Buddhism:
The Way of Awakening
Lumbini, birthplace of
Siddhartha Gautama
6th century BCE
“Axial Age”
Born a prince
Married w/ one son
After encounters with sickness, old
age, death, and a wandering ascetic
At age 29, he leaves his privileged
and sheltered life to become a
wandering holy man
Taught by yogis for 6 years of
seeking and austere practices
Maha Bodhi temple in
Bodh Gaya
At age 35, Siddhartha sits to
meditate under a bodhi tree and
vows not to move until he has
achieved enlightenment.
49 days later, he becomes “the
Buddha,” the Awakened One”
Resists the temptations of the
demon Mara
The Buddha then goes off to share
his teachings with others
Monastery near Sarnath
Site of the Buddha’s first sermon, where
he finds 5 followers and they form a
sangha, a community of monks (or nuns)
Key elements of his sermon:
The Four Noble Truths
1. Life is characterized by dukkha,
suffering.
2. Suffering has an origin (in such
factors as desire/cravings, or
ignorance, attachment, aversion,
and in a refusal to accept the
impermanence of all things).
3. Therefore, suffering can be
eliminated through the achieving of
nirvana, which brings peace and
bliss.
4. The path to nirvana is the Noble
Eightfold Path.
Elements of the Noble Eightfold Path,
the middle path of self-transformation
Wisdom elements:
right understanding & right thought (“Be wise”)
Ethical elements:
right speech, right action, & right livelihood (“Be kind”)
Mental/Meditative elements:
right effort, right mindfulness, & right concentration (“Be mindful”)
Goal: to live like Buddha—liberated from greed, hatred and delusions, thus
removing the causes of suffering, and attaining nirvana-in-this-life, a
transformed personality characterized by peace, deep spiritual joy,
compassion, and a refined and subtle awareness.
The five skandhas, or components,
of a human being
The physical body (matter)
Sensations (feelings)
Cognitions (perceptions)
Character traits & dispositions
Consciousness
The Buddha found no evidence for an eternal, personal essence (atman), or
for its cosmic counterpart, the divine essence (brahman). He believed that a
person’s moral identity could survive death and be reborn; however, he saw
individuals as unstable, composite entities that have no durable core. He
taught instead “anatman,” or ‘no soul,’ a concept that can liberate
Buddhists from the suffering which arises from the fiction of a stable eternal
self and its insatiable cravings.
Kushinagar
Site where, at age 80, the Buddha
died from food poisoning.
His final words to his followers:
“All individual things pass away.
Seek your liberation with diligence.”
Legacy of the Buddha:
Theravada Buddhism, “The Way
of the Elders”
Focus on individual enlightenment
(liberation from samsara; awaking
from ignorance to insight
Monastic tradition
Exemplar: the arhat, a wise &
dedicated practitioner of the
eightfold path
The Mahayana, the “Great Vehicle”
Arose around the turn of the millennium (100 BCE-100 CE)
New mode of bhakti-style Buddhism, regarding itself as the universal way of
salvation; doctrine: all sentient beings will eventually become buddhas
Highest ideal: a life dedicated to the well-being of the world
Exemplar: the bodhisattva, one who takes a vow to work tirelessly over countless
lifetimes to lead others to nirvana
Core virtue: compassion for the suffering of others
Six perfections of a bodhisattva: generosity, morality, patience, courage, meditation,
wisdom
New view of the Buddha: as an eternal, omniscient divine being, existing
simultaneously in three dimensions—earthly, heavenly, and transcendent
Not just one Buddha, but many—a vast pantheon of wonder-working dispensers of
grace
Key idea: “Form is empty; and emptiness is form” (from the Heart Sutra)
Vajrayana Buddhism:
Diamond Vehicle
(Tibetan)
A creative combination of Theravada-
style monasticism, the study and
contemplation of Mahayana texts, the
magical and ritual traditions of Tantra,
and the shamanistic beliefs and practices
of Tibet’s indigenous Bon religion.
Spiritual teachers: lamas
Emphasis on non-dualistic awareness of
emptiness (shunyata)
Offers achievement of Buddhahood in
one lifetime (very quickly)
Most famous living practitioner: the Dalai
Lama
“Three Jewels” of
Buddhism & focus for
Buddhist meditation
“I take refuge in the Buddha”
“I take refuge in the dharma Zen Buddhism:
(Buddhist teaching)”
“I take refuge in the sangha
Rinzai Zen – features koans,
(Buddhist community)” paradoxical word puzzles that call forth
Key doctrine: a ‘solution’ that eludes the rational
mind
Impermanence or transiency
Buddhist Symbol:
Soto Zen – focused on zazen, just
sitting, in a lotus position and practicing
The wheel
calming meditation
Cardinal virtues & ‘roots of evil’:
Non-attachment v. Greed
Benevolence v. Hatred
Understanding v. Delusion
Metta (loving-kindness) meditation
May I/you be happy.
May I/you be safe.
May I/you be healthy.
May I/you be at peace.
This meditation begins with a focus on yourself, then moves on to a loved
one, a neutral person in your life, an enemy, then to the whole world.
