Buddha and Buddhism: An Introduction

1. The Three Jewels: Buddha, Dharma, Sangha

  • Profession:

                "I take refuge in the Buddha,
                 I take refuge in the Dharma,
                 I take refuge in the Sangha."

  •  Dharma (Dhamma):

          - the teachings of the Buddha

                - the Sacred Saving Reality to which one awakens in enlightenment: the state of Nirvana (Nibbana)

  • Sangha (Samgha):

                - the monastic community

                - the Buddhist community

2. The Buddha (biography of the Buddha)

  • The historical Buddha (566-486 or 448-368 BCE): little known about his biography.

                - a wandering mendicant and ascetic teacher who lived in northeast India.

                - from the upper classes (probably warrior/royal) who had a powerful religious experience.

                - taught a message promising release from suffering.

                - founded a community of male and female mendicants and laity which thrived.

                - tradition developed to interpret and express his meaning.

                - stories grew up around the major pilgrimage sites of the Buddha's life (birth, enlightenment, first
                  sermon, death (final Nirvana).

                - earliest written biographies (200 BCE to 300 CE).

  • The fully developed biography of the Buddha:

                - Gautama (given name), Siddhartha ("object achieved"), Shakyamuni (clan name: "Wise One of the
                  Lion clan"), Tathagata ("the One Who Has Gone Thusly"), Buddha ("the Enlightened One").

                - The Buddha as the most perfectly fulfilled ascetic: leaves the palace in search of the source of suffering
                   and the way to overcome it -- becomes the greatest of all ascetics but realizes that the answer is not
                   here -- embraces "the Middle Way" (often a term used for "Buddhism") between a life of
                   self-indulgence and one of extreme self-denial.

                - The Buddha as the Universal Monarch (Cakravartin) coming at the beginning of a new world age:
                  possesses the 32 sacred marks which designate either a Cakravartin or a Buddha.

  • miraculous birth stories (white elephant a symbol or royalty).
  • first sermon an act of "turning the Wheel of the Dharma" (a royal act) -- the "Lotus Throne" under the Bodhi tree (the site of the Buddha's enlightenment) -- a "royal" funeral.

                - Siddhartha destined, however, to be a Buddha -- the story of the Brahmins and their predictions.

                - Previous lives of the Buddha (the Jataka Tales): based on the enlightenment
                  when the Buddha recalls all of his previous lives (547 tales of which the final
                  35 are well known) -- the last 10 are illustrative of the virtues of Buddhism --
                  used as the major "catechism" of Buddhism.

3. Major themes of the Buddhist tradition:

  • The Four Noble Truths:

                - that there is suffering (dukkha): inherent in the fabric of life.

                - that the cause of suffering is craving or desire (tanha="thirst"): leads to
                  suffering karma and rebirth, quarrels and strife, old age and death.

                - that release from suffering is possible: craving and suffering cease, karma and
                  rebirth ceases, Nirvana ("Extinction") is attained (from the viewpoint of
                  ordinary reality).

                - that the way to release is through the Noble Eight-fold Path of Buddhism (right
                  view or understanding, right directed thought, right speech, right action, right
                  livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration)

  • The three characteristics of all ordinary existence:

                - Impermanence (anitya): all reality passes away, nothing has permanent
                  existence.

                - Suffering (dukkha): all existence is suffering (see the Noble Truths).

                - Non-self (annata): nothing, including human nature, has an intrinsic permanent
                  existence -- all apparent "realities" are actually composites or aggregates of
                  conditions.

  • Reality as "dependent co-origination" (pratitya-samutpada): an account of ordinary reality and experience.

                - reality, as we perceive it, is actually the result of interdependence of
                  relationships or conditions -- another way of stating the truth of "Non-self."

  • The cycle of birth and rebirth (samsara): all sentient beings live, die and are reborn in a cycle which has no beginning and no end.

                - the Law of Karma: all intentional action bears "fruit" either in this life or in a
                  future life until the "fruits" of action are exhausted. The "fruit" of action can
                  be positive (lead up the scale of beings) or negative (lead down the scale of
                  beings).

                - when one dies, one's accumulated Karma determines the situation of one's
                  rebirth.

                - only the release of enlightenment (Nirvana) allows escape from the cycle of
                  birth and rebirth (=salvation in Buddhism).

  • The role of meditative experience: one does not attain enlightenment (salvation) through action but through knowledge of a special kind. Therefore, evil equals ignorance and good equals knowledge. This knowledge is attained through disciplined meditation. Many schools of meditative practice exist in Buddhism.

4. The traditions of Buddhism.

  • Theravada ("The Path of the Elders"): Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.

                - most conservative of Buddhist traditions which focused on Gautama Buddha
                  as the one Buddha of this world age -- focus on the "historical" Buddha.

                - Sacred language is Pali. Biographical texts are from Pali writings.

                - monastic order is pre-eminent.

                - strong links between religious experience and social and political structures.

  • Mahayana (the "Great Vehicle"): East Asia and Japan.

                - Gautama Buddha less emphasized -- myriad Buddhas, Buddha Worlds, and
                  Buddha realms.

                - Sacred language is Sanskrit.

                - the ideal of the Bodhisattva: one who is on the way to becoming a Buddha but
                  postpones entry into Nirvana until all other sentient beings have entered first
                   -- a strong ideal of compassion (karuna).

                - All beings are already Buddhas but do not know this. The path is to discover
                  one's own true "Buddha nature."

                - the ultimate nature of ordinary reality is "Void" and "empty" (sunyata).

  • Vajrayana (the "Diamond" or "Thunderbolt" Vehicle): Tibet.

                - a development of Buddhism which combines influences of classical Hinduism,
                  Hindu Tantrism, tribal religions, folk religious beliefs and Mahayana
                  Buddhism. The most difficult and complex form of Buddhism.

                - important role of the yogi-like "Lama" or reincarnated Holy One. The Dalai
                  Lama is the leader of the principle Tibetan school (the "Yellow Hats").

                - complex meditative practice which involves extensive use of visualization,
                  sound and physical motion.

                - extensive use of Mahayana philosophical traditions which are highly
                  developed and difficult to study.

                - Also exists in Central Asia as well as Japan (the "Shingon" school).

Prepared by Jim Dalton.                    Last Updated on March 13, 2000

 
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