Buddhism Packet 7-11

7. Books such as the bible were produced to relay a mystical story to capture the imagination of a wide audience of believers. The texts of the Buddhist are revered simply as the teachings of the first buddha, and are written in a manner more conducive to appealing to the monks, and the people who are already proficient in spiritual matters.

8. Bodhisattvas are other worldly beings, like spirits. They are not necessarily divine, although showing faith in the bodhisattvas is representative of the faith one shows for the ways of Buddha. The Bodhisattvas also help other beings in their journey through life.

Symbols:

1. Black Manjusri: The spirit of wisdom. This spirit helps people recognize the truths and path that will help them escape the cycle of rebirths.

2. White Tara: The life sustainer. This is the highest respected buddha and is said to bring long life.

3. The Third Eye: Symbolic of the all seeing aspects of the Bodhisattva. Also representative of compassion.

9. Certain depictions of the Bodhisattvas and Buddhas are uniquely Chinese. The translation of texts into chinese resulted in these specific changes and manifestations of the beings and their characters. Japanese buddhism lays claim to several uniquely japanese sects of the religion, such as the Rinzai or Soto. There is also the interpretation of the Lotus flower, introduced in the japanese Tendai Buddhism.

10. Tantras are concerned with the subjects of meditation, ritual, symbolism and magic. Magic is an outlier in terms of its inclusion here, for it is not something taught in the traditional buddhist teachings. Tantric Buddhists believe that by following their tantras, they will attain enlightenment faster than by following the example of Bodhisattvas.

11.

Devotion:

The devotion to Buddha is not like the devotion showed to God in western religions. More so it is a reverence for his teachings and way of life, as well as a respect for him as a person. Many people thank buddha for bringing these teachings to the common man. The devotional practices may look much like worship of buddha, however this is not the case. Worship is directed more at the ideas he presented, of which he is a physical manifestation for people to focus on.

Impermanence:

Buddhism's primary philosophy is that fulfillment in this life is trivial. Everything we perceive is an illusion, including happiness. Thus, all is also impermanent. For if one is attached to something that does not truly exist, or is truly unimportant, they will surely be struck with suffering. Buddhism is focused on knowing the impermanence of all, and therefore avoiding attachment to impermanent things.

Walking Spirits:

Spirits in Buddhism are not divine and there is no one god. Rather, spirits live amongst us, in life. These spirits have made their way to enlightenment and are therefore worthy of respect, for they may teach us much.

Buddhism Concepts

1)

4 Noble Truths:

- All existence is unsatisfactory and filled with suffering (dukkha)

- Dukkha is derived from attachments to the world, searching for something permanent and stable in a transient world.

-If Dukkha ceases totally, one is in nirvana, which can be achieved only by one's own effort

-This can be achieved through the eightfold path

Samma(eightfold path):

- Right understanding

- Right thought

- Right speech

- Right action

- Right livelihood

- Right effort

- Right mindfulness

- Right Concentration

Conditioned Arising:

- A 12 link chain explaining how everything is connected and how attachment to error arises. Unravelling this chain reveals nirvana. According to this belief, everything in the world is interdependent nirvana is the only independent thing.

2)

Life of Buddha:

- Childhood: Born wealthy and protected from suffering.

- Great Renunciation: Life as a homeless and ascetic man.

-Enlightenment: Under the Bodhi tree, he attains enlightenment where Brahma tells him to share his teachings with the world.

The Image:

-8-spoke wheel symbolizes Buddha's teachings of the 8-fold path

-Treasury of Desire: Symbolizes all desires which must be lost to gain enlightenment

- Superman: The wisdom bump symbolizes one of Buddha's elevated qualities

3)

Buddha Image:

Standing Buddha - Signs of wealth (large earlobes, long robes, jewelry). His bodily positions still portray images of kindness and compassion.

Buddha is portrayed in several ways, usually depicting certain stages of his journey to enlightenment.

5 Symbols:

Superman:

-Certain marks denote the elevated qualities of Buddha, such as the dot on the forehead.

Meditation Throne:

-Persisting presence of Buddha. Its a common aspect of art and portrays a devotion to the way of Buddha.

Buddha Halo:

-Holiness of Buddha. A tribute to Buddha's pureness and success in enlightenment, not a devine symbol.

Hair:

-Ascetic life. This represents Buddha's early journeys on the path to enlightenment.

Posture:

-Represents different practices or rituals such as meditation.

Part V

Vaishnavism:

• This is the community of Hindus dedicated to the Vishnu form of God. They are the largest group as well. Devotees belong to one of four sampradayas (sects) of Vaishnavism, the primary two focusing their venerations on Krishna and Rama, the two main representations of Vishnu as God. Vaishnavas are personalists who tend towards the bhakti traditions over any other. This branch of Hinduism dates back at least 5,000 years (millions according to the Vaishna world view). After the 12th century AD, bhakti renaissance occurred, bringing back large amounts of devotional sentiment. Centers of worship were revived and the religion gained millions of followers.
• Main Writings:
• Mahabharata
• Ramayana
• Gita
• Vishnu Purana
• Vedanta Sutras

Shaktism:

• Shaktism focuses on the deity, Devi, most often in the form of Shiva's wife. This is a complementary focus to Shaivism and in fact derives much of its philosophy from it. This sect emphasizes the non-difference between matter and spirit. This branch of Hinduism is known for sacrifices to the Gods.
• Main Writings:
• Devi Purana
• The Tantras
• Mahabhagavata Purana

Part IV

Upanishads:

• The Upanishads are Hinduism's primary philosophical texts. the name means "sitting near" in sanksrit, alluding to the nature of the Upanishads being taught by a guru. The Upanishads are broken into 108 main verses concerning everything from atman, to reincarnation, all the way to moksha. They are considered to be the first formal spiritual direction in the Vedas. The sage Vyasa Badarayana attempted to systematize the teachings of the Upanishads by writing the Vedanta Sutras, a series of 550 aphorisms with different commentaries written on each. These texts, Upanishads and Vedanta Sutras, are considered the more difficult to understand, as people in Kali-Yuga are less philosophically inclined.

Bhagavad-gita:

• This is the most well known Hindu scripture in the world. It is the spiritual treatise spoken by Krishna to Arjuna in preparation for battle. It covers several Hindu concepts about the Supreme, the Gunas, and the Atman. There is discussion as to how the different types of Yoga can lead to liberation as well. Now it is usually printed with extensive commentary on all 700 verses.

Dharma Shastras:

• These are the guidelines pertaining to codes of conduct, civil and criminal law, and punishment and atonement. These laws are both religious and secular. The Manu Smriti is the most important of these law giving texts. It establishes the Hindu lifestyle and explicitly states the place of the four varnas and ashrams (as merit based positions, not birth influenced). The text also deals with laws of inheritance, adoption, and government.