Comparative Religions
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Siddhartha Gautama who was born in Nepal
around 563 BC.
His father was a ruler so he grew up in luxury
At 16 he married a princess and they had a son
Siddhartha’s father had fortunetellers predict
Siddhartha’s life when he was born.
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Sid’s career was crossed:
 If he succeeded his father as ruler, he would be a world
conqueror who unified India
 If he denied his succession, he would be a world
redeemer
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In his 20’s, Sid chose the path away from
ruling.
He left the palace and his family to learn
religion from the Hindu priests.
After the Hindu priests, he joined the ascetics
and learned from them.
Between the Hindus and the Ascetics he found
the Middle Way – the area between the
extremes of denial in Ascetcism and indulgence
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In the final phase of his quest, he decided to
meditate until he reached his goal of
enlightenment.
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While he sat under the tree he was tempted three
times by Mara – the evil one
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Sat down under a Bodhi tree and refused to get up until
he was enlightened.
Sid rebuffed her temptations and she fled.
The next morning he “woke up” and was no
longer Sid, but Buddha.
Mara tempted him one more time, but Buddha
prevailed and she left him alone forever.
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Buddha
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Founded an order of Monks
Challenged the Brahmins
Accepted the skeptics attitudes
His routine
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Train monks and oversee the order
Public preaching
Private counseling
Withdrawal for renewal
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He taught for nine months, withdrew for three
in seclusion with his monks
Buddha also withdrew three times each day to
meditate
Buddha died at 80 years old after eating
poisonous mushrooms
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Buddha was a compassionate rationalist.
Buddha was human
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He refused all efforts to turn him into a god
He disciples called him Sakyamuni – silent
sage and Tathagata – the perfectly enlightened
one
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Six features of all religions
Authority
 Ritual
 Explanations
 Tradition
 Grace
 Mystery
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What Buddha preached in relation to these six
features:
Religion should be devoid of authority
 Religion should be devoid of ritual
 His religion skirted explanation
 Religion should be devoid of tradition
 Religion should exist on intense self-effort
 Religion should be devoid of all supernatural
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What Buddha did preach:
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Religion is empirical – you must know for yourself
Religion is scientific – what’s here is here, what’s not is
not
Religion is pragmatic – it is a tool to help you get to
where you are going spiritually
Religion is therapeutic – it can make you feel better
Religion is psychological – look to yourself and what you
need
Religion is egalitarian – women can be enlightened too
Religion is for individuals – he urged working out one’s
own salvation with diligence
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The Four Noble Truths
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Dukkha – suffering
 How much of life is enjoyable?
 At what level of our being does enjoyment begin?
 We suffer because we are off-balance with ourselves. This is
obvious at four times in our lives:
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Birth trauma
Illness
Old age
Death
What causes dukkha? Tanha – ego. The bigger it gets, the
worse it is.
 Overcoming Tanha. Release from our ego/self-interest
releases our torment/suffering
 The way out of torment is the Eightfold Path
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How to remove the suffering caused by the
ego.
Right knowledge
 Right aspiration
 Right speech
 Right behavior
 Right livelihood
 Right effort
 Right mindfulness
 Right absorption
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Right knowledge
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Right aspiration
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What we say reveals our character
Right behavior
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Do we really want enlightenment?
Right speech
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Know the Four Noble Truths
Don’t kill, steal, lie, be unchaste, drink, or do drugs
Right livelihood
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Join a monastery or find an occupation that makes
you happy while working
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Right effort
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Right mindfulness
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Keep working hard toward you goal so you can get
to where you want to be
Ignorance is our biggest enemy; see everything as it
really is
Right absorption
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Change so that you can experience the world in a
new way.
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Nirvana is the goal of Buddhism – bliss
through enlightenment
Three Marks of Existence:
Dukkha – suffering
 Annatta – a lack of permanent identity
 Anicca – impermanence
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Basically, these three things are loosely tied
together to make humans who they are.
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Three questions that divide his followers:
Are people independent or interdependent?
 Is the universe friendly, indifferent, or hostile?
 What is the best part of the human self, its head or its
heart?
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Buddha’s followers divided over these questions.
Hinayanas are the smaller sect who believe the way to
enlightenment is only through becoming a monk and
practicing Buddhism full time.
 Mahayanas believed Buddhism was good for the
common person and could be achieved by laypersons.
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Call their form of Buddhism Theraveda – the
Way of the Elders
The Pali Cannon – early Buddhist texts support
their position
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Believe Buddha did more through his life’s
example than through instruction
Base their faith on the fact that he did not stay
in a state of nirvana, he returned to work/serve
the people.
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Theraveda – progress rests with the individual
Mahayanists – progress rests with the
phenominal
Theraveda – people are on their own for
salvation
Mahayanists – Buddha and bdhisattvas work
for us on our salvation
Theraveda – wisdom is the most important
Mahayanists – wisdom is important, but
compassion also needs to be cultivated.
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Theraveda – the sangha (monks) are the heart of
this sect
Mahayanists – their priests can marry and have a
life but are expected to be servants to their laity.
Theraveda – The ideal is arhat – to be the perfect
disciple
Mahayanists – perfected wisdom through nirvana
is renounced to return to the world and serve.
Theaveda – Buddha is a supreme sage
Mahayanists – Buddha is a savior
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Pure Land School – believes a compassionate
Buddha will carry his followers to the Pure
Land of the Western Paradise (heaven)
Confucian predilections for learning and social
harmony
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Comes from Buddha’s Flower Sermon
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He said nothing, just held up a golden lotus
One dude, Mahakasyapa, smiled and nodded, so
Buddha decided he understood and made
Mahakasyapa his successor.
Zen is a faith of deep questions often with no
way to find the true answer.
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Two branches of Zen
 Rinzai
 Soto (we won’t address this one)
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Rinzai Sect
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Four key terms:
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Zazen – seated meditation
Koan - problem
Sanzen – private meeting with a master about his meditation
Satori – breakthrough in solving his koan
Once satori is reached, five things have been
accomplished:
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Monk finds life distinctly good
He has an objective look at his relation to others
He returns to the world he now perceives differently
His attitude is now one of general agreeableness
He will never again feel that his death will bring an end to
his life
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Zen influence on Japan
Sumie – black ink landscape painting
 Landscape gardening
 Flower arranging
 Tea Ceremony
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Uses the Vajrayana (Indian god of Thunder) to
help them realize Buddha’s wisdom and
compassion
The essence of Vajrayana is Tantra – focusing
on the interrelatedness of things
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Tibetans see success in practices which helps
them reach nirvana in a single lifetime.
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They focus on speech, gestures, and vision
 Mantras – Tibetans focus on making sounds into holy
formulas
 Mudras – Tibetans focus on choreographed hand
gestures turning them into sacred dances
 Mandalas – Icons whose holy beauty empowers –
created by Tibetans
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Dalai Lama – holy leader of Tibetan Buddhism
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His job is to incarnate on earth the celestial principle
of compassion or mercy
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Buddhism is a journey
Buddhists must choose which path to follow to
reach their journey’s end
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Recognize Buddhism’s Three Vows:
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Hinayana or Mahayana
I take refuge in the Buddha
I take refuge in the dharma
I take refuge in the sangha
Finally, realize that Buddha was a divine
incarnation – an avatar.