Buddhism

The doctrine of an-atman

"Non-self." There is no individual self. Rejects the Hindu idea of the atman but does not mean to say that there is no part of a living being that continues on after death.

Trishna

"Thirst," "craving." The answer to "Why do living things suffer?"

Sangha

"assemblage" - the Buddhist community of monks and nuns; one of the Three Jewels of Buddhism.

Nirvana

"blowing out" - the ultimate goal of all Buddhists, the extinction of desire and any sense of individual selfhood, resulting in liberation from samsara and its limiting conditions.

nirvana

"blowing out" - the ultimate goal of all Buddhists, the extinction of desire and any sense of individual selfhood, resulting in liberation from samsara and its limiting conditions.

Dukkha

"suffering, frustration, dislocation, or discomfort". The first of the Four Noble Truths, the basic Buddhist insight that suffering is part of the human condition.

Shakyamuni

'Sage of the Shakya clan' a title used to refer to the historical figure of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha

samsara

(Hinduism and Buddhism) the endless cycle of birth and suffering and death and rebirth

Zen

(n.) - the peak or highest point

Rebirth realms

staging areas between lives, gods live on higher levels.

Buddha

An Indian prince named Siddhartha Gautama, who renounced his wealth and social position. After becoming 'enlightened' (the meaning of Buddha) he enunciated the principles of Buddhism.

Three refuges (same as Triple Gem)

Buddha Depending on one's interpretation, it can mean the historical Buddha (Siddharta) or the Buddha nature — the ideal or highest spiritual potential that exists within all beings; Dharma The teachings of the Buddha, the path to Enlightenment. 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, or the community of Buddhist monks and nuns.

Buddhist view of gods

Buddha did not believe in a god is because there does not seem to be any evidence to support this idea. There are numerous religions, all claiming that they alone have god's words preserved in their holy book, that they alone understand god's nature, that their god exists and that the gods of other religions do not. Some claim that god is masculine, some that she is feminine and others that it is neuter. They are all satisfied that there is ample evidence to prove the existence of their god but they laugh in disbelief at the evidence other religions use to prove the existence of another god. It is not surprising that with so many different religions spending so many centuries trying to prove the existence of their gods that still no real, concrete, substantial or irrefutable evidence has been found. Buddhists suspend judgement until such evidence is forthcoming. The third reason the Buddha did not believe in a god is that the belief is not necessary. Some claim that the belief in a god is necessary in order to explain the origin of the universe. But this is not so. Science has very convincingly explained how the universe came into being without having to introduce the god-idea. Some claim that belief in god is necessary to have a happy, meaningful life. Again we can see that this is not so. There are millions of atheists and free-thinkers, not to mention many Buddhists, who live useful, happy and meaningful lives without belief in a god. Some claim that belief in god's power is necessary because humans, being weak, do not have the strength to help themselves. Once again, the evidence indicates the opposite. One often hears of people who have overcome great disabilities and handicaps, enormous odds and difficulties through their own inner resources, through their own efforts and without belief in a god. Some claim that god is necessary in order to give man salvation. But this argument only holds good if you accept the theological concept of salvation and Buddhists do not accept such a concept. Based on his own experience, the Buddha saw that each human being had the capacity to purify the mind, develop infinite love and compassion and perfect understanding. He shifted attention from the heavens to the heart and encouraged us to find solutions to our problems through self-understanding.

Siddhartha Gautama basics of his life story

He lived in Nepal during the 6th to 4th century B.C. His mother died after he was said to have walked out from her side. He was prophized to be a king or high military leader. To keep his son from witnessing the miseries and suffering of the world, Siddhartha's father raised him in opulence in a palace built just for the boy and sheltered him from knowledge of religion and human hardship. According to custom, he married at the age of 16, but his life of total seclusion continued for another 13 years. But one day he ventured out beyond the palace walls and was quickly confronted with the realities of human frailty: He saw a very old man, and Siddhartha's charioteer explained that all people grow old. Questions about all he had not experienced led him to take more journeys of exploration, and on these subsequent trips he encountered a diseased man, a decaying corpse and an ascetic. The charioteer explained that the ascetic had renounced the world to seek release from the human fear of death and suffering. Siddhartha was overcome by these sights, and the next day, at age 29, he left his kingdom, wife and son to lead an ascetic life, and determine a way to relieve the universal suffering that he now understood to be one of the defining traits of humanity. He suffered and fasted and tried to find the meaning of life. From then on, however, Siddhartha encouraged people to follow a path of balance instead of one characterized by extremism. He called this path the Middle Way. CONTENTS Synopsis Early Years Beyond the Palace Walls The Ascetic Life and Enlightenment The Buddha Emerges The Buddha Emerges That night, Siddhartha sat under the Bodhi tree, vowing to not get up until the truths he sought came to him, and he meditated until the sun came up the next day. He remained there for several days, purifying his mind, seeing his entire life, and previous lives, in his thoughts. During this time, he had to overcome the threats of Mara, an evil demon, who challenged his right to become the Buddha. When Mara attempted to claim the enlightened state as his own, Siddhartha touched his hand to the ground and asked the Earth to bear witness to his enlightenment, which it did, banishing Mara. And soon a picture began to form in his mind of all that occurred in the universe, and Siddhartha finally saw the answer to the questions of suffering that he had been seeking for so many years. In that moment of pure enlightenment, Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha ("he who is awake"). Armed with his new knowledge, the Buddha was initially hesitant to teach, because what he now knew could not be communicated to others in words. According to legend, it was then the king of gods, Brahma, who convinced Buddha to teach, and he got up from his spot under the Bodhi tree and set out to do just that. About 100 miles away, he came across the five ascetics he had practiced with for so long, who had abandoned him on the eve of his enlightenment. To them and others who had gathered, he preached his first sermon (henceforth known as Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Dharma), in which he explained the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, which became the pillars of Buddhism. The ascetics then became his first disciples and formed the foundation of the Sangha, or community of monks. Women were admitted to the Sangha, and all barriers of class, race, sex and previous background were ignored, with only the desire to reach enlightenment through the banishment of suffering and spiritual emptiness considered. For the remainder of his 80 years, Buddha traveled, preaching the Dharma (the name given to the teachings of the Buddha) in an effort to lead others to and along the path of enlightenment. When he died, it is said that he told his disciples that they should follow no leader. The Buddha is undoubtedly one of the most influential figures in world history, and his teachings have affected everything from a variety of other faiths (as many find their origins in the words of the Buddha) to literature to philosophy, both within India and to the farthest reaches of the Western world.

Three Types of Craving

Craving for sensual pleasure craving for existence craving for non-existence

Thich Nhat Hanh's precepts for engaged Buddhism

Do not force others, including children, by any means whatsoever, to adopt your views, whether by authority, threat, money, propaganda, or even education. However, through compassionate dialogue, help others renounce fanaticism and narrow-mindedness. 4 Do not avoid suffering or close your eyes before suffering. Do not lose awareness of the existence of suffering in the life of the world. Find ways to be with those who are suffering, including personal contact, visits, images and sounds. By such means, awaken yourself and others to the reality of suffering in the world. 5 Do not accumulate wealth while millions are hungry. Do not take as the aim of your life fame, profit, wealth, or sensual pleasure. Live simply and share time, energy, and material resources with those who are in need. 6 Do not maintain anger or hatred. Learn to penetrate and transform them when they are still seeds in your consciousness. As soon as they arise, turn your attention to your breath in order to see and understand the nature of your hatred.

The Four Noble Truths

Dukha, Trishna, The Truth of Cessation, and The Eightfold Path

Pure Land Buddhism

Emphasized salvationist aspects of Chinese Buddhism and focused on rebirth in some paradise (the Pure Land) rather than nirvana; very popular among the masses. Mahayana

Dharma

Ethical duty based on the divine order of reality; one of the four goals of life

Avalokita

Indian deity of compassion recognized by Buddhists as Bodhisattva

Shunyata

Mahayana term for nature of existence: all beings and things are "empty" of permanent substance

Parables of the poisoned arrow and the raft

Malunkyaputta then meets with Gautama and asks him for the answers to these questions, he says that if he fails to respond, Malunkya will renounce his teachings. Gautama Buddha responds by first stating that he never promised to reveal ultimate metaphysical truths such as those and then uses the story of a man who has been shot with a poisoned arrow to illustrate that those questions are irrelevant to his teachings. The Buddha always told his disciples not to waste their time and energy in metaphysical speculation. Whenever he was asked a metaphysical question, he remained silent. Instead, he directed his disciples toward practical efforts. Questioned one day about the problem of the infinity of the world, the Buddha said, "Whether the world is finite or infinite, limited or unlimited, the problem of your liberation remains the same." Another time he said, "Suppose a man is struck by a poisoned arrow and the doctor wishes to take out the arrow immediately. Suppose the man does not want the arrow removed until he knows who shot it, his age, his parents, and why he shot it. What would happen? If he were to wait until all these questions have been answered, the man might die first." Life is so short. It must not be spent in endless metaphysical speculation that does not bring us any closer to the truth. It's just as if a man were wounded with an arrow thickly smeared with poison. His friends & companions, kinsmen & relatives would provide him with a surgeon, and the man would say, 'I won't have this arrow removed until I know whether the man who wounded me was a noble warrior, a priest, a merchant, or a worker.' He would say, 'I won't have this arrow removed until I know the given name & clan name of the man who wounded me... until I know whether he was tall, medium, or short... until I know whether he was dark, ruddy-brown, or golden-colored... until I know his home village, town, or city... until I know whether the bow with which I was wounded was a long bow or a crossbow... until I know whether the bowstring with which I was wounded was fiber, bamboo threads, sinew, hemp, or bark... until I know whether the shaft with which I was wounded was wild or cultivated... until I know whether the feathers of the shaft with which I was wounded were those of a vulture, a stork, a hawk, a peacock, or another bird... until I know whether the shaft with which I was wounded was bound with the sinew of an ox, a water buffalo, a langur, or a monkey.' He would say, 'I won't have this arrow removed until I know whether the shaft with which I was wounded was that of a common arrow, a curved arrow, a barbed, a calf-toothed, or an oleander arrow.' The man would die and those things would still remain unknown to him."

Karma

Our actions and their consequences

Arhat

Reaching enlightenment for oneself

The Eightfold Path

Right understanding, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration

Vesak festival

Sometimes informally called "Buddha's Birthday", it actually commemorates the birth, enlightenment (nirvāna), and death (Parinirvāna) of Gautama Buddha.[2]

Maitreya

The Future Buddha (the Buddha to come)

Defeat of Mara

The Defeat of Mara and Siddharta's enlightenment, the second of the four great events, took place at Bodh Gaya, in modern day Bihar state in Eastern India. Here, Siddharta chose a spot under a pipal tree (ficus religosa) and sat on a seat made of kusha grass. He bagan to meditate, and during his meditation he underwent a battle against the forces causing reincarnation. In Buddhist literature these forces are characterized as the demon Mara ("Death") and his demonic hordes. In this battle, Mara tried to distract the meditating Siddharta with worldly temptations such as wealth and power. The temptations are personfied as a demonic army hurling boulders, weapons, and so on, at Siddharta. This assault did not deter Siddharta from his meditation, and the weapons and boulders turned to flowers and fell at his feet. Mara then sent his beautiful daughters to distract Siddharta. However, being merely personifications of pleasure (rati), displeasure (arati) and passion or desire (trichna), they turn into old hags, thereby failing in their endeavor. Frustrated with his failure, Mara told Siddharta, " I have the death of all beings. These demons are my witness. What right do you have to escape death? Where is your witness?" At this point Siddharta touched the earth with his right hand extended over his right knee. In response to his touch, Prithvi, the earth goddess, emerged to serve as Siddharta's witness. With that, Mara was defeated and the demonic hordes vanished. Having defeated Mara, Siddharta came to be known as a Buddha, or "Enlightened Being." Specifically he is referred to as Gautama Buddha or Shakyamuni Buddha ("Enlightened One, Sage of the Shakya [clan]").

Dalai Lama

The head lama of Tibetan Buddhism, the spiritual and political leader of Tibet until 1959, who also recently relinquished all political authority.

The situation with nuns in Theravada countries

The topic of full ordination for Buddhist women in the oldest living Buddhist tradition (Theravada) remains controversial. Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana) never had such a tradition, although the Dalai Lama supports it. Chinese Buddhism (Mahayana) has nuns who have been able to offer ordination to Theravada and Vajrayana women. On one side is the Sangha's traditional view that it can no longer be allowed. On the other side, Buddhist women and Western monks look more deeply at the issue. Many traditional monks, including foreign elders, now support it.

Characteristics of Theravada vs. Mahayana forms of Buddhism

Theravada: The teaching of the Buddha according to this school is very plain. He asks us to 'abstain from all kinds of evil, to accumulate all that is good and to purify our mind'. These can be accomplished by The Three Trainings: the development of ethical conduct, meditation and insight-wisdom. The philosophy of this school is straight forward. All worldly phenomena are subject to three characteristics - they are impermanent and transient; unsatisfactory and that there is nothing in them which can be called one's own, nothing substantial, nothing permanent. All compounded things are made up of two elements - the non-material part, the material part. They are further described as consisting of nothing but five constituent groups, namely the material quality, and the four non-material qualities - sensations, perception, mental formatives and lastly consciousness. When an individual thus understands the true nature of things, she/he finds nothing substantial in the world. Through this understanding, there is neither indulgence in the pleasures of senses or self-mortification, following the Middle Path the practitioner lives according to the Noble Eightfold Path which consist of Right View, Right Resolve, Right Speech, Right Actions, Right Occupation, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. She/he realises that all worldly suffering is caused by craving and that it is possible to bring suffering to an end by following the Noble Eight Fold Path. When that perfected state of insight is reached, i.e.Nibanna, that person is a 'worthy person' an Arhat. The life of the Arhat is the ideal of the followers of this school, 'a life where all (future) birth is at an end, where the holy life is fully achieved, where all that has to be done has been done, and there is no more returning to the worldly life'. The Mahayana is more of an umbrella body for a great variety of schools, from the Tantra school (the secret teaching of Yoga) well represented in Tibet and Nepal to the Pure Land sect, whose essential teaching is that salvation can be attained only through absolute trust in the saving power of Amitabha, longing to be reborn in his paradise through his grace, which are found in China, Korea and Japan. Ch'an and Zen Buddhism, of China and Japan, are meditation schools. According to these schools, to look inward and not to look outwards is the only way to achieve enlightenment, which to the human mind is ultimately the same as Buddhahood. In this system, the emphasis is upon 'intuition', its peculiarity being that it has no words in which to express itself at all, so it does this in symbols and images. In the course of time this system developed its philosophy of intuition to such a degree that it remains unique to this day.

The Truth of Cessation

We can do something about our suffering

Siddhartha Gautama

founder of Buddhism, ca. 560 BCE

Suzuki's account of learning by the koan

Working so hard in meditation that their is no time for the mind to wander. A wandering mind is frowned upon in Buddhism. Always be a new student.They studied a completely different type of Zen, which emphasized attainment of satori, sudden enlightenment, through assiduous concentration on meditation teachings called koans, which pose such questions as "What was your original face before your parents were born?" The boys were excited by the challenge. They were to concentrate on their koans in zazen and throughout the day. They weren't to talk about them though. Shunryu endured the rigorous Rinzai training but had trouble with his koan. Every morning and evening during zazen, he'd take his turn to visit the teacher, bowing before him, reciting the verse of his koan, and presenting his answer. One day one boy passed, then another, and finally all but Shunryu had passed their koans. He became distraught. On the day they were to leave he had still not passed his koan, and there were to be no more interviews, just a closing ceremony for their period of instruction. Just before the ceremony Shunryu went running into the master's room and yelled out one last attempt to answer his koan to his master's satisfaction. "Okay! Okay! You pass!" the master said. Shunryu was happy, but later he felt that he didn't really understand the koan and believed the master had just passed him to be nice. This left him with an unsatisfied feeling about koan practice, although he continued to read and reflect on them all his life. So in kōan practice, you know, you try hard to attain enlightenment. In shikantaza, you know, we do not try to attain enlightenment. Or in shikantaza we have no time, you know [laughs], to expect something. We have—we have, you know, pain in our—on—in our legs, and sometime it may be very cold [laughs]. So to remain in right posture is difficult, you know. And if you [are] involved in our practice with right posture, with good breathing, you—you have no time even to, you know, try to—even to have beautiful picture of enlightenment, [laughs]. It is already hard enough to sit, and you have no other idea of—to have some imagination. Kōan is not something to—something to explain. Why we talk about is to give some suggestion, you know, about how you practice zazen. It is suggestion. We don't talk about what kōan means directly. We give you just suggestion, and you, according to the introduction or suggestion, you work on kōan. That is how we explain kōan and how you listen to kōan. - See more at: http://suzukiroshi.sfzc.org/dharma-talks/?p=838#more-838

Pure Land

a blissful field of enlightenment or heaven

bodhisattva

is anyone who is motivated by compassion and seeks enlightenment not only for him/herself but also for everyone, who refrains from nirvana for the sake of others, and may be worshipped as a deity in Mahayana Buddhism.

Buddhist monasticism

is one of the earliest surviving forms of organized monasticism in the history of religion. It is also one of the most fundamental institutions of Buddhism. Monks and nuns are considered to be responsible for preserving and teaching Buddhist teachings and guiding Buddhist lay followers.

Tathagatha

supreme enlightenment; he who has come and gone

bodhi

to awaken