REL 1000 : Test 1 Class Notes
929
BUDDHISM
• Buddhism
o Rejected the Vedas and Brahmin authority
▪ Continuation of pre-Hindu traditions
▪ Hinduism focuses on devotion, Jainism→asceticism, Buddhism→
mindfulness
▪ Liberation comes from our efforts, not from devotion
o Often atheistic
o Originated in India
o Developed ~ 2,500 years ago
• The Three Gems
o 1) Buddha
▪ The fully enlightened teacher
o 2) Dharma
▪ The teachings of eternal truth
o 3) Sangha
▪ The community
• Siddhartha Gautama
o Buddha of this age
o Lived over 500 lives
▪ Was a bodhisattva – one who vows to one day become a Buddha
o Not a god – human who filled his spiritual potential
o Born a prince
o Virgin birth
o Named “successful one”
▪ He would either be a Buddha or a great ruler
o The Four Sights
▪ Sick man, suffering old man, dead man, monk meditating
o Realizes all life is suffering, but it can be escaped
o The Great Departure
▪ Becomes a wondering student and ascetic
o Vows to meditate under Bodhi tree until liberated
▪ Meditation becomes more (not less) conscious
▪ Challenged by Mara (demonic figure, Siddhartha’s doubt)
▪ Achieved nirvana “with remainder”
o Returns to 5 ascetics
o Delivers the “Wheel turning Discourse”
▪ The Middle Way
▪ Described the 4 Noble Truths and the 8 Fold Path
o Taught for 45 years
o At death, entered a state of nirvana
• 2nd Gem- The Dharma
o Teachings of eternal truth
o There is nothing unchanging about us
o The 4 Noble Truths
▪ Noble Truth of Suffering – all being is suffering
▪ N.T. of Origin – Suffering arises from excessive desire
▪ N.T. of Cessation – Suffering will end when desire ceases
▪ N.T. of the 8 Fold Path – it is possible to put an end to desire, and
therefore suffering, through the 8 Fold Path
o The 8 Fold Path
▪ Right understanding
▪ Right thought
▪ Right speech, conduct, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and
meditation
• 3rd Gem – the Sangha
o Originally the monastic community
▪ Now means the Buddhist community more broadly
o Women have a lower status
o ~4th cent. BCE divisions began
o 3 main forms today are Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana
• Spread of Buddhism
o Division within a decade
o 297 BCE Emperor Asoka converted
▪ Tried to unite Buddhists (didn’t go well)
▪ Began missionary efforts (very successful)
o How did Buddhism change as it spread?
• Therevada
o “The way of the elders”
o Monks remain separate
o Claim to be Buddhism in its original form
▪ No scriptures claimed after 1st century
o Ultimate goal is arhat
• Mahayana
o Means “Greater Vehicle”
o Developed ~ 1st cent. CE
o Enlightenment is possible for laity
o Accept authority of “secret” scriptures
o Conceive of Gautama as one of many eternal beings
▪ Assisted in missionary efforts
o Ultimate goal is to become a Bodhisattva
o Bodhisattva in Mahayana tradition
▪ Takes a vow not to enter state of nirvana until every other being
has been enlightened
▪ Nirvana viewed as a selfish goal
▪ Provide assistance
• Mahayana Philosophical Schools
o Different philosophical schools within this tradition
o Pure Land Buddhism
▪ Most prominent form today
▪ Developed ~1st cent. – Veneration of Amidabha
▪ He vowed to create a “pure land” (“Land of Bliss”)
▪ Devotees are uplifted by Amidabha’s merits
▪ Enlightenment is easy once they’re there
o
o Madhyamika – “The Middle Way”
▪ Nagarjuna – 2nd century convert
▪ Taught the emptiness of all things
▪ No dualism – nirvana and samsara are the same
o Yogacara – “practice of yoga”
▪ Emphasis on meditation
▪ Also called “Consciousness Only” Buddhism
▪ There is a “storehouse of consciousness”
▪ The universe and the perceiver exist only in the process of
perceiving.
o Intuitive Sects
▪ Includes Zen Buddhism
▪ Influenced by Yogacara
▪ Formed by Bodhidharma ~ 5th cent
▪ Transformative truth from sudden moments of insight
▪ Reject reason
• Vajrayana (Tibetan Buddhism)
o Means “diamond cutter way”
o Considered a form of Mahayana
o Buddhism came to Tibet ~5th century CE
o Incorporates Indian tantric practices with local traditions
o Tantric practices = easiest way to enlightenment
▪ Focus on energy transfer
▪ Centrality of the “Four Purities”
• The “Four Purities”
o Seeing one’s body as the body of the Buddha
o Seeing one’s environment as the pure land of the Buddha
o Perceiving one’s enjoyments as bliss of the Buddha, free from attachment
o Performing one’s actions only for the benefit of others
o Lama = “superior one”
o Religious and political leaders
o Divided between Yellow- and Red-Hat schools
o Leader of Yellow Hat is the Dalai Lama
▪ Political leader of Tibet until the 1950’s
▪ Believed to be an incarnation of a Bodhisattva (of compassion)
SIKHISM
• Sikh
o Newer tradition
▪ ~500 years old
o “Disciple”
o Originated in the Punjab region of N.W. India
