R Eligion 210 - Lecture notes 1-10 - Introduction To Buddhism PDF

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Lecture notes and summaries for each day, for every lecture and discussion section. Professor Charles Preston. ...

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Intro to Buddhism Spring Quarter 2017 March 27 ● Who was the buddha? ○ Siddhartha gautama buddha, founder of buddhism ○ Born in nepal in a royal family ○ Died either 100 years or 218 years before the enthronement of king ashoka, between 280-267 BCE ○ Texts say he lived about 80 years ○ Born between 578-447 BCE ○ Tradition records various dates, from 949 BCE to 881 BCE, 543 BCE, 623, achieved nirvana 588 BCE ○ Compare: dates of socrates are 470-399 BCE ○ Most of the canon written down first century BCE ● Buddhism ○ Buddhists will often give other terms, such as “the dharma”

March 29 ● Sanskrit is the language of ancient Hindu texts ○ Such as Vedas ○ Indo-european language ● Pali is a relative of Sanskrit ○ Language of most of the earliest Buddhist texts ● Karma - action ○ Further meaning of a moral energy that is the cause of our rebirths ○ Originally, a ritual action ■ Later it takes on more conceptual meaning of acquired merit ● Dharma - the way things are, or the order of the world ○ From a Sanskrit root meaning to uphold (dhr) ○ A matter of one’s duty, thus it is the dharma of a fish to swim or a bird to fly (prof definition) ● Samsara - the cycle of rebirths ● Social structure ○ Four classes or “varnas” ○ Brahmins

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■ Priests or scholars ■ Ascetics and sages ■ Religious specialists Ksatriyas (kshatriyas) ■ Warriors and royals Vaisyas (vaishyas) ■ Agriculturalists and traders Sudras (shudras) ■ Servants Outcastes or dalits ■ Those completely outside of the society ■ Tribal communities

● Deities ○ Indra ■ King of the gods ○ Mara ■ Death ○ Brahma ■ The creator god ● Kapilavastu ○ For the kings, the importance of protecting the whole people ○ Kapilavastu might have been a gana-sangha ■ A “democratic” republican in north india ● Upanishads (800 BCE and onwards) ○ Challenge status quo of ritual action ● Life stages in Brahmanical Hinduism ○ Student ○ Householder ○ Forest dweller ○ renouncer ■ Religious path ■ Life stage for the last part of life ● Asceticism - self discipline and avoidance from behaviors considered overly indulgent ● Shramana movements ○ Jainism ■ Very ascetic ■ Ahimsa (nonviolence) ○ Ajivikas ■ It’s all fate ■ No use complaining ○ Materialists ■ It’s all matter

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○ Growing urban environment in the Gangetic plain in this period ■ More disease and discontent? ■ Similar reaction today?

April 3 ●

April 5 ● How is the Buddha “charismatic” and “authoritative”? ● How do the texts we have read portray the Buddha as charismatic and authoritative? What evidence do the texts provide? ● Compare & contrast 1) the Buddha as charismatic and authoritative figure, 20 the portrayal of Buddha as this, with the portrayal of other figures deemed to be so. ● Theravada ○ SE Asia, Sri Lanka, etc. ○ Also called Nikaya, Hinayana ● Mahayana ○ Developed in India, spread to China, Korea, Japan ● Vajrayana ○ Developed from Mahayana and Tantric trends in India ○ Became most prominent in Tibet and Mongolia ○ Sometimes called Tibetan Buddhism ● Bhavacakra ○ Wheel of existence ■ Resembles the cycles of “the wandering on of life” ■ Stuck in the wheel, constantly reborn ● Center ○ Greed, ignorance, hatred ○ Two paths ● Humans ● Titans (Asuras) ● Hungry Ghosts (Pretas) ● Hell (Naraka, Patala) ● Redefining Dharma and being good ○ Dharma/dhamma as “teaching” ○ This is a process orientation ○ Karma as action in Hinduism ■ You reap what you sow 3

○ Reborn over and over again as sense of karma ● Redefining Karma ○ Intentions matter more than actions ○ Intentions, centana ■ Don’t have bad karma if you don’t have bad intentions, do something accidental ● No repercussion for accidentally stepping on an ant

April 10 ●

April 12 ● Guest Lecture

Wiseman - boat, shore => crossing over => samsara/nirvana Chap. 23 elephant - walk alone (for monastic - lay or?) Chap. 13 world mirage - image of world isn’t the true way of things so don’t get attached (attachment idea) Verse 172 Chap. 5 verse 66 bitter fruit => metaphor for ripening of actions/karma Chap. 10 verse 135 the rod Chap. 6

April 17 ●

April 19 ● Ashoka ○ Emperor of the Magadhan empire ○ Conquered Kalinga (Odisha) in a particularly bloody battle ○ Decides to rule the world through dharma and sends his son and daughter, as a monk and nun, to convert the people of Sri Lanka ● Ashoka’s deeds ○ Building stupas ○ Public works ○ Practicing nonviolence

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○ Made lots of pilgrimages ○ Supported other sects (Jainism, Brahmins, etc)

April 24 ● Styles of meditation ○ Mindfulness; literally “remembering,” awareness ○ concentration (samadhi) ○ Effort ○ Calming the mind (samatha) ■ Often associated with anapanasati, mindful breathing ○ Insight meditation (vispasyana) ■ Involves insight into the reality of the three characteristics ● No self, impermanence, suffering ○ ^^^ regarded as complementary styles ● 10 foul objects ● Name and form (nama-rupa) ○ Interdependent, the idea of separateness of self and other is an illusion ● Five aggregates ○ Form (body) (rupa) ○ Sensation (vedana) ○ Perception (cognition) (samjna) ○ Mental formations (samskaras) (will) (cetana) ○ Consciousness (vijnana) ● The Four Divine Abodes (Brahmaviharas) ○ Loving kindness (maitri/metta): focus on self, accept and appreciated good and bad, extend to all others ○ Compassion (karuna): extended compassion to all who suffer ○ Sympathetic joy (mudita): rejoice in success and pleasure of others ○ Equanimity (upeksa/upekka): extend an even-mindedness toward all beings, neither attachment not aversion ● Key features and shifts of socially engaged buddhism ○ Nonviolent (ahimsa) ○ Nonsectarian ○ Response to 20th century crises that have hit Asia and the rest of the world ■ Buddhist ideals => concrete practical action ■ Liberation from suffering: next world => here and now ■ Inner peace => inner and outer peace ■ Inner poisons => institutional and political manifestations of greed, hatred, and delusion

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April 26 ● Mahayana ○ Boddhisattva ● Theravada ○ Arhat ● Six perfections and ten stages of Boddhisattvas ○ Not ever going to be quizzed on

May 1 ● Three ages of Buddhism in Mahayana Thought ○ The age of Right Dharma, lasted 500 years ■ Didn’t finish copying the slides :) ● Pure Land Buddhism ○ Amitabha Buddha ■ 48 vows ■ 18th is the famous one ● Early history of pure land buddhism ○ Started by Tan-Iuan (476-542) ○ Importance of saying the name ○ Five practices ■ Prostration to amitabha ■ Reciting his name ■ Resolving to be born in a pure land ■ Visualizing the pure land ■ Sharing the benefits ○ Other power vs. self power

May 8 ● Tantric Buddhism ○ Action tantra, performance tantra, yoga tantra, highest yoga tantra ○ Initiations ■ Teacher-disciple relationship is central ○ Mantras ■ Recited phrases ○ Mudras ■ Hand symbols, motions ○ Mandalas

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■ Circles for meditation ● “Dimaryp” scheme of texts ○ Vijarayana ○ Mahayana ○ Theravada ● Other bodhisattvas ○ Tara ■ Female form of avalokiteshvara ■ Comes in 21 forms, different colors, mostly green and white ■ Savior deity ● Visualizations ○ Mandalas ●

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