Buddhism

• Third universalizing religion• 400 million adherents• Mainly located in China and SE

Asia

Foundations

• Four Noble Truths:– All living things must endure suffering – Suffering, which is caused by desire to

live, leads to reincarnation– Goal of all existence is to escape from

suffering and the endless cycle of reincarnation into Nirvana

– Nirvana is attained through an Eight-fold path, which included rightness of belief, resolve, speech, action, livelihood, effort, thought, and meditation

Eightfold Path

• Right Views: knowledge of the 4 Noble Truths• Right Aspirations: discard desire and avoid

hurting others• Right Speech: telling the truth• Right Conduct: not stealing or cheating• Right Livelihood: earning a living in a way

that does not harm or cause bloodshed to others

• Right Effort: thinking positively• Right Mindfulness: being aware of the

effects of thoughts and actions• Right Meditation: allowing a peaceful state

of mind

Branches

•Main branches: – Mahayana : 56% mainly in

China, Japan and Korea– Theravada : 38% mainly in

Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand

– Tantrayana: 6% mainly found in Tibet and Mongolia

•Split over interpretation of Buddha’s statements

•Religious functions performed by monks, not in general public

•Even though it’s a universalizing religion differs from western “formal” religions

•Can be both Buddhist and believer of other Eastern religions

•Most Buddhists in Japan and China also believe in ethnic religions

Origins

• Founder: Siddhartha Gautama• Born: 563 B.C. in Lumbini, Nepal• Son of a lord, led privileged life• Life changed after series of four

trips– Encountered an old man, a diseased

man, a corpse, and finally a monk– Felt he could no longer enjoy life– Monk taught him how to withdrawal

from the world

• At age 29 he left his home and lived in the forest for 6 years meditating– Called the Great Renunciation

• Emerged as the Buddha or “enlightened one”

• Spent 45 years preaching his views across India

• Trained monks, established orders and preached to the public

Literature

• Buddha’s teachings transmitted orally from one monk to another and eventually written down on palm leaf manuscripts

• Dhammapada, called Pali Cannon• Popular in Theravada and Mahayana• Gathered into the “three baskets”

Meditation

• Calms emotions, strengthens nerves, and even lowers blood pressure

• Most important act in Buddhism• How Buddha reached enlightenment• Samadhi means total self-collectedness

– Necessity for moksha

• Can be done standing, sitting, walking• Goal is always enlightenmenti

Theravada

• Older of two largest branches• “way of elders”• Original approach• Full-time occupation• To be a good Buddhist, you must be a

monk• Focus on Buddha’s life of self-help

and solitary introspection• Cite his wisdom

Mahayana

• Split from Theravada 2000 years ago

• “bigger ferry”• Claim can help more people

because it is less demanding and all-encompassing

• Emphasize Buddha’s life of teaching and helping others

• Cite his compassion

Tibetan Buddhism

• Dalai Lama dies, spirit enters body of a child

• Death described as the science of dying– Rituals in Tibetan Book of the Dead

Diffusion of Buddhism

• Did not diffuse rapidly from its point of origin in northeastern India

• Asoka, emperor if Magadha Empire, spread Buddhism throughout his empire (273- 232 B.C.)

• Formed the nucleus of several powerful kingdoms in South Asia

• Council organized by Asoka sent out missionaries to spread Buddhism

• 1st century A.D. merchants along trading routes introduced Buddhism into China

• Chinese receptive to missionaries and text translated into Chinese

• Further diffused into Korea in the 4th century A.D. and Japan in the 6th century A.D.

Holy Places• Shrines

– Eight places are holy to Buddhists because they were locations of events in Buddha’s life

• Lumini: birth of Buddha• Bodh Gaya: attained enlightenment• Rajagrha: tamed wild elephant• Kusinagara: attained enlightenment• Sarnath: sermon at Deer Park (1st)• Sravasti: created multiple images of himself• Vaisali: announced impending death• Samkasya: ascended heaven and returned to

earth

Birthplace of Buddha

Enlightenment and Nirvana

Buddhist Holidays

• Holidays include:

– Buddha’s birth– Buddha’s enlightenment– Buddha’s death– Not all observed on the same days– Theravadist Buddhist celebrate all

three on the same day

Buddhist Pagodas

• Elaborate and delicate in appearance

• Tall, many-sided towers arranged in tiers

• Contain relics that Buddhists believe to be a portion of Buddha’s body or clothing

• Not designed for congregational worship

• Prayer takes place in monastery or home

Conflict•Vietnam War

– Destroyed Buddhist shrines– Not sympathetic to Buddhists– Buddhists burned themselves to

protest policies of South Vietnamese government

•Current Communist governments in Southeast Asia have discouraged religious activities and permitted monuments to decay– Example: Angkor Wat