THE BUDDHA & THE EIGHTFOLD PATH W O R L D R E L I G I O N S

Transcription

1 THE BUDDHA & THE EIGHTFOLD PATH W O R L D R E L I G I O N S

2 PURPOSE: Develop a greater understanding of the Eightfold Path & 4 Noble Truths

3 HOW WELL DO YOU THINK YOU UNDERSTAND BUDDHISM? Really well 2. Okay 3. Not that well 4. Oh boy am I lost! 25% 25% 25% 25%

4 TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS Turn off your mind, relax and float down stream, It is not dying, it is not dying Lay down all thoughts, surrender to the void, It is shining, it is shining. Yet you may see the meaning of within It is being, it is being Love is all and love is everyone It is knowing, it is knowing And ignorance and hate may mourn the dead It is believing, it is believing But listen to the color of your dreams It is not leaving, it is not leaving So play the game "Existence" to the end Of the beginning, of the beginning Of the beginning, of the beginning Of the beginning, of the beginning Of the beginning How does this song illuminate Buddhist concepts?

5 RECAP: THE BUDDHA His goal: find a form of existence that was not flawed & transient, escape from the world s suffering He tried; Yoga Asceticism His own methods

6 THE BUDDHA S METHODS Foster helpful states of mind and avoid physical states that impede liberation Begin with 5 traditional prohibitions of unhelpful states (violence, stealing, lying, intoxication, sex) Ads positive counterparts (eightfold path) through meditation

7 The Four Noble Truths 1. Dukkha: Suffering (Examination of the Symptoms) 1. Life as it is normally lived is suffering 2. Life is somewhat dislocated, out of joint 3. Life is dislocated at six points: 1. birth 2. illness 3. old age 4. fear of death 5. separation from what we love 6. to be with what we hate Williams, Adrianna. Crying Baby. Photograph. Corbis.com.

8 The Four Noble Truths 2. Tanha: Desire or craving The desire for private fulfillment The ego, selfish inclinations that make demands at the expense of others Others are merely extensions of ourselves The less we associate ourselves with the divine/reality, the more the ego swells and cuts off the circulation of compassion on which one s health depends upon People Staring At Cake With Dollar Sign. Photograph. Corbis.com.

9 The Four Noble Truths 3. Nirodha: Cessation (Prognosis) If tanha is the cause of dukkha, then tanha must be removed We must overcome our cravings, be released from self-interest into universal life The cure lies in overcoming such cravings 4. Magga: The Way (Therapy) This is his breakthrough (renouncers agreed with first 3) Follow the Eight-fold Path The cure to the psychological suffering lies in treading the way of truth

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11 DDHA/TEACHINGS-PART-3/ THE B UDDHA: FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

12 The Eightfold Path 1. Right View 5. Right Livelihood 2. Right Intention 6. Right Effort 3. Right Speech 7. Right Mindfulness 4. Right Action 8. Right Concentration 1-2 = Wisdom 3-5 = Ethical Conduct 6-8 = Mental Discipline

13 THE EIGHTFOLD PATH 1. Right View (Knowledge) to understand things as they really are and to realize the Four Noble Truths to grasp the impermanent and imperfect nature of worldly objects and ideas not necessarily an intellectual capacity, just as wisdom is not just a matter of intelligence

14 THE EIGHTFOLD PATH 2. Right Intention (Aspiration) 1. the intention of renunciation, which means resistance to the pull of desire 2. the intention of good will, meaning resistance to feelings of anger and aversion 3. the intention of harmlessness, meaning not to think or act cruelly, violently, or aggressively, and to develop compassion

15 Hatred does not cease by hatred but only by love; this is the eternal rule. - Buddha

16 The Eightfold Path 3. Right Speech 1. to abstain from false speech, especially not to tell deliberate lies and not to speak deceitfully 2. to abstain from slanderous speech and not to use words maliciously against others 3. to abstain from harsh words that offend or hurt others 4. to abstain from idle chatter that lacks purpose or depth Positively phrased, this means to tell the truth, to speak friendly, warm, and gently and to talk only when necessary

17 The Eightfold Path 4. Right Action (Behavior) 1. to abstain from harming sentient beings, especially to abstain from taking life (including suicide) and doing harm intentionally or delinquently 2. to abstain from taking what is not given, which includes stealing, robbery, fraud, deceitfulness, and dishonesty 3. to abstain from sexual misconduct Positively formulated, right action means to act kindly and compassionately, to be honest, to respect the belongings of others, and to keep sexual relationships harmless to others

18 The Eightfold Path 5. Right Livelihood The Buddha mentions four specific activities that harm other beings and that one should avoid for this reason 1. dealing in weapons 2. dealing in living beings (including raising animals for slaughter as well as slave trade and prostitution) 3. working in meat production and butchery 4. selling intoxicants and poisons, such as alcohol and drugs any other occupation that would violate the principles of right speech and right action

19 Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it. - Buddha

20 6. Right Effort The Eightfold Path Right effort is detailed in four types of endeavors that rank in ascending order of perfection 1. to prevent the arising of unarisen unwholesome states 2. to abandon unwholesome states that have already arisen 3. to arouse wholesome states that have not yet arisen 4. to maintain and perfect wholesome states already arisen

21 Every human being is the author of his own health or disease. - Buddha

22 The Eightfold Path 7. Right Mindfulness (scrutinize one s behavior) Buddha accounted for this as the four foundations of mindfulness: 1. contemplation of the body 2. contemplation of feeling (repulsive, attractive, or neutral) 3. contemplation of the state of mind 4. contemplation of the phenomena

23 You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger. - Buddha

24 The Eightfold Path 8. Right Concentration (Absorption) similar to Hindu raja yoga but instead of focusing on trying to create an impervious self, worked towards open himself to others Try to overcome the ego through compassion Friendship for everything and everyone Empathy for the pain of others Share in the joy of others Serenity towards others, feeling neither attraction nor aversion Positive states could take root in your unconscious and become habitual

25 Refraining from all that is detrimental, The attainment of what is wholesome, the purification of one s mind; This is the instruction of Awakened Ones. - Buddha

26 EIGHTFOLD PATH THINKING? Buddhism prescribes the Eightfold Path as a way to more closely approach nirvana. Choose at least four components of the Path and describe how you observe those goals in your life. Note: This question neither assumes you are, nor requires you to be, a Buddhist.

27 The Eightfold Path 1. Right View 5. Right Livelihood 2. Right Intention 6. Right Effort 3. Right Speech 7. Right Mindfulness 4. Right Action 8. Right Concentration 1-2 = Wisdom 3-5 = Ethical Conduct 6-8 = Mental Discipline

28 TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS Turn off your mind, relax and float down stream, It is not dying, it is not dying Lay down all thoughts, surrender to the void, It is shining, it is shining. Yet you may see the meaning of within It is being, it is being So play the game "Existence" to the end Of the beginning, of the beginning Of the beginning, of the beginning Of the beginning, of the beginning Of the beginning Love is all and love is everyone It is knowing, it is knowing And ignorance and hate may mourn the dead It is believing, it is believing But listen to the color of your dreams It is not leaving, it is not leaving