddhodana seeks to dissuade the young prince from seeking spiritual perfection. •Four Aims of Life •Spiritual and Social pursuits balanced in Hinduism. •Dharma is an "aim" of life •Siddhartha's dharma: to rule the kingdom justly

Second Noble Truth: Suffering is caused by desire

•Suffering is caused by desire •Desire engenders karmic results •Karma: •Relates to Intentions as well as actions •Compared to river shaping the riverbank: •Not a supernatural judgment

Make yourselves an island:Final Words to Ananda

•Surely, Ananda, if there is anyone who thinks that he will lead the Sangha, and that the Sangha should depend on him, let him set down his instructions, But the Tathagata has no such idea....Therefore, Ananda, dwell making yourselves your island (support), making yourselves, not anyone else, your refuge, making the Dhamma your island (support), the Dhamma your refuge, nothing else your refuge." •[Maha-pari-nibbana sutta] •Buddha declines to name a successor—thus the sangha itself is defined by the Dharma, not as an institution. Sangha defined by co-operative seeking of the Dharma

The Noble Truths

•Taken together = Basic formulation of the path to achieve release from suffering. • •Here they are: •[1] All life entails suffering •[2] Suffering is caused by desire •[3] Removing desire removes suffering •[4] The way to remove suffering is the eightfold path

The First Jewel: the Buddha

•The "historical" Buddha = Siddhartha Gautama •Many stories told of Buddha's life compiled centuries after Buddha's life •Here = The Legend of Buddha Shakyamuni (2nd cent. CE) •Not a biography of the Buddha •Nor is it scripture •Life of the Buddha = model of the path to enlightenment •(1) a vow to seek enlightenment •(2) its attainment over time and overcoming obstacles •(3) completion in the teaching of others how to follow that path •Smart's Mythological Dimension—How so?

3 Jewels/Refuges

•The Buddha •"Awakened" One (Brodd, p. 147). •Model of the Awakening of Consciousness to what truly is real •The Dharma •Teaching taught by the Buddha over the 45-year period after his awakening. •Embodied in a series of Scriptures. Oldest canon written in the ancient language of Pali (not the same language spoken by the Buddha) •The Sangha •Primarily refers to the Monastic Community •Critical to the spread of the dharma

In this context...

•The Buddha is born "in full awareness." •Declares "For enlightenment I was born, for the good of all that lives. This is the last time that I have been born into this world of becoming." •Bodhisattva: one who takes a vow to achieve enlightenment • •Visited by a seer •"The world is entangled in the snares of self-delusion, it is overwhelmed by suffering, it has no refuge: after he has won full enlightenment this boy, then, a king of Dharma, will free the world from its bonds."

Back Now to the 4NT

•The Three marks of reality provide the foundation for the 1st noble truth •Since nothing is permanent, suffering is inevitable. •Now on to the second NT: •Why does impermanence lead to suffering?

Myth and Skillful Means

•The dragon daughter's king is a "myth." But it radically challenges traditional doctrine: •Who is eligible for Buddhahood •Who controls access to Buddhahood •What practices are required and how much time • •Skillful means reflects a way of teaching that addresses the "buddha nature" participated in by everyone (and everything). •Reflects sharply different conception of the relationship between dharma and sangha.