Relg 1040 Buddhism

- A celestial Buddha, and the focal - Buddha of Pure Land buddhism - Possesses infinite merits from good deeds from life as a bodhisattva the buddha of infinite light - Close to reaching buddhahood, took series of vows - -----18th vow- Amitabha establish pure land, anyone who wants to be reborn into it must entrust themselves to him, have faith in him, desire it, and recite name

Amitabha (or Amida)

The Buddha - awakened one who is woken up to true reality of all things The Dharma - teachings of buddha, universal truth The Sangha - monastic community founded by Buddha who memorized his teachings Importance: - central principles of buddhism & buddhist said to take refuge in the three jewels

What are the three jewels? Why are they important?

- according to buddha --> no real self - instead, self is illusion & everything is impermanent - sense of self leads us to have desire, hatred, & ignorance & grasp onto something not truly there - instead --> We are composed of the five skandhas, which have no essence, because of their impermanent nature, mahayan Buddhists would say that everyone has a Buddha-nature

What is the true nature of the self, according to Buddhism?

- B.R. Ambedkar was one of the authors of the Indian constitution and social activist - born into untouchable Dalit class, nut intellect caught attn of brahmin who adopted him so he could have upper class name & pursue education - balmed hinduism for discirmination the untouchables faces & reform to hinduism was possible - converted to buddhism bc religion was compatible w India cultural vlues & didn't discriminated based on birth status...saw this as necessary for social reform - inspired thousands of Dalits to follow his examples

Who was B. R. Ambedkar, and why did he convert to Buddhism?

- in the story of Siddhartha Guatama's journey to Buddhahood, he discovers a middle way between two extremes - a life of sense pleasures and indulgences which one is unaware of suffering in the world in contrast to extreme asceticism and body mortification - in the Pali Sutras, avoiding these extremes is known as the Middle path which leads to calmness, insight, enlightenment and nirvana - follow the middle way by 4 noble truths & practicing eight-fold path

Why is Buddhism known as the Middle Way?

(South and East Asia) Nepal Bhutan Tibet Mongolia China Korea Japan Vietnam

mahayana buddhism countries

- Type of meditation - Calmness, tranquility, breathing - Taking object of meditation to calm mind and formations

shamatha ("tranquility")

- literally, a "heap" or "aggregate"; the term refers to any of the five "groups of existence," the Buddha's way of classifying all physical and mental existence. All of these are impermanent and constantly changing. -------- Form: one's own body, external objects → physical --------Feelings → mental --------Perception → mental --------Volition → mental --------Consciousness → mental

skandha

(South and Southeast Asia) Sri Lanka Burma/Myanmar Thailand Laos Cambodia

theravada buddhism countries

- Type of meditation - Mindfulness meditation - Practiced by theravada buddhists - Meditation, breathing - Goal: live in a totally mindful way, not just calm mind but also develop insight into buddhist teaching

vipassana ("insight")

- comfortable realm in the western region of the heavens reserved for those who trust in the merit and grace of its lord, the celestial buddha Amitabha - Those in pureland → rebirth Earth no longer necessary, will achieve eventual enlightenment - Anyone can be born in pureland if they desire and invoke Amitabha's name - Pureland = easy path, other power because self power not fit for us anymore it is too difficult - Popular china and japan (brought to japan by Honen

Pure Land

- 1st insight in first watch of the night - cycle of death and rebirth that occurs when you don't reach nirvana - cycle of suffering - Wheels in jaws of death - Dark side → bad karma → reborn in lower three realms (animal, hell realms, hungry ghosts) - Light side → good karma → reborn upper three realms (human, god, titan)

Samsara

- The congregation or community of buddhist monks and nuns - Some forms of Buddhism also refer to the congregation of lay persons as sangha - Founded by buddha Third of the three jewels

Sangha

- hard to clearly define Buddhism as either - Buddhism is still ultimately a religion as it has many elements that are similar to known religious traditions - like many Western religions, Buddhism has a founder (Siddhratha Gautama) - has institutions (monasteries and temples) & spread by missionaries all across parts of Asia - Mahayana branch has the belief in supernatural power and celestial beings such as Bodhisattvas who are worshiped along with salvation by divine grace...belief in spiritual beings is commonly seen across many known religions such as Christianity and Hinduism. ***by saying u are a Buddhist and by believing in nirvana there is an end

"Buddhism is not really a religion, but more a philosophy or way of life"? Would you agree or disagree with this claim? Why?

- Buddhist may respond to this claim saying that there are two main categories of meditation: samantha and vipassana - Samantha: may align with this claim as it is the meditation of calmness and tranquility and often involves using an object of meditation to calm the mind - Vipassana goal is not just to calm the mind... is the meditation of insight and the goal is to develop insight into Buddhist teachings and live in a totally mindful way.

"Meditation means calming your mind." How might a Buddhist respond to this claim? (Hint: what are the two main categories of meditation?)

- Hakuin leaves home at 15 and vows to become a monk. Goes through very rigorous training. Teacher keeps calling him a hole-dwelling devil because he isn't reaching a point of understanding. - Moral: Studying zen under a teacher is very difficult and painful. Reaching enlightenment is no easy task.

Autobiography of Hakuin

- In theravada, a being who is on the way to enlightenment or buddhahood but has not yet achieved it - In Mahayana, a celestial being who forgoes nirvana in order to save others ------Far on path, a lot of wisdom

Bodhisattva

- Historical founder of buddhism - Birth name: siddhartha Gautama (Shakyamuni Buddha) - Most buddhists believe there were multiple buddhas in past times, Siddhartha is current - "The awakened one," enlightened, woken up to true reality - First of the three jewels

Buddha

- In Buddha usage, teaching or truth concerning the ultimate nature of things Buddha's teachings - Four noble truths (suffering, origin of suffering, cessation of suffering, path to cessation of suffering the eightfold path) - Second of the three jewels

Dharma

- Taught that this is the path of salvation, esp for women bc they were considered to have an inferior position -In order to be born into Pure Land, one must repeat the Buddha Amida's name and think of him at every moment. - Call upon the sacred name constantly. This repetition is the practice of Nembutsu.

Honen the Buddhist Saint

Avg layperson: - goal: good/better rebirth, not nirvana (nirvana is too lofty) - practice: reach goals of having good karma & merit making through temple worship & dana (supproting & donating food.money to the sagnha) Monk - goal: reach nirvana. of enlightenment from sufffering of rebirth - practice: meditation & living the eight-fold path ***monks live on alms to support themselves since they cannot touch money

How do the goals and practices of monks differ from the goals and practice of the average Buddhist layperson?

modern: - created by ppl in relatively recent years - allows one to calm their mind through practices such as breathings & object concentration similar to trad buddhist meditation called samantha (meditiation of calmness & tranquility) - more calming, mindfulness, & self awareness, less on concentration trad: - classical buddhims also includes vipassana mediation focused on developing insight into buddhist teachings & live in enlightenment

How do traditional forms of Buddhist meditation compare to the modern practice of mindfulness (as represented in Susan Bauer-Wu's "Mindfulness and Kindness Practices")?

Pure land - focus: tariki (other power) - goal: ordinary ppl can reach enlightement by putting faith in amithaba buddha - method: nembutsu = recitation of the Buddhas name (I bow to amithaba buddha) Zen - focus: jiriki (self power) - goal: enlightenment reached through self power - method: strenuous practices not dependent on words, but uses koans & meditations

How does Pure Land Buddhism compare to Zen Buddhism?

- The energy of the individuals past thoughts and actions, good or bad; karma determines rebirth within the wheel of samsara, or cycle of rebirth that ends only when parinirvana is achieved - Good karma is also called merit - Taking action out of desire or aggression - The law of karma - law of dependent origination - everything depends on causes

Karma

- passage is from The Questions of King Milinda, in which a king asks questions to the Buddhist monk Nagasena - in explaining the Buddhist doctrine of no-self, Nagasena argues that a "chariot" is not ultimately real; it is simply a convenient label for a collection of parts - In the same way, our names are simply convenient labels for an ever-changing collection of physical particles and mental events (five skandhas, day to day self is an illusion)

King Milinda Questions Nagasena

- Short story/anecdote/question that is intentionally supposed to puzzle us - Intended to defy rational understanding and force student out of normal reason centered mode of thinking into a more intuitive body centered state of mind - In a flash will realize answer Ex: what did your face look like before you were born? Character mu?

Koan

- A chart like representation of cosmic - Buddha figures that often serves as a focus of meditation and devotion in the - Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions - Symbolizes the entire cosmos as reflected in Buddha - Organizations of different buddhas and bodhisattvas - Sand mandalas: destroyed, represents impermanence

Mandala

- Good karma for a better/good rebirth in the next life (human, god, titan realm) → gain merit - Donating to sangha, building temples, worship, practice generosity, avoid harm, practice good speech, virtuous activities → make merit = Anytime you do a good action, no matter animal, monk, lay person

Merit-making

- Awareness of breathing. Breathing exercises - Body awareness or body scan. - Kindness practice- repeat phases - Modern practices- somewhat similar to traditional Buddhist practices

Mindfulnesss & Kindness Practices

- Remembering the buddha, invoking the name of buddha - Japanese: Namu Amida Butsu → I bow to Amitabha (Amida) Buddha - Enlightenment is easy if you have faith to Amitabha, recite as much as you can no deeper knowledge required, according to Honen the saint

Nembutsu

- Cessation of suffering - Blowing out a candle, extinguishing of suffering - Total enlightenment that allows one to escape reincarnation - Monastic goal

Nirvana

- The heart of Buddhist meditation. Four foundations of mindfulness for purifying the body according to Buddha. 1. Contemplation of the body. Careful breathing, careful body posture, clear comprehension of body, reflection on repulsiveness of body, reflection on material elements 2. Contemplation of feelings 3. Contemplation of mind 4. Contemplation of mind-objects - Five hindrances, five aggregates of clinging, six internal and six external sense bases, seven factors of enlightenment, four noble truths - What is birth, what is old age, what is death. Ear, eyes, nose is pleasurable. - Those who study Satipatthana Sutra for four years get either the highest knowledge or reminder of real life.

Satipatthana Sutta

Talks about emptiness, no-self, no five skandhas, no 4 noble truths - Buddha-Nature - Mind-only: Don't cling to external objects - the objective world is the manifestation of Mind.

Selections from the Mahayana Sutras

- Four noble truths - What is death? What is sorrow? What is grief? - Skandhas/Five groups of existence (Earth, water, fire, air, metal). - 3 warnings (Sick, old, dead).- Samsara.

Selections from the Pali Sutras - Word of Buddha

- Discourse of the buddha - A discourse attributed either to Shakyamuni himself or to an important disciple - Pali sutras - early teachings of the buddha - Mahayana sutra - Sanskrit; said to contain the more advanced teachings of the buddha

Sutra

Emptiness: - nothing is truly real & there is no self - there is no constant, unchanging permanent principle of inherent or intrinsic existence since everything is empty Mind-only: - reach towards breaking free from the clinging to physical objects as real things - external things are projections of the mind Buddha-nature: - we have enlightenment in us right now and that it is our deepest essence - day to day self is an illusion - in the quest for enlightenment we must peel away desire and our egos

The Mahayana Sutras introduced several new philosophical teachings. Discuss three examples.

diff people having enlightenment & mystical experiences

Three Pillars of Zen

- the use of expedient skillful means to bring someone else to spiritual advancement - Method or strategy - Mahayana

Upaya

- tantric branch of buddhism that became established in tibet and the himalayan region and later spread to mongolia and eventually back to India - "The Diamond vehicle" - Developed in Mahayana - Also known as tantra or esoteric buddhism - Esoteric techniques (initiations, visualizations, and mantras) and non duality teachings (shortcut to enlightenment) - Third turning of wheel of dharma → culmination of earlier vehicles - Practices: mantras, tantras

Vajrayana

- Buddha day - May full moon in rain month - Three major events in the life of Buddha occurred on that day...his birth, enlightenment, and death

Vesak

Followers - Theravada see themselves as faithful inheritors of buddhas orig teachings...referred to as little vehicle - Mahayana: see themselves as inheritors of buddhas higher teachings...referred to as the greater vehicle Location: - T = South & southeast asia - M = South & east asia Scriptures: - T = Pali sutra --> contains early teachings of buddha...4 noble truths, eight-fold path, concept of no-self & impermanence - M = Sankrit sutras --> contain higher teachings....emptiness, mind-only, & buddha-nature which seem to contradict earlier teachings Goals: - T = reaching nirvana...monks only ones able to real full enlightenment - M = enlightenment for all sentient beings, sees theravada as selfish View of buddha: - T = Siddhartha Fuatama = central Buddha & historical buddha & exemplar from the past - M = Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are worshiped and are active helpers in the present

What are the differences between Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism? (Be prepared to give a thorough, detailed answer to this question; be able to discuss five differences.)

1) suffering - recognition that everything is suffering and that it is inevitable 2) origin of suffering - desire/thirst which is said to create karma and keep us in the terrible cycle of rebirth 3) cessation of suffering third noble truth is the cessation of suffering which states that suffering can end like the blowing out a candle which is called Nirvana 4) path to cessation of suffering - The Eightfold Path, or what you need to end suffering.

What are the four noble truths?

- The Buddha, also known as Sidhartha Gautama, was the song of a king - was told he would either become the greatest ruler or an enlightened, spiritual ruler - father wanted him to become king --> gave him a life full of pleasures & devoid of suffering - went on chariot ride and sees the 4 sights: sickly person old person dead person, & renunciate - leaves palace & joins ascetic group - kicked out from the group bc he recieved food from woman --> its down under a bodhi tree vowing not to leave until he reaches enlightenment - after the three watches of the night (realizing past lives, realizing law of karma, and the final realization that there is no self) --> becomes Buddha teaches his first sermon setting in motion the wheel of dharma

What are the main events in the life of the Buddha?

- tradition centered on the practice of meditation and the teaching that ultimate reality is not expressible in words or logic but must be grasped through direct intuition - Mahayana form but includes buddha nature and emptiness teaching - Flower Sermon: Zen is 'a special transmission outside of scripture, not dependent on words - Self reliant, strenuous - Frequently used unconventional techniques to 'shock' a monk into an enlightenment experience -------Meditation on koans or shikantaza (doing nothing) zazen (sitting meditation)

Zen (Chan)