Chapter Six Buddhism

The Life of Gautama The founder of Buddhism was Siddhartha, a man from the Gautama clan He probably lived during the sixth century B.C.E. and was a contemporary of Mahavira According to legend, before Siddhartha’s birth a soothsayer predicted that he would become the Buddha (Enlightened One) © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Life of Gautama Gautama grew up surrounded by beauty and health, because his father had been told that he would become a religious leader if he saw suffering or an ascetic monk He was married and had a son Around his thirtieth birthday, Gautama started to become aware of the ugliness of the world © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Life of Gautama Gautama became aware that life always involves suffering and pain His left his family and began to live life as a beggar to search for the answers to life’s mysteries Gautama tried being a student of philosophy and then asceticism He lived a harsh life in an effort to seek enlightenment, but was unsuccessful © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Life of Gautama The turning point in Gautama’s life came when he fainted from deprivation and fell into a stream When the cold water revived him, he realized that his asceticism was not achieving enlightenment He ate a meal and went to sit under a fig tree to mediate © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Life of Gautama Five of Gautama’s friends saw him eating and spurned him as a traitor At last, after a long period of mediation, Gautama achieved enlightenment and became the Buddha He then found his five friends and preached to them. They became the first Sangha (Buddhist monastic order) © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Life of Gautama Buddha was about thirty-five when he achieved enlightenment, and he spent the rest of his life preaching what he had learned Early Buddhism taught that men as well as women could achieve enlightenment Buddhist monks wear coarse yellow robes and carry only a bowl for begging for food © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Life of Gautama Lay Buddhists are expected to observe five basic rules of moral conduct: Abstain from killing Stealing Lying Engaging in improper sexual conduct Partaking in intoxicants © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Teachings of the Buddha The soul does not exist People live in a state of anatman (the absence of enduring souls) The “soul” is actually a combination of five physical things: the body, feelings, understanding, will, and consciousness That combination is bound to an endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Teachings of the Buddha The Four Noble Truths: Pain The cause of pain The cessation of pain The way that leads to the cessation of pain The Eightfold Path includes “right”: View, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Teachings of the Buddha The person who follows the Eightfold Path will break the bonds of life and be released from the cycle Nirvana is that release from the cycle of life The goal of basic Buddhist practice is to extinguish the connection to life Doing so makes on an arhat (or saint) © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Development of Buddhism Like many religions, before Buddha had been dead for very long his followers began to debate the meaning of his teachings Those debates created schisms in the faith When the emperor of India converted, around 297 B.C.E., Buddhism received its greatest impetus That conversion also began missionary work © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Theravada Buddhism Theravada Buddhism is the more conservative form of the religion It believes itself to be closer to the original teachings of the Buddha People must achieve enlightenment for themselves without help from gods or anyone else Thus, the monk is an ideal figure for Theravada Buddhists © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Theravada Buddhism If one cannot become a monk, then they can be a layperson who supports the monks and hopes to be able to be a monk in the next life The goals of religion are reached through mediation and the efforts and achievements of the individual Offering food to monks is a common way for laypeople to “make merit” © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Principles of Mahayana Mahayana Buddhism The Principles of Mahayana The Mahayana Buddhists believe that Buddha had additional secret teachings that he bestowed on his followers They also believe that Gautama was more than a man. He was a compassionate, eternal, and divine being. There are many other Buddha’s aside from Gautama © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Principles of Mahayana Mahayana Buddhism The Principles of Mahayana Bodhisattvas (future Buddhas) A class of beings who could provide help for humans struggling with the problems of life The bodhisattvas took vows to become bodhisattvas and achieve merit The bodhisattvas postponed Nirvana after death until all living beings can attain it © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Spread of Mahayana Buddhism The teachings were carried into China from India Then, Buddhism spread into the east Asian nations Buddhism suffered from absorption into Hinduism in India, while it spread successfully in the rest of Asia © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Mahayana Buddhism Mahayanist Sects The Pure Land Sect The Intuitive Sects The Rationalist Sect The Sociopolitical Sect How are these sects different? What common features do they share? © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Mahayana Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism emphasizes the use of magical words and formulas as a means of achieving goals The most important feature is the concern for magic as a means of coping with problems of life It is sometimes called Tantric Buddhism because of its emphasis on tantras © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Buddhist Festivals and Holy Days The major Buddhist holidays are: New Year Celebrated in April with a carnival atmosphere Buddha’s Birthday April 8 – Celebrated with flower festivals and processions The Festival of Souls At the end of summer, purgatory opens and the souls of the dead wander the earth Families leave them food and offerings © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Buddhist Festivals and Holy Days Holidays (continued) The Robe Offering In November, Theravada Buddhists celebrate the sending forth of the first Buddhist missionaries in the days of Asoka The laity present the monks with new yellow robes, and there is a public feast The season ends with the making of a great robe, which is made in a single day and night, and commemorates the robe that Buddha’s mother made for him © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Buddhism Today Buddhism has experienced a revival in the twentieth century, because: Christian missionaries entered Buddhist countries and became exposed to the religion The rise of Asian nationalism made many Asians take pride in being Buddhist Buddha’s message of peace and tolerance seems to fit the modern age © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.