1. Teaching Project Ch. 6
Rubric is on the Home Page of the website
Make sure to look at it before teaching next week!
Group Work will take place on Tuesday & Thursday

2. Chapter 6 EROW PPL#6 Page 232 Section 1
Buddhism
Chapter 6 EROW
PPL#6
Page 232
Section 1

3. A Human-centered religion
Buddhism from the word “Budhi” meaning “To wake up!”
Not a god-centered religion
The responsibility for spiritual development rests solely on the individual.
To be awakened or enlightened about that which is real.
Founder = Siddhartha Gautama
A Hindu born into the Warrior Caste
What was once India but now Nepal
Buddha = Awakened One
Taught that following his teachings could lead one to obtain Nirvana

5. “Siddhartha Gautama was neither a god nor a messenger of a god
“Siddhartha Gautama was neither a god nor a messenger of a god. He was a human being who pointed to his teachings and not himself. “
(Clemmons 233)

6. Most Buddhist And The Buddha IS Live in Asia Buddhism is
More than 2500 years old
And The Buddha IS
the most compassionate person in history

7. Some Dates ca. 560 BCE – Siddhartha Gautama is born
383 BCE – Emergence of Theravada Buddhism in India
100 BCE – Emergence of Mahayana Buddhism
50 CE – Buddhism in China
522 CE – Buddhism in Japan via Korea
1578 CE – The first Dalai Lama in Tibet (Sonam Gyatso)
1852 CE – First Chinese Buddhist Temple in USA (San Francisco)
– Communist takeover of China
– Tibetan Buddhist flee to India & Nepal
– 14th Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso) receives Nobel Peace Prize

8. A Brief History of Buddhism
Began in
India
but
spread
throughout
Asia

9. Siddhartha Gautama
sometimes called Shakyamuni, meaning “sage of the Shakya clan.”
Born a Hindu of the warrior caste
his father was king of a small village located in present-day Nepal.
His mother, Queen Maya, dreamed that an elephant touched her right side and she conceived.
Brahmins, the priestly Hindu caste, interpreted the dream for her: she would bear a son that would either be a great king or a great holy man.
(Clemmons 235)

10. As queen Maya travels to her father’s house while pregnant she stops at the Lumbini gardens. As she is resting by a tree the baby Buddha emerges from her right side. He Takes 7 steps and declares “No more births for me.” 7 days later Queen Maya died.

11. INSTEAD – The Middle Way was the answer and could lead to moksha
Siddhartha married at age 16 and had a son.
At age 19 he became aware of what the world was really like.
At age 29 he left his life of luxury and took on the life of a wandering ascetic. Meditating for hours and barely eating.
Searching for answers to life’s questions such as suffering.
He wandered for 6 years.
He finally reached the enlightenment he sought but, struggled with whether or not to share what he knew.
He Taught: Neither indulgence nor asceticism could release one from samsara.
INSTEAD – The Middle Way was the answer and could lead to moksha
He would die of food poisoning at age 80 in 483 BCE

12. The Four Councils The First Council: The Second Council:
No successor or writings left behind when the Buddha died
500 Buddhist monks gathered about a year after his death with the intent of preserving the Buddha’s teachings through the recitation of memories.
The Second Council:
100 yrs later
Split between the more conservative Sthaviras (eventually 10 sects) and liberal Mahasanghikas (Eventually 8 Sects).
ONLY the Theravada sect (from the Sthaviras) survives to this day.
Mahayana Buddhism in existence today is “descendent” of Mahasanghikas Buddhism

13. Third Council
3rd century BCE – King Ashoka from India the Mauryan Dynasty
He had become disenchanted with war and the military & converted to Buddhism
Began to rule his country through Buddhist practices such as moral living and pacifism
B/C Buddhism grew so fast during this time questionable practices emerged
King Ashoka calls the 3rd council to purify the sangha (entire community of monks, nuns & laity in Buddhism) and its various irregularities
By 100 CE Mahayana Buddhism had emerged as a distinct branch of Buddhism
Encouraged lay participation
Which lead to a variety of interpretations of Buddhist scriptures

14. Buddhism in India
Made great strides during the Gupta Dynasty ( CE)
Creating an atmosphere where Buddhism could thrive
Building monasteries, funding stupas & Buddhist universities
Negative Factor – monasteries & universities began to drift from Buddhism and moved toward a resurgent Bhakti movement in Hinduism
470 CE – invasion of the Huns – destroying Buddhist monasteries etc. almost made Buddhism extinct w/in India
Pala Dynasty – somewhat a revival of Buddhism in India
The end of the Pala Dynasty ended Buddhism in India until the 20th century

15. Buddhist Expansion beyond India
Not long after the death of The Buddha – Buddhism was introduced to Central Asia but Islam would become the dominant religion of that region
Buddhism was introduced to southeast Asia – but by the 10th century again it was eclipsed by Islam.
Between European colonialism and communism Buddhism has been devastated … yet it has not been totally lost in that region
Buddhism found its way to China at the beginning of the Common Era.
From there to Far East Asia … Japan, Korea & Tibet

16. Buddhism in Tibet Buddhism In Tibet
Vajrayana Buddhism (aka Tantric Buddhism)
Which is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism
Emphasis on mantras, rituals, & meditation
14th Century – Tibetan Buddhists came to believe that the leaders of their monasteries were reincarnations of great bodhisattvas who chose to postpone their own opportunity to enter Nirvana.
These leaders became known as Lamas
The head of the Lamas is known as the Dalai Lama and until 1959 was also considered the political leader of Tibet.
They have been exiled in Dharamsala, India

17. “Through mental peace, through a general sense of brotherhood, sisterhood, there is greater possibility to achieve real world peace True religion must be a sort of destroyer. Understand? Compassion and tolerance, we call destroyers of anger, destroyers of hatred? If you apply different religions in the right way then all have the same aim; that is, a better human being.” –Dalai Lama
(Clemmons 244)

18. Buddhism in Modern Times
During the twentieth century, the rise of communism triggered the demise of Buddhism in a number of countries.
The attempt to eradicate Buddhism was felt first in the former Soviet Union.
After World War II, the communist takeover in Asia affected Buddhism in China, Tibet, and parts of Southeast Asia.

19. Dalai Lama The title given to the spiritual leader of the
Tibetan people
The title is a hybrid
of a Mongolic word
and a Tibetan word
which loosely translates
to “Master Guru”
14th Dalai Lama was born in 1935
Recognized as the Dalai Lama in 1939
Enthroned as the Dalai Lama in 1940 but lives in exile (Not in Tibet)

20. He has said in the past that perhaps the role of “Dalai Lama” is no longer necessary but he has indicated recently that his mind has been changed. On August 9th of this year the Dalai Lama has said that it is time to start begin the preparation word to find the 15th Dalai Lama.

21. The entire cycle of Birth and Death
The Number “7”
The entire cycle of Birth and Death