Living Religions A Brief Introduction 3 rd Edition

1. Living ReligionsA Brief Introduction3rd Edition Mary Pat Fisher

2. Chapter 5 Buddhism The life and legend of the Buddha The Dharma Branches of Buddhism Buddhism in the West Socially engaged Buddhism

3. Key terms anatman (Pali: anatta) anitya (Pali: anicca) arhant (Pali: arhat) bhikshu (Pali: bhikkhu; feminine: bhikshuni, bhikkhuni) bodhisattvas deity yoga Dhammapada Dharma (Pali: Dhamma) dukkha Jodo Shinshu koan Lamas Mahayana mandalas nirvana Pali Canon Pure Land Rissho Koseikai sangha satori stupas sunyata Tantrayana thangkas Theravada Tipitaka Triple Gem Vajrayana vipassana zazen Zen

4. Timeline c. 5th century BCE c. 258 BCE c. 200 BCE-200 CE c. 100 BCE-300 CE c. 80 BCE c. 50 CE 1st century CE c. 150-250 c. 550 c. 609-650 845 1222-1282 c. 1200-1500 1959- Life of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha Ashoka spreads Buddhism outside India Theravada develops Perfection of Wisdom books develop Pali Canon written down in Sri Lanka Buddhism spreads to China, SE Asia Mahayana develops Life of Nagarjuna Buddhism enters Japan Songtsan establishes Tibetan Buddhism Chinese persecute Buddhism Life of Nichiren Buddhism declines in India China represses Tibetan Buddhism

5. The Life and Legend of the Buddha What we know about him has been passed down through his followers Prolific teachings passed down orally; written down hundreds of years after his death Followers have recalled his life in sacred biographies

6. Siddhartha led a sheltered life of luxury Left home and say the Four Sights: a bent aged man, a sick person, a corpse, and a monk Left home at 29 to wander as an ascetic Found extreme lifestyles did not answer his questions—led to the Middle Way: neither self-indulgence or self-denial The Life and Legend of the Buddha (cont.)

7. Vowed to site under tree at Gaya until enlightenment Experienced 4 states of contemplation and had 3 realizations, he could: Recall all his past lives See the entire cycle of life and death See the cause of suffering and the means of ending it Siddhartha became the Buddha, the one who woke up The Life and Legend of the Buddha (cont.)

8. Spent the next 45 years teaching His teaching (dharma) included Four Noble Truths, the Nobel Eightfold Path, the Three Marks of Existence Some followers became monks (bhikshus); women were allowed to become nuns if they followed the 8 special rules Disciples (the sangha) accepted people from all castes and levels of society When the Buddha died, he told his followers to be responsible for their own spiritual development The Life and Legend of the Buddha (cont.)

9. The Dharma Buddhism often described as nontheistic No personal God; do not worship the Buddha Revere the Buddha’s teachings—a raft to take followers to the farther shore, nirvana

10. The Four Noble Truths Life inevitably involves suffering, is imperfect and unsatisfactory Suffering originates in our desires Suffering will cease if all desires cease There is a way to realize this state: the Noble Eightfold Path

11. The Noble Eightfold Path to Liberation Right Understanding: realize and understand the Four Noble Truths Right Thought or Motives: uncover any unwholesome roots in one’s thinking, eliminate self-­centeredness Right Speech: abstain from lying, gossiping, speaking harshly, divisive speech Right Action: observe the Five Precepts, namely to avoid destroying life, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxicants

12. The Noble Eightfold Path to Liberation (cont.) Right Livelihood: make a living without violating the Five Precepts Right Effort: eliminate impurities of the mind and cultivate wholesome actions Right Mindfulness: be aware in every moment, discipline the mind Right Meditation: quiet the mind through mental discipline

13. The Wheel of Birth and Death No eternal, independently existing soul to be reborn Central cause is karma 3 root afflictions: greed, hate, and delusion Cultivating non-greed, non-hate, and non-delusion act as causes to leave the circle of birth and death

14. Branches of Buddhism Theraveda: way of the elders Prevalent in Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Cambodia, Laos Mayahana: great vehicle Prevalent in China, Korea, Mongolia, Vietnam, Japan, Nepal, Tibet Both agree on basic concepts of Four Noble Truths, karma, samsara, nirvana

15. Theraveda: The path of mindfulness Devotional practices dominate Central text is the Pali Canon Triple Gem The Buddha The Dharma The Sangha

16. Mahayana: The Path of Compassion and Wisdom Focus on liberation of all beings Many Buddhas and bodhisattvas Buddha is an immanent presence in the universe Three bodies of Buddha Emptiness (sunyata)

17. Other Branches Chan and Zen: the great way of enlightenment Pure Land: devotion to Amitabha Buddha Nichiren: salvation through the Lotus Sutra Vajrayana: the indestructible path

18. Buddhism in the West Various forms of Buddhism have spread to the West Exodus of thousands of Tibetans Efforts of Zen teachers Establishment of Theravada vipassana meditation centers Difficult to replicate the monastic traditions in a Western setting For immigrants maintaining Buddhist practices means maintaining cultural and ethnic traditions

19. Socially Engaged Buddhism Emerging focus on the relevance of Buddhism to social problems