BUDDHISM
Yellow Hat order of Tibetan lamas, has
 A philosophy of life that began in India in the
sixth century B.C.E. as another
interpretation of Hindu Dharma.
 The founder of Buddhism proposed a
“middle way” between worldliness and
extreme asceticism, giving it mass appeal
among Indians for several centuries.
SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA
 The one who began the history and a
founder of Buddhism.
 Better know by his title “THE BUDDHA” or
“enlightened one” and referred to by East
Asian Buddhists as “the Shakyamuni” or
“sage of the Shakya people.”
 SIDDHARTA – a name which means “one
who has achieved (his) goal” was born
about 563 B.C.E at Lumbini in northern
India.
o He taught in northern India in the 6th
century B.C
o He is not a God who intercedes for
others.
o He shows them a path (a way)
MAJOR DIVISIONS IN BUDDHISM
1. Hinayana – the smaller and more
conservative faction [“exclusive/lesser
way”], and today its only remaining school is
Theravada [“tradition of the elders”].
2. Mahayana – the larger and more liberal
wing of adherents belong to the Mahayana
[“expansive/greater way”].
Theravada Buddhism – believes its doctrine to be
more faithful to the original teachings of the
Buddha. Communities of Theravada may also be
found in Australia, Europe, and North America.
Mahayana Buddhism – are convinced that,
beyond the Buddha’s teaching found in Tripitaka,
there was much more to be known from the
Buddha. They opposes the belief of Theravada
Buddhism that only a chosen few can attain
enlightenment, giving greater value to compassion
for all living creatures over wisdom and ascetic
practices.
 Mongolia and Tibet also accepted
Mahayana Buddhism, but in a tradition
known as Vajrayana [“diamond vehicle”].
 The Tibetan variety of Mahayana Buddhism
is also known as Tantric Buddhism
because of its reliance on tantras.
 Dalai Lama – the leader of the larger
essentially been the ruler of Tibet.
Zen Buddhism – it is an intuitive sect of Mahayana
Buddhism that distrusts discursive reason and
maintains that the key to Buddhist truth is the
sudden inspired intuition or flash of insight [satori]
that comes after a period of meditation.
- Is also distinctive because of its
particular form of meditation that
stresses present-mindedness.
Avalokiteshvara – the most popular Bodhisattva,
the one who looks down in compassion, who is
personified as the female Guan Yin in China and as
the male Kwannon in Japan.
SACRED TEXTS
Tripitaka – “Three Baskets,” consisting of three
collections.
1. Vinaya Tripitaka [“Basket of Discipline”]
– the first and briefest part of the Tripitaka
which may be traced to the recitation of
Buddha’s teaching by diligent bhikku Upali
at the First Council in 483 B.C.E.
2. Sutta Pitaka [“Basket of Threads”] – the
second and largest part of Tripitaka, the
heart of the Pali Canon.
 Pali Sutta – Sanskrit “sutra” which refers to
authoritative teachings “sewn” together like
threads in written collections.
- Contains ten thousand sayings
attributed to the Buddha as
memorized by his cousin
Ananda.
 Dhammapada [“Verses on the Dharma”]
– is a collection of over four hundred brief
ethical maxims concerning the quest for
inner peace, tolerance toward others, and
firm advocacy of nonviolence.
3. Abhidhamma Pitaka [“Basket of Higher
Teaching”] – the third part of Tripitaka
which represents a later philosophical
elaboration of earlier Buddhist doctrine,
pure and highly adcanced form of the
Buddha’s teaching revealed only after his
death.
 Suttras – also known as the “threads of
truth”.
CREED
 From Sanskrit: “To the Buddha for refuge I go;
to the Dharma for refuge I go; to the Sangha for
refuge I go.” This short Buddhist creed is known
as the THREE JEWELS [Sanskrit triratna “triple
gem”], also called the Three Treasures, Three
Refuges, or Precious triad.
 Dharma – a familiar Sanskrit term borrowed
from Hindu Dharma – in a Buddhist context,
means the teachings of Buddha, the path to
enlightenment.
 Sangha – in a broad sense, refers to the
community of those who have attained
enlightenment.
THE UNDERSTANDING OF GOD
The Sanskrit term Buddha, like the Greek
Christos in the Christian New Testament, is a title
not a surname. The title simply refers to a human
being who has been “enlightened,” that is who
has found the way to Nirvana through one’s own
efforts.
BASIC DOCTRINES
Four Noble of Truths
The core of the teachings of the Buddha is
expressed in the Four Noble Truths, which were
supposed to have been the context of the Buddha’s
first sermon [Dharmahakra Pravartana Sutra] at the
deer park in Sarnath.
1. Discontent [Pali dukkha or “that which is
difficult to bear”] is a part of human life.
 Dukkha is a word that is rich in meaning.
o Suffering is the most common
translation, but it can be suitably
rendered as “stress”.
3 kinds of Dukkha:
a. Dukkha-dukkha – ordinary physical and
mental suffering associated with birth,
growing old, illness and dying.
b. Viparinama-Dukkha – the emotional
anxiety/stress of trying to hold on to things
that are constantly changing.
c. Sammkhara-Dukkha – a basic chronic
dissatisfaction pervading all forms of
existence due to their impermanence.
2. Dukkha is caused by craving [Pali tanha or
“thirst/craving/grasping/desire/attachment”].
- Desiring and being attached can
be stressful.
3 kinds of Tanha:
a. Kama-tanha – is sensual craving for objects
that provide pleasant feelings, or craving for
sensory pleasures.
b. Bhava-tanha – also craving to be
something, to unite with an experience
which includes craving to be a lasting being
that has a past and a future, and craving to
prevail and dominate over others.
c. Vibhava-tanha – a wish to be separated
from painful feelings, a craving to not
experience the world, or to be nothing.
3. There is an end or extinction [Sanskrit
nirvana; Pali nobbana or “unbound”] to
dukkha, by eliminating tanha.
 Nirvana – is the extinction of the false idea
of a permanent and undying self.
4. The way to extinguish dukkha is through the
Eightfold Path:
 SammaDitthi – Appropriate Outlook
 Samma-Sankappa – Appropriate
Determination
 Samma-Vaca – Appropriate Communication
 Samma-Kammanta – Appropriate Conduct
 Samma-Ajiva – Appropriate Occupation
 Samma-Vayama – Appropriate Effort
 Samma-Sati – Appropriate Mindfulness
 Samma-Samadhi – Appropriate Samadhi
The eights aspects of the Fourth Noble truths
are often subdivided into three categories:
wisdom [prajna], virtue [sila], and meditation
[Samadhi].
Appropriate Outlook and appropriate determination
are classified under wisdom because these involve
intellectual acceptance and voluntary commitment
to the Buddha’s “Midle Way”.
 Appropriate Outlook – involves the
acceptance of the Four Noble Truths and of
the impermanence of what is called reality.
 Appropriate Determination – also known as
right/perfected
aspiration/resolve/intention/attitude/emotion/
thought- is the exertion of one’s will, moved
by an informed heart and a feeling.
Appropriate effort, appropriate mindfulness, and
appropriate Samadhi are considered crucial
elements in Buddhist meditation that leads to
enlightenment.
 Appropriate Effort – involves mental
preparation that avoids unwholesome states
if mind and consciously directs one’s life
energy to the transformative path of creative
and healing action that promotes holistic
well being.
 Appropriate Mindfulness – concerns
developing self-conscious meditative
awareness of one’s bodily sensations,
 feelings and etc. not permitting these to take
control of one’s life.
Appropriate communication, appropriate
conduct, and appropriate occupation involve
moral choices affecting interpersonal
relationships.
 Appropriate Communication - or right
speech demands words that are not
deceitful, abusive and not harmful. One
avoids the “four vocal wrong deeds”- lies,
slander, abuse, and gossip.
 Appropriate Conduct – Is a general call
tolive in a just and upright way by observing
the Panca Sila and avoiding the “three
bodily wrong deeds:” killing, stealing, and
sexual misconduct.
 Appropriate Occupation – or right to
livelihood acknowledges that certain
occupations that harm other living beings
are morally unaccepted and must be
avoided.
DEPENDENT
ORIGINATION’ARISING
Dependent origination – is a basic teaching
concerning the problem of suffering and how
humanity can be freed from suffering.
Suffering- is the effect of the cause of suffering;
the end of suffering is the effect of the path to
the end of suffering.
Essential to understanding Buddhist thought,
the theory of Dependent Arising/Origination
[Sanskrit pratityasamutpada; Pali paticca
samuppda]
– states that each stage/moment is the cause if
the next, which establishes avicious cycle of
samsara.
THE TWELVE STAGES OF
DEPENDENT ORIGINATION (AND
SYMBOLS)
1. Ignorance (blind person)
2. Intentional Acts (potter’s wheel)
3. Consciousness (monkey in a tree)
4. Body and Mind (passenger in a vehicle)
5. The Senses (house with windows)
6. Sense impressions (couple)
7. Feelings (arrow in an eye)
8. Craving (sweet drink)
9. Clinging (gathering fruit)
10. Becoming (copulation)
11. Rebirth (childbirth)
12. Old Age and Death (corpse)
CODE
There is no lack of material in Buddhist sacred texts
that provide practical moral guidelines for daily
living.
 Buddhists who “put on robes” as bhikkhus
and bhikkunis were required to ebserve the
Ten Precepts.
TEN PRECEPTS
1. I resolve to avoid harming living beings.
2. I resolve to avoid taking that which is not
freely given.
3. I resolve to avoid sexual misconduct.
4. I resolve to avoid false and harmful speech.
5. I resolve to avoid intoxicants which lead to
carelessness.
6. I resolve to eat moderately and do not eat
beyond moon.
7. I resolve to avoid spectacles like singing or
theater.
8. I resolve to not use flowers, perfume, or
jewelry.
9. I resolve to use simple beds.
10. I resolve to not accept gold or silver.
 The first precept requires one to refrain from
harming all living beings human, animal, or
plant- since individuals may be reincarnated
as other forms of life.
 The second precept concerns the
avoidance of theft in all its forms, including
the craving for material possession that lead
to it, and the virtue of generosity with one’s
time, talent, and treasure.
CULT
A common Buddhist symbol, one used in this book,
is the dharmachakra or “wheel of the law”, which
represents the Buddha’s teaching and is a reminder
of the “Middle Way” he prpoposed.
Devotees join the Buddhist faith by reciting the
Three Jewels. Those who “put on the robes” of a
monk have their heads and eyebrows shaved
before putting on their saffron robes.
COMMUNITY
“To the Sangha, I go for refuge.” The third
“jewel” in the brief Buddhist creed suggests that
there is more to Buddhism than just accepting the
Buddha’s teaching as an individual.
Originally meaning “crowd” in Sanskrit, sangha
later acquired in Buddhist praxis the meaning of
“virtuous assembly” of a group of disciples
around a teacher.
Buddhism – is an enduring and well-established
religious worldview.