abscence of buddha

how did people deal with buddhas absence?

-preserving the dharma (buddhas teaching), by Sangha (disciples of the buddha who transmit the teaching)

-relics of buddha are enshrined in stupas

-statues and painting of the buddha

-buddhist canon/scriptures are recited, studied and memorized

-locations related to buddhas life become pilgrimage places + creating symbolic places for example sacred mountains

-buddha embodiments: mahayana and vajrayana traditions have celestial buddhas and bodhisattvas

-re-experiencing enlightment by rituals or meditation

-waiting for new buddha: maitreya, will appear when current dharma declines

-universal buddhas: the buddha nature pervades all reality

dharma

=buddhas teachings

-buddha lives on in the teachings he left

-teachings standardized by the buddhist councils

-buddhist canons: sutra, every sutra begins with ‘thus have i heard’

-mahayana: belief that there is a dharma body of buddha: metaphysical concept, ultimate reality that lies in things, can be experienced by awakening

relics

-kept in stupas

-relics were initially divided among eight royal families

-emperor asoka is said to have constructed 84.000 stupas with relics (myths that relics multiplied)

-later also stupas for remains of other buddhist sages

-east asia: scriptures also have the relic status

whole body relic?

-the whole body of a monk becomes a relic by self mummification

first image of buddha

-various legends about this

-some legends about living images (statues of painting) that are believed to speak, move, sweat… => especially in east asia, spread of the cult of living images is important

why is envisioning buddha important?

-the sight of him can get you enlightenment, buddhist followers are sad that they were not born at the time of buddha

—> solutions?: meeting of a buddhist teacher can substitute for abscence, following dharma and vinaya (monastic rules) important, or waiting for a new Buddha (maitreya)