contextual background and life and works of the buddha

what was the indus valley civilisation

• 1500 BCE

• invaded by the Aryans

cultural ideas in the indus civilisation

• strong central government

• religion was largely a domestic matter

• new ideas from the invaders

what was the vedic culture in the indus civilisation

• aryan’s bought the beginning of the first vedas (knowledge of the gods)

• vedas spoken in sanskrit (only understood by the elite)

• social hierarchal structure traced to rig veda

• idea of a ‘cosmic man’ - each part of society is a body part

what was the caste system

• order of society / social stratification system

• lack of social mobility (marry inside caste)

• sub-castes within caste

• lots of exploitation

what are the brahmins

the priestly caste

who are the kshatriyas

• duty to maintain rule and justice

• monarchies and republics

who are the vaishyas

merchants, artisans, and trades people

who are the shudras

• lower class do jobs for the upper-class

• less social mobility

what were the implications of caste

• only top 3 castes could study the vedas

• the bottom caste and the untouchables were believed to be impure

• several individuals came to reject caste

what were the key beliefs of the vedic traditions

• brahman: universe, everyone has a permanent soul (atman)

• all things are part of the brahman consciousness

• polytheism all connected to nature

• upanishads: philosophy of religion

what was the shramana movement

• collective of various wandering holy people

• extreme asceticism

• renounced materialism

who are the skeptics

• agnostics

• rejected traditional way of life

• cultivated friendship and peace of mind

who were the materialists

• humans were made out of the four elements

• when died elements returned to earth

• rejected karma

• believed in free will

who were the jains

• all actions contributed to karma

• practised extreme ahimsa

who were the ajivakas

• denied karma

• all actions were predestined

• ascetic life

what was a folk tradition

• simplistic and authentic pre-aryan traditions

what did the buddha reject

• rejects the soul

• intentional actions = karma

• hated caste

• rejects veda

what did the buddha accept

• rebirth

• intentional actions = karma

• cannot change status

• focus on what we dont know

the appeal of buddhism

• open to all

• religion of compassion

• was organised

how is the pali-canon used

• not a chronological outline

• referred to at various stages upholding a particular teaching

how is the act of the buddha used

• fuses myth with reality

• presented in an allegorical way

• rooted in history with embellishments

early life of the buddha

• born in nepal (lumbini) around 563 bce

• born into the shakya clan (his father was the leader)

• likely to be a folk religion

buddha’s birth story

• metaphors and symbolism of nature (clouds, moon, sky, sun)

• nature acknowledges the birth of the buddha

• miraculous birth story (white elephant: rare, pure and special)

• buddha knows his role

early young life of the buddha

• asita: seer, predicts the future

• said the buddha would be a monarch or a spiritual leader

• born with 32 auspicious marks

• mother dies: early loss, dukkha, suffering and impermanence

what were the four sights

• death

• age

• illness

• ascetic

what do the four sights represent

• represent mythological and symbolic elements of the narrative

• crisis on what it is to be human

• leaves to become a renunciant

who were the buddha’s two teachers

alara kalama: mediation and yoga

udduka ramputta: heightened levels of concentration

what did the buddha practise during his ascetic years and his realisation

• practises severe austerity

• starvation nearly killed the buddha

• the body represents a fundamental problem

• tried to eliminate the bad in himself

• chose not to die

• realised the middle path was best

what were the three stages of the buddha’s enlightenment

1. insight into previous lives

2. understood the causes for birth and death and the connections

3. attained omniscience which regards the four noble truths

what is the the story of angulimala

• buddha taught a murderer to leave the evil path behind and join a better one

• shows humans can change

• buddha disarmed his fires

• shows the three virtues

what is the story of sunita

• homeless untouchable did not get out of the buddha’s way

• buddha asked him to join him

• rejecting the caste system

• nirvana is accessible to all

what is the story of the devedatta

• buddha’s jealous cousin tried to kill him

• buddha repented his behaviour and claimed he would be enlightened

• shows greed is bad

• buddha is compassionate

what did the buddha say during the sermon of great passing

“all conditioned things are subject to decay”

how can you evaluate the life of the buddha

• his life is an expression of dharma

• do not claim truths

• buddha’s story is inspiration

• he had an initial state of dukkha

how do buddhists regard the buddha

• deny he is divine in nature or origin

• there is no reason to believe in god

• due to lack of empirical evidence

• buddha is not the only buddha and did not invent the teachings

• the authority of the buddha stems from his enlightenment

• a combination of his own life and social reaction