BUDDHISM

INTRODUCTION

 Began in 2400 years ago (counted after the birth of Buddha around 543 BCE or 480 BCE)
 In northeast region of ancient india (Nepal)
 Siddhartha, Gautama, from Sakya clan, became “the awaken one”
 It traditionally has been divided into three branches_Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajarayana.
 Who is Buddhist?
 Coexisted and partnered with other religions
 According to U.S. State Department, Buddhist population should be from 400 million to 1.5
billion.
CORE TEACHING

 The Four Noble Truths

 Dukkha
 Samudaya: Realization of three roots of Duddha_greed, delusion, anger
 Nirodha: the cessation of Dukkha
 Magga: the path (8 fold paths)

 Right  Right livelihood

understanding
 Right effort
 Right intentions
 Right Meditation
 Right speech  Right
 Right Behaviour contemplation
 No-Self (ANATA or Anatman)
 Impermanent (Anica): Changing including our life. We have only substance, reality, and meaning
 Five Aggregates (form, sensation, perception, mental formation, consciousness )
 Dependent Origination
 Enlightenment
 Everyone has Buddhahood
 You are your own master, and your mind is your master
 Good Karma brings good result, bad karma brings bad result (cause-
effect)
 Morality and Dana (donation)
 Mindful
 Wisdom
 Nivarna
 Nivarna with remainder
 Great final nirvana (Maha Pari Nirvana)
 Triple Gems
 Buddha
 Monks
 Dhamma
 Sutra
 Vinaya
 Abhidhamma
BUDDHIST COUNCILS

 What is Buddhist Council?

 Why is it needed to be organized, especially after the Buddha’s Death
 How many Buddhist councils have there been considered as being legitimate in the history of Theravada
Buddhism?
EARLY BUDDHISM IN INDIA

 Had played important role for 16 centuries

 No next Buddha, Buddhism were divided into many schools
 At the second council, one group called the Elders would like to
maintain all the disciplines Buddha prescribed, another group known
as the Great Community wished to put some disciplines as optional.
 After the second council, 18 groups were established partially due to
the new type of scholarship known as Abhidhama (beginning in 3rd
century,. It highlights what Buddha taught in the form of dialogue,
especially providing the philosophical explanation of existence (five
aggregates and co-arising)
 During King Asokha’s reign, the third council was
organized.
 Asokha had been an important figure because of his
contribution
 Dharma Raja (promote Ahimsa)
 Purifying Sangha
 Creation of Buddhist mission (for overseas)
 Essential baseline for dating Buddhism (his inscription)
TAKING REFUGE IN THREE JEWELS

 Buddha (the power of his enlightenment exist in his relics)

 Relics
 A wheel with eight spokes
 Empty Throne
 A deer (deer park)
 Footprint
 Dhamma
 Sangha
 Four Noble beings (with Dharma Eye, they become the Stream winner,[get
enlightenment in 7 life times or less ], the once returner [one more life time], the non
returner, and Arhat )
BEGINNING OF MAHAYANA BUDDHISM

 Around second or first century BCE, new sutras written in Sangkrit were
circulated in written form. they focus on the Prajna-Paramita (perfection of
wisdom). They believed to be better than the Pali canon, but just appeared
later because Buddha kept them with the serpent deities who would reveal
them on the right time only. Promise with good Karma for those who copy
and teach
 Before late second or early third century, monks from this sect follow
similar vinaya, but after Nagarjuna found the new teaching called
Madhyamaka, new things also introduced.
 He argued that Dhamma is a conventional truth not highest truth. He
believed that none had a fixed nature of its own: they were, in fact, all empty
(sunya) of any distinguishing features.
 Lotus Sutra
 Claimed that the Pali Canon constituted a lower level of truth, which
labeled as Hinayana (lesser vehicle) that can lead to the lower levels of
enlightenment. It is believed Buddha used pali canon to communicate with
those who were not yet ready for higher truths.
 No difference between Samsara and Nirvana
 Move beyond self and others and need to have compassion for all beings
 Go beyond Arhat because Arhat is selfish. Becoming Boddhisattva is their
goal
 Only fourth century CE Mahayanists began to establish separate
monasteries. One of their school is called Yogacara which teaching that
consciousness (vijnana) was the only reality (the world was mind only)
EMERGE OF THERAVADA BUDDHISM

 5th century, Buddhaghosa went to Srilanka to study Pali Canon.

He edited the Canon and also wrote many commentary known
as path of purification. Therefore, by the end of 5th centuary,
Buddhism is known as Myahayana and Theravada.
COSMIC BUDDHA AND BUDDHIST COSMOLOGY

 For Mahayana, Buddha is explained as using Upaya. What is it? (Read White lies section.)
 Buddha Realm (pure land) established by Amitabha Buddha
 Devotion gone to the celestial buddhas and boddhisatva not human Buddha.
 Buddha bodies

Theravada Mahayana

Nirmana Kaya (Transformation

Relic body)
Sambhoga kaya
Dharma
(body of bliss: accomplished Buddha blessed
and taught Bodhisattvas)

Dharma kaya
(dharma body)

 Boddhisattvas
THE THUNDERBOLT OR DIAMOND VEHICLE (VAJRAYANA)

 In 7th and 8th century, monks tried to explore techniques that

promised to shorten the path of bodhisattva
 Influenced by practices of asceticism and visualization called
Tantras
 In Mahayana, to be a bodhisattva, you need to go for three
expansive eons
 The Vajrayana, explains that the new technique can takes only
seventeen lifetimes or even in the present life to be a
bodhisattva.
 All beings were fully buddhas
 Interpret Sunyata and Upaya as justification for using techniques
that violate Buddhist norms of conduct.
 Under certain condition, rules against eating forbidden foods,
drinking alcohol, and engaging in sexual practices could be
broken by advanced practitioners to help them move beyond
the false dichotomies of good and evil.
 Use Mantra
DISAPPEARING OF BUDDHISM FROM INDIA

 Eleventh century, Buddhism was clearly in decline.

 Fourth century, not much royal support
 Hindu integrated Buddha as one of Visnu’s avartas
 In sixth Century, stolen and destroyed by White Huns
 Not enough monks to ordain the new monks and nuns.
 Invaded and persecuted by Muslim forces from Turkey and Afganistan
in 11th century
 1198, burned Nalanda by the Muslim.
 Middle of thirteen century, survived only in south india and in small
areas north of the Ganges
 Fifteen century, vanished.
BUDDHISM OUTSIDE INDIA

 Third century, went to Srilanka (With Bodhi Tree branch) in Asokha’s reign
 Welcomed by King Tissa as state religion
 Maha Vihara was established in the city of Anuradapura
 To Indonesia in second or first century BCE
 China, Cambodia, Burma, and Cambodia in the first century CE
 From China, went to Korea around fourth century
 To Japan in sixth century
 Seventh Century,Vajarayan was taken to Tibet, Mongolia, Southern Russia,
Western China, Napal, and Bhutan.
CHINESE INNOVATION

 Two Schools: Pure land and Chan

 Pure land appeared in sixth century
 Created by Amitabha Buddha
 When Gautama Buddha’s dhamma ended, confusion and
misinterpretation will happen.
 Rely on compassion and intercession (prayer)of Amitabha
 Visualize the Buddha Amitabha or repeat his name
 Chan Buddhism
 Later in 6th century
 Brought from India by Bodhidharma
 Mix Yogocara (consciousness)with Dao
 Goal is to see “ into oneself” or “ see into the moment” through meditation
 Move away from devotional practice and philosophical study. Focus on
mediation and do some manual labor including the pottery making, painting,
and martial arts.
 According to Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, describing Master Hui
neng (638-713),
 everyone has the Buddhahood
 Not to achieve enlightenment but to uncover and realize it.
 One can not become Buddha because he was buddha
 Some emphasized on zazen (seating mediation) to develop
calmness and focus of mind
 Others used Gong-an (or Koans in Japanese; a kind of
dialogue, a story, a statement) to jolt out of his or her normal
frame of reference and into a sudden awareness of nirvana.
JAPANESE INNOVATION
 Influenced by Chinese
 Tendai from Chinese Tientai (lotus school), Zen from Chan, Jodo from pure land.
 Adding some new elements.
 Zen added new riddles and develop tea ceremonies and theater as mediational
technique.
 Jodo Shinshu authorizes the marriage of monks
 Conflicting in 13th century,
 Nichiren preferred Lotus school more than the other Buddhist schools and
accused them of causing natural disasters
 Recite Honor to the lotus sutra of the true teaching will protect the country
from invasion and disaster.
 He created a mandala
TIBET INNOVATION

 Mix between Vajarayana and Bon the tradition of Shamans (tribal

priest)
 Buddha and bodhisatvas were considered as deities.
 Added more local gods into their Buddhist practice
 Avalokiteshvara is the most important
 Buddhist Masters known as lama deemed as a living Buddha
 16th century, the term Dalai lama used to call their leader, an
incarnation of Avaloketeshvara
 17th century, became a state religion in Tibet (by Gushi Khan)
WESTERN INTEREST IN BUDDHISM

 18th and 19th century, after the colonialism and protectionism in Asia, the western were
interested in Buddhism
 Constructed an academic discipline
 But could not see how different Buddhist sects connecting one to another to some
extent
 In the late 1800s, the American Henry Steel Olcott, ex military man, went to Srilanka
and converted to Buddhism.
 He found Buddhist schools and wrote a Buddhist Catechism (good questions and good
answer) to help Srilankans learn basic of components of their religion.
 Many scholars followed him to promote Buddhist studies, but focus more on the
original Buddhism than others
 Local Buddhist network also revived and promoted Buddhism, especially in Srilanka
and China
 In 1893, local budhist network, with the help from World Parliament of Religions in
Chicago, presented Buddhism to the westerners and other Buddhists.
 What is Engage Buddhism?