religion

• Buddha


  Enlightened or awakened one
• According to tradition, Mahayama dreamt of a brilliant white light from the sky, shining down to her; In the rays of light, a magnificent white elephant with six tusks, moved closer to the queen and melted to her body
• Queen Maya carried Siddhartha for 10 months and could see him in the womb
• Siddhartha emerged from the side of the queen with assistance from tree branches
• Buddha took seven steps and said, "I have been born to achieve awakening.. This is my last birth"
• Mahamaya died after childbirth
• Siddhartha


  He who achieved his aim
• Sakyamuni


  The sage of Sakya clan
• A seer, Asita predicted that Siddhartha was destined for either political or spiritual ascendancy
• Mahapajapati - father's second wife, his aunt
• At the age 16, Siddhartha was married to Yasodhara, his cousin
• Rahula - his only son
• Siddhartha served as the king of Kapilavastu for many years
• Siddhartha's venture


  1. Encountered a series of human sufferings

  2. Encountered an old man, realizing old age is unavoidable

  3. Encountered a crippled man, realizing illness is inescapable

  4. Encountered a decaying corpse, realizing death is an inevitable end

  5. Encountered an ascetic monk, impressed upon him the tranquility and renouncing of material things
• "Material things will not satisfy human needs." He escaped, then cut his hair, beard and brought it back to the palace as he renounced his status and caste
• He lived in the forest, clothed in yellow robes. He resolved to become a mendicant, a beggar of alms
• Siddhartha's asceticism


  1. Lived in inexorable asceticism through self–mortification and fasting

  2. Practiced religious strictness, wore no clothes and did not wash

  3. Food and sleep became scarce

  4. Five ascetics joined him and realized life of deprivation was no better than of luxurious
• He avoided self–indulgence and self–denial / deprivation and taught the way toward the Middle Path, life of self-discipline and introspection
• Seated beneath the pipal tree (known as bo or bodhi tree, near Indian village of Bodh Gaya) – Siddhartha attained his enlightenment and passed the meditative trance or dhyana / jhana
• His remains were cremated after 7 days and divided among eight clans
• In the third century BCE, subtle variations began when Asoka, king of Maurya began preaching
• The Second Buddhist Council occurred. Religious schism between Mahasamghika (root of Mahayana) and Stharvida nikaya (Sect of the elders) transpired
• Denominations of Buddhism


  • Theravada
  • Mahayana
  • Vajrayana
  • Zen
• Theravada


  School of the elders / ancient, they follow and preserve the teachings of Siddhartha with pristine purity, especially monastic rules
• Mahayana


  Great vehicle, emerged out of monastic rules and doctrinal differences, believes that all followers of the Buddha, not just monks and nuns, can achieve enlightenment
• Bodhisattva


  People who have achieved enlightenment but have chosen to stay on the human plane of existence
• Vajrayana Buddhists


  Absorbed elements of their local religion into their own beliefs, described as the diamond vehicle, developed in Tibet, Mongolia, Bhutan, and Nepal
• Zen Buddhism


  Emphasizes enlightenment through meditation, to achieve this state, people do certain exercises; meditating on riddles or puzzling questions
• Differences between Buddhist schools

  • The sacred writings they regard as canonical
  • What they consider as their ideal Buddhist
  • How they understand the nature of Buddha; either as a teacher–philosopher or a celestial being
• Sacred Scriptures of Buddhism

  • Tripitaka (the Three Baskets)
  • Sutras
• Tripitaka


  Written down by the third century BCE, the contents were determined during the First Buddhist Council, almost 10,000 pages long and the principal source for the life and teachings of Buddha
• Contents of Tripitaka


  • Vinaya Pitaka (Basket of Discipline) - rules for Sangha or monks
  • Sutta Pitaka (Basket of Discourse) - collection of discourses between Buddha and his disciples, the main body of Buddhist beliefs
  • Abidhamma Pitiaka (Basket of Further Teachings) - views on the nature of the universe
• Tripitaka are the only primary canonical texts in Theravada Buddhism
• Mahayana Sutras


  • Lotus Sutra - teachings of the Budda that serve as the bases of certain teachings
  • Heart Sutra - Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, contains the Mahayana perspective on key Buddhist concepts like nirvana, emptiness, and ultimate reality
  • The Perfection of Wisdom Sutra - a treatise on how to achieve the perfection of wisdom of a bodhisattva
  • Land of Bliss Sutra - explains the teachings about Amitabha Buddha, or the celestial– heavenly Buddha
• Theravada beliefs


  Buddhism has no place for God or savior as salvation entirely, people are living in the state of anatman / anatta or non–soulness, they perceive that there is nothing permanent in this world
• Mahayana beliefs


  Believed that Siddhartha secretly taught key principles to chosen people who could completely interpret these teachings, Siddhartha was a benevolent celestial being, not just a mere human being, advanced the radical idea that Siddhartha is not the only Buddha
• To become a Buddhist


  • Take refuge in the Triratna / Tiratana (Three Jewels): Buddha, Dharma, Sangha
• Buddha


  Represents the ideal human being whose adherents strive to emulate, to be Buddha or be enlightened / awakened
• Dharma / Dhamma


  Sumtotal of Buddhist teachings about how to view the world, live properly, and achieve ultimate enlightenment
• Sangha


  Preserves the dharma and teaches them to the laymen