Buddhism
Focuses on the spiritual condition of the human being, not the supremacy of the divinity. Non-theistic religion; 4th largest religion in the world.
the central teachings of Buddhism:
Buddha: the figure, not worshipped, not a god.
Dharma: the teachings of Buddha
Sangha: the importance of community.
Buddha: he who is awake.
400 BCE: Siddhartha Gautama was born, the founder of Buddhism.
Born in modern-day Nepal to a warrior caste; son of Queen Maya and a king.
Believed to be born already awake with conscience.
Married at 16; begins to question perfection.
A prophecy was given to his father, believing that he will either be a king or a sage; therefore, he grew up in an environment of luxury as a prince.
The Four Passing Sights tore Siddhartha from the life of luxury into becoming the Buddha. Asks his father if he could enter the village.
Old Man: old blindness, hut and an elderly, aging man.
Sick man: poisoned blood, crying and exposure of sickness.
Dead man: on plank/casket, witnessing cremation and a witness to death and the desire to stop death.
Ascetic: views a monk, who is happy, peaceful and good, desires to emulate the monk to achieve Nirvana and enlightenment.
Siddhartha developed the middle way in which a person could find enlightenment — finding a balance between the luxury he grew up in and the despaired lifestyle of a monk. Siddhartha meditated under a Bodhi tree for 49 years against Mara and achieved Buddha.
Great Departure: Siddhartha renouncing materialism as a prince, seeking liberation from suffering and developing the path to enlightenment.
Acetic practices were initially adopted, but these were unbearable.
Enlightenment results in one being able to see past lives, free themselves from all suffering and marks of existence.
Siddhartha’s first 5 followers were ascetic monks: went to the extremes, all material possessions gone.
As Siddhartha meditated, he fought temptation, fought demons and doubts of worthiness from Mara.
As the Buddha, he understood human suffering and how people are capable of entering Nirvana: complete peace and nothingness.
Samsara (cycle of reincarnation) → Karma: cause & effect; Dharma: teachings of Buddha → Nirvana (nothingness)
The Buddha then travelled and taught for 45 years.
Self mortification: self-inflicted pain to realize one is capable of experiencing pain.
Mara: lord of desire and temptation; would teach people desire, lust, beauty, sends demon army to invoke fears, doubt ones worthiness.
Anicca (impermenance)
Nothing is permanent; life is changing, unpredictable and undertain.
Mental and physical processes undergo change.
Dukkha (suffering)
All life involves suffering, including physical pain, illness, boredom, discomfort.
All people suffer death and decay.
Annatta (not self)
No permanent identity or existence is present.
Made up of 5 parts: body, feeling, perception, mental actions and awareness.
the illusion and impermanence resulting from incarnation.
To live is to suffer.
Suffering is caused by desire.
Suffering can cease.
The solution to suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path.
Right View: seeing the world through the wise and compassion eyes of Buddha.
Right Thought: clear and kind thoughts build good chracter.
Right Speech: kind and helpful words results in respect from others.
Right Action: first see ourselves before criticizing others.
Right Livelihood: Choose a job that does not hurt others or seek happiness from the unhappiness of others.
Right Effort: doing the best at all times, showing good will to others and no wasted effort on things that will hurt is.
Right Mindfulness: awareness of thoughts, words and deeds.
Right Concentration: Focus on 1 thought or object at 1 time, be quiet and attain true peace of mind.
Represented by the Wheel of Dharma; core teachings of the middle way.
followed by all Buddhists
Do not take life of any human being.
Do not take what is not given.
Do not engage in sexual misconduct.
Do not use false speech.
Do not drink intoxicants.
observed by lay Buddhists on special days or retreats.
Abstain from eating at improper times
Abstain from entertainment beatifying the body (music, dance, perfume, cosmetics)
Abstain from using high or luxurious bedding or sheets.
observed by monks and nuns; 227 in total.
Abstain from accepting gold and silver or handling money.
Abstain from adorning oneself with garlands, materialism.
Present in Cambodia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
The oldest form Buddhism.
Teachings of the Buddha are prioritized: the Pali Canon and the Three Baskets.
Monastic life to become Arhats
Arhats: “worthy ones” — the highest earthly enlightenment.
Highest importance on individual enlightenment
Robes: saffron/roche robes, symbolizing renouncement, simplicity, purity and detachment.
Present in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.
Focuses on the path of the Bodhivittas: seeking enlightenment fo rall beings.
Buddha in making
Sacred texts include the sutras, tantras, meditations and chants.
Seeking enlightenment of self and others by becoming Bodihisvistas who help others reach Nirvana and postpones their entrance to Nirvana.
Robes: black, grey, brown, also blue and yellow.
Simplicity, humility, modesty, no ego.
Common in Tibet.
Seeking Nirvana by harvesting the energies of life.
Practices include mandalas, mudras, mantras and advanced yoga.
Led by the Dalai Lama.
Focus on the precepts and the guru-disciple relationship.
Robes: maroon, burgundy → sacredness, wisdom, compassion.
Yellow/gold → ceremonial robes → wisdom/enlightenment/preciousness of Dharma
Represents the 6+ realms of reincarnation in the Buddhist universe, their understanding of Samsara.
Animals cannot regain Karma.
6 - 31: humans/gods/divas → the blissful life of deeds.
Heavens: realm of the gods and divas.
5: good and bad deeds, the path to Nirvana.
4: titan, violence and competition
3: hungry ghost: a life of greed
2: animal, ignorance
1: hell, conscious evil, 18 hells including cold and hot hell.
Meditation: quiet the mind so you can enter the spiritual world. A person must remove all distractions, focus on breathing and be mindful of the present.
Mandalas: geometric, symmetrical shapes with meaning; an act of prayer and the sand must be destroyed after.
Mantra: repeated phrase, e.g. Om
Mudra: hand movements to pray and meditate.
Puja: Buddhist worship that can take place at home or in temple or shrine.
No single universal text.
Sutras: sermons attributed to the Buddha or his close disciples.
Tripitaka/Pali Canon: the Three Baskets, the earliest, most authoritative scripture in Theravada Buddhism.
Mahayana Sutras: large collection of Sutras.
Tibetian Canon:
Kangyur: Buddha’s traditional words
Tengur: teachings of Indian and Tibetian scholars.
Sangha: preserves the teachings of Buddha (Dharma) to teach and practice meditation and mental discipline, spiritual guidance and perform rituals and ceremonies.
Buddha Day (Vesak): celebrates the birth of Buddha; the temple is adorned with flowers, banners; food, flowers, money offered to Buddha.
Bodhi Day: celebrates the day Buddha found enlightenment under the Bodhi tree.
Asalha Puja (Dharma Day): commemorates the first time the Buddha taught Dharma to the five monks in India.
Prayer wheel: in shrines, a long tubular or handheld device; by spinning, prayers are distributed to the world.
Prayer beads: Mala: 108 beads as a meditation aid.
Laughing Buddha: Chinese Buddhism: retound representation with money: food and wealth
Laying Buddha: Thai Buddhism: last teaching on deathbed
Jade Buddha: Thailand: adorned throughout the year, value.
Tensu Gitsu; discovered as the Dalai Lama at 2, became the Dalai Lama at 4 at Oracle Lake.
In 1950/1951, China annexed Tibet, sending the Dalai Lama into exile in India.
The Dalai Lama, as the spirtual leader of Tibetan Buddhists promotes kindness and compassion and internal strength of the person.
He has to abide by the full 200+ precepts of Buddhism, for instance, he could not drink the Eucharist wine.
Tibetian culture is 1000+ years old; the Dalai Lama is its rock and anchor.
Creating perfection, the ability to achieve with God belonging within the community network.
Outpours of love, compassion and care; e.g. natural inclinations.
Joy from society and peacefulness; reward of giving others joy. Speaks to coexistence of religions.
Avalokiteshvara: leader of Tibetan Buddhists.
An Anglican priest from South Africa who advocated against Apartheid; the partitioning of South Africa into a black and white society.
His mother worked with the blind as a washer; a priest wouldn’t bow to her.
Suffered tuberculosis, polio and prostate cancer.
Was arrested but not jailed for his involvement speaking out against Apartheid.
In 1990, he led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission designed to forgive but not forget in exchange for amnesty.
Joy derived from giving it to others.
Yama: connects to Hinduism; no worship of Yamas. Monk killed by robbers, anger and horns developed. Controlls Samsara and the heavenly realm.
Focuses on the spiritual condition of the human being, not the supremacy of the divinity. Non-theistic religion; 4th largest religion in the world.
the central teachings of Buddhism:
Buddha: the figure, not worshipped, not a god.
Dharma: the teachings of Buddha
Sangha: the importance of community.
Buddha: he who is awake.
400 BCE: Siddhartha Gautama was born, the founder of Buddhism.
Born in modern-day Nepal to a warrior caste; son of Queen Maya and a king.
Believed to be born already awake with conscience.
Married at 16; begins to question perfection.
A prophecy was given to his father, believing that he will either be a king or a sage; therefore, he grew up in an environment of luxury as a prince.
The Four Passing Sights tore Siddhartha from the life of luxury into becoming the Buddha. Asks his father if he could enter the village.
Old Man: old blindness, hut and an elderly, aging man.
Sick man: poisoned blood, crying and exposure of sickness.
Dead man: on plank/casket, witnessing cremation and a witness to death and the desire to stop death.
Ascetic: views a monk, who is happy, peaceful and good, desires to emulate the monk to achieve Nirvana and enlightenment.
Siddhartha developed the middle way in which a person could find enlightenment — finding a balance between the luxury he grew up in and the despaired lifestyle of a monk. Siddhartha meditated under a Bodhi tree for 49 years against Mara and achieved Buddha.
Great Departure: Siddhartha renouncing materialism as a prince, seeking liberation from suffering and developing the path to enlightenment.
Acetic practices were initially adopted, but these were unbearable.
Enlightenment results in one being able to see past lives, free themselves from all suffering and marks of existence.
Siddhartha’s first 5 followers were ascetic monks: went to the extremes, all material possessions gone.
As Siddhartha meditated, he fought temptation, fought demons and doubts of worthiness from Mara.
As the Buddha, he understood human suffering and how people are capable of entering Nirvana: complete peace and nothingness.
Samsara (cycle of reincarnation) → Karma: cause & effect; Dharma: teachings of Buddha → Nirvana (nothingness)
The Buddha then travelled and taught for 45 years.
Self mortification: self-inflicted pain to realize one is capable of experiencing pain.
Mara: lord of desire and temptation; would teach people desire, lust, beauty, sends demon army to invoke fears, doubt ones worthiness.
Anicca (impermenance)
Nothing is permanent; life is changing, unpredictable and undertain.
Mental and physical processes undergo change.
Dukkha (suffering)
All life involves suffering, including physical pain, illness, boredom, discomfort.
All people suffer death and decay.
Annatta (not self)
No permanent identity or existence is present.
Made up of 5 parts: body, feeling, perception, mental actions and awareness.
the illusion and impermanence resulting from incarnation.
To live is to suffer.
Suffering is caused by desire.
Suffering can cease.
The solution to suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path.
Right View: seeing the world through the wise and compassion eyes of Buddha.
Right Thought: clear and kind thoughts build good chracter.
Right Speech: kind and helpful words results in respect from others.
Right Action: first see ourselves before criticizing others.
Right Livelihood: Choose a job that does not hurt others or seek happiness from the unhappiness of others.
Right Effort: doing the best at all times, showing good will to others and no wasted effort on things that will hurt is.
Right Mindfulness: awareness of thoughts, words and deeds.
Right Concentration: Focus on 1 thought or object at 1 time, be quiet and attain true peace of mind.
Represented by the Wheel of Dharma; core teachings of the middle way.
followed by all Buddhists
Do not take life of any human being.
Do not take what is not given.
Do not engage in sexual misconduct.
Do not use false speech.
Do not drink intoxicants.
observed by lay Buddhists on special days or retreats.
Abstain from eating at improper times
Abstain from entertainment beatifying the body (music, dance, perfume, cosmetics)
Abstain from using high or luxurious bedding or sheets.
observed by monks and nuns; 227 in total.
Abstain from accepting gold and silver or handling money.
Abstain from adorning oneself with garlands, materialism.
Present in Cambodia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
The oldest form Buddhism.
Teachings of the Buddha are prioritized: the Pali Canon and the Three Baskets.
Monastic life to become Arhats
Arhats: “worthy ones” — the highest earthly enlightenment.
Highest importance on individual enlightenment
Robes: saffron/roche robes, symbolizing renouncement, simplicity, purity and detachment.
Present in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.
Focuses on the path of the Bodhivittas: seeking enlightenment fo rall beings.
Buddha in making
Sacred texts include the sutras, tantras, meditations and chants.
Seeking enlightenment of self and others by becoming Bodihisvistas who help others reach Nirvana and postpones their entrance to Nirvana.
Robes: black, grey, brown, also blue and yellow.
Simplicity, humility, modesty, no ego.
Common in Tibet.
Seeking Nirvana by harvesting the energies of life.
Practices include mandalas, mudras, mantras and advanced yoga.
Led by the Dalai Lama.
Focus on the precepts and the guru-disciple relationship.
Robes: maroon, burgundy → sacredness, wisdom, compassion.
Yellow/gold → ceremonial robes → wisdom/enlightenment/preciousness of Dharma
Represents the 6+ realms of reincarnation in the Buddhist universe, their understanding of Samsara.
Animals cannot regain Karma.
6 - 31: humans/gods/divas → the blissful life of deeds.
Heavens: realm of the gods and divas.
5: good and bad deeds, the path to Nirvana.
4: titan, violence and competition
3: hungry ghost: a life of greed
2: animal, ignorance
1: hell, conscious evil, 18 hells including cold and hot hell.
Meditation: quiet the mind so you can enter the spiritual world. A person must remove all distractions, focus on breathing and be mindful of the present.
Mandalas: geometric, symmetrical shapes with meaning; an act of prayer and the sand must be destroyed after.
Mantra: repeated phrase, e.g. Om
Mudra: hand movements to pray and meditate.
Puja: Buddhist worship that can take place at home or in temple or shrine.
No single universal text.
Sutras: sermons attributed to the Buddha or his close disciples.
Tripitaka/Pali Canon: the Three Baskets, the earliest, most authoritative scripture in Theravada Buddhism.
Mahayana Sutras: large collection of Sutras.
Tibetian Canon:
Kangyur: Buddha’s traditional words
Tengur: teachings of Indian and Tibetian scholars.
Sangha: preserves the teachings of Buddha (Dharma) to teach and practice meditation and mental discipline, spiritual guidance and perform rituals and ceremonies.
Buddha Day (Vesak): celebrates the birth of Buddha; the temple is adorned with flowers, banners; food, flowers, money offered to Buddha.
Bodhi Day: celebrates the day Buddha found enlightenment under the Bodhi tree.
Asalha Puja (Dharma Day): commemorates the first time the Buddha taught Dharma to the five monks in India.
Prayer wheel: in shrines, a long tubular or handheld device; by spinning, prayers are distributed to the world.
Prayer beads: Mala: 108 beads as a meditation aid.
Laughing Buddha: Chinese Buddhism: retound representation with money: food and wealth
Laying Buddha: Thai Buddhism: last teaching on deathbed
Jade Buddha: Thailand: adorned throughout the year, value.
Tensu Gitsu; discovered as the Dalai Lama at 2, became the Dalai Lama at 4 at Oracle Lake.
In 1950/1951, China annexed Tibet, sending the Dalai Lama into exile in India.
The Dalai Lama, as the spirtual leader of Tibetan Buddhists promotes kindness and compassion and internal strength of the person.
He has to abide by the full 200+ precepts of Buddhism, for instance, he could not drink the Eucharist wine.
Tibetian culture is 1000+ years old; the Dalai Lama is its rock and anchor.
Creating perfection, the ability to achieve with God belonging within the community network.
Outpours of love, compassion and care; e.g. natural inclinations.
Joy from society and peacefulness; reward of giving others joy. Speaks to coexistence of religions.
Avalokiteshvara: leader of Tibetan Buddhists.
An Anglican priest from South Africa who advocated against Apartheid; the partitioning of South Africa into a black and white society.
His mother worked with the blind as a washer; a priest wouldn’t bow to her.
Suffered tuberculosis, polio and prostate cancer.
Was arrested but not jailed for his involvement speaking out against Apartheid.
In 1990, he led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission designed to forgive but not forget in exchange for amnesty.
Joy derived from giving it to others.
Yama: connects to Hinduism; no worship of Yamas. Monk killed by robbers, anger and horns developed. Controlls Samsara and the heavenly realm.
