buddhism
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the historical buddha: siddartha gautama
- born in 563 BCE
- kshatriya class, family were the rulers, essentially a prince
- father heard a prophecy that something bad would happen to him if he went outside, so father keeps him in at all times
- at 29 he sneaks out and sees a sick man, an old man, a corpse and he’s shocked and appalled and it was a life changing moment where he experienced human suffering through others
- wanted to find out why we suffer and how to stop it
- he leaves his family and wanders out to learn more
- when he leaves he follows the path of the aeshetics (strict on self discipline and self punishment)
- he almost dies from this, but he better understands the world, but this extreme doesn’t take him where he wants to be so he needs to find something in the middle of this and luxury
- so he sits under a bodhi tree and mediates
- he understands suffering, the universe, and he becomes enlightened
- buddhism is an outgrowth of hinduism
- buddha didn’t intend to start a new religion/philosophy
- had the idea of reincarnation here
- you will be reincarnated many times, difference comes where you get out of the cycle
- karma is still going to influence you in your reincarnation
- ahimsa - idea of non violence
- idea of simplicity
- idea of brahman
- nirvana how to break out of the cycle of
- buddhism as a new philosophy/religion
- believes that the world (material world) is an allusion and that we don’t have individual soils
- the ultimate reality of the world
- when you reach enlightenment, you take nirvana which is an action
- enlightenment: you understand everything
- you are released from this world, this is good bc life is suffering
- trying to get rid of attachments
- for some sects, taking nirvana and releasing yourself from suffering is known as selfish
- buddha comes from wise and bodhi means wisdom
- bodhi
- buddha
- if you take nirvana, you are a buddha
- bodhisattva
- if you become enlightened and stay behind to help other people become enlightened
- don’t necessarily rid attachments because they stay back
- buddha goes on after reaching enlightenment and he preaches to others and everything is summarized in the four noble truths
- the truth of suffering
- life is suffering
- the truth of craving and desire
- it is human to desire what you don’t have
- the truth of cessation
- giving up desire
- the truth of the eight-fold path
- the middle way
- right views
- right intentions
- right speech
- right actions
- right livelihood
- right effort
- right mindfulness
- right concentration
- egalitarianism
- buddha does except reincarnation and karma and dharma but rejects the caste system
- regardless of class as long as you follow the path and do good, you will reach nirvana
- people in the lower classes much more readily convert to buddhism
- buddhism is more simple
- the worship of the gods is unnecessary and buddha said that he did not want to become a god or anything; some sects believe that buddhism is more of a philosophy
- buddhism is a universalizing religion
- anyone can convert
- doesn’t matter who you are
- has pilgrimage sites that are associated w the life of the founder and missionaries
- buddhism pilgrimage sites
- birth of lumbini
- enlightenment at bodh gaya
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- buddhism is hugely important and practiced in several places but becomes less and less practiced, almost dead
- ^^jainism^^
- founded by mahavira
- contemporary of buddha
- lived super simply
- much more self disciplined, no attachments, life of poverty
- extreme NONviolence
- swastika;
- has a horrific association with the nazis
- this symbol is ancient, dates back to harappa, and a symbol of spirituality and divinity in ALL INDUS RELIGIONS
- represents the sun, several gods, and etc
- it’s old
- and then the nazi’s stole it