HUMA 1865 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Bodhisattva Vow, Ficus Religiosa, Bodh Gaya
3 Feb 2016
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Document Summary
Deities: the buddha is not worshipped as a god. He is venerated as a fully enlightened human being. Vajrayana has many texts in various languages like chinese, Heart of buddhism: the three gems which are the buddha, the. Three main traditions/vehicles: theravada/hinayana (sri lanka & Southeast asia), mahayana (east asia), vajrayana (developed out of. Religious life in ancient india denounced it. 500 bce: a tradition called ganges spirituality was flourishing in northern india. Ascetic traditions recognized some of the major deities as well, but they played a small role. It was in this environment that buddhism originated. Some buddhist concepts were major innovations: the impermanence of the human self or soul, & social egalitarianism. Ganges traditions: the notions of karma & successive reincarnations, the ideal of ascetic withdrawal from the world, the belief that numerous gods, demons, and spirits played active role in human life.
