From Hinduism to Buddhism

Dale Hathaway

Feb. 26 2020

Created: 2020-02-27 Thu 11:58

Background to Buddhism
Buddhism 101

Background 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

see documents

Confucianism

Encyc Britt Confucianism, a Western term that has no counterpart in Chinese, is a worldview, a social ethic, a political ideology, a scholarly tradition, and a way of life. Sometimes viewed as a philosophy and sometimes as a religion, Confucianism may be understood as an all-encompassing way of thinking and living that entails ancestor reverence and a profound human-centred religiousness. East Asians may profess themselves to be Shintōists, Daoists, Buddhists, Muslims, or Christians, but, by announcing their religious affiliations, seldom do they cease to be Confucians.

Confucian ethical values have for well over 2,000 years served as the source of inspiration as well as the court of appeal for human interaction between individuals, communities, and nations in the Sinitic world.

3 legged stool:

Respect for one's parents, filial piety, is considered the most fundamental of the Confucian values, the root of all others.
Another key value in Confucian thinking–the second leg of the tripod–is humaneness, the care and concern for other human beings.
The last of the three central Confucian values is respect for ritual–the proper way of doing things in the deepest sense

and also see *Reading from Confucius*Reading from Confucius

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
- Transformations of thought in the Axial Age (c. 800–200 B.C.E.) led to the re-evaluation of Vedic ritual and new ideas about the nature of human existence.
- Deeper spiritual questions led to the examination of human nature and the possibility of an afterlife.
- (This evolution in Indian religion was roughly contemporaneous with similar developments in other civilizations, including ancient Greece, China, Mesopotamia, and Israel.)
- The function of religion changed from that of cosmic maintenance to one of personal enlightenment and transformation.
- Classical Hinduism established the central problem of human existence for Hindus – samsara, the cycle of continual transmigrations of the soul.
- Karma, even good karma, keeps a person bound to the cycle of transmigration. One path the Hindu tradition offers for the attainment of moksha, or ultimate release, is the path of wisdom.
- The path of wisdom found in the Axial Age, when the most important Hindu responses to the anxieties about death and rebirth were recorded in a collection of texts called the Upanishads. The oldest of the Upanishads was probably composed between 800–400 B.C.E., but actually written down much later.
- Modern Hinduism has had to face challenges brought by the advent of Islam and Western culture.
Note: Both incursions into India have left profound and lasting imprints on Hinduism.

3 Ways of Hinduism

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

The ultimate goal of Hinduism is freedom from samsara. Classical Hinduism establish the basic problem of life as escaping the cycle. Moksha. There are three traditional ways to do this in Hinduism.

The first is the way of action. The things that one does in life such as rituals, pilgrimage, are done in order to achieve moksha. There are three goods in life, duty, wealth, pleasure, and Mockshire. The first three must be given up in order to gain the fourth. All of these interact to fulfill one’s karma. Karma has to do with actions and its consequences. It is a principle of justice and it is what binds a soul to samsara.

Second is the way of wisdom. The way of wisdom is reflected in the texts of the Upanishads. This dates from the axial age. The principle of the unity of Brahman and Atman is foundational theory for the path of wisdom. Braman is the power of all powers and is chiefly understood through negative theology, identifying what it is not. Atman came to be the word for soul. It is imperceptible, spiritual, beyond comprehension, immortal.

Third is the way of devotion. Hinduism embraces both polytheism and monotheism. This approach focuses ones love on a personal deity. This allows different people to focus on different gods and us different paths.

Into this developing Hinduism came a reformer by the Gautama.

Buddhism 101

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

Nembutsu as meditation is the Japanese term which means to think on or contemplate the Buddha. It has a long history in Buddhism and has been considered the central core of practice to gain enlightenment Sakyamuni Buddha used this practice in order to gain enlightenment.

Over its now 2600 year history various forms of meditation evolved in Buddhism. Essentially they are the Vipassana-Samatha practice of the Theravada tradition; Ch’an or Zen (Son in Korea) developed in China and East Asia; and Tantric meditation in Tibet.

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:

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

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"

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.

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

From Hinduism to Buddhism

Dale Hathaway

Feb. 26 2020

Table of Contents

Background to Buddhism

Timeline

Confucianism

Taoism

Axial Age: Classical Hinduism

3 Ways of Hinduism

Buddhism 101

Introduction to Buddhism

Introduction

Buddhism

Buddhism

Buddhism

Buddhism

Buddhism

Buddha

The path to nirvana is divided into eight categories:

The logic might be expressed in 3 categories:*

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

Chinese adoption of Buddhism blended with an adaptation of Chinese Taoism

Politics and Buddhism

Chinese adoption of Buddhism blended with an adaptation of Chinese Taoism

Quick overview of Buddha