Buddha and Buddhism: An Introduction
1. The Three Jewels: Buddha, Dharma, Sangha
-- Profession:
"I take refuge in the Buddha,
I take refuge in the Dharma,
I take refuge in the Sangha."
-- Dharma (Dhamma):
- the teachings of the Buddha
- the Sacred Saving Reality to which one awakens in enlightenment: the state of Nirvana (Nibbana)
-- Sangha (Samgha):
- the monastic community
- the Buddhist community
2. The Buddha (biography of the Buddha)
-- The historical Buddha (566-486 or 448-368 BCE): little known about his biography.
- a wandering mendicant and ascetic teacher who lived in northeast India.
- from the upper classes (probably warrior/royal) who had a powerful religious experience.
- taught a message promising release from suffering.
- founded a community of male and female mendicants and laity which thrived.
- tradition developed to interpret and express his meaning.
- stories grew up around the major pilgrimage sites of the Buddha's life (birth, enlightenment, first sermon, death (final Nirvana).
- earliest written biographies (200 BCE to 300 CE).
-- The fully developed biography of the Buddha:
- Gautama (given name), Siddhartha ("object achieved"), Shakyamuni (clan name: "Wise One of the Lion clan"), Tathagata ("the One Who Has Gone Thusly"), Buddha ("the Enlightened One").
- The Buddha as the most perfectly fulfilled ascetic: leaves the palace in search of the source of suffering and the way to overcome it -- becomes the greatest of all ascetics but realizes that the answer is not here -- embraces "the Middle Way" (often a term used for "Buddhism") between a life of self-indulgence and one of extreme self-denial.
- The Buddha as the Universal Monarch (Cakravartin) coming at the beginning of a new world age: possesses the 32 sacred marks which designate either a Cakravartin or a Buddha
-- miraculous birth stories (white elephant a symbol or royalty)
-- first sermon an act of "turning the Wheel of the Dharma" (a royal act) -- the "Lotus Throne" under the Bodhi tree (the site of the Buddha's enlightenment) -- a "royal" funeral.
- Siddhartha destined, however, to be a Buddha -- the story of the Brahmins and their predictions.
- Previous lives of the Buddha (the Jataka tales): based on the enlightenment when the Buddha recalls all of his previous lives -- Jataka tales as previous lives of the Buddha (547 tales of which the final 35 are well known) -- last ten are illustrative of the virtues of Buddhism -- used as the major "catechism" of popular Buddhism.
3. Major themes of the Buddhist tradition:
-- The Four Noble Truths:
- that there is suffering (dukkha): inherent in the fabric of life.
- that the cause of suffering is craving or desire (tanha="thirst"): leads to suffering karma and rebirth, quarrels and strife, old age and death.
- that release from suffering is possible: craving and suffering cease, karma and rebirth ceases, Nirvana ("Extinction") is attained (from the viewpoint of ordinary reality).
- that the way to release is through the Noble Eight-fold Path of Buddhism (right view or understanding, right directed thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration)
-- The three characteristics of all ordinary existence:
- Impermanence (anitya): all reality passes away, nothing has permanent existence.
- Suffering (dukkha): all existence is suffering (see the Noble Truths).
- Non-self (annata): nothing, including human nature, has an intrinsic permanent existence -- all apparent "realities" are actually composites or aggregates of conditions.
-- Reality as "dependent co-origination" (pratitya-samutpada): an account of ordinary reality and experience.
- reality, as we perceive it, is actually the result of interdependence of relationships or conditions -- another way of stating the truth of "Non-self."
-- The cycle of birth and rebirth (samsara): all sentient beings live, die and are reborn in a cycle which has no beginning and no end.
- the Law of Karma: all intentional action bears "fruit" either in this life or in a future life until the "fruits" of action are exhausted. The "fruit" of action can be positive (lead up the scale of beings) or negative (lead down the scale of beings).
- when one dies, one's accumulated Karma determines the situation of one's rebirth.
- only the release of enlightenment (Nirvana) allows escape from the cycle of birth and rebirth (=salvation in Buddhism).
-- The role of meditative experience: one does not attain enlightenment (salvation) through action but through knowledge of a special kind. Therefore, evil equals ignorance and good equals knowledge. This knowledge is attained through disciplined meditation. Many schools of meditative practice exist in Buddhism.
4. The traditions of Buddhism.
-- Theravada ("The Path of the Elders"): Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.
- most conservative of Buddhist traditions which focused on Gautama Buddha as the one Buddha of this world age -- focus on the "historical" Buddha.
- Sacred language is Pali. Biographical texts are from Pali writings.
- monastic order is pre-eminent.
- strong links between religious experience and social and political structures.
-- Mahayana (the "Great Vehicle"): East Asia and Japan.
- Gautama Buddha less emphasized -- myriad Buddhas, Buddha Worlds, and Buddha realms.
- Sacred language is Sanskrit.
- the ideal of the Bodhisattva: one who is on the way to becoming a Buddha but postpones entry into Nirvana until all other sentient beings have entered first -- a strong ideal of compassion (karuna).
- All beings are already Buddhas but do not know this. Thepath is to discover one's own true "Buddha nature."
- the ultimate nature of ordinary reality is "Void" and "empty" (sunyata).
-- Vajrayana (the "Diamond" or "Thunderbolt" Vehicle): Tibet.
- a development of Buddhism which combines influences of classical Hinduism, Hindu Tantrism, tribal religions, folk religious beliefs and Mahayana Buddhism. The most difficult and complex form of Buddhism.
- important role of the yogi-like "Lama" or reincarnated Holy One. The Dalai Lama is the leader of the principle Tibetan school (the "Yellow Hats").
- complex meditative practice which involves extensive use of visualization, sound and physical motion.
- extensive use of Mahayana philosophical traditions which are highly developed and difficult to study.
- Also exists in Central Asia as well as Japan (the "Shingon" school).
Prepared by Jim Dalton. Last Updated on October 6, 1998