Religious Figures And Sacred Texts Flashcards
What is the life of the Buddha used for?
Not autobiographical
Helps to teach concepts of Buddhism
Significance of life story of the Buddha
Demonstrate that this life is the final step in the long journey to enlightenment.
Signify the unique and special nature of the Buddha.
Distance the birth of the Buddha from normal humans births which involve sex, blood and pain. All of these things were seen as ritually impure.
Key events in his early life
Protection from the real world. No concepts of pain or suffering.
Easy life, no real hard graft.
Well educated (to become a great leader).
All the trappings of wealth and luxury, including beautiful women.
Reaching first level of enlightenment whilst watching ploughing and seeing suffering
Wife and Child – naming the child ‘fetters’ or ‘chains’.
The four sights/signs
Old Age - constant changing nature of things (Anicca)
Sickness - the understanding of suffering (dukkha)
Death - all life is finite, he will one day die
Holy man - even though the man was old and poor, he had an air of serenity - decided to seek the solution to suffering
The Renunciation
Learning from 2 meditation teachers only gave him temporary relief from suffering
Ascetic practices showed him that his body and mind were connected
Decided to seek another way, disgusting his ascetic companions
Gave up his life of luxury, seeking the middle path between luxury and asceticism
The temptation by Mara
Mara tempts the Buddha using:
His daughters
Demon armies
Storms
His own ego
The Buddha touches the Earth which validates his right to seek
enlightenment and overcomes all of these temptations
The first watch of the night
The bodhisattva began to recall all his past lives.
These memories are usually only in the subconscious, but they were unlocked and the bodhisattva recalled thousands of lives in detail.
The second watch of the night
Gained another super-knowledge which Buddhists call ‘the heavenly eye’.
This is a clairvoyant ability to see other beings passing in and out of the possible realms of existence.
The bodhisattva observed that beings made their own suffering through their own behaviour (the law of karma).
The bodhisattva felt deep compassion for the beings who went through this cycle again and again without understanding why or what to do about it.
The third watch of the night
Achieved the highest super-knowledge - the end of all worldly desires, wrong views and the end of
ignorance.
At this point he no longer had any of the desires that attached him to
this world. The path was open for him to achieve enlightenment.
The fourth watch of the night
Achieved enlightenment or nibbana
Siddhartha became ‘the Buddha’ – the one who Knows or the awakened one.
Symbolically, the moment of enlightenment is said to have coincided with the sunrise.
The deer park sermon
He preached his first sermon, which is known as the Deer Park Sermon or the Setting in Motion of the Wheel of the Law.
It was such a powerful sermon that one of his companions gained immediate insight into the Buddha’s teaching, known as dhamma-vision.
He formally committed himself to the Buddha and his teaching, as did the other four companions.
After the Buddha’s second sermon about the nature of self, the five all gained enlightenment like the Buddha. They were known as arhats, which means ‘worthy ones’ and indicates that they gained enlightenment with the help of the Buddha
The Patimokkha
Rules for Theravada monks
227 major rules in the Theravada tradition (311 for nuns)
The scripture contains the reason why the Buddha formulated each rule in the first place
Four Parajikas
Intentional sexual intercourse of any kind with another human or animal
Theft of an object that has some value
Murder of a human being
Making false claims about awakening
Use of the Patimokkha
Chanted by monks at the observance days which take place on new and full moons
The story of the turtle and the fish
Turtle talks about his trip onto dry land and fish doesn’t believe him.
Shows that it is impossible to understand something you haven’t experienced
The Pali Canon - baskets
Vinaya Pitaka - basket of discipline
Sutta Pitaka - basket of discourses
Abhidhamma Pitaka - basket of higher teachings
Vinaya Pitaka - basket of discipline
It contains the codes of training-rules known as the patimokkha and other rules for monks and nuns, and all Buddhists within monastery grounds.
These were written down after the 3rd Buddhist council around 100 years after the death of the Buddha
Second section of the Vinaya is the Khandaka which deals with the overall organisation of the Sangha
Final section is a summary and classification of the rules known as the Parivara
Sutta Pitaka - basket of discourse
Discourses (speeches and sermons) of the Buddha (together with a few sermons by various disciples)
Divided into 5 sections (nikayas) by length and subject matter of the sermons, rather than in any chronological order.
5th section contains the Dhammapada, which is a popular collection of ethical teachings and is one of the best known Buddhist scriptures in the West as it is the most commonly translated section of the Pali Canon and the easiest to understand.
Abhidhamma Pitaka - basket of higher teachings
Not the direct word of the Buddha
Explains how the teachings applied to life in a more systematic way using precise language rather than stories
Used by the more learned monks in the Sangha rather than for novices or lay Buddhists.
Importance of Pali Canon for Theravada Buddhists
It contains the Buddha’s life story and his core teachings, which form the foundation of Buddhism.
The vinaya pitaka is important for maintaining the discipline and unity of the sangha.
Importance of Pali Canon for Mahayana Buddhists
Still quite important, as it contains elements of the life story of the Buddha and his direct teachings which are
accepted as accurate
Mahayana scholars are more likely to study the Mahayana scriptures.
The Heart Sutra
Only has 14 verses (shlokas) in Sanskrit - summarises key ideas in a concise way that is easier to translate.
It focuses on the idea of emptiness (sunya) – this links to the three marks of existence – dukkha, anicca and anatta.
Avalokitesvara explains that the 5 Heaps (skandhas) are ‘empty’ of ‘own being’ or ‘inherent existence (svabhava).
His insight into this has caused his enlightenment.
‘Form is emptiness, emptiness is form’
Our ‘form‘ or physical existence is empty of reality and is a temporary construct which is interdependent with everything else in the universe.
“Gone gone gone beyond, gone altogether beyond, O what an awakening, all hail”
Describes the process of going beyond ordinary human levels of thought about reality (thought coverings) to recognise that emptiness is the ultimate reality. This ultimate truth is not really expressible through language, but the Heart Sutra attempts to point towards it.
Influence of the Heart Sutra on Zen Buddhism
The Heart Sutra’s teaching on the emptiness of teachings as well as matter fits in with a Zen conception of Buddhism.
This is why it is one of the few scriptures that is chanted in Zen, where the aim is to avoid the ordinary human thought
constructions
Thich Nhat Hahn on the Heart Sutra
He argues that the ‘emptiness’ of self does not mean the non-existence of self, as many have claimed.
He gives the example of a balloon, stating that a balloon that is empty inside does not mean that the balloon does not exist. In the same way the emptiness of dhamma does not mean that the dhamma does not exist. It is simply that it does not have an independent reality separate from other things.
‘It is like a flower that is made only of non-flower elements. The flower is empty of a separate existence, but that doesn’t mean the flower is not there.’
Authority of the Heart Sutra
Not actually delivered by the Buddha himself
In some Chinese versions, The Buddha appears at the beginning and end of the text to confirm and praise the text as the words of Avalokitesvara
The Heart Sutra is still regarded by many as the absolute wisdom of the Buddha and contains great teachings on non attachment and the doctrine of emptiness. The idea is that he empowers Avalokitesvara to teach.
Skilful means - Upaya Kausalya
The Buddha taught the dhamma at a level suitable for his listeners rather than overwhelming them with ideas that were too complex for them to understand.
The parable of the burning house
A wealthy old man has a great house with only one door.
The house is in a decrepit state, and a fire breaks out, threatening to engulf all the man’s children who are absorbed in play within the house. The old man calls them in vain, then resorts in desperation to skilful means. Knowing the kinds of things which they all like he calls out that there are goat –carts, deer-carts, and bullock-carts waiting for them outside the door. Upon this they all come scrambling out of the house and are saved from the flames. The three kinds of carts are nowhere to be seen, but instead the old man gives to each one a still more splendid chariot, beautifully ornate and drawn by a white bullock.
The burning house
The world of samsara and the dangers it contains
The young children trapped in the house
Sentient beings who continue to attach and grasp themselves to samsara
The old man
The Buddha, wishing to save sentient beings
The fire
The three poisons keeping us trapped in samsara
The three carts
The different paths to nibbana:
arhatship, pratyekabuddhahood, Bodhisattva path
The splendid chariot
The true path to nirvana - Buddhahood
Authority of the Lotus Sutra
The speaker in the Lotus Sutra is supposed to be the Buddha. Since the Buddha is the revealer of the dhamma and knows ultimate truths, this technique gives the Lotus Sutra ultimate authority within Buddhism.
Thich Nhat Hanh - key life
Formed ‘socially engaged Buddhism’ - help those suffering in the war and follow a contemplative life
School of youth service
Received lamp transmission
Called for end to Vietnam war, but was exiled
Met MLK in US to discuss Vietnam and was nominated for a Nobel peace prize
Plum Village
SW France
Buddhist monastery and teaching community with over 200 resident monks and over 10000 visitors per year who go to learn mindfulness. Retreats are open to people of all ages, nationalities and faiths.
Aim was to teach traditional Buddhist practices in a way that could be applied to modern life
Simple practices such as smiling, breathing and walking
Modern issues - terrorism (TNH)
Travelled to New York after 9/11
Lead a walking meditation
Believed that compassion and listening to others is the only way to combat violence and terrorism
5 mindfulness trainings
Training 1 – Protect life and decrease violence in yourself, family and society
Training 2 – Practice social justice and generosity – no stealing or exploitation of others.
Training 3 – Practice responsible sexual behaviour
Training 4 – Deep listening and loving speech to restore communication and promote reconciliation
Training 5 – Mindful consumption – avoiding toxins or poisons for body and mind
Mindfulness practices - smiling, breathing, walking
Breathing - focusing on the present moment, accessed at any time
Walking - connected to the earth and present in the moment
Smiling - benefits both the individual and others around them
Dalai Lama - key life
Recognized at the age of 2 as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama
Earthly manifestations of Avalokiteshvara, Bodhisattva of Compassion
Chinese uprising meant the Dalai Lama was forced to go into exile.
Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
Three main commitments of the Dalai Lama
Commitment to the promotion of human values
Commitment to the promotion of religious harmony
Commitment to preserve Tibetan Buddhist culture
