RELG 270 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Chopsticks, Impermanence, Veganism

• School: McGill University
• Department: Religious Studies
• Course: RELG 270
• Professor: Eliza Rosenburg

Document Summary

There is no creator, because the universe has always existed. 4 existences include celestial, human, animal and plant, infernal. Truthfulness- speaking the truth in a harmless manner. Non-materialism- no possessions for renunciants, no excess possessions or attach- ments for laypeople. Beings include all animals, plants and often other parts of the natural world. Harming beings is a great spiritual wrong, and should be minimized. Started within hinduism and jainism, so fusion is widespread. Many shared ideas, such as dharma, karma, samsara and cosmology. Siddhartha guatama went through 5000 incarnations to achieve enlightenment. Fully realizing these truths leads to freedom (nirvana) 5 aggregates: consciousness, tendencies of mind, material element, perception, sensa- tion. All life is suffering, and suffering is desire. Suffering can be extinguished by extinguishing desire through the eightfold path. Right view, intentions, speech, action, livelihood, effort, concentration and mind- fulness. The highest happiness, with liberated mind and will. Greed, hatred and delusion fuel the engine of rebirth and suffering.