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Chapter 5 Buddhism
Learning Objectives
5.2 Define the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path to liberation.
5.4 Identify the schools of Mahayana in East Asia.
5.6 Describe the major Buddhist festivals.
5.8 Outline the emerging focus on social problems in contemporary Buddhist practice.
Chapter Overview
The life and legend of the Buddha
The Dharma
The Four Noble Truths
The Noble Eightfold Path to liberation
The wheel of birth and death
Teaching Story: The Great Ape Jataka Tale
Nirvana
The spread of Buddhism
Theravada: mindfulness
Chan and Zen: the great way of enlightenment
Pure Land: devotion to Amitabha Buddha
Nichiren: salvation through the Lotus Sutra
Vajrayana: the indestructible path
Religion in Public Life: His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Buddhist festivals
Buddhism in the West
Key Points
Introduction
Mahavira was teaching Jainism while Siddhartha Gautama, the man who
eventually became known as the Buddha, preached an alternative to the ritual–
oriented Brahmanism of India.
The Buddha taught about earthly suffering and its cure.
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system of religious practice or way of life for others.
5.1 The life and legend of the Buddha
Teaching Note: The sacred biographies of the Buddha provide a useful basis for
comparison with other sacred biographies, such as the biblical accounts of the
lives of Moses and Jesus. It is also useful to remind students that Buddhism
develops within the context of Hinduism, building on and challenging some of its
ideas.
Buddha was a historical figure however, what we know about him comes from
stories passed down generationally through oral transmission, such as monks
chanting from memory.
–
near Kapilavastu, near what is now the border between India and Nepal, and lived
intercourse, in which a white elephant carrying a lotus flowe
womb during a dream.
corpse; and a monk devoted to the eternal rather than transient pleasure.
Dismayed with the impermanence of life and interested in a life of renunciation,
at age 29 he renounced his wealth and left his wife and newborn son for a
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In the sixth lunar month, under the full moon, Siddhartha sat in deep meditation
beneath a tree in a village now called Bodh Gaya and experienced supreme
awakening. After passing through four states of serene contemplation, he recalled
After this enlightenment, Siddhartha was tempted by the evil personified in the
form of Mara to keep these insights to himself, and Siddhartha himself feared that
nobody else could possibly understand what he now knew. After this awakening,
Some followers became bhikshus (monks; the Pali form of this word is bhikkhu).
Later, women were allowed to pursue a life of renunciation as well (becoming
bhikshunis; Pali: bhikkhunis), although the Buddha was somewhat reluctant to
At the age of eighty, the Buddha accepted an offering of food either a poisonous
5.2 The Dharma
Teaching Note: It may be helpful to remind students of how the term dharma is
used in Hinduism and note that it takes on a different shade of meaning in
The Four Noble Truths
In his very first sermon at Sarnath, the Buddha set forth the Four Noble Truths,
the foundation for all his later teachings:
1. Life inevitably involves suffering, dissatisfaction, and distress.
3. Suffering will cease when craving ceases
4. There is a way to realize this state: the Noble Eightfold Path.
dukkha. Alert students to the fact that
the Buddhist understanding of suffering goes beyond the connotations of the
English term.
o Suffering is not simply being miserable, but a function of the impermanence
of everything in life.
The concept of dukkha extends to the Buddhist understanding of self as well;
while Hindu tradition of the time sought knowledge of the eternal soul or atman,
The Second Noble Truth asserts that suffering arises from desires, because we
seek satisfaction and permanence in our lives, even though, according to the
Buddha, no permanent satisfaction is possible.
o The origin of suffering is craving and clinging in ignorance to things that
people mistake as permanent but that are in truth impermanent.
The Noble Eightfold Path to liberation
Buddhism, while rejecting the Hindu concept of atman, does retain the concept
of a cycle of death and rebirth governed by karma. Escape from this cycle may
be sought through following the steps on the Noble Eightfold Path:
2.
eliminate self-centeredness.
4. Right Action: Observe the Five Precepts, namely, avoid destroying life,
stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxicants.
6. Right Effort: Eliminate impurities of the mind and cultivate wholesome
actions.
8. Right Meditation: Quiet the mind through mental discipline.
The wheel of birth and death
The concept of a cycle of birth and death in Buddhism necessarily differs from the
Hindu concept because Buddhism teaches that there is no eternal soul to be
reborn. Students often find it challenging to imagine how rebirth occurs if there is
nothing other than accumulated karma to be reborn.
In Buddhism, the impressions of our virtuous and nonvirtuous actions shape our
The three root afflictions of attachment, aversion, and delusion drive the wheel of
birth and death. Cultivating the opposites of these evils helps one move toward
escape. It is said that the Buddha could see all his own past lives. Buddhist
Nirvana
Teaching Note:
of rebirth as being like one flame lighting another.
Nirvana is a central term in Buddhism, but it is difficult to define.
The Buddha himself did not say much about it; later Buddhists proposed
Nirvana may be attained while one is still alive, and at death such a person is
not reborn. Therein lies some of the difficulty in defining the term, for if all
that remains after one dies is karma, what is left to experience nirvana for the
person who no longer has any karma? The Buddha apparently chose not to try
5.3 The spread of Buddhism
Buddhism spread throughout India, aided by leaders such as King Ashoka, but
essentially died out there by the twelfth century.
Buddhism in a variety of forms spread throughout Asia.
There is a major division between Theravada (Way of the Elders; south) and
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Mahayana (Great Vehicle; north) Buddhism.
o Theravada is prevalent in the Southeast Asian countries of Sri Lanka (which
geographically is in South Asia), Myanmar (formerly Burma), Thailand,
Cambodia, and Laos.
Theravada: mindfulness
Theravada seeks to maintain what it considers the original teachings of
central text is the Pali Canon, also known as the Tipitaka
named because manuscripts were stored in baskets) of rules of monastic
discipline, Dharma teachings, and scholastic treatises. Buddhist tradition recalls
various portions were initially transmitted orally until the sutras (Pali: suttas)
were written down in the first century BCE.
Theravada Buddhism highlights the Triple Gem or Three Refuges of the
Buddha, Dharma, and the Sangha. Indeed, one becomes a Buddhist by reciting a
formula stating that one takes refuge in each part of the Triple Gem.
o The Theravada monastic order traces back to the time of Buddha himself;
Theravada transmits various meditation techniques known under the general
headings of samatha (calm) and vipassana
In addition to the contemplative and philosophical traditions, many lay Buddhists
and also many monastic practitioners of Theravada Buddhism of Southeast Asia
turn to the Buddha himself in their devotional practices. Many lay rituals seek to
derive benefit from the power of the Buddha present in his image, his relics, and
the chanting of his teachings or the sutras.
o Buddha images are specially consecrated.
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Mahayana: compassion and wisdom
Mahayana (a general category with many branches) reflects innovation in
Buddhist thought and practice, including a focus on the liberation of all beings,
Mahayana scriptures emphasize that all beings have the capability to achieve
Buddhahood and encourage people to embark on the path to becoming a
bodhisattva (being dedicated to attaining enlightenment; note that this is also the
term used for the Buddha himself in his previous lives).
o Aspiring bodhisattvas take a series of vows to mark their commitment to save
others from suffering.
o , is known as Guanyin
One of the most fascinating and challenging philosophical concepts in
Mahayana thought is shunyata
basic Buddhist idea that all things depend on something else (whether physical
objects or concepts) and have no independent origin and no eternal reality,
Mahayana thinkers argued that the world of death and rebirth is empty of
inherent existence.
5.4 Mahayana in East Asia
Buddhism reached China via central Asia and then spread to Korea, Japan, and
Vietnam.
The major schools of East Asian Buddhism are part of Mahayana Buddhism.
Chan and Zen: the great way of enlightenment
Chan Buddhism, based on the Sanskrit word for meditation, dhyana, focuses on
reaching enlightenment through sitting meditation.
o It is the most popular form of Buddhism in China.
o When Chan Buddhism was transmitted to Japan, it became known there as
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Zen Buddhism asserts that it cuts through the welter of complex Buddhist
philosophical schools to recover the original experience of direct enlightenment
that the Buddha himself had, transmitted from mind to mind.
o According to Zen, all have Buddha-nature within them.
Pure Land: devotion to Amitabha Buddha
One of the most popular forms of Buddhism throughout East Asia, Pure Land
Buddhism, calls on the salvific power of the Buddha of boundless light, known as
Amida Buddha in Japan (Sanskrit: Amitabha).
o Followers focus on prayers to Amida, assured that repeating his name will win
Jodo Shinshu is a Buddhist school of thought developed in the nineteenth century
by the Japanese monk Shinran.
o This form of Buddhism does not renounce marriage and does not require
Nichiren: salvation through the Lotus Sutra
The thirteenth-century Japanese teacher Nichiren believed that the highest form of
Buddhism was found in the Lotus Sutra.
5.5 Vajrayana: the indestructible path
Of the many branches of Mahayana Buddhism, perhaps the most elaborate is
Vajrayana. It developed in India, was transmitted to Tibet, and has historically
been practiced in Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, and Mongolia. Currently, it is practiced
throughout the Tibetan diaspora and, increasingly, in North American and
Europe.
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Tibetan Buddhism has suffered since the Chinese persecutions beginning in the
1950s. Various forms of Tibetan Buddhism have become popular in the West.
5.6 Buddhist festivals
Buddhist festivals vary throughout Asia, but when Buddhist laypeople celebrate a
festival, they typically visit their local temple or monastery in the morning, make
offerings of food to monks, renew their commitment to the Five Precepts, and
listen to Dharma talks. They may engage in practices to gain merit, such as
making donations to the poor and circumambulating a stupa.
Vesak is the most important Buddhist festival.
o According to Theravada Buddhists, it marks the anniversary day of the
The monsoon season in India marks the rainy-season retreat period for monks and
nuns, a time when travel is difficult.
5.7 Buddhism in the West
Wherever Asian Buddhists traveled, they brought Buddhism with them.
o Chinese immigrants in California brought Buddhism during the gold rush.
o Japanese immigrants also brought their beliefs to the West Coast. Japanese
immigrants founded the Buddhist Churches of America.
Various forms of Buddhism have made their way to the West, aided in part by the
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Many Western Buddhists (along with an increasing number of Asian Buddhists)
are seeking increased roles for women within Buddhism.
5.8 Socially engaged Buddhism
Throughout the Buddhist world, people have developed means of making
Buddhist values relevant to social problems such as environmental degradation,
war, and social discrimination.
Key Terms
anatman (Pali: anatta) karma (Pali: kamma) stupa
anitya (Pali: anicca) kensho shunyata
arhant (Pali: arhat or arahat) koan Theravada
bhikshu (Pali: bhikkhu) lama Triple Gem
Review Questions
1. Tell the story of
Noble Eightfold Path, and the Middle Way.
2. Describe the major similarities and differences among Theravada, Mahayana, and
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Discussion Questions
1. What are the major similarities and differences between Hinduism (Chapter 3) and
Buddhism?
2. What are the Buddhist understandings of time and reality? How do these differ from
theistic understandings?
4. What factors do you think may account for the growing popularity of Buddhism in
Western societies?
Class Activities/Assignments
1. Have students use the Internet to determine if there are any Buddhist centers in your
area. If so, what form of Buddhism do they practice? If possible, have students visit.
2. Ask students to think about the role that desire plays in their everyday actions and
3. Spend 10 minutes in class trying a simple meditation exercise. Ask students to sit
quietly and try to identify everything that goes on in their minds. Then, ask them whether
Recommended Films
Budaya Productions, 2013. 34 minutes. Documentary that tells
the story of the director, Wiriya Sati, who travels for five years to monasteries in
Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia, focusing on the role of
Buddhism: Footprint of the Buddha
series. Somewhat dated in appearance but a classic presentation of some of the basics of
Buddhism.
Buddhism: Making of a Monk, Films for the Humanities and Sciences [distributor],
1996. 15 minutes. Includes a brief introduction to rituals of monastic initiation.
Snow Lion
Publications, 2004. 108 minutes. Documentary about the path of the bodhisattva, with
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Additional Class Discussion/Essay Questions
1. Briefly outli
3. Compare and contrast some of the basic ideas of Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism.