Buddhism Review
The christian faith is not about purging all of the desire from our lives... it is about ______________________________.
Desiring that which is most desirable.
By discovering "the middle path", Siddhartha achieves ___________.
Enlightenment
Three "poisons" of the ignorant human mind in which evil is rooted
Greed, anger, delusion
Location of enlightenment
bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya
Options after enlightenment
bodhisattva, nirvana
2 things King Ashoka does to help Buddhism
built thousands of stone pillars, sent out buddhist missionaries
Metaphors for nirvana
candle blowing out, drop in ocean
Christian/ Buddhist Similarities
divergent sects, both have tried and rejected asceticism,spiritual leader is an example to be followed, the will of human beings in inherently fallen/ evil
Pure Land
focused on being reincarnated in the "Pure land"; Cooperates well with Daoism and other native religions; China
atheism
no religious beliefs
No Desires vs. new desires
not no desires, but new desires; this process involves divine transformation, not extinguishment
Buddha's Suspicious Miracles
painless, virgin birth, stopping a wild elephant, splitting 500 pieces of fire wood with his voice, several water miracles
the "Middle Path"
path of balance and moderation
Theravada
Sect of Buddhism that believe it is up to the individual to find Nirvana "small raft"; located in Southeast Asia
Buddhist Pantheism
"All Buddha and all sentient beings are only 'one mind.' There is nothing else... Right before you, that's it!"
bodhisattvas
"Buddha-to-be"; has attained enlightenment but chooses to remain in the world to bring enlightenment to the world
The Buddha's last words
"Decay is inherent in all things; work out your salvation with diligence!"
schism
"division between strongly opposed sections or parties, caused by differences in opinion or belief."
Nirvana
"extinguished; blown out"
All humans are meant to be pursuing the same ________________.
"full release"
anatman
"no self"; a permanent self does not exist; we are an ever-changing self
Zen
Sect of Buddhism that focuses on meditation and nothingness, sometimes including beatings to focus the mind ; located in Japan
impermanence
we are all passing away and changing with the universe
Who are we?
we are an ever changing self, all passing away and changing with the universe
4 noble truths
1 life is suffering 2 the cause of suffering is desire 3 the cure for suffering is to remove desire 4 to remove desire, follow the eightfold path
Buddhism/Hinduism Relations
Buddhism accepts the Hinduism concepts of: samsara, karma, and escape from samsara. Buddhism rejects the Hinduism concepts of: the illusion of reality, the power of gods, multiple paths, intuition as sovereign
Rational vs. Illusory World
Buddhism sees the world as it truly is, without ignoring the real pain and suffering. Hinduism ignores the pain and suffering of the world by calling it fake and avoidable
Buddhism and Intuition
Buddhist do not think human intuition is right because humans are fallen and flawed, so how can our judgement possibly be correct?
Who said, "we are far too easily pleased"?
C. S. Lewis
"Comparative Mythology
Jesus, Krishna, Buddha
3 people discussed with comparative mythology
Krishna, Buddha, Jesus
Wat Buddharatanaram
Monastery and learning center in Keller
What is gained by meditation?
Nothing is gained, but depression and stress is lost
Mahayana
Others - especially the Buddha and bodhisattvas - must help the individual find Nirvana "large raft"; china, Korea, Japan
Christian view: Suffering's end
Refer to Revelations 21:4, there is no suffering (we won't end suffering, but one day it will end)
Three Hindu theological concepts accepted by Buddhism
Reincarnation, karma, & escape from reincarnation
Dissenting verse
Romans 5:3-5 "Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame."
Where are we?
we are in a rational -not illusory - world filled with pain which we produce ourselves by bad karma
How do we know?
We can come to know things through the enlightenment granted first to the Buddha and now to us through meditation.
What's the problem?
We listen to our desires/ cravings
What's the solution?
We must "extinguish" all desire, all cravings, by acknowledging the four noble truths and following the eightfold path, especially meditation."
The Buddha's later life
after enlightenment, remained in the same place contemplating the truths he had learned before leaving to preach them
we bare these marks of existence only as long ____________________________.
as we desire to be in existence.
buddhism is considered an ________ worldview.
atheistic
orthodoxy
authorized or generally accepted theory, doctrine, or practice
asceticism
avoiding all forms of comfort and worldly pleasures
Enlightenment
awareness which frees a person from the cycle of rebirth
"Well-Balanced" individuals
between the extremes of sensual indulgence and self- mortification
"The Eightfold Path"
right: view, intentions, speech, action, livelihood, effort, concentration, & mindfulness
the "Four Sights" witnessed by Siddhartha Gautama that changed his life
sickness,old age, death, an ascetic monk
dukkha
suffering
Buddhism is one of the only religions that suggests that __________________.
suffering can be removed all together
Meditation
the buddhists primary tool for removing desire
Reliability of Buddhist History
the miracles of the Buddha weren't recorded until years after they were performed. also the earliest collection of writing contradicted each other
Soka Gakkai
this sect of buddhism focuses on chanting and focusing "nam-myoho-renge-kyo"