Buddhism has much in common with Hinduism,
but important differences.
Buddhism like
Hinduism:
Reincarnation
Karma
Dharma
But not
Caste system
Hindu gods
Hindu
priesthood
BUDDHISM and HINDUISM -comparisons
• Buddha rejected the need for complex
Hindu rituals – enlightenment can be
achieved by any person, regardless of
varna (class)
• Buddha wrote in the language of his
community, not the language of the Hindu
priests (Sanskrit). Only educated highercaste Indians knew Sanskrit
BUDDHISM and HINDUISM—
comparisons
• Buddha rejected the idea of the varna
system (and thus, no dharma to caste)
• Buddhism does not have god images;
later followers worshipped Buddha as a
god-like figure.
• A person who achieved nirvana can
remain as a teacher, known as a
bodhisattva, to help others reach nirvana
HINDUISM
Samsara
 Moksha
 Varna system
 Sacrifices
 Atman
 Karma
 Dharma (caste)
 Dharma (virtue)
 Renounce world
And its pleasures

yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
no
BUDDHISM
yes
yes
rejected
no
no
yes
no
yes
yes
JAINISM
yes
yes
weak
no
yes
yes
no
yes
yes
Buddhism
Buddhism…
The “middle way of wisdom and compassion”
• A 2500 year old tradition that began in
India and spread and diversified
throughout the Far East
• A philosophy, religion, and spiritual
practice followed by more than 300 million
people
• Based on the teachings of the Buddha
What is Buddhism?
• Buddhism is a major
world religion, or in a
better sense, philosophy.
• It is the 4th largest religion
of the world, and has
about 300,000,000
people living by it.
• It explains the purpose of
life, injustices and
inequality around the
world.
• It also helps people by
providing a way of life
that will lead to true
happiness.
Religions of South Asia
Buddhism in the 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.
 Sangha, the community.
THREE JEWELS/THREE
REFUGES
1) I TAKE REFUGE IN THE BUDDHA
2) I TAKE REFUGE IN THE DHARMA
3) I TAKE REFUGE IN THE SAMGHA
The History of Buddhism
• It was all started by Buddha, who was a
prince in Lumbini, 2500 years ago.
• He was very unhappy in his royal life, so
he set off on a 6 year journey, exploring
other religions.
• After his long journey and much
meditation he was finally “enlightened”.
• He found the middle path, the key to
human happiness. For the rest of his life
he wandered Asia, preaching his new
religion.


Buddhism was
founded by
Siddhartha Gautama
in northern India
around 560 BCE.
Gautama was born
into a wealthy Hindu
family, but renounced
his wealth to seek
spiritual
enlightenment.
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.
Lived a strict,
ascetic life for 6 yrs.
Rejecting this extreme, sat in
meditation, and found nirvana.
Became “The Enlightened One,” at 35.
BUDDHISM
•
•
•
•
Founder: Prince Siddhartha Gautama,
(563-483 BCE)
Buddha -> “enlightened one”
Desired to find a balance between
asceticism (denying the body
completely) and the selfish
overindulgence he’d grown up living
as a nobleman’s son
He called this the MIDDLE WAY
THE MIDDLE WAY
•
•
•
•
•
MODERATION IN ALL THINGS
– i.e., eat, but don’t over eat; have
comfortable living space, but not
a mansion!
DETACH YOURSELF FROM
PHYSICAL PLEASURES AND
DESIRES – i.e., avoid addictions,
etc.
DO NOT HARM OTHERS
SEEK PURITY OF THE MIND
ALWAYS SEEK TO DO GOOD
What is the fundamental
cause of all suffering?
Desire!
 Therefore, extinguish the self,
don’t obsess about oneself.
~Buddhism spread
through cultural
diffusion to
eastern Asia,
including China,
Thailand, Korea
and Japan.
~In other areas,
Buddhism was
adapted and took
on new forms.
What Did Buddha Teach?
• He taught the 4 Noble
Truths which sum up
Buddhism religion
• He also taught the
noble eight fold path
• He taught to lead a
moral life, be mindful
and aware of thoughts
and actions and to
develop wisdom and
understanding
• He also taught the 5
precepts
The Four Noble Truths
1. Life is suffering -- we can be lonely, get
sick, become old, die; anger, hatred, and
frustration can dominate us
2. Suffering is caused by selfish desires
– we spend much of our life trying to find
pleasure, stay young, fight aging, deny
relationships from ending- but we cannot
stop those things
The Four Noble Truths
3. The elimination of selfish desire can
eliminate suffering-– the meaning to life is
not in selfish living or thinking we can stop
death
4. The eightfold path is the way to
achieve this leads to nirvana (bliss)
-Nirvana is not exactly moksha
What are the Four Noble Truths?
• The first was that life is suffering
• You can’t live without death, frustration, etc.
• The second is that suffering is caused
by craving and aversion
• Getting what you want doesn’t guarantee
happiness, it deprives you of it
• The third is that suffering can be
overcome, and true happiness attained
• If we stop craving useless things, and live each
day at a time (not living in the future) we will be
happy and free.
• The fourth is that the Noble eight fold
path leads to the end of all suffering
Buddhism is based on the Four
Noble Truths.
1. All life is
suffering.
2. Suffering is
caused by desire for
things that are
illusions.
3. The way to
eliminate suffering
is to eliminate
desire.
4. Following the
Eightfold path will
help people to
overcome desire.
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.
FIRST NOBLE TRUTH:
LIFE INEVITABLY INVOLVES
SUFFERING:
- Imperfect
- Illness
- Hateful
- Separation
27
Four Noble Truths
2. The cause of
suffering is selfcentered desire and
attachments. (Tanha)
SECOND NOBLE TRUTH:
THE ORIGIN OF SUFFERING IS
OUR DESIRES:
-
Grasping for pleasure
Grasping for becoming
Grasping for sensual delight
Grasping for what we don’t have
29
Four Noble Truths
3. The solution is to
eliminate desire and
attachments.
(Nirvana = “extinction”)
THIRD NOBLE TRUTH:
SUFFERING WILL STOP
WHEN DESIRES ARE
STOPPED:
- When the ‘grasping’ stops
- Elimination of passions
Four Noble Truths
4. To reach nirvana, one
must follow the Eightfold
Path.
FOURTH NOBLE TRUTH:
THERE IS A WAY TO GET TO
THIS POINT: THE
EIGHTFOLD PATH
Eightfold Path
Nirvana
 The union with the ultimate
spiritual reality.
 Escape from the cycle of
rebirth.
Eightfold Path
A person should always be mindful of these things:
1. Right view (knowing how the world works)
2. Right intentions (knowing the difference
between right and wrong)
3. Right speech (avoid lies, harsh words;
sympathetic speech)
4. Right conduct (be peaceful, honest)
5. Right livelihood (occupations beneficial to
others)
6. Right effort (do your best; be committed to your
work)
7. Right mindfulness (keeping an alert mind)
8. Right concentration (meditation)
Note: 1,2 (wisdom); 3,4,5 (ethical conduct); 7,8,9
(meditation)
The Noble Eightfold Path
• It taught 8 simple rules:
1. To have a right
understanding
2. To have right thoughts
3. To use right speech
4. To do right actions
5. To deal with right
livelihood
6. To give a right effort
7. To have a right
mindfulness
8. To use the right
meditation
1) RIGHT UNDERSTANDING
• Understanding reality through the
Four Noble Truths
• Seeing through illusions
2) RIGHT THOUGHT/MOTIVES
• Uncover ‘unwholesome’ emotional
roots that guide our thinking
• Discover and weed out
• Only then do we become free from
self-centredness
3) RIGHT SPEECH
• VS. - Vain talk, gossip, harsh words,
lying
• Communication must further truth
and harmony
• Including ‘self-talk’: “May you be well
and happy today…”
4) RIGHT ACTION
FIVE RULES OF MORAL CONDUCT:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
DO NOT DESTROY LIFE
DO NOT STEAL
AVOID SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
DO NOT LIE
DO NOT USE INTOXICANTS
ABOVE ALL: ALL ACTIONS SHOULD BE
BASED ON CLEAR UNDERSTANDING
5) RIGHT LIVELIHOOD
• How one makes their living
• One’s work should not harm others
6) RIGHT EFFORT
• Refers to the constant effort that must
be put into achieving these goals
• IT TAKES EFFORT!
7) RIGHT MINDFULNESS
• The way to liberation is through the
mind
“CHECK YOUR MIND
BE ON GUARD
PULL YOURSELF OUT
LIKE AN ELEPHANT FROM THE
MUD.”
8) RIGHT MEDITATION
• Applying mental discipline to quiet the
mind
THE MIND IS SUBTLE, INVISIBLE, AND
TREACHEROUS
USE SKILFUL MEANS TO SEE AND
UNDERSTAND ITS NATURE
The 5 precepts
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Do not take the life of anything living
Do not take anything not freely given
Abstain from sensual overindulgence
Refrain from untrue speech
Avoid intoxication
• Do not lose mindfulness
This is the moral code of the Buddhists
KARMA:
• CAUSE OF NEXT LIFE = KARMA
ANATMAN, SKANDHAS
• ANATMAN - No soul to be reborn; no
permanent reality
• SKANDHAS – aggregates
NIRVANA
“No suffering for him
Who is free from sorrow
Free from the fetters of life
Free in everything he does
He has reached the end of his road…
Like a bird invisibly flying in the sky
He lives without possessions
Knowledge his food, freedom his world
While others wonder…
He has found freedom –
Peaceful his thinking, peaceful his speech
Peaceful his deed, tranquil his mind.”
Buddha under
Bodhi Tree,
Sri Lanka
Buddha did not record his teachings, but after h
died, his followers collected them into the
Tripitaka
Buddha – 19c
Thailand
Buddha’
s head :
2c
Pakistan
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.
 The “Way of the Elders” or the
“Small Vehicle.”
 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 salvation
of all humanity through selfsacrifice of those enlightened few.
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].
Today’s Tibetan
Buddhists are
led by the Dalai
Lama, who
advocates for
freedom from
China.
The
Dalai
Lama
zen Buddhism
 The “Meditation School.”
 Seeks sudden enlightenment [satori]
through meditation, arriving at
emptiness [sunyata].
 Use of meditation masters [Roshi].
 Beauty, art, and aesthetics:
 Gardens.
 Archery.
 Tea ceremony.
 Calligraphy.
Buddhism in America
(1999)
Modern Buddhist monks
Distribution of Buddhism
Centers in the US, 2001
th
10
Annual western buddhist
monastic conference
California, 2004
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