Buddhism

• Theravada Buddhism

  • Known as the first tradition of Buddhism that emerged after Buddha's death.
  • Its scriptures are written in the ancient Pali language- a dialect that is derived from the Sanskrit language.
  • It is a predominant religion in a number of Southeast Asian countries such as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.
• Compared to Mahayan teachings, Theravada teaching are more direct, practical, simple and down-to-earth.
• According to Theravada Buddhism, achieving enlightenment is the highest goal a Theravadin( a follower of Theravada) has to obtain, and in obtaining it, he or she should not rely on the gods or any force beyond himself or herself.
• Theravada teaching believes that sainthood can be obtained here on Earth. This can be achieved if one strives to become a monk, seeking and attaining enlightenment which then leads one to.
• One of the important characteristics of Theravada Buddhism is its emphasis on monastic living.
• Monastic Buddhist, unlike lay buddhists, focus their efforts on cultivating higher spiritual development in order to attain their single goal(i.e., enlightenment).
• • Monks and develop pan(wisdom)
  • sila(ethical virtue)
  • samadhi(mental concentration)
• Theravada Buddhism tries to remain faithful to the teaching of Buddha by emphasizing the role of the individual without depending on others or the gods in attaining enlightenment.
• They believe that enlightenment can be attained by meditating
• The Law of Dependent Origination (PRATITYASAMUTPADA)

  • The first link is ignorance, which is not knowing and not understanding the dharma and the Four Noble Truths.
  • Because people do not understand the Truths, they are subject to all kinds of actions (karma formations).
• Karma Formation - The second link in the chain of dependent origination. It refers to our thoughts, words, and deeds. These actions have consequences.
• Consciousness - The third link in the chain of dependent origination. Consciousness arises from karma formation. This consciousness gives rise to name-and-form.
• Name-and-Form - The fourth link in the chain of dependent origination. Name-and-form includes physical body and mental states.
• Six senses - This is the fifth link in the chain of dependent origination. We experience the world through six sense organs: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind.
• Feeling - The seventh link in the chain of dependent origination. Feeling results from contact between the senses and objects.
• Craving

  • the eighth link in the chain of dependent origination.
  • It is the desire for these objects.
  • People desire pleasant sights, sounds, smell, tastes, sensations, and thoughts, or they desire to avoid unpleasant objects.
• grasping or desire itself

  • the ninth link in the chain of dependent origination
  • it is conditioned by craving.
  • because of this, people tend to go back to the second link, karma formations, which is repeating the actions in the past life, which arises the third link
• Birth - The tenth link in the chain of dependent origination. Birth occurs because of grasping. It can be birth into any realm (human, animal, hell, hungry ghost, heavenly realms).
• Ignorance - The first link in the chain of dependent origination. Ignorance refers to not knowing the true nature of reality and being unaware of the Four Noble Truths.
• Aging & Death - The eleventh link in the chain of dependent origination. Aging and death occur naturally as part of existence. They are not considered bad things but rather natural parts of life.
• Mahayana possesses revolutionary ideas regarding Buddha's teachings
• Mahayana teaches beyond what Buddha has preached.
• Mahayana Buddhists Eliam that they have the proper and correct thinking when it comes to interpreting the teachings of Buddha.
• Theravada is more conservative than Mahayana.
• Partly because of its revolutionary teachings, Mahayana Buddhism fragmented into various schools.
• The Madhyamika School (middle way) was founded by an Indian philosopher named Nagarjuna, who wrote the text called Perfection of Wisdom the Yagacara, also known as consciousness, only school
• Theravada Buddhism

  • With 150 million adherents, is followed in Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka.
  • Religion of 500 million people.
  • China having largest population of Buddhist at around 244 million or 18% of its total population.
  • A major branch of religion (School of elder monks or alcohol of ancients.
  • With collective teachings of the oldest recorded texts of buddhist (The Pali Canon)
• Historical background

  • Buddhism has been existence for over 2,500 years and has never been experience any drastic or radical schism in its revolution.
• The Life of Buddha

  • Born between 663 BCE - 40BCE into the Sakya tribe in Nepal.
  • His father was Suddhodana and his mother is a Mahayana
  • His family's name was Gautama or Gatama
• Sidharta - means HE WHO HAS ACHIEVED HIS AIM
• Buddha - means AWAKENED ONE OR ENLIGHTENED ONE
• Self-mortification - is when a person punishes himself, often physically. Most self-mortification is practiced by deeply religious people.
• Buddha's four noble truths:

  • Life has inevitable suffering
  • There is a cause to our suffering
  • There is an end to suffering
  • The end to suffering is contained in the eight fold path.
• The NOBLE eight path

  • Right View
  • Right intentions
  • Right speech
  • Right action
  • Right livelihood
  • Right effort
  • Right concentration
  • Right mindfulness
• Mahayana Buddhism

  • IT has diverged into numerous schools with each developing its own canon and rituals since its founding more than two years ago.
  • Most read 5 also known as "Great Vehicle", Mahayana Buddhism emerged out of monastic rule and doctrinal differences within the original form of Buddhism.
  • Not a single group but more of an assemble of Buddhism is widespread in China, Mongolia, Korea, Japan and Tibet.
• Historical Background

  • During the third century BCE, a number of subtle variations began to take place in Buddhism at a time when the Mauryan king Ashoka was propagating Buddhist gospels through missionary efforts(Hopfe 1983)
  • The Mahasamghika "of the Great Sangha", one of the early Buddhist schools, may have been the source for the initial growth of Mahayana Buddhism, especially during the "Second Buddhist Council" that occurred a hundred years after Buddha's par nirvana.
• Siddharta Gautama:

  • 1stly, Mahayana Buddhists believed that Siddhartha secretly taught key principles to chosen people, to his most dedicated disciples, or to the most faithful who could completely interpret these teachings in time.
  • 2ndly, Mahayana Buddhists forwarded the concept that Siddhartha Gautama was actually a benevolent celestial being, not just mere human being.
  • 3rdly, Mahayana Buddhists advanced the radical idea that Siddharta Gautama was not the only Buddha.
  • Mahayana Buddhism still the most popular branch of Buddhism in the world today.
• • mahayana branch accept the canonical texts of the theravada school such as the Tripitaka (Sanskrit word for "Three Baskets") the collection of Buddha's teaching. Mahayana buddhism includes many sacred writings which are nearly identical in content with the Pila Canon of the Theravada sect.
• • The canon of Mahayana Buddhism also consists of the Tripitaka, namely Sutra Pitaka (Discourse) Vinaya Pitaka (Discipline) Abdidharma Pitaka (Ultimate Doctrine),
  • Mahayana buddhists have teachings or sutras not present in the theravadas school and the followers believed they have recovered the original teachings of the buddha.
• •As the original language of transmission, Mahayana Buddhism adopted the sankrit rather than the Pali form common terms strictly used in Theravada Buddhism, such as sutra(or sutta in Pali) and dharma(dhamma in Pali).

  •Buddist text were also translated in the local vernacular (It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region).