Buddhism Alan D. DeSantis

Introduction Buddhism was started by a man named Siddhārtha Gautama ( B.C.) in India He was a Hindu Siddhartha was a social reformer Buddhism is the fourth-largest religion

Buddha’s Life Siddhārtha's father was the ruler of the city of Patliputra. Under strict instruction of his father, Siddhārtha was never exposed to suffering or pain At the age of 29, he came across what has become known as the Four Passing Sights: –An old crippled man, a sick man, a decaying corpse, and finally a wandering holy man. He decided to abandon his worldly life, leaving behind his privileges, rank, caste, and his wife and child

Buddha’s Life He decided that if he continued on his path of poverty, he would die without reaching any understanding After six years, Siddhārtha (now 35), sitting under a pipal tree, attained enlightenment (understood the key to life) and became a Buddha For the remaining 45 years of his life, Buddha traveled northeastern India

The Four Noble Truths The Buddha taught that life was inherently suffering, that it is caused by craving, but that this condition was curable –1) Suffering: Birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; union with what is displeasing is suffering; separation from what is pleasing is suffering; not getting what one wants is suffering. –2) The origin of suffering: We always want something. Sex, materialism, food, good times, health, immortality, youth –3) The end of suffering: Transcend your cravings. Stop wanting. This will lead you to Nirvana –4) The way leading to the cessation of suffering: The Noble Eightfold Path

The Spread of Buddhism in USA

Some Important Concepts Karma and Reincarnation No Caste No Gods

Addressing the “God” Question (from Bhûridatta Jataka) If there is the creator of the world called God: If there is the creator of the world called God:

Some Important Concepts A Finite Heaven and Hell –Nirvana –Hell: There are many levels of hell. Suffering is the only act of purification “One day you might be walking through a forest, when all the leaves on a tree turn into razor blades and fall, cutting you into a million pieces.” Wrong Nirvana

Some Important Concepts Impermanence –Nothing is permanent and all things are in a state of continuous change Anti-Dogmatic –Since Buddha wanted everyone to think critically, explore their own truth, and accept no God (thus, no perfect rules), this may be all wrong, all right, or a little bit of both

Some Important Concepts Meditation –Meditation helps one's mind become calm, tranquil, and luminous –We can gain insight into the ultimate nature of reality

Buddhist Meditation in Three Parts Part One: Calm (or Samatha) Meditation –The purpose of this is to calm both body and mind –One method is to concentrate on one's breathing

Buddhist Meditation in Three Parts Part Two: Insight (or vipassana) meditation –Next, we must realize that suffering and impermanence are inherent in all things Part Three: Loving-kindness (or metta) meditation –The aim of this is to remove feelings of ill-will and to foster a kindly and caring approach to others.

Buddhist scriptures The starting point into this wealth of Buddhist scripture is the Pali Canon But other Buddhist scriptures/texts exist in great variety. Different schools of Buddhism place varying levels of value on them.

Three Main Buddhism Schools Today, Buddhism is divided primarily into three schools (or vadas): –Theravāda [ther-uh-vah-duh] –Mahāyāna [mah-huh-yah-nuh] –Vajrayāna [vaj-ruh-yah-nuh]

The Theravada [ther-uh-vah-duh] school Theravada school bases its practice and doctrine exclusively on the Pali Canon. Theravada Buddhism are viewed as elitists and selfishness –A) –B)

The Mahayana [mah-huh-yah-nuh] School The biggest and most popular (with many off-shoots) 56% of Buddhists Mahayana can be characterized by –Universalism: –Compassion: Zen Buddhism is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism

The Vajrayana School Found primarily in Tibet Like Mahayana Buddhism, but with additional practices: These profound states are used as a path to Buddhahood

The End...

The Noble Eightfold Path The Noble Eightfold Path is a progressive series of stages through which the practitioner moves 1 Right View - Realizing the Four Noble Truths 2 Right Intention - Commitment to mental and ethical growth 3 Right Speech - One speaks in a non-hurtful, not exaggerated, truthful way 4 Right Action - Wholesome action. Avoiding action that would hurt others 5 Right Livelihood - One's job should not harm oneself or others-- directly or indirectly (weapon maker, drug dealer, etc.) 6 Right Effort - Makes an effort to improve (strive everyday to be better) 7 Right Mindfulness - Once you've beaten your physical self into submission, you have to start working on your mental state, seeking the ability to think clearly and see things as they really are. 8 Right Concentration - Focus, focus, focus! (and meditate)! The path is only complete when you have refined your mind into a state of total focus on reality