Buddhism

Learning Objectives

To identify basic doctrines of Buddhism

found in the Tipitaka
To know important details about the
Buddha’s life
Key Understanding
• Knowledge of the basic doctrines of
Buddhism is key to understanding this
religion.

Key Question

• What is the basic doctrines of

Buddhism?
A ‘Non-theistic’ Religion
• Siddharta Gautama, known as the Buddha which
means “the Enlightened One,” “the Awakened
One,” or “the One Who Knows,” is a central figure
in Buddhism.
• Buddhism builds around Siddharta Gautama’s
experience of enlightenment.
• Buddha offered a pathway to understand the
nature of suffering and how it can be overcome.
• Buddhists do not worship Buddha; look to
Buddha’s teachings in order to attain
enlightenment.
• Buddhism is different from the majority of world
religions because of its status as a “non-theistic
religion.”
A ‘Non-theistic’ Religion
• In Buddhism, being a human is actually better
than being a god (deva).
• Buddhism is not a religion.
 insistence in not worshipping any god
(including Buddha)
 does not have a place for faith on any divine
being
• Buddhism is a religion.
 ritual practices in honouring the Buddha
 religious features of monastic Order
 importance of belief in the Buddha’s teaching
Sources of Knowledge about the
Buddha and His Teachings
Buddhist Scriptural Canon
• a list of books that define matters of doctrine
and discipline
• the books contain discourses between the
Buddha and his disciples called suttas (or
sutras in Sanskrit)
• also contains code of monastic conduct,
commentaries, and stories about the Buddha
and his disciples
Sources of Knowledge about the
Buddha and His Teachings
1. Pali Canon
 the oldest canon and also called the
Tipitaka (Three Baskets)
 written in the language that is close to the
actual one used by the Buddha himself
 the authoritative list of books adopted by
the Theravada school: the Sutta-piṭaka
(sayings of the Buddha), the Vinaya-piṭaka
(monastic rules of conduct), and the
Abhidhamma-piṭaka (various philosophical
writings)
Sources of Knowledge about the
Buddha and His Teachings
2. Mahayana Canon
 authoritative writings of Mahayana school
 sometimes similar to Pali Canon but with
additional body of literature from other
sources
 used Sanskrit in some of the works
 divided into agamas (similar to Pali
Canon’s nikayas), vinayas (rules for
monastic conduct), and the Abidhamma
(philosophical writings)
Sources of Knowledge about the
Buddha and His Teachings
3. Tibetan Canon
 most recent scriptural text translated to
Tibetan
 has some books similar to the two earlier
canons but also recognizes texts that are
not Buddhist in character (but necessary
in the practice of the teachings)
 divided into the bKángjur (Kanjur), believe
to be the words of the Buddha himself,
and the bStan’gyur (Tanjur), believed to
be the elaborations of the Buddha’s
teachings
The Triple Gem
• The Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha are
important to Buddhism and are referred to as the
“Triple Gem” which is the basis of “taking refuge”
for Buddhists.
1. The Buddha
 refers to the inspiration from Siddharta
Gautama, the teacher who led his disciples
to enlightenment
 believers place their faith in Buddha’s
teaching and recognize their capacity to be
a buddha, an “enlightened one”
The Triple Gem
2. The Dhamma
 refers to the teaching of the Buddha
 believers put the teachings of Buddha to
practice to attain enlightenment
3. The Sangha
 refers to the monastic order founded by
the Buddha
 preserves the teachings and pass them on
to future generations
 dedicate their lives in attaining
enlightenment and helping others do the
same
The Five Precepts
• recited by devout Buddhists after reciting the
Triple Gem
• also called Panҫa Sila which contains the
believer’s basic moral guidelines
• form the basis of sila (morality) for a Buddhist
• not rules imposed by a higher authority but an
ideal or aspiration freely embraced
The Five Precepts
• The Five Precepts are:
1. I take the precept to abstain from
destroying living beings (killing).
2. I take the precept to abstain from taking
things not given (stealing).
3. I take the precept to abstain from sexual
misconduct.
4. I take the precept to abstain from false
speech (lying).
5. I take the precept to abstain from anything
that causes intoxication or heedlessness
(getting drunk or using illegal drugs).
The Four Noble Truths
• a religious doctrine strongly associated with
Buddhism which summarizes Buddha’s teaching
• explain the answer to the question that
perplexed the Buddha before he achieved
enlightenment: Why is there suffering in the
world?
• the subject of the Buddha’s first discourse or
sermon when he achieved enlightenment which
is recorded in Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta
(The Discourse on the Wheel of Dhamma)
The Four Noble Truths
• The Four Noble Truths
1. Life is suffering (dukkha).
• It is about dukkha usually translated as
sorrow or suffering and, interestingly, is
the origin of the Filipino word “dukha,”
which means “poor” or “destitute.”
• It teaches that it is useless to run after the
pleasures of earthly life because they are
impermanent.
The Four Noble Truths
2. There is suffering because there is desire.
• It is about desire or, in some translations,
cravings as the root cause of suffering.
• It teaches that craving arises from
ignorance which is the incapability to know
the truth of impermanence.
3. In order to get rid of suffering, one has to get
rid of desire.
• It is about the possibility if ending suffering
by extinguishing one’s desire.
• It teaches that to believe that suffering is
one’s fate is wrong; there’s always a way
out.
The Four Noble Truths
4. There is a path that leads from suffering (the
eight-fold path).
• It is about the path that leads to the end of
suffering: a) avoid too much indulgence in
one’s desire, and b) avoid to much
asceticism.
• It is only in following the “Middle Way” that
the individual will find happiness, peace,
and enlightenment.
The Noble Eightfold Path
• summarizes the Buddha’s Middle Way
• prescribes different areas of one’s life that need
to be subjected to the Dhamma
• The following is the Noble Eightfold Path
The Noble Eightfold Path

• based on the development of three important

dimensions of a person’s character:
 covers the person’s dealings with others
 concerns the individual’s mental
development
 gaining insight and wisdom
The Buddha
• He was born as Siddharta Gautama around
2,500 years ago in Lumbini, Nepal to King
Shuddhodana and Queen Maya of the Shakyan
clan.
• As a young prince, his father tried to hide from
him the suffering that is happening around him.
• His mind was awakened to the suffering in the
world when he encountered, in separate
occasions, “the four sights”:
 an old man who was scantily dressed,
wrinkled, and nearly blind;
 a sick man who was moaning in pain;
 a funeral procession with people grieving;
 a wandering ascetic.
The Buddha
• He married Princess Yashodhara when he was 29
years old and had a son with her named Rahula.
• He left the palace and became a wandering ascetic to
search for the meaning of suffering and how one can
be liberated from it.
• He practiced severe asceticism for six years then he
concluded that enlightenment is not found in severity
but moderation.
• His companions left him when he graciously accepted
a milk-rice from a woman thinking that he wavered in
his intention to achieve enlightenment.
The Buddha
• He continued his quest alone and sat beneath a
bodhi tree, with a conviction not to stand up until he
found enlightenment.
• He finally achieved enlightenment at the age of
thirty-five years old.
• He returned to the Shakyan people as a monk and
revisited the palace.
• Impressed by his qualities, his son Rahula joined him
as a monk.
• Prajapati, his aunt who raised him after his mother
died, joined him and was ordained as the first nun.
 Activity
Buddhism places premium importance to meditation. It
was through meditation that the Buddha attained enlightenment.
Find a comfortable and quiet place where you will not be
disturbed. Sit down cross-legged, preferably using a pillow to sit
on. Straighten your back and slightly tilt your head down. You
may choose to close your eyes or keep them open. Stick your
tongue to your palate (at the back of your upper front teeth).
Place your hands near your navel. Place the right hand on top of
the left hand and join your thumbs to form a circle.
Be conscious of your breathing. Observe how air comes in
through your nostrils and reaches your lungs, and how it exits
through your nostrils again. If it helps, count mentally from 1 to
10 at the end of each breath cycle.
 Activity
If there are thoughts that enter your mind, simply notice
them. Do not attempt to suppress them, but do not “follow”
them either. Just focus on your breathing. If you lose your
attention to your breathing and “followed” a thought, simply
return to observing your breathing.
If you feel discomfort because of prolonged sitting (which
is normal), simply observe the discomfort: where it is located,
how does it feel, and the intensity. You may shift a bit in your
sitting if the discomfort becomes significant; otherwise continue
sitting still.
Do this for 10 minutes.
Write a reflection about your experience with meditation.