Some Facts. 360 million members. 4 th largest religion in world

Transcription

1 Buddhism 1

2 Some Facts 360 million members 4 th largest religion in world 2

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4 By the first century it had reached China. From there it traveled to Korea and on to Japan and also Tibet around 600 A.D. 4

5 The Three Jewels of Buddhism Buddha the teacher Dharma the teachings Sangha the community

6 First Jewel of Buddhism The life of the Buddha 6

7 Siddhartha Gautama Born in the family of King Shuddhodana Dates about 566 B.C. 483 B.C. Northern India (Now Nepal) Member of the Shakya Tribe Clan name: Gautama Given name: Siddhartha 7

8 Rich Tradition of Stories Birth Tales Birth surrounded by miraculous signs indicating that he would become a chakravartin or turner of the wheel 8

9 The Wheel of Dharma 9

10 In his early 30 s Traveled outside the palace Saw 4 sights A sick person An old person A corpse An ascetic 10

11 Path of Renunciation Began with severe fasting and self-discipline 11

12 Unproductive Ascetic path unproductive Began following the Middle Path 12

13 Middle Path Nothing in excess Avoiding the extremes of self-denial and self-indulgence 13

14 The Future Buddha Sat down under the Bodhi Tree After withstanding temptations from Mara Intense meditation Woke up to the truth 14

15 Became a Buddha The Awakened One From the dream of ignorance His wisdom blossomed like a flower 15

16 Lotus Flower Symbol 16

17 Nirvana Ultimate goal of Buddhism to extinguish to blow out 17

18 Nirvana To understand the causes of suffering and blown them out No longer suffers from the ignorance and desire that feed the fire of death and rebirth 18

19 Traveled extensively Throughout northern India and Nepal Had many followers 19

20 Parinirvana Died at about 80 years old After long and productive teaching career Lay down between two trees and passed gently from the realm of death and rebirth 20

21 The 2 nd Jewel of Buddhism The Buddha s Dharma 21

22 Buddhist Sacred Writings Tripitaka Three Baskets Rules of Monastic Discipline Dharma Teachings Commentaries on Dharma Solo Texts for Theravada Buddhism 22

23 Mahayana Sacred Writings Mahayana Buddhism reveres the Tripitaka as a sacred text but adds to it the Sutras which reflect distinctively Mahayana concepts 23

24 The Lotus Sutra The most significant of the Mahayana Sutras. Emphasizes the importance of becoming a boddhisatva and realizing one's buddhanature. 24

25 The Heart Sutra It describes the 5 Skandhas (elements of human nature), Emptiness Nirvana Ultimate reality. 25

26 Pure Land Sutra It tells the story of Amitabha Buddha 26

27 The 4 Noble Truths 1. All life is suffering 2. The cause of suffering is desire 3. If there is no desire there will be no suffering 4. Liberation from desires requires following the 8-fold path 27

28 1 st Noble Truth 1. All life is suffering The Truth of Suffering 28

29 3 Types of Suffering 1. Dukkha Suffering 2. Viparinama Suffering 3. Samkhara Suffering 29

30 Dukkha Suffering Physical or mental suffering or pain 30

31 Viparinama Suffering Suffering due to change Even the most pleasurable things cause suffering when they pass away 31

32 Smakhara Suffering Suffering due to conditioned states Pleasurable things can cause pain even in the midst of the pleasure, if the pleasure is based upon an illusion about the nature of the object or about the nature of the self 32

33 Car Example 33

34 Dukkha If you get into an accident Physical suffering / pain 34

35 Viparinama The suffering you experience as you watch it go thru a New England winter and get scratched, bumped, and destroyed by the snow and salt It wears out! Psychological suffering / pain 35

36 Smakhara The suffering you experience as you think there is something in your sense of self that will be enhanced by your attachment to the car You may appear rich Enhances your self esteem Suffering of illusion 36

37 People Example 37

38 Dukkha People can cause us pain (physically) 38

39 Viparinama People can cause us pain when they changed (don t loves us anymore, grow up) 39

40 Smakhara People can cause us pain from what they expect of us, project unrealistic expectations upon us (parents, spouses) 40

41 3 Marks of Suffering 1. Everything is suffering 2. Everything is Impermanent 3. Nothing has any self or independent identity 41

42 What does no self mean? There is no permanent identity to continue from one moment to the next 42

43 Human Personality 1. Matter 2. Feeling or Sensation 3. Perception 4. Mental Formation or Thought 5. Consciousness 43

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45 Only momentary But they group together to give the illusion of permanence Like the flow of a river or the flame of a candle 45

46 What is reborn? The stream or flame of desire Because of the causal continuity between moments in the flame we assume something permanent But I am not the same person from one moment to the next 46

47 Doctrine of Suffering Not Pessimistic It is simply realistic to accept that the human personality and all of reality are constantly changing 47

48 The cause of suffering is not change But the human desire to hold on to things and prevent them from changing 48

49 Positive Perspective If everything is changing It is possible for everything to become new 49

50 The Path of Nirvana If there is no self, there is no longer any reason to be attached to all the things that keep us in the cycle of samsara 50

51 2 nd Noble Truth 2. The cause of suffering is desire The origin of suffering is explained by a causal sequence known as the 12 fold chain of dependent causes (pa-tic-ca sam-mul-pad-da) 51

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53 Wheel of Becoming Center circle animals representing lust, hatred and delusion dove = passion snake = hatred pig = stupidity/delusion Second circle left- fate of those with good karma right- fate of those with bad karma Third circle six spheres of existence/destinies from the gods to hell (originally five destinies; increased to six in Tibetan Buddhism) hells animals ghosts gods human beings rebel gods (Tibetan addition) Outer circle- 12 fold chain of causation chain of cause and effect Demon grasping wheel is Mara, representing death and impermanence (the whole is swallowed by impermanence)

54 Most important links Ignorance leads to desire Desire leads to the birth of selfish actions Selfish actions leads to more actions Hence the Wheel of Samsara 54

55 Advertisements Think of the illusion these ads foster The desires they try to arouse What these desires lead to 55

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64 Again Think of the illusion these ads foster The desires they try to arouse And what these desires lead to 64

65 Fundamental Ignorance That I constitutes a permanent ego that needs to be fed by new and desirable experiences or objects 65

66 3 rd Noble Truth 3. If there is no desire there will be no suffering 66

67 Cultivate an awareness of no-self Strip away the desires that feed the fire of samsara, Eventually the fire will burn out 67

68 This is not easy It may take many lifetimes But it is possible for anyone to achieve 68

69 Nirvana To Extinguish To Blow Out 69

70 What are we blowing out? Desire Ignorance The self Life Itself 70

71 Nirvana and Parinirvana Nirvana The Moment of Awakening Parinirvana When the fire of the personality is finally extinguished 71

72 These two moments are also called Nirvana with residues Nirvana without residues 72

73 During his lifetime the Buddha exemplified many characteristics we would consider quite positive Peaceful Wise Unattached Free 73

74 4 th Noble Truth 4. Liberation from desires requires following the 8-fold path 74

75 The 8-Fold Path Right understanding Right thought Right speech Right action Right livelihood Right effort Right mindfulness Right concentration 75

76 3 Sections Wisdom (Prajana) Moral Conduct (Sila) Mental Concentration (Samadhi) 76

77 Wisdom (Prajana) 1. Right understanding Four Noble truths Includes doctrines such as impermanence and no-self 2. Right thought cultivating virtues, such as love and selflessness 77

78 Moral Conduct (Sila) 3. Right speech Telling the truth, speaking kindly 4. Right action E.g. five moral precepts 5. Right livelihood Occupations which avoid doing harm but rather promote well- being Butcher / prostitution / weapons sales 78

79 4. Right Action Buddhist laypeople are expected to observe 5 moral precepts: No killing No stealing No lying No abusing sex No drinking intoxicants 79

80 4. Right Action Buddhist Monks They cannot eat after noon They can t sleep on soft beds They can t handle gold and silver 80

81 6. Right effort Mental Concentration Developing a will that develops right states of mind Towards wholesome states Preventing unwholesome states 7. Right mindfulness Awareness of states of being- mind, thoughts, feelings 81

82 Mental Concentration (cont) 8. Right contemplation To attain by direct experience the higher states of awareness Penetrate reality directly At this point we achieve Nirvana 82

83 Karma Following these practices produces good karma Creates detachment that eventually leads to awakening Not following them produces bad karma 83

84 The Bodhisattva Ideal Mahayana Buddhism Great Vehicle Reform movement in the Indian Buddhist community in the early Centuries A.D. 84

85 There are two major schools of Buddhist thought: Mahayana and Theravada (or Hinayana). 85

86 Mahayana Buddhism The Mahayana school rose to prominence in India around the 1st century A.D., after splitting from the Theravada. 86

87 Theravada Buddhism Theravada Buddhism emphasizes strict personal meditation and the monastic path to Enlightenment. 87

88 The Mahayana sect, in contrast, promises spiritual liberation to both monks and laity, while encouraging the Bodhisattva ideal of saving all sentient beings from life s sufferings. 88

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90 Buddha v. Bodhisattva A Buddha is an individual who has achieved Enlightenment and is free from reincarnation, Such as the Buddha or the Amitabha Buddha. 90

91 A Bodhisattva is a person who has achieved Enlightenment or Buddhahood, But has delayed Parinirvana and vowed to return to the samsara world to aid all sentient beings on their paths to Buddhahood. 91

92 The Bodhisattva Ideal While the Mahayana tradition acknowledges the validity of the arhant path, it holds as its own ideal figure the bodhisattva. The word bodhisattva means "enlightened essence", or "enlightened being". 92

93 Emptiness: Sunyata "Emptiness" or "Voidness", Nothing has independent existence 1. Identity 2. Meaning 93

94 Identity This is because everything is inter-related and mutually dependent Nothing is wholly self-sufficient or independent 94

95 Example: Parts of a Car What is a Tire Steering wheel Brakes Windows etc 95

96 Their identity is in relationship to the totality of a car They have no meaning outside of their relationship to other things 96

97 But what is a car? Its identity is in relationship to totality of our society (roads, bridges, people, etc.) None of which has any independent meaning 97

98 All things are in a state of constant flux where energy and information are forever flowing throughout the natural world 98

99 Samsara = Nirvana In other words, nirvāna is simply samsāra rightly experienced in light of a proper understanding of the emptiness of all things 99

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101 Modern Science According to modern science The distance between the nucleus of the atom and the electrons that revolve around it is like A an orange in the middle of a football stadium (the Nucleus) And a grape in the upper most stands (the Electron) 101

102 Things are essentially made of empty space 102

103 3 rd Jewel of Buddhism The Buddhist Community Sangha 103