BUDDHISM

BUDDHISM Emmy Archdale English IV-CB October 6th 2005 Archdale ii Outline 1. Introduction 2. Buddha a) Biographical information b) How he influenced his people 3. Introduction of Buddhism to Japan a) How Buddhism came to Japan b) When Buddhism came to Japan 4. Buddhist Temples a) The Stupa b) The Pagoda c) The monastery 5. Buddhist teachings a) The Four Noble Truths b) Kamma 6. Conclusion Archdale 1 Buddha was raised to be very mentally strict because his father sensed something special in him. He later became the founder of Buddhism, one of the most sought after religions in the world. Many beautiful temples of worship were built allowing millions to praise him and learn the meanings of their own lives. Buddha had four basic rules to follow that were they key to his religion, and the concept of kamma, or karma, that is practiced very heavily in his religion. I found Buddha’s story and way of life extremely intriguing and I also noticed the similarities of Buddhism to my very own religion, Christianity. In 563 or 566 B.C.E., a prince was born to a noble family of the Shakya clan, in a very beautiful park called Lumbini Grove, which lay in the foothills of the Himalayas (in present-day southern Nepal). This beautiful park was not far from the capital city of the Shakya kingdom, Kapilavastu. The prince's father, King Shuddhodana, named his son Siddhartha. He was a member of the Kshatriya, or royal warrior caste, and his clan lineage, the Gautamas, was ancient and pure. His mother was Mahamaya, daughter of a powerful Shakya noble, Suprabuddha. Before the conception of Siddhartha, Queen Mahamaya dreamed that a white elephant, extraordinary and utterly beautiful, entered her body. Soon after the birth, soothsayers predicted that the young prince would become either a Chakravartin, a universal monarch, or an "awakened one," a Buddha. So from the very beginning of his birth, he showed signs of perfection (Buddhism, 1). Seven days after the birth, Queen Mahamaya died; her sister, Siddhartha's aunt, Mahaprajapati Gautami, who was also married to King Suddhodana, thereafter raised and Archdale 2 brought up Siddhartha like her own child, with great care and love, in the wealthy circumstances of a noble family(Buddhism,1). His father naturally wanted his son to be his successor and provided him the very best possible education and pleasurable occupations. He tried to prevent Siddhartha from coming into contact with any religious or spiritual path in order to steer him toward becoming the next king of the Shakyas (Buddhism, 1). As a young prince, Siddhartha was fully educated and mastered the arts and sciences of his day, including even the art of war and other trainings, displaying a sharp intellect and the strength and power of a great physique. When the young prince reached the age of sixteen, he married Yashodhara and engaged in the pleasures of the world. He continued to relish the comforts of the palaces, gardens, and varieties of wealth of the royal lifestyle (Buddhism, 1). When Siddhartha realized that he was not reaching his goal, liberation, he gave up the ascetic way of life and turned to meditation, deciding to seek enlightenment on his own. After six years of hardship and practicing near Nairanjana River, he began to travel and gradually came to the region of Gaya. Siddhartha went to Bodhgaya, where he sat under what was later to be known as the Bodhi-tree, vowing to exert himself in his meditation until he reached his goal of enlightenment (Buddhism, 1). After forty-nine days, at the age of thirty-five, Prince Siddhartha attained complete enlightenment, or Buddhahood, overcoming all the obscurations and temptations of Mara. At this point, Siddhartha was a Buddha, a fully awakened or enlightened one, and he knew that for him, there would be no further rebirth in samsaric realms (Buddhism, 1). Archdale 3 Seeing that what he had achieved was not possible to communicate directly, he remained silent for seven weeks. Buddha gave his first discourse in Deer Park in Benares, which is known as "the first turning of the wheel of dharma." In this discourse, he taught the four noble truths, the interdependent nature, and the law of karma, at the request of Indra and Brahma. His earlier five ascetic companions became his first disciples and began to form the bhikshu (monastic) sangha. At Vulture Peak Mountain near Rajagriha, Buddha turned the second wheel of dharma, in which he taught the nature of all phenomena as being shunyata or emptiness and anatma or selflessness. There followed a period of many years of teaching at a variety of places, such as Vaishali. The teachings of this period are known as the third turning of the wheel of dharma, in which Buddha taught a variety of subjects, including the notion that all sentient beings possess tathagatagarbha - the basic heart of Buddha (Buddhism, 2). Through these teachings, Buddha showed the way that leads all beings to the experience of awakening and liberation from samsara. This demonstrates clearly his limitless compassion and loving-kindness towards all beings that are looking for liberation and freedom from the realms of samsaric existences (Buddhism, 2). King Bimbisara of Magadha became a follower of Buddha and offered a monastery near Rajagriha, the capital of Magadha, which became very important historically for the development of the sangha. Buddha spent a great deal of time mainly in the region of Rajagriha and Vaishali, moving from place to place and living on alms. Archdale 4 The number of his followers grew very fast. Buddha's most important students were Kashyapa, Shariputra, Maudgalyayana, and Ananda. Buddha later founded orders of nuns, or bhikshuni, and had many followers and establishments in these regions (Buddhism, 2). Since he was born as the prince of the Shakyas, after his enlightenment he was known as "the Shakyamuni" or "the Sage of The Shakyas," and from his clan name, he was later called Gautama Buddha (Buddhism, 2). During his life, his cousin, Devadatta, who had always been jealous of what Siddhartha had achieved, sought to become the head of the Buddha's sangha or community. Devadatta planned to destroy the Buddha. Though he did not succeed, he brought about a schism among the monastic communities in Vaisali that caused great harm to the sangha's spiritual development(Buddhism, 2). At the age of eighty, Shakyamuni Buddha empowered his close disciple, Kashyapa, as his regent to continue the sangha's activities. Lying on his right side and facing west, Buddha entered into parinirvana. (Other accounts and some sutras state that Buddha partook of spoiled food, which caused him to pass away.) His relics are distributed and enshrined in seven stupas and elsewhere(Buddhism,3) Buddhism started in India and made its way to China and Korea. From there, it ended up in Japan. Buddhism went through several different periods before it became Japan's national religion(Buddhism Intro Japan,1). Buddhism entered Japan on October 13, 538. The ruler of Paekche, a small kingdom in southwest Korea presented the imperial court with a bronze image of Shakyamuni (The Buddha), banners, and several manuscripts of Buddhist scriptures. The Archdale 5 Paikche ruler told Emperor Kimmei how Buddhism came to China and Korea from India, and that it was always looked at with the highest respect wherever it went(Buddhism Intro Japan,1). Emperor Kimmei was pleased with the Buddha image and wanted to accept this new religion. However, at that time, there was a debate over whether or not the Japanese should accept Buddhism. The Buddha image was given to Soga-no-Iname because he supported accepting the new faith. There were others, such as Mononobe-no-Okoshi, who felt that since olden times, the Japanese court had worshiped the national gods that protected the country, and it should stay that way. This controversy started a feud between the two clans(Buddhism Intro Japan,1). Within the next century, the Buddhist faith rapidly became established as the state religion. The successor of Kimmei, Bidatsu, was not a supporter of Buddhism. Yomei, the successor of Bidatsu, became the first emperor to believe in Buddhism. After becoming ill, he desired to have an image of Bhaisajyaguru Tathagata or Yakushi-Nyorai made. His will was carried out by his younger sister, Empress Suiko, who placed the image at Horyuji Temple after his death. Her reign (592-628) marks a high point in the development of Buddhism in the pre-Nara period. Prince Shotoku, the son of Emperor Yomei, is considered the founder of Japanese Buddhism (Buddhism Intro Japan, 1). The design of Buddhist temples originated with the stupa, which was used to cover Buddha’s ashes and relics. Made out of mud bricks, this ancient Indian shrine was originally shaped like a simple bell, a mound with a small spire on top. Inside the stupas are Buddhist relics. The circularity of the dome resembles the wheel of life. Then soon Archdale 6 the stupa gradually became larger and more elaborate and reliefs of Prince Siddhartha’s life began appearing on its outer walls (Arquileuich, 198). A bit of information that I found intriguing was the world’s largest stupa. It rests on the island of Java, Indonesia. Toward the top, this elegant Mahayana shrine contains grand images of Buddha and statues of Bodhisattvas. Below, there are sculptures of the mass humanity caught in the Wheel of Life. At the peak there is a large, plain stupa which represents Nirvana, or enlightment (Arquileuich, 198). Eventually, the stupa grew taller, thinner, and adopted a new identity: the pagoda. Pagodas are eight-sided towers which contain an odd number of stories between three and thirteen. Soon pagodas become popular; thousands were built throughout Japan, China, Vietnam, and Burma. Although many of the older wooden pagodas have disappeared, the architecture still endures. In Japan, for example, small stone pagodas often appear in cemeteries. They have five levels, symbolizing the void and the four noble truths (Arquileuich, 198). “The Buddhist monastery originated around the same time as the Pagoda. As early as 200 B.C., these structures were providing shelter and study space for the monks. Some were made of stone or wood while others, amazingly, were forged out of mountains of rock. Monks literally carved their sanctuary into cliff sides. Once this was done, they designed the interior with an assembly hall and living quarters, including a small stupa at the heart of the monastery Detailed reliefs of Buddha and various bodhisattvas often decorate the rock walls(Arquileuich, 198).” Archdale 7 The central Teaching of the Buddha, around which all other teachings revolve, is the Four Noble Truths: 1. That all forms of being, human and otherwise, are afflicted with suffering. 2. That the cause of this suffering is craving, born of the illusion of a soul (see below, note 7). 3. That this suffering has a lasting end in the Experience of Enlightenment (Nibbana) which is the complete letting go of the illusion of soul and all consequent desire and aversion. 4. That this peaceful and blissful Enlightenment is achieved through a gradual training, a Path which is called the Middle Way or the Eightfold Path (What is Buddhism? 1). It would be a mistake to label this teaching as 'pessimistic' on the grounds that it begins by centering on suffering. Rather, Buddhism is 'realistic' in that it unflinchingly faces up to the truth of life's many sufferings and it is 'optimistic' in that it shows a final end of the problem of suffering - Nibbana, enlightenment in this very life. Those who have achieved this ultimate peace are the inspiring examples who demonstrate once and for all that Buddhism is far from pessimistic, but it is a Path to true Happiness(What is Buddhism?,1). Kamma means 'action'. The Law of Kamma means that there are inescapable results of our actions. There are deeds of body, speech or mind that could lead to others' harm, one's own harm, or to the harm of both. Such deeds are called bad (or 'unwholesome') kamma. They are usually motivated by greed, hatred or delusion. Because they bring painful results, they should not be done Archdale 8 There are also deeds of body, speech or mind that lead to others' well being, one's own well being, or to the well being of both. Such deeds are called good (or 'wholesome') kamma. They are usually motivated by generosity, compassion or wisdom. Because they bring happy results, they should be done as often as possible (What is Buddhism? 2). Thus much of what one experiences is the result of one's own previous kamma. When misfortune occurs, instead of blaming someone else, one can look for any fault in one's own past conduct. If a fault is found, the experience of its consequences will make one more careful in the future. When happiness occurs, instead of taking it for granted, one can look to see if it is the result of good kamma. If so, the experience of its pleasant results will encourage more good kamma in the future (What is Buddhism? 2). The Buddha pointed out that no being whatsoever, divine or otherwise, has any power to stop the consequences of good and bad kamma. The fact that one reaps just what one sows gives to the Buddhist a greater incentive to avoid all forms of bad kamma while doing as much good kamma as possible(What is Buddhism?,2). Though one cannot escape the results of bad kamma, one can lessen their effect. A spoon of salt mixed in a glass of pure water makes the whole very salty, whereas the same spoon of salt mixed in a freshwater lake hardly changes the taste of the water. Similarly, the result of a bad kamma in a person habitually doing only a small amount of good kamma is painful indeed, whereas the result of the same bad kamma in a person habitually doing a great deal of good kamma is only mildly felt. This natural Law of Kamma becomes the force behind, and reason for, the practice of morality and compassion in our society (What is Buddhism? 2). Archdale 9 Buddhism was started by a man who thought he could make a difference in the way society thought. His teachings were filled with compassion and discipline. His temples were a place his followers could go to meditate and teach their minds the way of his beliefs in pure beauty. Buddhism is practiced all around the world, not just in Japan and the Asian countries. Buddha did accomplish his goal of changing the way a society thought. His way of teachings will never die out but only become stronger. “If anything is worth doing, do it with all your heart.” - Buddha