Module 4: Intro to Buddhism

Zen

(in Japan- Chan in China, Seon in Korea): this tradition emerged around the beginning of the 5th c. CE, and restored beliefs about self-power (vs. supernatural help) on the path to enlightenment. Practice over doctrine.

Buddha (The Awakened One)

A fully enlightened being. Siddhartha Gautama

Koan

A koan is a conundrum used by sects like the Rinzai Zen tradition to push one's mind past logical/ rational thinking in an attempt to have a sudden experience of enlightenment (satori).

Middle-path (Middle-Way)

A path toward liberation that is not ex treme; for the Buddha, the path between extreme asceticism and extreme self-indulgence. One of the historical Buddha's central teachings, the idea of a middle- path teaches a mean, between the extremes of overindulgrnces and dangerous asceticism.

Interdependent Origination (Pratityasamutpada/ Arising On The Ground of a Preceding Cause)

Suggests that all things in creation are interrelated, and dependent upon one another. In other words, one of the reasons that the self is always changing is because it is influenced by all things before and around it, and will in turn influence everything/everyone after it. Nothing exists independently: Instead, the origination of all things depends on other things.

Upaya

The Buddha is believed to have used upaya, or skillful means in order to make his teaching accessible to all devotees.

Parinirvana (Supreme Release)

Full, or final nirvana, in which one exits the cycle of samsara, and is no longer subject to re-births. Occurs at the death of one who has achieved nirvana in his or her lifetime. In Buddhism, to cultivate a blissful state of non- suffering in one's lifetime is to reach nirvana, while full liberation from the cycle of samsara at death is called parinirvana.

Dharma (That Which Upholds)

In the Buddhist context, Dharma refers to Buddhist teaching and Buddhism as a religion. In Buddhism, dharma is thought of as the truth, or teachings of the Buddha, rather than sacred duty (as in the Hindu tradition).

Bodhisattva

In the Mahayana tradition, a bodhisattva is one who has renounced nirvana in order to help others to be liberated. For example, the Amitabha Buddha of the Pure Land tradition.

Mantras

In the Vajrayana tradition, a common practice is the recitation of mantras, sacred syllables or phrases, as a focus for meditation. Om mani padme hum

Nirvana (Extinguishing or Blowing Out)

The end of desire and suffering in one's life; an initial phase of liberation, or enlightenment.

Bodhisattva (Enlightenment Being)

One who is on the verge of enlightenment. In Mahayana Buddhism, a bodhisattva is one who has taken a "bodhisattva vow" to remain in samsaara in order to work for the enlightenment of all sentient beings.

Vinaya

Rules for monks and nuns in Buddhism, the vinaya, forbid actions like stealing, killing, or harming.

King Ashoka

Sent Buddhist missionaries to Afghanistan.

Mahayana (Great Vehicle)

Sometimes called the "great vehicle," because of this tradition's emphasis on inclusiveness with regard to who can reach liberation (not just monks/nuns). This movement began around the beginning of the 1st c. CE, spreading quickly throughout East Asia (China, Japan, Korea). The largest of the Buddhist schools, subsects of the Mahayana tradition also tend to be the most popular and widespread forms of Buddhism in the West. Subsects of Mahayana tradition include the Pure Land and Zen communities. China, Japan, Mongolia, Tibet, and Korea

Mandalas

Spiritual, or cosmological images that relate to the Buddha and his compassion mandalas can be used as guides in meditation.

Tripitaka aka Pali Canon (Three Baskets)

The first canon of Buddhist texts. Consists of three "baskets" or collection of sutras.

The Noble Eighthold Path

The Buddha's prescription for a way of life that leads to enlightenment. Based on the principle of the Middle Way, it is also defined by eight virtues. 1.) Right View: seeing things as they are, in accordance with the Buddha's teaching. 2.) Right Intention: Cultivating an unshakeable commitment to tread the path to enlightenment in accordance with the Buddha's teachings. 3.) Right Speech: Cultivating the virtue of ddressing others with kindness, while abstaining from lying, divisive, or abusive speech, and idle chatter. 4.) Right Action: abstaining from killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct. 5.) Right Livelihood: making a living in a way that harms no one and benefits all. 6.) Right Effort: striving to abandon all thought and action that is harmful to oneself or others and to cultivate virtues that benefit oneself and others. 7.) Right Mindfulness: Focus awareness of the body and mind and the phenomena arising within and affecting each. 8.) Right Concentration: cultivating the four stages of concentration leading too equanimity beyond pleasure and pain.

The Three Jewels

The closest thing to a Buddhist creed, in which practitioners trust, or "take refuge" in: -Buddha -Dharma -Sangha

Anatman

The doctrine that there is no independent, eternal self or soul under lying personal existence. Buddhism conceives of the self as anatman, in that the self is impermanent and always changing from moment to moment and lifetime to lifetime.

Pure Land

The earlier of these practices to form (1st c. CE), this tradition centers on the promise of a bodhisattva (one who is achieved nirvana, but vows to remain in samsara to help others to do the same) named Amitabha. Pure Land is not heaven in the same sense as Western conceptions of heaven, but a step closer to parinirvana. The Pure Land is appealing, however, in that it is believed to be a place without suffering, where no further bad karma can be accrued, and where one can even gain good karma from Amitabha's efforts through merit-transfer—just by being in the Pure Land. In the Pure Land school of Mahayana Buddhism, devotees invoke the name of the Amitabha Buddha, a bodhisattva of compassion who promises them a quicker path to liberation.

Skandhas (Heaps or Bundles)

The five components (body, perception, feelings, innate tendencies, and thought) that give rise to a sense of self. The conditions of the five attributes of the human person, known as skandhas, reflect the idea of impermanence (anatman).

Four Noble Truths

The four noble truths that form the basis of the Dharma; Suffering is the inherent in human life, suffering is caused by desire, there can be an end due to desire, the way to end desire is the Noble Eightfold. 1- to live is to suffer, as all sentient (feeling, sensing) beings experience suffering 2- the cause of much of our suffering comes from desires/cravings/attachments to things that we can't or don't have, or cannot control 3- it is possible to end this type of suffering by eliminating those desires/cravings/attachments 4- the way to do this was outlined by the Buddha through the Eightfold Path (as detailed on p. 152 in your course textbook), a system of actions and behaviors that can be thought of in three categories: those pertaining to wisdom, ethical conduct, and concentration/meditation. The Four Noble Truths outline the conditions of life, including the cause and nature of suffering, and how to overcome it.

The Four- Fold Society

The four- fold society is made up of monks and nuns, lay men and lay women.

Tripitaka

The scriptures of the Theravada tradition are called the Tripitaka, and include dharma, vinaya, and abidharma (commentaries).

Sangha (Community)

The worldwide community of Buddhists. Alternately, the order of the Buddhist monks or the membership of a particular Buddhist congregation. Initially, the community of monks and nuns; this term is also now used to designate the broader community of Buddhists worldwide- both lay and monastic. The community of believers is called the sangha, and is one of the "3 jewels" of the tradition.

Schools of Buddhism

Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana, each with their own interpretations of which of the Buddha's teachings to focus on, which practices and rituals to engage in.

Vajrayana

This tradition is the smallest of the schools, and is sometimes called the "diamond," or "thunderbolt" vehicle by practitioners, who believe that it is the best or quickest way to nirvana. It emerged in the 6th and 7th c. CE in Nepal, Bhutan, and ultimately in Tibet by the 8th c. CE, where it became so embedded in Tibetan culture that it is sometimes referred to as "Tibetan Buddhism." Incorporates both Mahayana and tantric ideas and practices. Associated with Dalai Lama.

Sutras

Verses of text or scripture, sutras (like the Dhammapada) are compilations of the Buddha's teachings.

Theravada (A Way of the Elders)

Viewed by insiders to the tradition as the earliest, and therefore most authentic form of Buddhist practice, having emerged out of the time of King Ashoka; primarily concentrated in Southeast Asia, including Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Cambodia. Emphasizes individual efforts to obtain liberation, with a particular focus on monastic life (with communities that emerged as early as the Buddha's own time). The scriptures of this branch of Buddhist include the Tripitaka (or "three baskets"), three sets of texts that include the vinaya, with rules for the lives of monks and nuns (who lived in ascetic communities, giving up their worldly possessions and relationships with the hope of reaching nirvana in this lifetime); dharma, or the Buddha's teachings; and the abidharma, or analyses and commentaries on the dharma. The Theravada school or branch of Buddhism is the oldest, having grown out of the council called by King Ashoka in the 3rd c B.C.E.