Buddhism Ch. 4.3, 10/10/16

BR: What do you know about Buddhism? What is it? What do its followers believe?

Main Ideas Buddhism Buddha Four Noble Truths Eightfold Path Nirvana Middle Way

Change in the Air By 500 BCE, many Brahmin priests were considered corrupt because they performed animal sacrifices and practiced other older Vedic rituals. Resentment of such rituals and continued anger about unbalanced social power prompted the development of new intellectual teachings and philosophies. These new ideas maintained that some aspects of Hindu tradition and ritual had merit. They never directly challenged Vedic gods or beliefs. But Siddharta Gautama did.

Siddharta Gautama Siddharta was born about 563 B.C.E. as a prince at the foothills of the Himalayas, & he lived a sheltered life amid luxury, wealth, and comfort. But at age 29, Siddharta fled from his palace and discovered something new. For the first time, he saw poverty, misery, and illness. As a result, and discontented with his own life, he gave away all his belongings and searched for enlightenment through the abandonment of basic needs. After seeking truth, eventually Siddharta discovered that he needed to find another way — something in between his rich and impoverished lifestyles. He reached Nirvana (or enlightenment) and resolved to follow the Middle Path, and went to teach others too. Vid

Four Noble Truths Again, those Four Noble Truths: Dukkha: Suffering is part of human life, and no one can escape it. Samudaya: Suffering comes from people’s desires for pleasure and material wealth Nirodha: Overcoming such desires in life will eventually end such suffering Magga: How does one overcome those desires? The Eightfold Path:

The Way to Happiness & End of Suffering If you follow the eightfold path, you can escape the suffering, gain enlightenment & salvation: 1st: Right View: you must accept the reality of the Four Noble Truths 2nd: Right Attitude: Strive for moderation in all things 3rd: Right Speech: Avoid lies, boasts, or mean, hurtful words 4th: Right Action: Treat others fairly 5th: Right Livelihood: Avoid jobs that might bring harm to others 6th: Right Effort: Constantly improve yourself 7th: Right Mindfulness: Remain aware of others and the world around you 8th: Right Concentration: Ignore temptations, distractions etc. while meditating. Handout:

The Middle Way At its essence, Buddhist teachings can be summed up as the Middle Way, which is that people should live in moderation in all things, as they seek their goal of nirvana. Nirvana is the ultimate goal for all Buddhists. It is a state of perfect peace; if you have not yet attained it, you will be reincarnated until you do.

Three Main Divisions There are three main divisions within Buddhism: Theraveda, Mahayana, & Tibetan. Theraveda is the oldest of the three, and is based on the oldest Buddhist positions. It is known as the Way of the Elders for this reason, and many of its adherents believe that you can best achieve nirvana by being a monk or nun, as an individual process. Mahayana followers believe that your best bet to achieve nirvana is to help each other. It focuses on texts written after the Buddha’s lifetime, and on bodhisattvas, or people who have found enlightenment but are still here to help their fellow men achieve it as well. Tibetan Buddhists are similar to Mahayan Buddhists in many ways, but they also believe that special techniques can allow them to harness spiritual energy and thus achieve nirvana in just one lifetime.

The Mauryan Empire 322 BCE–185 BCE In India, the next several hundred years meant that most Indians remained Hindu. However, with the rise of the Mauryan Empire, that changed. Video Ashoka Maurya, the grandson of the great Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the dynasty, destroyed a large enemy force, the Kalinga. After seeing all the bloodshed, he has a change of heart. He converts to Buddhism, and even sends out missionaries to convert others. This leads to the spread of Buddhism over the next several hundred years to Burma, Nepal, Tibet, China, Korea and Japan. Today there are over 350 Million Buddhists.

Spreading of Buddhism VID

HW: Finish the handout given in class (should be mostly done), and turn in. Finish reading Ch. 4.4 China’s First Dynasties No other HW. Get caught up on other assignments, End of term = Friday