RLG100Y1 Lecture : RLG100 Buddhism.docx
Document Summary
Vedic context: belief in cyclical time, rebirth, karma, samsara, moksha. Importance of impermanence (anitya) everything in samsara (in cosmological existence) is subject to change exception in hinduism are the gods, teachings, and especially one"s soul (also true in jainism) in. Buddhist teachings, the concept of impermanence does not exclude the soul: two primary languages in buddhism: sanskrit and pali. He abandoned his caste and became a shramana. Four sights saw (1) sickness, (2) old age, (3) death, and (4) a monk. He still advocated the minimizing of the need for material things: achieved enlightenment under bodhi tree: three watches of the night, takes tathagata ( thus gone one ) title. Great importance in the emphasis on understanding and wisdom as the way to enlightenment (i. e. understanding the nature of samsara and the cycle of rebirth) First turning of the wheel of dharma": dharma teaching . Understanding that everything is interconnected in samsara, nothing stands in isolation.