Buddhist Philosophy/Introduction
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What is Buddhist Philosophy gives an introduction to some key points developed here. Buddhism will be explored from some of its less known attributes:
- Its influence on medicine and healing.
- Buddhist Cosmology.
- The teachings of Buddhist rasayana.
- The development of a secular religion.
- Non theistic ethics and morality
Contents |
[edit] History
- Buddhism often traces its religious foundation to the life and inspiration of the Shakyamuni Buddha. This shakya clans leader of modern Bihar, India, . Buddhism has been associated with peacefulness towards others, including animals especially the monkey, and an emphasis on meditation. Many words originally largely associated with Buddhism are now part of Western usage: Zen, karma, mantra and meditation.
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[edit] What led to the Buddha's Enlightenment?
The semi-mythological nature of the Buddha's life is also reflected in many Sufi tales of princes who gave up their kingdoms to follow paths of spiritual unfolding, although these stories are much much later and as such were probably influenced by the Buddha story (for an important academic analysis of the Buddha story, see 'Suttas as History' by Jonathan Walters in History of Religion, University of Chicago). The Buddha was born to the ruler of a small kingdom in Nepal and led a sheltered life. After seeing the 4 signs, he resolved to leave his life of ease and find the cause of suffering and its overcoming. After study and ascetic practices he developed an understanding or realization. The rest of his life was spent in transmitting this realization.
Buddha expressed his philosophy when he said: "I teach only two things, O disciples, the fact of suffering and the possibility of escape from suffering."
Buddha created the famous "Four Noble Truths" and "Eightfold Path," which allows people to achieve nirvana. What is nirvana? Before this is answered, you must understand the concept of karma. Buddhist Philosophy states that everything is subject to the law of karma. Buddha believed that positive actions build up karma, and negative ones detract from it. Buddhists try to achieve good karma, and free themselves from bad karma by living a morally sound life, and by following Buddhism. Nirvana is the state of being free from mental defilements (klesha), which are chiefly hate, desire and ignorance; ignorance being the cause of all of them. With the cessation of kleshas, all forms of suffering cease, and a state of bliss and equinamity is attained. According to Buddhist philosophy, life is part of a cycle of suffering called Samsara. If one achieves good karma, and follows the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, then this cycle will end, and rather than being subject to the law of karma, they will be free of it, and will live in a state of eternal happiness.
[edit] What were the four signs?
The Buddha led a leisured and protected life and fathered a child. After seeing
- An old person
- A dead man
- A wandering ascetic
(the four signs)
he was resolved to find out why there was suffering and the cause of the suffering.
(karma)
The Sanskrit word "karma" literally means "action". Hetu is the Sanskrit for "intention" and phala designates "effect". Karma may be either "positive" or "negative" and both categories of actions have their respective effect.
[edit] What are the 4 Noble Truths?
- Existence entails discomfort (dukkha) All worldly life is unsatisfactory, disjointed, suffering
- We can distinguish a causation which is attachment or desire (tanha)
- The cessation of dukkha (Nirodha) There is a way out of suffering, which is to eliminate attachment and desire.
- The way leading to the cessation of dukkha (Marga): The path that leads out of suffering is called the Noble Eightfold Path
- Buddha taught that in order to achieve nirvana (Nirodha), man must free himself from his ego, and give up all desires. Buddha claimed that by having so many desires (such as wanting pleasure, wealth, happiness, security, success, long life, etc.), man condemns himself to suffering, and will never escape the cycle of rebirths.
- Buddhism believes that suffering is self-created.
Four leading Western Buddhist teachers each explore the meaning of one of The Four Noble Truths for the contemporary audience. - [1]
[edit] What is The 8 Fold Path?
- Right View/Understanding
- Right Thoughts
- Right Speech, abstaining from lying, from divisive speech, from abusive speech, & from idle chatter. (Sutta Nipata 45.8)
- Right Action, abstaining from taking life, abstaining from stealing, abstaining from unchastity. (Sutta Nipata 45.8)
- Right Livelihood, there is the case where a disciple of the noble ones, having abandoned dishonest livelihood, keeps his life going with right livelihood (Sutta Nipata 45.8). Basically this means not selling guns, living creatures, poisons, and others which may harm any being.
- Right Effort
- Right Mindfulness
- Right Concentration, meditation
[edit] What are the three jewels?
The crowning achievements of the Buddha were
- The Buddha ~ His lifetime of gaining wisdom, understanding and awakening
- The Teaching (Dharma) ~ The oral teachings and transmission
- The Community (Sangha) ~ The group of awoken teachers or disciples of the Buddha
[edit] The Thirty-One Realms (Bhumi 31)
Buddhism knows about 31 types of realms, where beings lived. Human realm is one of the 31 realms, where human (manussa bhumi) is included in the happy realms (sugati bhumi). The realms are divided into four main division, which are
- The suffering realms (apaya bhumi), consists of the Hell (niraya), the asura, the peta, and animals. Beings are being reborn here because of their bad actions in their past lives.
- The happy realms (sugati bhumi) or the realms of sense (kama bhumi), which consists of the human realm and the six realms of gods (the meaning of 'god' should be distinguished with the meaning of 'God'). Beings are being reborn here as the result of their good deeds (mainly by practicing generousity, self-constraint/virtue, and meditation).
- The form realms, where beings who have successfully practiced meditation to the level of rupa-jhana are being reborn.
- The formless realms, where beings who has successfully practiced meditation to the level of arupa-jhama are being reborn.
[edit] What are the Six Realms?
The six realms are the six possible states of existence for sentient beings. There is an immense variation in the beings of each realm, but these beings will all share certain characteristics. They are reborn in these states according to their karma. The 'lower realms' is a term used to refer to the states of hell, hungry ghosts (pretas) and animals. These three states are severely restrictive in the ability of a sentient being trapped in them to attain liberation, and because of this their suffering in Samsara is prolonged. The most basic reason for refuge is to attain a rebirth that avoids these realms.
It is important to note that these realms are taught as being literal states, and are not a metaphor for mental states of human beings, although such an interpretation may allow a person to analyse their behaviour.
[edit] The Heavenly, or Deva Realm
These are the realms of existence inhabited by the devas ('shining ones'), and are marked by experiences of bliss and pleasure for long period of time.
This is separated into two main states of existence - that of form and that of no-form. The deva realms are correlated to the eight jhanas/dhyanas, which are eight distinct meditative states. The first four of which are marked by an awareness of form - such as the meditator's body, and the last four are entirely mental experiences, where sensory input to the material senses is no longer felt.
Beings gain rebirth in these realms by a combination of right conduct and/or deep meditative experience during life.
Beings in such a realm have immense lifespans, especially in the higher states, and their perception of time is similarly different to humans - with their perception of a 'day' sometimes thousands of human years.
Being reborn in such a state is seen as being ultimately useless since it is temporary, and there is no apparent reason to work towards liberation from Samsara. When the karma of a sentient being living in such a state begins to run out, they usually have very little merit relating to pleasurable existences remaining in their mind-stream, and are usually born in one of the three lower realms. As they die, they become clearly aware of this, and such an experience is said to be worse than all the suffering that could be experienced in any of the other realms.
[edit] Conflict or demi god realm of Asuras (jealous gods)
- Buddha Level: The Life of the Father, Conflict between duty and resolution, the four signs
to put it in the words of Orson Wells/Graham Greene
"In Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare,
terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo,
Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance.
In Switzerland they had brotherly love,
they had five hundred years of democracy and peace,
and what did they produce? The cuckoo clock."
Orson Welles in The Third Man
"For thirty years people have been asking me how I reconcile X with Y!
The truthful answer is that I don't.
Everything about me is a contradiction and so is everything about everybody else.
We are made out of oppositions;
we live between two poles.
There is a philistine and an aesthete in all of us, and a murderer and a saint.
You don't reconcile the poles. You just recognize them."
[To Kennety Tynan, 1967]
- Human Development: Toddler
[edit] The passion or animal realm
- Buddha Level: Training the Buddha
You know the main
passions of Bodhisattva Mohammad (PBUH)
were women and perfumes. I think women are more fragrant.
For me this realm is about the patterns of instinct
the needs of the animal. For food, and interaction.
It is interesting that some systems utilise this realm as a source
of wisdom and inspiration. I feel aknowledgement
is part of the key rather than denial, asceticism or willful
denial or indulgence (that is the Middle Wa Hey)
characterized by stupidity and servitude
- Human Development: Teenager
[edit] Hell realm
- Buddha Level: Trained and nowhere to go
There is a wonderful story of a (I think it was a PureLand Buddhist Master) who had a disturbing dream
In it he saw himself in the God Realm
He called his fellow monks together and with tears in his eyes
he recounted the portent dream
pleading they pray that he be sent to the hell realms
to rescue the beings dwelling there.
A true Bodhisattva.
wracked by torture and characterized by aggression
- Human Development: Young adult
[edit] The craving realm or hungry spirit realm
- Buddha Level: The extreme ascetic
characterized by great craving and eternal starvation'
- Human Development: Mature adult
[edit] Human realm
- Buddha Level: The world transformed
Beings who are both good and evil; enlightenment is within their grasp, yet most are blinded and consumed by their desires
- Human Development: Matured adult
