Hmmm….
• What is it that you want
above everything else?
• What do you truly desire in
your life?
• Is it absolutely essential for
you to have this?
• What happens if you don’t get
it?
Religions of South Asia
Indian Subcontinent
The essence of
Buddhism
 The “middle way of wisdom
and compassion.”
 2,500 year old tradition.
 The 3 jewels of Buddhism:
 Buddha, the teacher.
 Dharma, the teachings.
 Samgha, the community of
monks.
Siddhartha Gautama (563-483
BCE)
 Born in NE India





(Nepal).
Raised in great luxury
to be a king.
At 29 he rejected
his luxurious life to
seek enlightenment
and the source of
suffering. Why?
Lived a strict,
ascetic life for 6 yrs.
Rejecting this extreme, sat in
meditation, and found nirvana.
Became “The Enlightened One,” at 35.
What is the
fundamental cause of
all suffering?
Desire!
 Therefore, extinguish the self,
don’t obsess about oneself.
Four Noble Truths
1. There is suffering in the
world. To live is to
suffer. (Dukkha)
 The Buddha found this
out when he was young
and experienced
suffering and death in
others.
Four Noble Truths
2. The cause of
suffering is selfcentered desire and
attachments. (Tanha)
Four Noble Truths
3. The solution is to
eliminate desire and
attachments.
(Nirvana = “extinction”)
Reminiscent of ….
The Jedi
Warriors
of Star
Wars
Jedi-Buddhism Analogy
• Supposed to remain calm
• Never give way to extreme emotions
• Practice self-denial including never getting
married
• Desire leads to Attachment
• Attachment to Jealousy and Fear
• Fear leads to Hate
• Hate leads to the Dark Side of the Force
• Jedi instead dedicated themselves to
meditation and training which they were
supposed to use for selfless dedication to
others.
Anakin Skywalker
Lived by his passions despite
his Master Obi-Won Kenobi’s
teachings.
Fell in love, secretly married,
and was misled by the Dark
Side to using his emotions to
make him more powerful
Ultimately, Anakin gives way
completely to the Dark Side
and becomes…
Four Noble Truths
4. To reach nirvana, one
must follow the Eightfold
Path.
Eightfold Path
Nirvana
 The union with the ultimate
spiritual reality.
 Escape from the cycle of
rebirth.
Meditation
• Part of Eightfold Path (Right
Concentration)
• Use it to reach Nirvana (which
means to extinguish or blow out –
like blowing out a flame)
• Realization that a person is not a
self but combination of materials that
is part of the universe
(universalization)
• All selfish desire is extinguished.
Buddhist Art and
Architecture
Buddha in Art
• Early images depict him as a robed
monk.
• Curl of hair between eyebrows
shown as a dot.
• Cranial bump (enlarged spot on top
of head covered with hair)
• Large earlobes from earrings when
he was Prince Siddhartha
• Sometimes, wheel (Eightfold Path)
imprinted on palms and soles of feet.
Mudras – Symbolic hand
gestures
• Meditation mudra– hands overlapping,
palms facing upward
• Earth touching mudra – calling on the
Earth to bear witness to his
enlightenment
• Wheel of Law or Teaching mudra – right
thumb and index finger touching
• Fear Not mudra – right hand up, palm out
as gesture of protection
Scenes from Buddha’s Life
• His birth at Lumbini from the side of
his mother Queen Maya
• Achieving buddhahood while
meditating under a boddhi tree in
Bodh Gaya, India.
• Buddha’s first sermon at Sarnath
• His attainment of nirvana
Buddha
’s head
:
2c
Pakista
n
• Red sandstone image
• Made in late 5th century
• The serene expression and
contemplative gaze show the
Buddha’s spirituality
• Embodies the qualities of
inner calm and stillness, the
products of supreme wisdom
• Strong youthful body with
active stance represent his
strength as a universal ruler
• The raised right
hand is in the
abhayamudra
gesture, which
dispenses fear and
provides followers
of the religion with
reassurance
• Skull protuberance
depicts enlightened
wisdom
• Halo behind head
emphasizes the
religiosity of
Buddha
Buddha – 19c
Thailand
Buddhist art in India
Sanchi Stupa
Great Stupa at Sanchi
• The Great Stupa of Sanchi
is located in Sanchi, India.
• Stupas are Buddhist monuments in India,
and are generally domes that cover relics of
Buddha and his followers.
• The Great Stupa of Sanchi is the oldest and
largest Stupa, and also one of the best
preserved. It is a pilgrimage site.
• The Stupa is decorated on the outside with
four gates, each adorned with elaborate
symbols and scenes from the life of Buddha.
S
E
• The Southern Gate has
images from Buddha’s
birth.
• The Eastern Gate shows
Buddha’s Journey to
Nirvana.
• The Northern Gate
show’s scenes from
Buddha’s life with
multiple incarnations.
• The Western Gate Shows
Buddha undergoing
temptation.
N
W
Diagram of a Stupa
Stupas
• Buddha was cremated; his ashes
were separated into 8 reliquaries.
• The Indian king Ashoka, built 8
stupas throughout his kingdom to
bury the reliquaries.
• A stupa is NOT a tomb; it is a
reliquary mound. People cannot
enter the mound.
• People perform clockwise
circumambulation around the mound
to achieve harmony with the cosmos.
Stupas continued
• A stupa is a three-dimensional mandala or
diagram of the universe.
• It is aligned according to the cardinal
points with toranas (gateways) at N, S, E,
and W sides.
• The harmika is the stone fence separating
the realm of the gods.
• The yasti is the pole the represents the
axis of the universe connecting the world
with the dimension of the gods.
• Stone fence encloses entire structure to
separate this holy area from the world.
Mandala: Wheel of Life
Motif
Mandala: Wheel of Life
Motif
Buddhist Altar
Types of
Buddhism
 Therevada Buddhism
 Mahayana Buddhism
 Tibetan Buddhism
 Zen Buddhism
Theravada Buddhism
 The oldest school of Buddhism.
 Found in southern Asia.
 The monastic life is the best way
to achieve nirvana.
 Focus on wisdom and meditation.
 Goal is to become a “Buddha,” or
“Enlightened One.”
 Over 100,000,000 followers today.
Theravada Buddhism
Mahayana Buddhism
 The “Great Vehicle.”
 Founded in northern Asia (China,
Japan).
 Buddhism “for the masses.”
 Seek guidance from Boddhisatvas,
wise beings
 Goal: Not just individual escape
from the wheel, but the
buddhahood of all humanity.
Mahayana vs. Theravada
Buddhism
• Mahayana Buddhists would regard
Theravadan Buddhism as too narrow in
focus as it is about individuals seeking
enlightenment all for themselves (private
buddhas).
• Mahayana Buddhists believe that
unlimited compassion must be practiced
to all beings
• Bodhisattvas are enlightenment beings
who help with this; unlimited in number;
they exist in this world but without
attachments.
Mahayana Buddhism
Seated Boddhisatva –
16c
Bhutan
boddhisatva
Tibetan Buddhism
 The “Diamond Vehicle.” [Vajrayana]
 Developed in Tibet in the
7c CE.
 A mix of Theravada and Mahayana.
 Boddhisatvas include
Lamas, like the
Dalai Lama.
 The Tibetan Book
of the Dead
[Bardo Thodol].
The
Dalai
Lam
a
Zen Buddhism
 The “Meditation School.”
 Pure Land Buddhism (Amitabha)
 Seeks sudden enlightenment [satori]
through meditation, arriving at
emptiness [sunyata].
 Use of meditation masters [Roshi].
Amitabha Buddha
• Pure Land or Zen
Buddhists say
prayers and
meditate in the
hope that when
they die Amitabha
Buddha will
transport them to
the Pure Land of
Infinite Light and
Life where Nirvana
is assured.
• Why do you think Buddhism evolved
in East Asia (Mahayana, Zen or Pure
Land Buddhism) differently than
South Asia (Sri Lanka, Myanmar,
Thailand, Cambodia, Laos)?
• Think of traditional religious beliefs
of East Asians (Mulan and
ancestors, Japan and Shinto)
Buddhism in America
(1999)
Distribution of
Buddhism Centers in
the US, 2001
Relieve Stress &
Meditate:
Get a Mantra !
Om...mani...padme...hum...
Hail to the jewel in the lotus!
th
10
Annual western
buddhist monastic
conference
California, 2004