Buddhism
Historical Background
• Began in India
• Began with one man – Siddhartha Gautama
• Has now developed into a religious tradition that
includes various interpretations of Gautama’s
teachings
• Transcendence = A state of being that has
overcome the normal limitations imposed by the
human condition of physical existence
Siddhartha Gautama
• Full accounts of his life were not written until
hundreds of years after his death
• Born into a kshatriya (warrior) caste in India
– Said to have had a miraculous birth out of his
mother’s side
– Said to be able to speak and walk at birth
– When he was born, he declared he would reach
enlightenment in this life and free humans of
suffering
Prophecy
• A prophecy was made by a soothsayer that
Gautama would become either a:
– 1. great king/emperor
– 2. sage/savior of humanity
Results of the Prophecy
• Guatama was not allowed to see:
–
–
–
–
1. Old Age
2. Illness
3. Death
4. Spiritual asceticism
• Surrounded by luxury and “beautiful dancing
girls” in his family’s 3 palaces
– Shielded from the outside world
• Married at 16 and had a son
“The Four Passing Sights”
• At the age of 29, Gautama saw suffering for
the first time in the form of:
– An old man
– A diseased man
– A corpse
– A religious ascetic (someone who chooses to live a
life of solitude and self-denial to attain
religious/spiritual transcendence)
Result of the Sights
• Gautama gave up his life of wealth as a prince
in order to become a spiritual ascetic
– Wanted to put an end to old age, death, and
suffering
• Known as “The Great Going Forth”
– Celebrated by Buddhists as the triumph of the
spiritual over the worldly life
Life of Asceticism
• Joined a group of 5 ascetics who practiced this
way of life to attain salvation
• Fasted for the next few years
on the brink of starvation
– Meals = 1 piece of fruit, 1
sesame seed, 1 grain of rice
• After 6 years, Gautama accepted a
simple meal of rice and milk from
a peasant girl…
The Middle Way
• Discovered the Buddhist doctrine of “The
Middle Way”
• Abandoned by his 5 ascetic companions
• Healthy spiritual life = healthy physical life
• Spiritual happiness = complete happiness
– Body, mind, & spirit
Journey to Enlightenment
• Sat in lotus position underneath a fig tree for
days in order to gain enlightenment
• Tempted by the human
shortcomings of fear and
passionate desire
• The god of death, Maru, sent
his 3 daughters to tempt him,
but Gautama was unmoved
– Discontent, Delight, and Desire
Meditative Trance
• Ascended through levels of deepening awareness
until he understood the true nature of the human
condition
• The tree is known as: the bodhi (wisdom) tree
• Tempted to leave his body and enter nirvana =
the state of eternal bliss that is ultimate salvation
– Stayed in this world due to compassion for others;
wanted to share his discoveries
• 1st Watch (evening): Perceived his own previous
lifetimes
– Saw that suffering was continuous
• 2nd Watch (middle of the night): Acquired the
“divine eye” – ability to see the deaths and
rebirths of all living beings
– Nowhere in this world is safe from death
• 3rd Watch (late night): Discovered the Four Noble
Truths
– Perfect summation of the human condition and
means for escaping it
First Followers
• First followers = the 5 ascetics
who originally abandoned
Gautama
– Became arhats = saints
– Buddhism as a religious tradition
was born
• Taught them his famous First
Sermon
– Shared the Middle Way and Four
Noble Truths with them
4 Noble Truths
• 1. To live is to suffer.
• 2. The origin of suffering is caused by
attachment.
• 3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.
• 4. The solution to suffering is the path to its
cessation (Noble Eightfold Path) .
Diagnosis of the Disease: Dukkha
• Name of the 1st noble truth = dukkha
– “suffering”, “frustration,” “dislocation,”
“discomfort”
• “Life is dukkha” = things are not quite as they
should be, but somehow out of joint and in
need of repair
Problem of Dukkha
• We experience dukkha when we have physical
and emotional pain
• We also experience it when we are happy
because of impermanence (anicca)
– Happiness will not continue
– Our attachment to pleasant things sets us up to
suffer when we are separated from them
Dukkha = Unavoidable
• All of life’s experiences = finite
• Yet we are constantly bombarded by
opportunities to become attached
Determination of the Cause: Tanha
• Name of the 2nd Noble Truth = tanha
– “desire,” “thirst,” “craving”
• Distinguishing characteristic = a selfish
orientation
– The desire for personal attachment or private
fulfillment
Tanha = Unavoidable
• Also unavoidable because individuals are
destined to be selfish
• Tanha = an unavoidable aspect of being an
individual
Anatta = “No-self”
We care for
ourselves
individually,
adding to tanha
and tightening
the grip of
dukkha
This is a
falsehood
and another
form of
attachment
Our self =
not part of
any
ultimate
reality
We change
from
moment to
moment
We
imagine
we exist as
individuals
Why are you unhappy?
Because 99.9 per cent
Of everything you think,
And of everything you do,
Is for yourself –
And there isn’t one
– By Wei Wu Wei (Ask the Awakened, page 1)
3 Marks of Existence
• Anicca (impermanence)
• Dukkha (suffering)
• Anatta (“no-self”)
– All 3 are tied to tanha (personal attachment)
Prescription for the Cure:
The Noble Eightfold Path
• Suffering is pervasive, so the path encompasses
all aspects of life
• Because of the Middle Way, the path sets forth a
life of moderation
• These are ongoing practices (not to be mastered
and left behind)!
– Not independent steps but are in relation with one
another!
The Noble Eightfold Path
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1. Right views
2. Right intentions
3. Right speech
4. Right conduct
5. Right livelihood
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right meditation
• Steps 1-2 = Wisdom
• Steps 3, 4, 5 = Morality
• Steps 6, 7, 8 = Concentration
• All 3 focal points are essential, but the heart of
Buddhist practice = concentration (meditation)
– Primary Buddhist teachings are derived from the
Buddha’s own meditative experience
– Others must reach the same level of meditative
insight to truly comprehend the teachings
Nirvana
• Following the steps in the Eightfold Path to its end =
reaching nirvana
• The “arhat” becomes enlightened and is therefore fully
aware of the truth in the Buddha’s teachings
• Impossible to describe precisely (even for the Buddha)
• Close description = total cessation of suffering, and thus
absolute peace – indescribably joyful
• Buddha refused to say whether a person exists or not in
nirvana
“Crossing the River”
• The quest for achieving nirvana = crossing a river
• On this side is the realm of samsara = the ordinary
world of suffering
• On the far shore = nirvana
• Religion’s task = the process of crossing the river
– Religion = a “raft”
• 3 great rafts, or “vehicles” = Theravada, Mahayana,
Vajrayana
Theravada
• “The way of the elders”
• Teachings of Buddhism and the figure of the
Buddha = most important
• Follows the earliest texts and original
teachings of the Buddha
• Emphasis on meditation and monastic life
Mahayana
• Largest division of Buddhism (over half of the
world’s Buddhists)
• Focuses on Buddha as a “divine savior” –
nirvana is attainable due to his compassion
• Revere bodhisattvas (“Buddhists in the
making”)
– Those who can enter nirvana but stay behind to
help others out of compassion
Vajrayana (Tibetan Buddhism)
• Small minority of Buddhists, but is of special interest
• Believe that nirvana can be reached in this lifetime
• Use sensual energies as a way of achieving nirvana,
including sexual desire
• Includes an institution of “lamas” – a hierarchy of
clergy
– Led by the Dalai Lama
Video: How do they choose the next Dalai
Lama?
http://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the
arts/culture/religious-studies/how-do-theychoose-the-dalai-lama
Video: Om Mani Padme Hum
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDUdT5z_
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Video: China-Tibet Relations/Controversy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnBkD_1N1
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Video: Dalai Lama’s Response to Tibetans selfimmolating as a form of protest against
religious persecution
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7MyCWJko
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• 1. What do you think of Tibetans’ use of selfimmolation as a tool of resistance to protest
the religious, cultural, and political
persecution they are experiencing at the
hands of the Chinese government?
• 2. What do you think of the Dalai Lama’s
response to Tibetans’ practice of self
immolating as a means of protest?
Video: Tibetan monks make a sand mandala
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA3su0EC
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