Review:
Vedic /Upanishadic Traditions
VEDIC TRADITION:
Vedic Cosmology
Vedic Gods
Varna
UPANISHADIC TRADITION:
Upanishadic Ideas
Universalistic Ideas: Brahman/Atman
Samsara
kalpa
Brhadaranyaka Upanishad:
“As he has acted, as he has lived, so he becomes;
He who has done good is born again as a good one;
He who has done evil, is born again as an evil one”
Heterodox Religions:
Jainism and Buddhism
• Against the Vedic ideas, especially supremacy of
priesthood, varna system, materalism of
Vedic ritual
• Non-Theistic
• Non-Violence and equality
• Upanishadic ideas: contemplation and questioning
• Path of renunciation (pre-Vedic ideas)
• Nastiks = deniers [of the Vedic tradition]
• Astiks = believers [of the Vedic tradition]
Buddhism
Presuppositions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
SAMSARA: endless cycle of rebirth and deal
KARMA: “action”
KALPA: cyclical time of world cycles
MAYA: illusion
Soteriology: a release from the painful cycles by attaining
enlightenment.
Upanishadic Ideas:
1. Unity: universal and individual
2. Renunciate / ascetic tradition
3. Emphasis on SELF
The Buddha
“Founder”
• historical figure born in 500 BCE
• as Prince Siddhartha of the Shakya clan in
Lumbini, Nepal
• After enlightenment became known as the BUDDHA
“one who has the knowledge”
• also known as SHAKYAMUNI, “sage of the Shakya”
The Buddha
• teacher, NOT a god
• notion of past Buddhas before him (8 Buddhas)
• his life and events serve as paradigm for ALL Buddhists
• All Buddhist beliefs in existence before Shakyamuni
The Life of the Buddha
Four Major Events as Paradigm
1.
2.
3.
4.
Birth
Enlightenment (bodhi)
First Teaching “Turning the Wheel of Dharma”
Death (nirvana)
Birth of the Buddha
Lumbini, Nepal
Birthplace of Shakyamuni Buddha
Fasting Buddha, 1st century CE
Enlightenment at Bodhgaya
Temple of Enlightenment,
Mahabodhi Temple, Bodhgaya
Enlightenment of the
Buddha:
Victory over Mara (death)
• attained Bodhi “knowledge
• Buddha: “one who has the
knowledge
•“Earth-touching gesture” :
-earth-goddess as
witness
First Teaching at Sarnath, India:
Turning the Wheel of Dharma
Teaching the Dharma:
:Turning the Wheel of Law”
Four Noble Truths:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Life is suffering
Desire is the cause of suffering
The solution is to stop having desire
The way to stop desire is to follow
the Buddhist Dharma (path)
(8-Fold Path)
: faith / practice
: selfless action
: ethical behavior
Three Jewels:
1. Buddha (Teacher)
2. Dharma (Teaching)
3. Sangha (Community)
Buddhist Teachings (Dharma)
1) Altruistic action:
Having complete, unselfish compassion for
others and acting on that compassion. Making
continuous effort to seek advancement and to
aid others
2) Yogic Meditation:
Seeking through concentration and mindfulness
the various types of knowledge that led to the
Buddhist attainment
3) Detachment:
Becoming a beggar or an ascetic in order to
detach oneself from all desires.
The Death of the Buddha: Nirvana
• Ending the cycle of samsara
Relic Cult in Buddhism: Worship and Pilgrimage
1. Bodily Relics of the Buddha
STUPA
Buddhist Community
Buddhist Sangha:
•Monastics: Monks / Nuns
•Lay Commmunity: Male / female
Buddhist Texts:
•Monastic behavior: vinaya
•Buddhist philosophical treatises and commentaries
Buddhist Worship, Ritual, and Art
• Communicating the key points of religion through symbols
• Emphasizing faith in religion
• Art begins around the 3rd century BCE
Buddhist Cosmology:
Mount Meru System
Buddhist World System:
1. Sacred Mountain: imagined space
2. Fundamental in Buddhist philosophy and art
3. Understanding that is critical in Buddhist thought
Web reference: www.huntingtonarchive.osu.edu (Circle of Bliss)
Mount Meru World System
Mount Meru World System
Stupas as Mount Meru World System
Tibet
Nepal
Japan
Yogin and Mt. Meru
Yogin and Heart-Mind
Buddhist Vehicles (Yana)
•Hinayana “Little Vehicle”
Shrakayana: Vehicle of the Hearers
Theravada: Path of the Elders
Pratyeka-buddhayana: Vehicle of the Lone Buddhas
Ideal: Arhats
•Mahayana “Great Vehicle”
Ideal: Bodhisattva (lit. “Enlightenment Beings” or Beings
destined for Enlightenment)
•Vajrayana “Adamantine/Diamond Vehicle”
• best suited for the Kali Yuga: efficious/dangerous
Ideal: Mahasiddha (crazy yogin)