Buddhism in the Subcontinent

The essence of Buddhism  The “middle way of wisdom and compassion.”  2,500 year old tradition.  The 3 jewels of Buddhism:  Buddha, the teacher.  Dharma, the teachings.  Sangha, the community.

Siddhartha Gautama ( BCE)  Born  Born in NE India (Nepal).  Raised  Raised in great Luxury to be a king.  At  At 29 he rejected his luxurious life to seek enlightenment and the source of suffering.

 Lived a strict, ascetic life for 6 yrs.  Rejecting this extreme, sat in meditation, and found nirvana.  Became “The Enlightened One,” at 35.

 Sitting under a fig tree (Bo Tree, from “bodhi”: wisdom)  Experiences enlightenment; sees true nature of his existence;  Buddha rejects Hindu teaching of Atman (the eternal, True- Self);  develops doctrine of No-Self, or Anatman

What is the fundamental cause of all suffering? Desire!  Therefore,  Therefore, do not obsess about oneself.

Four Noble Truths 1. There is suffering in the world. To live is to suffer. (Dukkha)

Four Noble Truths 2. The cause of suffering is self- centered desire and attachments. (Tanha)

Four Noble Truths 3. The solution is to eliminate desire and attachments. (Nirvana = “extinction”)

Four Noble Truths 4. To reach nirvana, one must follow the Eightfold Path.

No strict categories: Main idea is that the inner life influences the outer life 1) Morality: moral action brings about Meditation 2) Meditation: brings about wisdom 3) Wisdom: gives rise to right moral actions

All lay Buddhists (Sangha, or community) are to refrain from… Destroying life Stealing Sexual misconduct: monastics abstain Untrue, deceitful speech Using intoxicants

 Dukkha (suffering)  Life has become disordered  Anicca (impermanence)  The realization of change  Anatta (no-self)  Since all things change, including the Self, there cannot be a permanent Self

Eightfold Path Nirvana  The union with the ultimate spiritual reality.  Escape from the cycle of rebirth.

Buddha – 19c Thailand

Buddha’s head : 2c Pakistan Buddha’s head : 2c Pakistan

Mandala: Wheel of Life Motif

Buddhist Altar

 Samsara literally means ‘wandering on’.  Represents cycle of rebirth and suffering like a map. Includes: 3 Root Poisons, 6 Realms, 12 Nidanas, Mara, Buddha, Moon/Rabbit

 rooster (ignorance),  pig (craving)  snake (hatred) eating each other to demonstrate their interdependent nature.

 DP – negative karma – slumped, gray figures – leading downward into lower realms;  LP – positive karma – lay people, a monk, an ascetic – leaning into the higher realms.

 Humans being tortured by demons, burned in fire and frozen in ice.  Your consciousness remain until bad karma e.g. hatred wears off.  Think: genocide, starvation, abuse, being bullied

Usually depicted suffering with a huge belly and long thin throat to represent unfulfilled desires.

 Dominated by greed, craving and addiction.  This represents those whose craving is not in control… they can never be satisfied. Think: Gollum from Lord of the Rings; obsession with eating, shopping, computer games, drugs, work, etc.

 At the mercy of humans and other animals: lack necessary awareness to become enlightened;  Dominated by ignorance and instinct;  Buddhists do not believe it is a good thing to be reborn as an animal;  Although they believe in treating every living thing with loving kindness.

 The Gods realm is one of extreme bliss and pleasure;  Dominated by pride, complacency, intoxication;  For Buddhists this is as bad as the Hell realm as instead of being distracted by pain and suffering you are being distracted from enlightenment by joy.

 Dominated by jealousy, resentment, ambition.  Envy and competition take over, so do not look to religious practice. Think: ruthless big business - stock market crash.

 The most fortunate realm to exist in.  It is said that it is very rare to find your consciousness here so the opportunity must not be wasted.  Only in the human realm can we effectively make choices and affect our future rebirth.

 Humans are in the perfect position for enlightenment of not suffering too much like Hell Hungry Ghost Animal Titan realms whilst neither being distracted by bliss as in the Gods realm.

Dominated by desire, freedom of choice, dissatisfaction. “I don’t want this, I want that.“ Aim to maximise pleasure and minimise pain.

These interdependent actions are carried out instinctively by humans and lead to the creation of karma. spiritual ignorance mental formations base consciousness physical body six senses contact sensations taking craving becoming (pregnancy) birth old age and death

Types of Buddhism  Therevada Buddhism  Mahayana Buddhism  Tibetan Buddhism  Zen Buddhism  Therevada Buddhism  Mahayana Buddhism  Tibetan Buddhism  Zen Buddhism

Theravada Buddhism  The oldest school of Buddhism.  The “Way of the Elders” or the “Small Vehicle.”  Found in southern Asia.  The oldest school of Buddhism.  The “Way of the Elders” or the “Small Vehicle.”  Found in southern Asia.

 The monastic life is the best way to achieve nirvana.  Focus on wisdom and meditation.  Goal is to become a “Buddha,” or “Enlightened One.”  Over 100,000,000 followers today.

Theravada Buddhism

Mahayana Buddhism  The “Great Vehicle.”  Founded in northern Asia (China, Japan).  Buddhism “for the masses.”

 Seek guidance from Boddhisatvas, wise beings.  Goal: Not just individual escape from the wheel, but the salvation of all humanity through self- sacrifice of those enlightened few.

Mahayana Buddhism

Seated Boddhisatva – 16c Bhutan

boddhisatva

Tibetan Buddhism  The “Diamond Vehicle.” [Vajrayana]  Developed in Tibet in the 7c CE.  A mix of Theravada and Mahayana.  Boddhisatvas include Lamas, like the Dalai Lama.  The Tibetan Book of the Dead [Bardo Thodol].

The Dalai Lama

zen Buddhism  The “Meditation School.”  Seeks sudden enlightenment [satori] through meditation, arriving at emptiness [sunyata].  Use of meditation masters [Roshi].  Beauty, art, and aesthetics:  Gardens.  Archery.  Tea ceremony.  Calligraphy.

10 th Annual western buddhist monastic conference California, 2004

 Stretching, bending, balancing and sitting exercises. Breathing exercises that aim to control the mind.  Withdrawing the attention from the body and the senses by focusing on the body.

 Concentration of the mind.  Meditation.  Uninterrupted contemplation of Reality.

 Chakra comes from the Sanskrit, “circle”  The body is seen as an energy field w/ seven levels, each representing a specific power center

 When chakra energy is blocked, spiritual development is hindered and emotional/physical difficulties germinate;  A person can channel through the chakras.

1. Muladhara…physical base… vigor, passion, material security… 2. Svadhisthana…sex organs… creativity, emotions, relationships with others, sexuality 3. Manipura…solar plexus… personal power, will, accomplishments, ego, identity, self-esteem, integrity

4.Anihata…heart…love… harmony, compassion, peace 5. Vishudda…throat and vocal chords…communication, expression, choice, finding our true voice – connects heart and mind

6. Ajna…center of forehead…”Third Eye”…vision, intuition …wisdom… trust, our decision-making ability 7. Soma…Thousand-Petaled Lotus Flower…Crown Region… inspiration, knowledge of truth, spiritual connection to our Higher Self

 Colors 1. Red 2. Orange 3. Yellow 4. Green 5. Blue 6. Purple 7. White