Buddhism Final

casual dependence

without prior causes, an effect cannot occur

Dependent Origination

all phenomena are conditioned — no phenomena is independent or self caused

What are the 4 Noble Truths?

1. Dukkha permeates life

2. There are causes of dukkha

3. Dukkha is possible to be cured

4. Dukkha can end through the Eightfold Path

Grey Tuesday

dukkha doesn’t have to be from a tragedy but it can stem from a faint residue of unpleasantness

• EX: coffee going cold, plumber cancels

3 Layers of Dukkha

1. Dukkha dukkha

2. Viparinama dukkha

3. Sankhara dukkha

Dukkha dukkha (Direct unpleasantness)

the sting that comes from simple, everyday mental and physical discomfort

• EX: toothache

Viparinama dukkha (Change)

discomfort knowing that nice things come to an end

• “it felt good, now it’s gone, and I miss it”

• creates feeling of nostalgia

• EX: unboxing blind boxes

Sankhara dukkha (Conditioned Existence)

discomfort knowing that all experiences are structural unstable because of factors that one can’t control

• “even while this feels good, I can’t hold onto it because I don’t control the factors that created it”

• creates feelings of insecurity

• EX: imagine a great night out feeling joy, yet during the joy, the moment is fragile

Phenomena

everything that is experienced, known, or perceived

Three Marks of Existence

dukkha, impermanence, no self

What’s the root of the 12 Link Chain?

Ignorance

Ignorance

not acknowledging or failure to see the Three Marks of Existence clearly

Mereological dependence

phenomena depends on their parts, and those parts create a whole

• EX: a novel is made up of chapters, and those chapters wouldn’t be chapters if they weren’t part of a novel

If all things arise from causes and conditions, is anything permanent? 

No, if those causes are in constant flux, then nothing can remain permanent

• Phenomena are in continuous processes of arising and passing away

What is the 12 Link Chain?

the causes of dukkha

• each link creates the next, tracing how dukkha comes about step by step

List all 12 Links of Chain

1. Ignorance

2. Volitions

3. Consciousness

4. A Sentient Body

5. 6 Senses (all 5 senses + this extra ability to sense tension )

6. Contact

7. Feelings

8. Craving

9. Clinging

10. Becoming

11. Birth

12. Ageing/Death

No Self Doctrine

we are not selves, nor do we possess a self

• an individual doesn’t have an additional internal being that is referred to as “I” or “myself”

Is the No Self Doctrine psychological?

No, it’s metaphysical.

• Doesn’t deny that we have pain or we can think but it challenges that there’s an additional being that owns our experiences

So where does “I” and “My” pull come?

It comes from ordinary thought patterns

1. persistence through change

2. separation from the world

3. social practices placed onto others

4. ownership of mental states

Explain the difference between Identity and Continuity?

Identity consists of sameness, and a strict unchanging. Buddhists don’t believe this exists for people. While continuity is the thought of something in a connected flow; a person is connected to earlier parts of themself through causal processes. Buddhists believe enlightened people achieve this.

I-Conceit (Asmi Mana)

the thought that our mental processes and experiences are under ownership of “me” or “mine”

• Buddhist response: this provides no evidence of a substance self, but only creates the illusion of one

Magnet Analogy

• refers to I-Conceit theory

  • I-Conceit = magnet

• w magnet

  • the flows are pulled to form a personal owner

  • the 5 aggregates are pulled to create “mine”

• w/o magnet

  • things flow

  • no sense of personal ownership

What’s the link between the substance self and dukkha?

Attachment —> there creates a friction between what one wants reality to be vs what reality really is

• the processes that are impermanent bear the weight of permanence that it ultimately doesn’t have

How does “No Self” relieve dukkha?

the processes continue but they are no longer possessions to a permanent self

Karma

intention that all actions (good or bad) have consequences

What does it mean that karma is a casual principle?

wholesome acts (kindness) = less dukkha

unwholesome acts (greed) = more dukkha

Seeds & Fruits Metaphor ( Karma)

• There’s intention to plant a seed

• The plant grows but can’t determine if the plant will grow quickly or slowly

Implication: explains why the effects of karma don’t provide immediate results

What are the 2 common misconceptions of karma?

1. Karma is NOT a cosmic reward or punishment

   • it acts more of a law of nature instead of a divine court

   • doesn’t dish out what it deems people ‘deserve’

2. Not every experience is karmic

   • catching a cold is not a moral failure

   • explains more complex things like depression and terminal illnesses

Poison Arrow Analogy

• Some person gets shot by poison arrow —> claim they won’t receive the antidote until they know their shooter’s name and hometown —> they will die

Implication: One doesn’t need to completely understand karma or the exact casual history of events unless they are the Buddha.

Anatman

ideology that there is no permanent self

How does karma extend across multiple lifetimes if there is no permanent self?

Casual continuity and not strict identity

• the flow of processes carries over karmic information from one lifetime to the next

• there’s no continuity if there’s a permanent self

Implication: the later being is not entirely the earlier being, but isn’t wholly unrelated to it

What is the Final Goal of Buddhism?

Nibbana

Nibbana

the end of dukkha and samsara, also unconditioned and permanent beyond samsara

Nibbana w/ Remainder

an enlightened one doesn’t die but no longer has karma, greed/hatred, and possess full presence

Nibbana w/o Remainder

an enlightened one’s death

• the body and aggregates die —> no more death because they won’t be reborn again

Conventional truth

level of everyday, ordinary activity

Ultimate truth

deeper nature / reality

Do conventional truth and ultimate truth contradict each other?

No, they actually work together

• need conventional language and concepts to understand ultimate truth and lead to path of liberation

Skillful means

the Buddha adapting his language depending on the needs of the audience

• “selves” vs “no self”

The Eightfold Path

liberates one from dukkha

• it’s the Middle Way b/c it seeks a balance and rational engagement in life

The Eightfold Path is a list of commandment?

No - it’s meant to provide a framework to reflect on one’s life, conditions, and thought patterns

The Eightfold Path relies on the individual?

Yes - the individual must put in the work themself

List all 8 Steps of the Eightfold Path

1. Right View

2. Right Intention

3. Right Speech

4. Right Conduct

5. Right Livelihood

6. Right Effort

7. Right Mindfulness

8. Right Concentration

What are the 3 Dimensions of the Eightfold Path?

1. Wisdom (view, intention)

   • correcting one’s understanding of reality

2. Ethics (speech, conduct, livelihood)

   • aligning behavior with social responsibility

3. Mental Discipline (effort, mindfulness, concentration)

   • sustained attention to abandon destructive habits

What are the 5 Precepts and their purpose?

Purpose: the basic ethical codes that all Buddhist follow — allows one to have mental peace of mind and contribute to their community

1. No harm

2. No stealing

3. Sexual responsibility

4. Truthful speech

5. Sobriety of mind

Raft Analogy

• after an individual crosses a river on the raft, they should abandon the raft as they continue their journey

Implication: once you learn the Eightfold Path, it isn’t meant to be kept as a possession. It’s best to learn from it and let it go so that others can benefit from it

• something can be useful without having to be ultimate — it can help now but be a burden later on

• something that was meant to reduce suffering can create overreliance

What does it mean to follow the Path as a Whole?

the path is meant to train intention, speech, conduct, etc to change one’s way of being and end dukkha

Example of Right View

A student recognizes their anxiety comes from clinging to achievement gains insight — but then they become proud that they are “more enlightened” = attachment remains but has now changed shape

Example of Right Intention

Donating money for admiration or status = distorted intention

• the act must be genuine compassion

Example of Right Speech

A friend disappoints me, and instead of lashing out or saying everything is fine —> I clearly state what hurt my feelings and speak honestly about my feelings and avoid mockery or insults

Example of Right Livelihood

A person who earns money by misleading others

Example of Right Effort

Abandoning the Unwholesome

• I realize that avoidance is keeping from doing something —> I purposefully gather the energy and apply myself instead of giving in to the unwholesome state