bhudism Flashcards
Buddhism, in its natural form, is
not a religion; rather it is a tradition that focuses on personal spiritual development. Buddhists strive for a deep insight into the true nature of life and do not worship gods or deities.
Buddhism was founded in, by who and when
Northern India by the first known Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, in 6th century BC, after he attained enlightenment and assumed the title Lord Buddha (one who has awakened)
Siddhartha Gautama, later known as Buddha, was
was a prince of the Sakya tribe of Nepal in approximately 566 BC.
At the age of 29, leaving the comforts of his home, he undertook a journey to seek the meaning of the suffering he saw around him.
After six years of arduous yogic training, he abandoned the way of self-mortification and instead sat in mindful meditation beneath a bodhi tree.
On the full moon day of May, Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha, the enlightened one.
Buddha later history
wandered in the plains of northeastern India for over four decades, teaching the path or Dharma he had realized in that moment.
Around him developed a community or Sangha of monks and, later, nuns, drawn from various tribes and castes, devoted to practicing this path. In approximately 486 BC, at the age of 80, the Buddha died.
His last words are said to be… “Impermanent are all created things; strive on with awareness.”
Demographics of Buddhism
Buddhism lays claim to be the fourth largest religion in the world after Christianity, Islam and Hinduism.
Buddhism has largely disappeared from its country of origin, India, except for the presence of many refugees from the Tibet region of China and a small number of converts from the lower castes of Hinduism.
2 main schools of Buddhism
Theravada or Hinayana in Sri Lanka and South East Asia, and the
Mahayana in China, Mongolia, Korea, and Japan.
Gautama
founder of Buddhism, did not claim to be divine. Although several sects have elevated him to the status of a god, he clearly claimed that he was only showing the way to nirvana.
Nirvana
simply means cessation – cessation of passion, aggression and ignorance; the cessation of the struggle to prove our existence to the world, to survive.
We don’t have to struggle to survive after all as we have already survived, the struggle is just an extra complication that we have added to our lives because we have lost our confidence in the way things are.
The Main Principles of Buddhism:
‘The Four Noble Truths’, ‘The Noble Eightfold Path’ and ‘The Five Precepts’.
The Four Nobel Truths:
Dukkha, Samudaya, Nirodha, Magga
Dukkda
Suffering exists: (Suffering is real and almost universal. Suffering has many causes: loss, sickness, pain, failure, the impermanence of pleasure.)
samudaya
There is a cause for suffering. (It is the desire to have and control things. It can take many forms: craving of sensual pleasures; the desire for fame; the desire to avoid unpleasant sensations, like fear, anger or jealousy.)
Nirodha
There is an end to suffering. (Suffering ceases with the final liberation of Nirvana. The mind experiences complete freedom, liberation and non-attachment. It lets go of any desire or craving.)
Magga
In order to end suffering, you must follow the Eightfold Path.
The Eightfold Path to Enlightenment
means by which enlightenment may be realized. This was explained by the Buddha in his first sermon after his enlightenment. Followers point to three main sections within ‘The Eightfold Path’ as Wisdom, Ethical Conduct and Mental Discipline.
“..There is a path to the cessation of suffering, the ‘eightfold path’ of right views, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. Buddhism characteristically describes reality in terms of process and relation rather than entity or substance.”
The Five Precepts Background
These are rules to live by. They are somewhat analogous to the second half of the Ten Commandments in Judaism and Christianity – that part of the Decalogue which describes behaviors to avoid. However, they are recommendations, not commandments. Believers are expected to use their own intelligence in deciding exactly how to apply these rules.
The Five Precepts Listed
- Do not kill. This is sometimes translated as “not harming” or an absence of violence.
- Do not steal. This is generally interpreted as including the avoidance of fraud and economic exploitation.
- Do not lie. This is sometimes interpreted as including name calling, gossip, etc.
- Do not misuse sex. For monks and nuns, this means any departure from complete celibacy. For the laity, adultery is forbidden, along with any sexual harassment or exploitation, including that within marriage. The Buddha did not discuss consensual premarital sex within a committed relationship; Buddhist traditions differ on this.
- Do not consume alcohol or other drugs. The main concern here is that intoxicants cloud the mind. Some have included as a drug other methods of divorcing ourselves from reality – e.g. movies, television, the Internet.
Those preparing for monastic life or who are not within a family are expected to follow an additional five precepts:
- Taking untimely meals.
- Dancing, singing, music, watching grotesque mime.
- Use of garlands, perfumes and personal adornment.
- Accepting high seats.
- Accepting gold or silver.
