From Hinduism to Buddhism

Timeline

https://www.preceden.com/timelines/274460-buddhism---hinduism

Confucianism

• a worldview, a pattern of acting in the world, a philosophy – not so much a "religion"
• 3 values are notable: Filial piety, humaneness, and ritual
• influence in China 2,500 up to the present

Taoism

• philosophy? or religion? a way of life?
• founder Lao-tzu "the wise old man"
• the Tao, "the Way", is the origin and law of all things.
• yin / yang

Axial Age: Classical Hinduism

• Axial Age (circa 800-200 BCE) & reform movements in multiple different cultures
• Vedic emphasis on ritual gave way to concern for inner life of the individual Upanishads
• central problem of human existence established as overcoming samsara (cycle of birth, death, rebirth…)

• Karma, even good karma, keeps a person bound to samsara

3 Ways of Hinduism

• Over time there developed 3 paths to moksha
  • Way of action
  • Way of wisdom
  • Way of devotion

Introduction to Buddhism

12 min. video

Introduction

• During its 2,500-year history, from the time of the Buddha to the present day, Buddhism has grown from a tiny religious community in northern India into a movement that now spans the globe.

• the tradition begins simply with a human being – Siddhartha Gautama who found a solution to the problem of human suffering.
• Buddhists focus on his experience, and they deny the existence of a single, almighty God.
• The most basic Buddhist expression of faith is called the triple refuge:

• I take refuge in the Buddha;
• I take refuge in the Dharma [ the Buddhas teaching ];
• I take refuge in the Samgha [ the community of the Buddhas followers ].

Buddhism

Concepts

Bodhisattva

one who has taken a vow to become a fully enlightened Buddha; but available to help all sentient beings

Confucianism

the great religious-political tradition of China founded by Confucius (551-479 BCE)

Dharma

the Buddha's teachings, truth, basic building blocks of reality

Karma

action, deed, the law of cause and effect

Buddhism

Nirvana

(in Buddhism) a transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of karma and the cycle of death and rebirth (cp. moksha in Hinduism)

Mandala

a geometric figure representing the universe in Hindu and Buddhist symbolism.

Mantra

(originally in Hinduism and Buddhism) a word or sound repeated to aid concentration in meditation.

Nembutsu

Japanese term which means to think on or contemplate the Buddha

Buddhism

Non-duality

Nondualism primarily refers to a mature state of consciousness, in which the dichotomy of I-other is "transcended"

Samadhi

a deep state of meditation

Sila

moral or ethical conduct, virtue

Pa'a

wisdom

Buddhism

Kinds of Buddhism

Theravada

area of south-east Asia; goal of life is nirvana

Mahayana

area of China, Japan, Korea; goal of life is buddhahood, both a holy life and wisdom

Vajrayana

Tibetan; mantras and esoteric practices

Soto School

leading school of Zen Buddhism; goal is not satori (enlightenment); meditation with no objects

Zen

form of Buddhism, esp. in Japan

Buddhism

Other

Tantra

Hindu or Buddhist mystical or magical texts and practices, dating from circa 500-700 CE

Shinto

indigenous religion of Japan

Taoism

practice of following the Tao "the Way" or "power" of harmony and balance among all things

Veda

ancient scriptures of Hinduism

Buddha

• The doctrine of reincarnation or rebirth is known as samsara (literally, wandering). Samsara was not considered a pleasant prospect. For many people, it was not an opportunity as much as it was a burden, and they tried to find a way out.
• The release from samsara is found in moksha
• emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release; both a deep wisdom and a goal for life

Four Noble Truths (The Buddha's first teaching) are:

1. the truth of suffering (Gurkha): all is suffering
2. the truth of the arising of suffering: it is from desire
3. the truth of the cessation of suffering (also known as nirvana or nibbana): i.e. cease from desire
4. the truth of the path that leads to the cessation of suffering: via 8-fold path

The path to nirvana is divided into eight categories:

• right understanding,
• right thought,
• right speech,
• right action,
• right livelihood,
• right effort,
• right mindfulness,
• right concentration.

The logic might be expressed in 3 categories:*

• sila, or moral conduct; virtue
• samadhi, or mental concentration; meditation
• pa-a, or wisdom

circa 1st c. CE a reforming and "missionary" impulse

Buddhism was able to associate Taoist concepts and practices with the way of Buddhism

• Mahayana spread to China, Tibet, Japan, Korea, Vietnam
• One of the Mahayana traditions most important innovations is the bodhisattva ideal.
• A bodhisattva is a Buddha-to-be or future Buddha who does not attempt to go straight to nirvana but returns to this world to help others along the path.
• emptiness: Hinduism there is an eternal self. Buddhism there is “no-self”
• non-duality (physical / spiritual)

Chinese adoption of Buddhism blended with an adaptation of Chinese Taoism

• the Tao is the "Way" and Buddhism generally rejects theism
• samsara can be understood as similar to the evolution and manifestation of the Tao over time
• most Taoists today follow a Buddhist way

• compare "one with the Tao" with the "release found in moksha"

Politics and Buddhism

• Complex histories of relationship between politics and Buddhism throughout Asia
• Played out over a millenia throughout Asia

• Burma / Myanmar
• Tibet
• China
• Japan

Chinese adoption of Buddhism blended with an adaptation of Chinese Taoism

The Tao that can be told of is not the eternal Tao; The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The Nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth; The Named is the mother of all things …

The Tao is empty like a bowl. It may be used but its capacity is never exhausted.

Quick overview of Buddha

https://youtu.be/ZTI3P9zx-oY