Beliefs+Quotes

I teach suffering, its origin, cessation and path. That's all I teach. - The Buddha

- Summarises the Four Noble Truths

(the foundation of Buddhist beliefs)

- Buddhism is focused on understanding and overcoming dukkha through wisdom and practice

I teach suffering, its origin, cessation and path. That's all I teach. - The Buddha

- Highlights the importance of the Eightfold Path

(the practical guide to ending suffering and achieving nirvana)

- Encourages ethical living, meditation and wisdom.

Aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering. - The Four Noble Truths

- 1st of the Four Noble Truths

- Explanation of dukkha (comes from impermanence, desire and the nature of the 5 aggregates

All conditioned things are impermanent. - Dhammapada 277

- Reflects anicca

- 1 of the Three marks of Existence

- Teaches that everything changes

- Attatchment leads to suffering

Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. - Heart Sutra

- Expresses anatta and sunyata

- Challenges the idea of a permanent self

- Encourages detachment from ego and identity

Not by birth does one become noble, but by deeds - Dhammapada

- Supports the idea of karma

- Actions determine future consequences

- Promotes ethical behavior

Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal law. - Dhammapada 5

- Teaches metta and karuna

- Encourages non-violence and forgiveness

There is no fear for one whose mind is not filled with desires. - Dhammapada

- Shows that freedom from craving leads to peace and enlightenment

- Idea of overcoming tanha to escape samsara

Ascetic Life

• simple and strict lifestyle

• few pleasures/possessions

• extreme self discipline and self denial leads to spiritual wisdom

• Siddhartha was impressed with the sense of peace from the holy man, inspired him to follow ascetic practices for 6 years

Ascetic Practises

• living in dangerous forests

• living in extreme heat and extreme cold

• sleeping on a bed of thorns

• eating too little

• learnt meditation - practice of calming and focusing the mind, reflecting deeply on teachings

Turning Away from Asceticism

• became thin and weak

• could not meditate effectively

• learnt discipline and willpower

• did not find the answer to suffering

• decided to reject asceticism

• accepted rice and milk from a cowgirl

• restored his health and strength

• returned to the life of collecting alms from villagers

• began to think in the terms of the middle way

Enlightenment

• determined to meditate until he found enlightenment (meditated under a peepul tree)

• enlightenment = understanding the true nature of reality

• took place during the 3 parts/watches (refers to the 3 realisations Buddha had)

• became known as the Buddha

• taught spiritual wisdom to the five ascetics

• asked his followers to choose a middle way between luxury and asceticism

Maras Distractions

• beautiful daughters to seduce (not swayed by their charm)

• armies to throw arrows and weapons (turned to lotus flowers)

• offering control of his kingdom

• questioning Siddharthas right to sit at the seat of enlightenment (touched/called earth to witness)

3 Parts/Watches

• gained knowledge of all his previous lives

• understood the cycle of samsara, understood how beings are reborn according to karma, understood nothing has an unchanging essence

• understood that beings suffer because of desire and attachment, understood suffering can be overcome through path to enlightenment

Four Sights: Context

• Siddhartha grew more curious about life outside the palace

• Travelled out to a nearby city

• Story = Jataka 75

Four Sights

• Old Age = frail old man - everyone will age

• Illness = someone lying in the road in agony - illness is the reality of life

• Death = funeral procession - everyone will die

• Holy man = walking peacefully - inspired Siddhartha that a spiritual answer to suffering was possible

Leaving the Palace

• wouldn’t find answers to suffering in his life of luxury

• abandoned his horse

• cut off his hair

• gave back his jewellery and clothes

• left his newborn son and wife to pursue spiritual enlightenment

• Siddharthas renunciation (letting go)

Buddhas Birth

• born 500BCE

• southern Nepal

• parents = King Suddhodana, Queen Maya

Story of Buddhas Birth

• QM dreamed of a white elephant from heaven, told her she would have a holy child

• Gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama in Lumbini Gardens

• Siddhartha could immediately walk/talk, walked 7 steps, lotus flowers sprung beneath his feet, declared he wouldn’t be reborn

• A prophecy was made that he would be a great king or a holy man

Life of Luxury

• QM died 7 days after birth

• KS wanted to protect Siddhartha from hardship (suffering)

• Grew up in a palace of luxury

• Preparing him to become king

Life of Luxury: Anguttara Nikaya

• Delicately nurtured

• Entertained by female dancers

• Lotus ponds of many colours

• Always protected by sunshade

• 3 mansions (winter, summer, rainy seasons)

Buddha and Dhamma

• Buddha thought his teachings should be practiced but not worshipped

• Buddhists should not become so attached that they cannot leave it behind

• Describes his insights as the truth, but encourages his followers to test and question his teachings

Dhamma Meanings

• truth about the nature of existence

• path of training recommended by Buddha for enlightenment

• universal law that governs how reality works

Importance of the Dhamma

• one of the three refuges/jewels (central values)

• Buddhists goes for refuge to the 3 jewels - they trust them as the sources of relief from suffering

• gives meaning to life

• creates satisfaction and happiness

• leads to becoming more aware, wise and compassionate

• improves relationships with others and the world

Dependent Arising

• everything depends on supporting conditions

• everything is constantly changing

Tibetan Wheel of Life

• illustrates dependent arising as applied to the cycle of samsara

• humans are subject to birth, death, rebirth

• cycle continues until the cycle is broken by following the Buddhist path

• when the cycle is broken, nibbana/nirvana becomes a possibility

Dukkha

• suffering, dissatisfaction

• suffering is an inevitable part of life

• Buddha left his life of luxury to try find an answer

• following Buddhas teachings - enlightenment - no suffering

Seven States of Suffering

PHYSICAL

• birth

• old age

• sickness

• death

MENTAL

• separation

• contact

• not being able to achieve desires

Types of Suffering

• ordinary suffering (physical/mental pain)

• suffering because of change (caused by losing something good)

• suffering because of attatchment (dissatisfaction with life as a result of craving and attatchment)

Anicca

• impermanence

• everything constantly changes

• people resist change because they are too attached to things

• awareness of anicca - letting go of attatchment - lessens suffering

Anicca affecting the World

• living things (tree sprouts, grows, dies)

• non-living things (nail rusts if in rain)

• peoples minds (thoughts and feelings always change)

Anicca and Dukkha

• people expect things to remain unchanged - attatchment

• when things do change, people experience suffering due to attachment

Kisa Gotami

• child died young - she lost her mind

• Buddha told her to visit all the houses and ask for mustard seed if no one had died

• she couldn’t find a house where no one had died

• death is inescapable and buried her child

Anatta

• no fixed self or soul

• people are made up of the 5 aggregates which shows there is no unchanging self

• no died part of a person

Nagasena and King Milinda

• N arrived to the court of KM

• KM asked his name

• N answered but there was no person behind the name

• K was confused and asked who was standing before him

• N answered using the analogy of the chariot

• chariot has lots of parts, name to refer to all these parts - like how a person exists but only because of their parts

5 Aggregates

• form (our bodies)

• sensation (our feelings)

• perception (our ways of interpreting and understanding)

• mental formations (our thoughts)

• consciousness (our general awareness)

Four Noble Truths

• four truths the Buddha taught about suffering

• why people suffer and how to overcome it

• part of Dhamma (first teaching after enlightenment)

• discovered by the Buddha whilst meditating under the peepul tree

• understanding through study, reflection, meditation

• understanding leads to enlightenment

Dukkha

• there is suffering

• suffering is universal, everyone needs to overcome it

• happiness and pleasures are only temporary, they cannot solve the problem of suffering

Samudaya

• suffering has a cause

• tanha (craving leads to suffering)

• people suffering because of attachment - the things they like are impermanent

• temporary pleasures cannot last or make them permanently happy

The Three Poisons

• greed/desire (cockerel)

• hatred/anger (snake)

• ignorance (pig)

• trap people in the cycle of samsara and prevent enlightenment

• craving → greed and hatred

• craving is rooted in ignorance

Nirodha

• suffering can come to an end

• overcoming craving and ignorance

• overcoming suffering → enlightenment and nibbana

• own efforts

• recognising that things you enjoy cannot last forever

Nibbana

• extinction of the three poisons

• state of complete liberation, peace and happiness

• Buddha = someone who was woken up to the truth of existence

Magga

• there is means to bring suffering to an end

• noble eightfold path/ threefold way

• middle path between the extremes of luxury and asceticism

Eightfold Path

• eight aspects that Buddhists practice and live by to achieve enlightenment

• understood as a range of practices that can be developed at the same time, interlinked

• sometimes grouped into 3 sections (3fold way)

3fold Way/ 8fold Path

ETHICS (sila)

• right speech

• right action

• right livelihood

MEDITATION (samadhi)

• right effort

• right mindfulness

• right concentration

WISDOM (panna)

• right understanding

• right intention

Three Types of Craving

• sensory craving (craving things that please the senses)

• craving for being (wanting to become something you aren’t)

• craving for non being (wanting to stop experiencing something)