Lesson 7. The Essence of Buddhism

Lesson 7.
The Essence of Buddhism
The target skills: giving definitions, drawing comparisons.
1. Buddhism, founded in India during the 6th century B.C., gradually spread throughout Central Asia, China,
Korea, and Japan. As the new religion reached every country, its beliefs blended with the ideas and
traditions of the native population. Today, it is estimated that Buddhism has well over 300,000,000
followers.
Use this brief information to compare the major religions in the world from the viewpoint of their
relative age, geographic areas and the approximate number of followers.
2. The man who became the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, was born into a royal family and was brought up
to live a life of pleasure. He first witnessed human suffering and death when he was twenty-one. This sight
made him renounce his family and home to become a seeker. “Never shall I enter this city again until I have
seen the farther shore of life and death.” Siddhartha tried a succession of severe disciplines in hopes of
finding his Truth. At one point, he nearly starved himself to death. But starvation, he realized, was not the
route to his spiritual destination, and he gave it up. Yet he was getting closer to his goal. Six years after
beginning his quest, the boddhisattva (future Buddha) arrived outside the town of Gaya, where he sat
himself cross-legged under the spreading branches of a tree and vowed not to move until he found
enlightenment. According to legend, Mara, the Evil One, appeared to taunt and assault him. Unleashing the
full fury of his demon hordes, Mara set upon Siddhartha floods, earthquakes, and deadly whirlwinds. Next,
the Evil One tempted the boddhisattva with his daughters Desire, Pleasure, and Passion. Through it all,
Siddhartha sat silent, unharmed, and unmoved. Fearful of losing his hold on humans if Siddhartha gained the
supreme truth, Mara demanded that Siddhartha show proof of his goodness. Without speaking, Siddhartha
merely touched the ground beside him, with his hand. In a voice that rumbled like thunder, the very earth
answered Mara: “I am his witness.” After the defeated Mara fled, Siddhartha continued his meditation, and
as dawn appeared, he attained his goal. He was now the Enlightened one – the Buddha.
The founder of each religion, be he a god or a prophet, is a hero in search of the ultimate Truth.
Relate the story of Siddhartha Gautama in a comparative perspective. It is not unnatural to draw some
parallels between Buddha and Christ. Try to trace both the similarities and diversities. Pay attention to the
temptations Christ was exposed to when fasting for forty days in the desert (Matthew 4). Also make use of
the Program “The Hero Adventure”.
3. What is Truth? To Buddhists, it is dharma, the teachings of the Buddha. Dharma is a Sanscrit word whose
meanings include truth, teaching, doctrine, law, ethical conduct, and universal righteousness. Buddhists are
not told to accept doctrines just as a matter of faith. Rather, they are taught to understand the Buddha’s
teachings and accept them into their lives. The Buddha’s first sermon at Deer Park is often called “Setting in
Motion the Wheel of Truth”, because it set in motion the dharma, which is a spiritual weapon that
overcomes all ignorance and establishes a Kingdom of Righteousness. Buddhists see the universe as made
up of many states of being. All these states have suffering and unhappiness, and change constantly, like a
churning sea in which creatures are tossed back and forth. A person born into this system faces continual
rebirths through time. The Buddhist concept of rebirth focuses more on a causal connection between one life
and another, like passing a flame from candle to candle. Karma, or actions, sows seeds that later produce
consequences. Karma’s results can go beyond death to affect other lives.
Buddhism does not teach that a supreme being created the universe. Rather, it views everything as
the result of dependent origination. That is, whatever occurs, happens because something causes it.
Buddhists see all phenomena as existing within a giant interconnected chain-reaction.
Recognizing that suffering exists in every life, the Buddha taught that the ultimate cause of suffering
is the desire for worldly things. Suffering can be cured by getting rid of its cause, which is worldly cravings.
Only then would a person be able to achieve nirvana, or enlightenment. Only then would a person end the
cycle of death and rebirth. The Buddha taught that the way to do this is to follow the Eightfold Path. The
path is a set of practical guidelines on wisdom, morality, and meditation. The “steps” through the path are
not taken in order, but rather are developed together through a person’s life:
 Right View: Understand the Buddha’s teachings.
 Right Thought: Act out of unselfishness.
 Right Speech: Speak kindly and truthfully.
 Right Action: Avoid killing, stealing, lying, misusing the body, or doing things to cloud the mind.
 Right Work: One’s job should do good and avoid harm.
 Right Effort: Work for self-improvement.
 Right Mindfulness: Develop self-awareness.
 Right Concentration: Focus in meditation.
 Explain the terms: dharma, karma, nirvana, reincarnation, meditation. Are there any other
important terms to be considered?
 Compare the “steps” to Enlightenment with the Mount Sermon from the Bible (Matthew 5).
 What sets Buddhism apart from the other major religions of the world?
4. Today, the dominant form of Buddhism in Tibet, China, Korea and Japan is Mahayana, while
Theravada is the major school in Sri Lanka, Burma, and Thailand. The followers of the Theravada school
emphasize self-discipline and meditation as the means of attaining Nirvana. They believe that followers of
the Buddha should aspire to become arhants – enlightened saints – who will not be subject to continued
rebirth after death. The followers of the Mahayana tradition believe that it is better to work toward the
enlightenment of others before seeking enlightenment for oneself. They therefore seek to become
boddhisattvas. A boddhisattva is someone who freely chooses to remain in the cycle of rebirth in order to
guide others toward enlightenment. They teach the ‘emptiness’ of all things; that is, that all things have no
reality apart from the concept and ideas that we have about them. Once we understand that things are
empty, they will no longer serve as objects of longing or hatred. Thus, according to the Mahayanists,
understanding the true nature of things is the ultimate path to liberation – to freedom from craving,
attachment, and self-centeredness.
Dwell on any of these issues:
 What does the notion of ‘emptiness of things’ mean to you?
 Some people are reported to have been hypnotized into an awareness of their former lives. Do you think
such reports merit attention or is it sheer nonsense?
 Which of the two Buddhist schools comes closer to the Christian concept of taking hood (taking the veil),
i.e. becoming a monk or a nun?
5. Why does Buddhism have such a great appeal, judging by the number of its followers? Why are more and
more Western people being converted to Buddhism?
Translate into good Russian.

Buddha (563?- 483?B.C.), Indian philosopher and the founder of Buddhism, born in Lumbini, Nepal. He was
the son of the head of the Sakya warrior caste, with the private name of Siddhartha; in later life he was known also as
Sakyamuni (Sage of the Sakyas). The name Gautama Buddha is a combination of the family name Gautama and the
appellation Buddha, meaning "Enlightened One."
All the surviving accounts of Buddha's life were written many years after his death by idealizing followers
rather than by objective historians. Consequently, it is difficult to separate facts from the great mass of myth and
legend in which they are embedded. From the available evidence, Buddha apparently showed an early inclination to
meditation and reflection, displeasing his father, who wanted him to be a warrior and ruler rather than a religious
philosopher. Yielding to his father's wishes, he married at an early age and participated in the worldly life of the court.
Buddha found his carefree, self-indulgent existence dull, and after a while he left home and began wandering in
search of enlightenment. One day in 533, according to tradition, he encountered an aged man, a sick man, and a
corpse, and he suddenly and deeply realized that suffering is the common lot of humankind. He then came upon a
mendicant monk, calm and serene, whereupon he determined to adopt his way of life and forsake family, wealth, and
power in the quest for truth. This decision, known in Buddhism as the Great Renunciation, is celebrated by Buddhists
as a turning point in history. Gautama was then 29 years old, according to tradition.
Wandering as a mendicant over northern India, Buddha first investigated Hinduism. He took instruction from
some famous Brahman teachers, but he found the Hindu caste system repellent and Hindu asceticism futile. He
continued his search, attracting but later losing five followers. About 528, while sitting under a bo tree near Gaya, in
what is now Buddh Gaya in the state of Bihвr, he experienced the Great Enlightenment, which revealed the way of
salvation from suffering. Shortly afterward he preached his first sermon in the Deer Park near Benares (now
Vвrвnasi). This sermon, the text of which is preserved, contains the gist of Buddhism. Many scholars regard it as
comparable, in its tone of moral elevation and historical importance, to Jesus Christ's Sermon on the Mount.
The five disciples rejoined Buddha at Benares. Accompanied by them, he traveled through the valley of the
Ganges River, teaching his doctrines, gathering followers, and establishing monastic communities that admitted
anyone regardless of caste. He returned briefly to his native town and converted his father, his wife, and other
members of his family to his beliefs. After 45 years of missionary activity Buddha died in Kusinagara, Nepal, as a
result of eating contaminated pork. He was about 80 years old.
Buddha was one of the greatest human beings, a man of noble character, penetrating vision, warm
compassion, and profound thought. Not only did he establish a great new religion, but his revolt against Hindu
hedonism, asceticism, extreme spiritualism, and the caste system deeply influenced Hinduism itself. His rejection of
metaphysical speculation and his logical thinking introduced an important scientific strain heretofore lacking in Oriental
thought. Buddha's teachings have influenced the lives of millions of people for nearly 2500 years.

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Lesson 7.

The Essence of Buddhism

The target skills: giving definitions, drawing comparisons.

Translate into good Russian.

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