The Beginnings of Buddhism: The Life of the Buddha
1. Describe the social context of India in Siddhartha Gautama's day.
1. During the time of Siddhartha Gautama India consisted of 16 major states in
the north. Kings or chiefs ruled individual states and acquired income through
taxation and trade. The Brahamns, who were the religious leaders, held high
positions in each state and had the authority to approve of the ruling class.
Sometimes they were the rulers themselves. This period was known as India’s
Golden Age, Hindu culture and political administration reaches new heights.
2. Give a brief outline of the Buddha's life, according to the legends.
1. Siddartha lived in present day border area between Nepal and India, in the 6 th
century BC. His exact birth is unknown. His father was King Suddhodana, and
his mom was Queen Mayadevi. The name Siddhartha was given to him to
describe one who obtains success and prosperity. Seers predict that he would
become either a Universal Monarch or a Buddha, a person of supreme
knowledge.
2. Siddhartha spends his childhood in the palace and is raised by his aunt. He
makes his first spiritual experience, where he develops the first jhana through
concentration.
3. As a young boy he learns the skills of a warrior, and is trained in spiritual
discipline and become proficient in the art of archery.
4. At the age of 16 he marries his cousin of the same age.
5. He spends 13 more years in the palace with his wife, and he has a son in this
late 20s.
6. One day he realizes that he is not statisfied with all the fleeting pleasures and
he is looking for something deeper.
7. He leaves his palace and discovered things that had been purposely hidden
from him. He realizes that life was not like his and he is inspired to explore the
world.
8. On his 29th birthday he leaves the court and becomes a penniless wonderer.
9. At the age of 35 he becomes a fully realized Buddha.
10. He travels around Northern India to teach Buddhism.
3. Describe the Buddha's death and his last advice to his disciples.
1. He dies at the age of 80 years old of food poisoning, in a forest near
Kusinagara, Nepal in the company of his followers. His last words were “All
compounded things are ephemeral; work diligently on your salvation.”
The Basic Teachings of Buddhism
1. What is meant by the Buddha's "noble silence"?
1. Budha kept noble silence when he knew that the questions were not in a
position to understand the answer to the question because of its profundity, or
if the questions themselves were wrongly put in the first place. By realizing the
true nature of the issues asked he remained silent. His silence on these
questions was interpreted as much more meaningful than attempting to
deliver thousands of discourses on them.
2. What were the two most important questions about existence on which the
Buddha concentrated?
1. How can we minimize suffering, both our own and that of others?
2. How can we attain inner peace?
The Three Marks of Reality
1. Explain the dimensions of change that the Buddha saw in the world.
1. Anicca which means inconsistency of impermanence. It refers to the fact that
all conditioned things are in constant state of flux. In reality, nothing ever
ceases to exist; only the appearance of the thing ceases as it changes from
one form into another.
2. How does Buddhism explain the concept of no permanent identity?
1. Anatta, which is also known as the non-self, denotes that phenomena are not,
or are without, a permanent self. It is used to describe any and all composite,
phenomenal and temporal things, from macrocosmic to microcosmic. It all is
mental and impermanent.
3. Discuss the meaning and scope of suffering in Buddhism.
1. Duhhka or dissatisfaction. Buddhism believes that nothing in the physical
world can bring lasting deep satisfaction. Basically, in Buddhism they believed
that suffering will always be part of life, and in order to be satisfied and happy
we will need much more than just materialistic things.
The Four Noble Truths
1. Explain in your own words the phrase "to live is to suffer."
1. The phrase means that life is accompanied by inevitable pain, sickness and
disappointment. However, this is life and we live it. While living life we suffer,
because suffering is part of living.
2. Discuss dimensions of desire found in the Second Noble Truth.
1. In the second noble truth there are three kinds of desires: desire for sense
pleasure (kama tahna), desire to become (bhava tanha) and desire the get rid
of (vibhava tanha). The second noble truth basically states that the origin of
suffering is attached to desire.
3. How does individualism contribute to suffering?
1. Buddha says “there is only one of you, if you overemphasize your desires you
are not doing your best.” The meaning is that if you are only looking out for
your own self and your own well being you are not doing your best because
there are so many other people out there that you could be helping.
4. What degree of enlightenment might a layperson hope to attain in this life?
1. A person can hope to attain nirvana in this life, which is an everlasting state of
great joy and peace. Buddha defines it as the “extinction of desire”. This is the
ultimate goal in Buddhism.
The Noble Eightfold Path
Relate the eight steps of the path to its three main goals.
The eight steps of the oath describe the way to end suffering. It was used as a practical
guidelines to ethical and mental development with the goal of freeing the individual from
attachments and delusions. The first step is the right view which means to see things
through, and grasp the impermanent and imperfect nature of worldly objects and ideas. He
thought that the right view yields right thoughts and actions. Additionally through the right
intentions, speech, action, livelihood, efforts, mindfulness, and concentration a person would
be able to put an end to suffering. Their reason behind this thought was the fact that having
the right attitude when doing anything will lead to only happiness and no harm.
The Influence of Indian Thought on Early Buddhist Teachings
What facets of Indian Vedic practice did early Buddhist literature reject?
The early Buddhist literature rejected their path to salvation. Buddha taught that to achieve
salvation one does not have to accept the authority of the scriptures or the existence of god,
which was what the Vedic believed.
Ahimsa: "Do No Harm"
Discuss the reasons that Buddhists embrace an ethic of non-harm.
Buddhist embrace an ethic of non-harm because they reject violence. They are pacifist
in its teaching, and many Buddhist say that “it is better to get killed than to kill.” Additionally
they believed that suffering could be overcome by following a particular way of life. For them
to kill it would be to induce suffering which they were completely against.
The Soul and Karma
How does Buddhism explain karma and rebirth without a soul?
In the simplest form, Buddhism explains Karma as similar actions will lead to similar
results. It would be wholesome or unwholesome. Wholesome refers to actions that are
beneficial to oneself and to others. These actions spring out of renunciation loving-kindness,
wisdom and compassion. Unwholesome are opposite actions to wholesome. They also believe
that once you die you will come back to like and it depends on your past like on how your next
life will turn out.
The Buddhist concept of “soul” differs somewhat from the Abrahamic faiths which see
the soul as some sort of little person or package of a person’s experiences and personality.
They look at the idea of a soul as not something permanent but rather what is behind after the
non functioning body.
Nirvana
Discuss your understanding of nirvana in Buddhism.
Nirvana is a state when you are freed of suffering and individual existence. Buddhist
refer to it as a state of Enlightenment. It is the ultimate goal for all Buddhist. They also
consider nirvana as freedom from worldly concerns such as greed, hate, and ignorance.
The Early Development of Buddhism
1. Discuss Ashoka's conversion to Buddhism.
1. Ashoka explains that he converted to Buddhism out of remorse for his
conquest of the Kalingas. He traveled through India and visited sacred
Buddhist locations. He contributed to the spreading of the moral virtues of
Buddhism and insisted that the word of Buddha be read and followed.
2. What actions are attributed to Ashoka that aided the spread of Buddhism?
1. In order to spread Buddhism he send emissaries to the Hellenistic kings as far
as the Mediterranean, and to the peoples throughout India, claiming they were
all converted to the Dharma as a result. How successful he was, no one is sure
however, some scholars have pointed out the presence of Buddhism in
communities of the Hellenistic world.
Theravada Buddhism: The Way of the Elders
1. What has been the goal of Theravada regarding Buddha's teachings?
1. The Theravada believes in the fundamental teachings of the Buddha, which are
to abstain from evil thinking and action, to purify the mind through meditation,
and to develop insight. Theravada Buddhist was to attain these insights,
internalize them, feel them, live them and then after become an enlightened
Arhat, a perfected being who attains enlightenment as well.
2. Describe the importance of the community of monks for Theravada.
1. The community of monks of Theravada is very important because they follow a
lot of rules and they remain celibate for their whole entire life. This show the
sacrifice that they are making for the greater good.
3. What countries have been influenced by Theravada Buddhism?
1. It influenced most of the Asian countries but its biggest influence was in
Thailand.
4. How do monks and laity serve each other?
1. The laity gives foods and other items suitable for the monks, while the monks
study and give lectures to a laity individually or to the family.
5. Discuss some of the unique features of Buddhism in Thailand (Box Feature).
1. Thai Buddhism has been influenced by many other cultures such as Hinduism
and thus they are different from the original form of Buddhism. However, they
have adapted the most original form of Buddhism. Theravada.