Topic 5 : HINDUISM

Siddhartha Gautama

Known as the Buddha that means “enlightened one”. He was a prince in the fifth century B.C.E.
who learned that human existence is suffering after observing destitute and dying people. He
sacrificed his money and lived as a destitute beggar, meditating and wandering but eventually
became dissatisfied and settled on something known as "the Middle Way."

The Middle Way - this meant that neither extreme asceticism nor excessive prosperity was the
road to enlightenment, but rather a style of living that fell somewhere in between the two.

Asceticism - practice of strict self-denial as a measure of personal and especially spiritual

discipline

This idea meant that neither extreme asceticism nor extreme wealth was the path to
enlightenment, but rather, a way of life between the two extremes was. Eventually, in a state of
deep meditation, he achieved enlightenment, or nirvana, underneath the Bodhi tree (the tree of
awakening). The Mahabodhi Temple in Bihar, India—the site of his enlightenment—is now a
major Buddhist pilgrimage site.

Dharma - Buddha’s teachings are known as “dharma.” He taught that wisdom, kindness,
patience, generosity and compassion were important virtues.

BUDDHISM

 scholars consider Buddhism one of the major world religions with 470 million followers
 its practice has historically been most prominent in East and Southeast Asia, but its
influence is growing in the West
 a faith that was founded by Siddhartha Gautama (“the Buddha”) more than 2,500 years
ago in India
 Buddhism is both a philosophy of life and a religion, however it is frequently viewed
more as a philosophy of life than as a true religion. Buddhism is a pessimistic ideology,
but only in that it asserts that happiness as we typically understand it is difficult to attain.
It is optimistic in that it maintains that we may obtain lasting happiness if we learn to
interpret life for what they truly are and train our minds to do so. Here, it tackles the
concept of happiness and how it relates to a good life.

The concept of “goodness” in Buddhism

 a virtuous and moral person is said to be good

 goodness implies a virtue leading to both physical and mental happiness
 a good person signifies that she/he does goodness to himself/herself and to the society.
 the word ‘good’ is meant ‘perfection or fullness’ (punna) or ‘wholesomeness’ (kusala)
  The cause is a kind of virtue (kunadhamma) by doing goodness and the effect is the
happiness or good life.

The word ‘good’ is an abstract term, which cannot be understood clearly without substituting
someone or something. A good person signifies that she/he does goodness to himself/herself and
to the society. The two terms are concerned with the doctrine of ‘action’ (kamma) and
‘consequence’ (vipaka). Good implies both cause and effect. Good cause gives rise to good
effect.

3 Levels of Virtues— called threefold training (tisikkha) which can be analytically explained in
the light of Eightfold Noble Path (Middle Way)

Morality (sila)- (1) right speech, (2) right action, (3) right livelihood

Virtue, good conduct, morality. This is the "Golden Rule" in Christianity - to do unto others as
you would wish them to do unto you. It is found in all major religions

Concentration (Samadhi)- (4) right effort, (5) right concentration, (6) right mindfulness
Concentration, meditation, mental development. The path to wisdom leads to an individual's
independence, which is reached through strengthening one's thinking. As a result of mental
development, our mind develops sharper and more within our control which helps us preserve
morality.

Wisdom (Prajna)- (7) right thought and (8) right understanding

Discernment, insight, wisdom, enlightenment. This is the real heart of Buddhism. Wisdom will
emerge if your mind is pure and calm.

The two levels of morality and wisdom correspond to the two levels of truth (dhamma) (1)
conventional or worldly truth and (2) ultimate truth or the truth of detachment from the
worldly things

THE EIGHTHFOLD PATHS

The Buddha's Eightfold Path consists of: Panna: Discernment, wisdom:

1. Samma ditthi: Right Understanding of the Four Noble Truths. Right View is the true
understanding of the four noble truths.

2. Samma sankappa: Right thinking; following the right path in life. Right Aspiration is the true
desire to free oneself from attachment, ignorance, and hatefulness. These two are referred to as
Prajna, or Wisdom. Sila: Virtue, morality:

3. Samma vaca: Right speech: No lying, criticism, condemning, gossip, harsh language. Right
Speech involves abstaining from lying, gossiping, or hurtful talk.
4. Samma kammanta: Right conduct or Right Action involves abstaining from hurtful behaviors,
such as killing, stealing, and careless sex. These are called the Five Precepts.

5. Samma ajiva: Right livelihood: Support yourself without harming others. Right Livelihood
means making your living in such a way as to avoid dishonesty and hurting others, including
animals. These three are referred to as Shila, or Morality. Samadhi: Concentration, meditation:

6. Samma vayama: Right Effort: Promote good thoughts; conquer evil thoughts. Right Effort is a
matter of exerting oneself in regards to the content of one's mind: Bad qualities should be
abandoned and prevented from arising again. Good qualities should be enacted and nurtured.

7. Samma sati: Right Mindfulness: Become aware of your body, mind and feelings. Right
Mindfulness is the focusing of one's attention on one's body, feelings, thoughts, and
consciousness in such a way as to overcome craving, hatred, and ignorance.

8. Samma samadhi: Right Concentration: Meditate to achieve a higher state of consciousness.

Right Concentration is meditating in such a way as to progressively realize a true understanding
of imperfection, impermanence, and non-separateness NOTION OF TRUTH- The Four Noble
Truths

The Four Noble Truths, which Buddha taught, collectively, explain why humans hurt and how to
overcome suffering.

1) The truth of suffering (dukkha)- teaches that everyone in life is suffering in some way.
 Other interpretations of the Pali term dukkha besides "suffering" are unsatisfactoriness,
dis-ease, and instability. All of these terms indicate that no conditioned phenomena may
offer us with actual (permanent) enjoyment in our life. The first step toward a spiritual
existence is to look deeply and honestly at our life experience and recognize that there is
pain. We have a tendency to overlook, ignore, or just respond to the unpleasant, so it
continues to haunt us. Despite the fact that physical suffering is a fundamental part of
life, we may learn to transcend mental anguish.

2) The truth of the cause of suffering (samudaya)- states that all suffering comes from
desire (tanha). We develop and recreate an autonomous ego entity called "me" due to a
lack of awareness of how things truly exist. This sense of self may be used to interpret
our whole life experience. As a result, numerous desires guide our activities. Cravings
emerge for sensory experiences, for "being" or "becoming" (for example, rich, famous,
adored, respected, eternal), and to avoid the unpleasant. These appetites are the source of
all sorrow.

3) The truth of the end of suffering (nirhodha)- it says that it is possible to stop suffering
and achieve enlightenment.
 All mental defilements that cause pain can be cleansed from the mind. Nibbana, or
ultimate peace, has been equated as the extinguishing of three fires: desire, ill will, and
 illusion. A person who has realized cessation has a pure heart, ocean-like compassion,
and piercing knowledge.

4) The truth of the path that frees us from suffering (magga)- is about the Middle Way,
which is the steps to achieve enlightenment.
 The Way leading to cessation contains a thorough and profound training of body, speech,
and mind. Traditionally it’s outlined as the Noble Eightfold Path: 1. Right Understanding;
2. Right Intention; 3. Right Speech; 4. Right Action; 5. Right Livelihood; 6. Right Effort; 7.
Right Mindfulness; and 8. Right Concentration.

The Method of ‘Goodness’ Development in Buddhism

When asked: “Where does the goodness originate?” or “How can the Buddhists develop
goodness?” The Buddhists intentionally cultivate goodness in 3 ways, namely (1) bodily action,
(2) verbal action, and (3) mental action), which is known as the process of ‘wholesome action’
(kusalakamma)

Conclusion on the Notion of Good

The real or good Buddhist is a person who observes morality (5 precepts and 5 virtues) and
purifies the mind (doing calmness meditation and insight meditation). Doing good in the first
ethical level is to observe the five precepts (with five virtues) —THE FIVE PRECEPTS 1. Do not
kill. 2. Do not steal. 3. Do not lie. 4. Do not misuse sex. 5. Do not consume alcohol or other
drugs—, in the second level is to follow the 10 wholesome actions, and in the third level is to
practice or live in the middle way of the eightfold noble path.

BUDDHISM ON SUFFERING & HAPPINESS

1. Why life is suffering. Since our thirsts are boundless, the happiness we desire is unachievable.
This argues that if our desires were satisfied, we would be satisfied. We also seek happiness from
our possessions but all of these are impermanent. As everything is impermanent, obtaining the
things we seek won't make us happy for the long run. Eventually, both of these things and our
happiness pass away. According to the Buddha, happiness is an illusion in the way that we
commonly interpret it. Real happiness cannot be achieved in material possessions or in satisfying
our desires. Rather, it entails an ongoing sense of fulfillment and inner calm, an inner tranquility
that is unrelated to our living conditions. Happiness is the inevitable manifestation of truly
comprehending that all things are impermanent. "Cling to nothing", according to Buddha, is the
simplest way to sum up his teachings.

2. Better to be a Renunciant. Buddha taught that happiness does not rely on things turning out
the way we would like them to. Rather, we never attain satisfaction because we attempt to
control what happens, insisting that they be one way or another. To simply "letgo"—to let things
be as they are without clutching or aversion—is to hold to nothing.
3. Happiness and the Good Life. Certainly one could be happier by expunging or altering one’s
desires, although this would not necessarily transform one’s “doleful existence” into a good life.
Because happiness is not the sole element of living a good life, it seems logical to presume that
knowledge, virtue, and caring relationships, for instance, are also elements of fulfilling a good
life. Even if happiness isn't the most important thing in life, that doesn't mean it isn't fundamental
for living a good life. If, as seems logical to assume, one cannot live a genuinely good life
without being happy, and if being happy clashes with other key elements of a good life, then,
according to pessimists, no life is good.

4. Happiness as a Mental Health. According to Buddhism, although it is happiness that we seek,

because we have a false conception of happiness and how it is to be achieved, we suffer. As a
philosophy of life, perhaps the most important insight of Buddhism is that genuine happiness is
not contingent upon our life circumstances. We can be truly and deeply happy simply by
connecting with the present moment without grasping or aversion. The Buddhist concept of
happiness is comparable in that it is indeed a complex psychological state with emotive,
cognitive, and motivational components. According to Buddhism, happiness refers to a
psychological condition, specifically a state of complete mental well-being. Happiness is a good
development because it fosters mental wellness, which is a good thing. Yet, being happy could
interfere with other vital life goals, therefore it does not naturally follow that a happy life is a
good life. Happiness is not the outcome of living a good life; rather, it is the foundation of a good
life.

ADDITIONAL BUDDHISM BELIEFS

 Asceticism - practice of strict self-denial as a measure of personal and especially spiritual

discipline. Main three (3) principles of Buddhism.
 Karma - karma refers to the idea that intentional actions have consequences for the agent,
in this life and in future lives.
 Rebirth - when someone dies, they will be reborn again as something else. What they are
reborn as depends on their actions in their previous life (kamma).

Buddhists believe that human life is a cycle of suffering and rebirth, but that if one achieves a
state of enlightenment (nirvana), it is possible to escape this cycle forever. Siddhartha Gautama
was the first person to reach this state of enlightenment and was, and is still today, known as the
Buddha. Buddhists do not believe in any kind of deity or god, although there are supernatural
figures who can help or hinder people on the path towards enlightenment.

 Impermanence - the philosophical problem of change Accepting the impermanence of

life is one of the keys to minimizing and being free of attachments and sorrows,
according to Buddhism. Only then would a person be able to experience profound inner
serenity and enlightenment.
“Everything changes and nothing lasts forever.”

 Meditation is an important aspect of practicing Buddhism. This relaxing and functioning

of the mind assists Buddhists in striving to become more peaceful and cheerful while
obtaining insight through problem solutions. Negative mental states that are desired to
be overcome are referred to as "delusions," whilst positive mental states are referred to
as "virtuous minds."

Some key Buddhism beliefs include:

 Followers of Buddhism don’t acknowledge a supreme god or deity. They instead focus
on achieving enlightenment—a state of inner peace and wisdom. When followers reach
this spiritual echelon, they’re said to have experienced nirvana.
 The religion’s founder, Buddha, is considered an extraordinary being, but not a god. The
word Buddha means “enlightened.”
 The path to enlightenment is attained by utilizing morality, meditation and wisdom.
Buddhists often meditate because they believe it helps awaken truth.
 There are many philosophies and interpretations within Buddhism, making it a tolerant
and evolving religion.
 Some scholars don’t recognize Buddhism as an organized religion, but rather, a “way of
life” or a “spiritual tradition.”
 Buddhism encourages its people to avoid self-indulgence but also self-denial.
 Buddha’s most important teachings, known as The Four Noble Truths, are essential to
understanding the religion.
 Buddhists embrace the concepts of karma (the law of cause and effect) and
reincarnation (the continuous cycle of rebirth).
 Followers of Buddhism can worship in temples or in their own homes.
 Buddhist monks, or bhikkhus, follow a strict code of conduct, which includes celibacy.
 There is no single Buddhist symbol, but a number of images have evolved that represent
Buddhist beliefs, including the lotus flower, the eight-spoked dharma wheel, the Bodhi
tree and the swastika (an ancient symbol whose name means "well-being" or "good
fortune" in Sanskrit).