Buddishm

Buddhism is a religion that stemmed from Hinduism. A purpose of Buddhism is to be awakened or

enlightened that which is real. The word “Buddhism” comes from the Sanskirt word “budhi” meaning
“to wake up.”kened or enlightened about that which is real.
Buddhism is a human-centered religion, not a god-centered religion.

Buddhist symbol is the eight spoked wheel.

Eight spokes – symbol of the Eightfold Path – the 8 steps to salvation.

Founded: 6th century B.C.E (over 2 5000 years old)

Founder: Siddhartha Gautama (a human being), known as the Buddha.
Place: India
Sacred Books:oldest and most important scriptures are the Tipitaks or the Three Baskets of Wisdom.
The Tipitaka is also called the Pali Canon.
Adherents (follower's): over 300 million followers
Branches or Division: Mahayana (the Great Vehicle)
Theravada (Hinayana – the lesser Vehicle or 'the way of the elders”)
Vajrayana (the Vehicle of the Diamond)

Distribution: the most Buddhists live in Asia (Burma, Ceylon, Thailand, China, Korea, Mongolia,
Japan), a growing number of Buddhists can be found in Europ, Australia and North America.
Siddartha Gutama was born in 563 BCE. He was born a Hindu of the warrior caste, his father was a
king of a small village located in present day Nepal. Siddharthas's mother was Queen Maya of Shakya.

The Conception of Siddhartha (Buddha)

Queen Maya dreamed of a white elephant who walked around her 3 times, touched her side with a lotus
flower and then entered her womb. This is how she conceived. Brahmins, the priestly Hindu caste,
interpreted the dream for her. They told her she would bear a son that would either be a great king or a
great holy man (religious leader).
Her Queen Maya traveled to her father's house to prepare for the birth of her son. She stopped
in Lumbini Gardens. There she stepped off her chariot and held the branch of a tree for support and to
rest. Immediately her child emerged from hr side without any help and took seven steps. Queen Maya
was not in pain when she had her son. Siddhartha was golden in color. At birth he supposedly walk and
talked. He said “I am born to be enlightened for the well-being of the world. This is my last birth.” or
“No more births for me.”
Queen Maya died seven days after his birth. Siddhartha's father raised him. He was told by a
sage (wise person) that his son was destined for greatness, and that he would either be a ruler or a
religious leader. The father wanted him to be a great ruler so he kept him in his palace and gave him
everything he needed.

For 29 years he lived a sheltered life of luxury in his father's palace. He received the education typical
of a Brahmin class Hindu. Shortly after his marriage (to Yasodhara) and the birth of his son (Rahula),
he experienced a deep feeling of unrest and a desire to find the truth of life. He gave up everything
including his wife and son to become a wandering holy man. The sight of different forms of suffering
prompted Siddhartha Gautama to give up luxury for asceticism.

The Four Sights

The four sights seen by Gautama, while on various excursions in the country, turned the young prince
away from the pursuit of wordly power and pleasure to seek enlightenment. The four sights that led the
young prince to a religious life are:

1) an old man – aging

- old age destroys memory, beauty and strength
-death being close
- realized old age must come to everyone
2) a sick man – sickness and disease
- sickness and disease is common to all
- the world is filled with suffering
- people suffer when they are sick or have a disease
- he wondered whether everyone has to suffer sooner or later
3) a dead man – death
- death is inescapable, it is the end for all people
4) a wandering holy man (monk) (mendicant) without possessions
- who freed himself from the world of suffering by giving up everything and living a homeless
life of solitude.
-the man explained to Siddhartha that he was in search of salvation from this world of suffering.

Supernatural signs: 1) miraculous conception (dream-white elephant)

3) stars in a particular order
 4) born from queen Maya's left side without pain or illness
5) he was golden in colour
6) he spoken at birth
7) he walked at birth
8) when Brahmins saw him, they knew right away that he was the Enlightened One.

Comparing to Jesus:

1- Both mothers had a immaculate conception, (conceived without help of man)

2- People marveied when they saw Jessu and Buddha. People knew Jesus was the Messiah (Saviour),
the Son of God. People knew Buddha was the Enlightened One, would become a saviour.
3- Gautama's father was told by a sage (wise man) that his son was destined for greatness,either as an
emperor (king) or a religious leader.
Joseph was told by an angel that Jesus was the Son of God.
4- Both women traveled to give birth. Mary went to Bethlehem. Maya went to visit her father and gave
birth in Lumbini Gardens.

The Four Noble Truths

All life is suffering

-physical and mental suffering
-birth, decay, illness, injury, pain, grief, despair, death

All suffering is caused by desires (tanha)

-cravings, pleasures, lust and greed lead to rebirths and suffering.
-people constantly want things and get frustrated and become disappointed when they don't get them.
-even when they get what they want the resuffering happiness is impermanent. (short-lived)

To overcome suffering one must overcome desire

-way to end suffering is to overcome desire
-to end suffering is to end samsara and achieve nirvana.
-suffering ceases when we free ourselves of the bondage of desires and cravings and stop believing that
our individual self is real. This freedom brings people happiness
-nirvana is the extinction of suffering.

To overcome desire one must follow the Noble Eightfold path.

-the path that lead to the extinction of suffering
-the 8 steps to salvation (Nirvana).
-this is the Middle Path between indulgence and self-denial.
-it is the moral standard of Buddhism.

List the steps of the Eightfold Path

1. Right Understanding(view):knowing the doctrine of the Four Noble Truths
2. Right Thought:mind must be free from desire
3. Right Speech:using kind speech we will be respected and trusted
4. Right Conduct:is accomplished by observing the Five precepts. People will judge a person
according to his or her behaviour
5. Right Livelihood:earn a living through occupation that do not cause harm to living.
6. Right Effort:conquer all evil through and strive to have good thoughts.
 7. Right Mindfulness:person has the recognize what is important and must not be lead astray by
acts or thoughts.
8. Right Concentration: focusing the mind on one thought or object at a time.

The Three Characteristics of Existence

Anicca: or impermanence respresents the idea that the world is in constant flux and that nothijng stay
the same for long. Impermanence is a fundamental features of everything.

Dukkha: or dissatisfaction represents the idea that all humans and animals experience suffering.
Physical and mental pain are extreme examples of this characteristics.

Anatta: or no-self is more difficult to understand. The notion of anatta is connected to the idea that we
cannot point to any one thing in ourselves that we can say is self.

Renunciation ceremony includes the following order:

1. The boy is dressed in princely clothes to represent Gautama.
2. His princely garments are removed.
3. The elders impress upon him the vanity of worldliness.
4. His head is shaved
5. The boy I dressed in Monk's robes (sattron coloured) and given a begging bowl.
6. He repeats with a monk the three jewels (refuges)
7. The boy goes to a monastery and spedn at least one night and then returns to his family.

Around the age of 20 a male may spend several weeks in a monastery and may decide to remain
permanently as a full-fledged monk (may leave the order at any time) however most return to a lay life.

3 vows a buddhist monk makes are:

1.Poverty – a monk is allowed a few possessions such as a saffron coloured robe, utensils such as a
razor to shave his head, a begging bowl, a water strainer or filter to strain insects from his drinking
water, and a string of 108 beads which count while meditating on the qualities of the Buddha.

2.Celibacy – no sex, no marriage (some Buddhist sects of Korea and Japan like the Shin sect permit
their monks to marry)

3.Inoffensiveness – vows not to harm any living thing. In begging for food a monk must obey certain
rules.
1. no eating after noon.
2. accept whatever is offered and akes no reply when it is offered. “It is the donor who should
offer thanks for the oppurtunity to show generosity and therefore, accumulated good karma. “It
is better to give than to receive.”

The monk live a simple life, much of it in meditation. He provides services for lay persons such as :
performing ceremonies, temples, instruction on Buddhist teachings, assisting at wedding and funerals,
and educating the young.
Their prime concern is meditation and in some cases might work.

Five precepts
1- Abstain from killing or harming living things.
2- Abstain from stealing
3- Abstain from improper sexual conduct
4- Abstain from false speech. e.g telling lies, setting people against each other, and gossiping.
5- Abstain from taking alcohol harmful drugs.v

Additional
6- Abstain from eating after noon.
7- Abstain from looking at dancing, singing, or drama.
8- Abstain from the use of perfumes and things that tend to beautify and adorn a person.
9- Abstain from using comfortable beds.
10- Abstain from accepting gold and silver.

Nirvana means “blowing out”

Th meaning implies that all selfish desire has been extinguished, like a flame, leading to freedom
from samsara.
Buddhism Video Notes

Buddha means: awakened or enlightened one.

Realities of Life: 1- Everyone grows old

2- everyone gets sick at some point in their life.
3- Everyone will die one day.

While sitting under a Bodhi tree Siddhartha (Buddha) became enlightened. He had the answers
to the 4 eternal truths:
1- The truth of suffering
2-The truth of the origin of suffering.
3-The truth that it can be eliminated.
4-The truth of the path to follow towards achieving this.

Bodh Gaya: place where Buddha gained enlightenment

Lumbini: birth place of Buddha
Deer Park: place where Buddha got his first disciples/followers and preached his first sermon.
Kushinara: place where Buddha died and reached Nirvana. He died at age 80 because of poisonous
mushrooms

Buddha regarded himself: as a doctor who wanted to help people. By following his path a person can
free himself/herself from his/her own ego.

Monaticism
Buddhist monks: were originally hermits and wandering mendicants. It was until much later that they
lived in the monasteries.

Chanting: of the monasteries, helps one to subdue and forget the ego.

Both Christian and Buddhist monastic institutions have many affinities:

a)they both require isolation of the world
b)poverty and sexual abstinence.
c)obedience to a rule

Monks preside: over marriages, funerals, blessing of a new house or appartments.

Moving: between the monastic and lay communities is much easier in Buddhism than Christianity.
Monks and nuns can leave and enter their communities at any time.

At the center of Buddhism monasticism is: meditation

Branches of Buddhism

From samsara to salvation: Three rafts to cross the river

A raft is a type of vehicle, meaning that it is a mean of transportation. The three divisions in Buddhism
are:

Mahayana: “the greater vehicle”

-largest branch of Buddhism containing half the world's Buddhists
-mainly found in China, Korea, Mongolia and Japan.
-Buddha is regarded as the divine saviour, or a god, who offers grace and compassion.
-Regard the bodhisattva a “Buddha in the making”
-One of Mahayana's supreme virtues is to not enter nirvana even until the last blade of grass has been
enlightened

Vajrayana:-the vehicle of the Diamond

-named after the image of the divine Buddha holding the vajra, a diamond sceptre
-It is unique because it fights fire with fire, harnessing sensual energies and desires to reach
enlightenment.
-Mandalas are icons that visually excite; mudras are hand movements that harness energies of
movement; mantras harness the energy of sound.
-It is the minority branch originating in Tibet. In 1959, they were exiled by the Communist Chinese.

Theravada: -the way of elders also called the lesser vehicle

-focuses on the teachings of Buddha, not on the person of Buddha.
-consists mainly of the cultivation of wisdom through knowing the four noble truths, and through
practicing the Noble Eightfold Path
-The last three of these teachings speak of nirvana, another focus of Therevada Buddhism.
-Theravada monks are celibate
-all men are called to live at least a part of their lives as a monk as a required step to become adults.
They would live in a monastery, the building connected to the temple.
-the final aim is to be enlightened and enter nirvana. The holy man who reaches this status is called the
arhat meaning “worthy one”
-is found mainly in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), Laos and Vietnam.

Zen Buddhism: is a form of Mahayana Buddhism

-founded in China by an Indian sage named Nodhi Dharma, a man who spent 9 years of his life
continuously meditating with his face to the wall, saying nothing to anyone.
-Zen is derived from the Chinese word “Ch'an” meaning “meditation, the philosophy of silence.
-At one time Buddha was given a gift of a golden flower and was asked to speak on his beliefs, Buddha
took the flower and looked at it in silence. The interpretation derived from this by advocates of Zen is
that Buddha meant people to reject philosophical discourse and speculation.
-Zen monks disregard doctrine, scripture, prayers, ritual worship, and even reverence of the Buddha
himself
-Follow buddha's advice to seek ultimate knowledge by looking within
-zen monks lead simple life, each day they sit for hours in the zazen position
-believe enlightenment comes in a flash of inspiration called satori
this is the goal and to reach this it involves a training period and physical and mental discipline that can
last up to 10 years.
-during this time the initiate is presented with a koan which is an insoluble puzzle or riddle aiming to
bring thought failiure to nudge his perception of truth.

Visakha Puja Day (Buddha Day)

-full moon day of May
-believe that birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha all took place on this day
-they assemble on the ground of monasteries lying flowers, lit candles and incense sticks
-walk around the main hall three times while reciting the 3 refuges

Asalha Puja Day (Dhamma Day)

-full moon of July
-commemorate the first sermon in deer park
-food is offered to monks, nuns and later poor people

Magha Puja Day (Sanhgu Day)

-full moon day of march
-commemorates 2 important events in Buddha's life
1:the proclamation of the basic principles of Buddhist teachings
2-a sermon called the Basis of Success
-food is offered to monks and people engage in activities that bring them good karma.

Song Kran
-tai buddhist festival where in mid april people clean their houses, wash their clothes, and sprinkled
perfumed water on monks
-fish are rescued from dry ponds and put into jars
-act symbolises the observance of the first precept (forbids harm to living things)

Loy Krathong (festival of floating bowls)

-occurs in thailand on the full moon night of the twelfth month (when rivers are full)
-buddhists float bowls made of leaves on the rivers containin candles and incense sticks
-believed that when bowls float away all bad luck disappears
Acts of Merit

1.Building of Shrines: stupas or pangodas

2.Helping the upkeep of shrines
3.buying and applying layers of gold leave to cover the temple
4.a poor family offers food to monks
5.participating in public ceremonies
6.pilgrimage
7.offering of flowers to the image of Buddha
8.meditation

Image of Buddha

Halo: holiness
Bump on head: superhuman wisdom attained
Third Eye: 3rd eye of meditation
Elongated Ears: superhuman beauty (symbol of royalty)
Short curly hair: disciplined life style
Half closed eyelids: ability to meditate
Smile: at peace
Seated in lotus position: ability to meditate
eightfold in cloak: eightfold path
sitting on lotus flower or carrying one: purity growing out of mud (reminds him that anyone can rise
up just as pure no matter what the surroundings)
Hand Touching Ground: still in touch with rest of world.