Buddhism

1. Buddhism

2. Buddhism; A Statement

3. Theravada The Teaching of the Elders (The lesser vehicle) Sri Lanka Burma Thailand Cambodia Laos Monastic life and Meditation Mahayana The Greater Vehicle Nepal Tibet China Korea Mongolia Japan Compassion for other creatures The Major Expressions of Buddhism

4. Zen Mystical mind to mind transmission Strong Meditation emphasis Koans “Listen to the sound of one hand clapping” Austere, Stark Tibetan Various indigenous pieces Chakras Sexual Union Colorful Ritualisim The Other Expressions

5. Sidhattha Gautama • Born approximately 500 BCE • In the warrior caste (Kshatriya) • Brahminisim • corrupt • Left home with 5 companions • meditation, mortification, enlightenment

6. Enlightenment • The cause of suffering in this world, and endless reincarnations, is selfish craving! • Renunciation, renunciation, renunciation • Known as the DUKKHA • A teaching ministry begins, first with the 5, then throughout Asia

7. Buddhist Monasticism • Monkhood • learn the disciplines • observe older monks • Monks NOT priests • no vows, no rules of obedience • Monastery is a refuge from the snares of the world • The Saffron Robe • simplicity

8. The Middle Way • High way • asceticism, mortification, complete renunciation of ALL things worldly • Low way • eat, drink, be merry, if it feels good, DO IT! • Middle Way • takes the best of both ways

9. Buddhism • The Three Marks of Existence (of a soul) • pain, • impermanence • egolessness

10. The Four Noble Truths • Life is frustrating and painful • Suffering has a cause • constantly struggling to survive • The cause of suffering can be ended. • The way, or path to end the cause of suffering • meditation

11. The Five Skandhas • Form • an identification with the panic and confusion • Impulse/perception • The way we feel about the experience • Concept • to identify, or label the experience • Consciousness • Ego begins to churn thoughts and emotions around and around • samsara • literally, to whirl about • Feeling • the way ego feels about its situation

12. The Six Realms • hungry ghost realm • animal realm • hell realm • jealous god realm • god realm • human realm

13. The Eightfold Path • Right view • Right intention • Right speech • Right discipline • Right livelihood • Right effort • Right mindfulness • Right concentration

14. The Goal • Nirvana • It has become equated with a sort of eastern version of heaven • cessation • cessation of passion, aggression and ignorance; the cessation of the struggle to prove our existence to the world, to survive

15. Buddhist Ethics • A skilled mind • a mind that is skilful avoids actions that are likely to cause suffering or remorse • Moral conduct for Buddhists differs according to whether it applies to the laity or to the clergy (Sangha) • Avoiding any actions which are likely to be harmful

16. Five Precepts • A lay Buddhist should cultivate good conduct by training in what are known as the "Five Precepts". • These are not like, say, the ten commandments, which, if broken, entail punishment by God. The five precepts are training rules • if one were to break any of them, one should be aware of the breech and examine how such a breech may be avoided in the future. • The resultant of an action (often refereed to as Karma) depends on the intention more than the action itself. • It entails less feelings of guilt than its Judeo-Christian counterpart. • Buddhism places a great emphasis on 'mind' and it is mental anguish such as remorse, anxiety, guilt etc. which is to be avoided in order to cultivate a calm and peaceful mind.

17. The Five Precepts • To undertake the training to avoid taking the life of beings • To undertake the training to avoid taking things not given • To undertake the training to avoid sensual misconduct • To undertake the training to refrain from false speech • To undertake the training to abstain from substances which cause intoxication and heedlessness

18. And the Theravada tradition... • To abstain from taking food at inappropriate times • To abstain from dancing, singing, music and entertainment's as well as refraining from the use of perfumes, ornaments and other items used to adorn or beautify the person • To undertake the training to abstain from using high or luxurious beds

19. The Ten Realms of Being • Buddha • Bodhisattva • (an enlightened being destined to be a Buddha, but purposely remaining on earth to teach others) • Pratyeka Buddha • (a Buddha for himself) • Sravka • (direct disciple of Buddha) • heavenly beings • (superhuman [angels?])

20. The Ten Realms of Being • human beings • Asura • (fighting spirits) • beasts • Preta • (hungry ghosts) • depraved men • (hellish beings).

21. Living In the Ten Realms • These ten realms may be viewed as unfixed, nonobjective worlds • mental and spiritual states of mind. • These states of mind are created by men's thoughts, actions, and words. • In other words, psychological states. • These ten realms are "mutually immanent and mutually inclusive • each one having in it the remaining nine realms."

22. What Is The Cause Of Karma? • Ignorance (avijja) • or not knowing things as they truly are • Craving (tanha) • the other root of Karma. Evil actions are conditioned by these two causes.

23. The Role of Karma • A doctrine of responsibility • the continuing reverberation of ones actions • one should ALWAYS be VERY careful to ONLY do good • A doctrine of irresponsibility • It is folly to attempt to better the lot of the miserable and the burdened. They are enduring the effects of their previous lives karma

24. So….no choice? • The Buddha said: • "So, then, according to this view, owing to previous action men will become murderers, thieves, unchaste, liars, slanderers, covetous, malicious and perverts. Thus, for those who fall back on the former deeds as the essential reason, there is neither the desire to do, nor effort to do, nor necessity to do this deed, or abstain from this deed."

25. The choices we make NOW • The belief that all physical circumstances and mental attitudes spring solely from past Karma • Buddha contradicted. If the present life is totally conditioned or wholly controlled by our past actions, then certainly Karma is tantamount to fatalism or determinism or predestination. • If this were true, free will would be an absurdity. Life would be purely mechanistic, not much different from a machine.

26. God and Karma • Being created by an Almighty God who controls our destinies and predetermines our future, or being produced by an irresistible Karma that completely determines our fate and controls our life’s course, independent of any free action on our part, is essentially the same. • The only difference lies in the two words God and Karma. One could easily be substituted for the other, because the ultimate operation of both forces would be identical.

27. Buddhist Five orders or processes (niyama) • Utu Niyama • Bija Niyama • Karma Niyama • Dhamma Niyama • Citta Niyama

28. Physical Laws • Utu Niyama - physical inorganic order, e.g. seasonal phenomena of winds and rains. The unerring order of seasons, characteristic seasonal changes and events, causes of winds and rains, nature of heat, etc., all belong to this group.

29. Organic Laws • Bija Niyama - order of germs and seeds (physical organic order), e.g. rice produced from rice-seed, sugary taste from sugar-cane or honey, peculiar characteristics of certain fruits, etc. The scientific theory of cells and genes and the physical similarity of twins may be ascribed to this order.

30. Spiritual Law • Karma Niyama - order of act and result, e.g., desirable and undesirable acts produce corresponding good and bad results. As surely as water seeks its own level so does Karma, given opportunity, produce its inevitable result, not in the form of a reward or punishment but as an innate sequence. This sequence of deed and effect is as natural and necessary as the way of the sun and the moon.

31. Rational Laws • Dhamma Niyama - order of the norm, e.g., the natural phenomena occurring at the advent of a Bodhisattva in his last birth. Gravitation and other similar laws of nature. The natural reason for being good and so forth, my be included in this group.

32. Metaphysics • Citta Niyama - order or mind or psychic law, e.g., processes of consciousness, arising and perishing of consciousness, constituents of consciousness, power of mind, etc., including telepathy, telaesthesia, retro-cognition, premonition, clairvoyance, clairaudience, thought-reading and such other psychic phenomena which are inexplicable to modern science.

33. Reincarnation • Powered by • desire • ignorance • being asleep

34. The Arhat • Wholly enlightened • all worldly attachments severed • ANYONE may be come an Arhat

35. Bodhisattva • Enlightenment, on hold… • working to ease the suffering of the world • Mahayana Buddhism • enlightenment through the compassion for other creatures

36. Nirvana • The ultimate state of quietude • cessation of; • becoming • reincarnation • desires • this is what powers the wheel of rebirth

37. For More Information... • http://www.buddhanet.net