User:The Thin Man Who Never Leaves/Buddhism Article,4 Sept. 2008

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Buddhism is both a world religion[1] and a philosophy with distribution throughout the world, and significant variation in beliefs among its adherents. Depending on the source[2] [3]

states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar
located in the northeastern region of the Indian subcontinent.

Buddhism has spread through two main branches:

Pāli, literally "Three Baskets") is a collection of Buddhist sacred books categorized in three large sections, and common to all schools. However, it does not include the Mahayana sutras
, a document that's central to the Mayahana branch but irrelevant to Theravadins. However, Mahayanans consider their sutras to be a compliment to the Pali Tipitaka, and part of the Buddhist texts, not a replacement.

All traditions recognize Gautama Buddha as an enlightened teacher who shared his insights in order to help

Sangha
; The Community (of Buddhists).

Gautama Buddha

Siddhartha

chakravartin) or a holy man (Sadhu
) based on whether he saw life outside of the palace walls. Determined to make Siddhartha a king, Suddhodana shielded his son from the unpleasant realities of daily life.

However, at the age of 29, he ventured outside the palace complex several times despite his father's wishes. As a result he discovered the suffering of his people, through encounters with: an old man, a

ascetic. These are known among Buddhists as The Four Sights.[9]
This was one of the first contemplations of Siddharta. Years after this, he married Yasodhara, with whom he had a son.

Partly because of The Four Sights, Gautama one day sought to be free from suffering by living the life of a mendicant ascetic, a highly respected spiritual practice at the time in ancient India. He left the palace, abandoning royal life to take up his spiritual quest, eventually finding companions with similar spiritual goals. After practising various forms of meditation, including dhyāna, he concluded that ascetic practices, such as fasting, holding one's breath, and exposure to pain brought little spiritual benefit. He viewed them as counterproductive due to their reliance on self hatred and mortification.[10]

After almost starving to death, he accepted a little milk and rice from a village girl.[citation needed] He abandoned asceticism, concentrating instead on anapanasati meditation (awareness of breathing), thus discovering what Buddhists call the Middle Way; a path of moderation between the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification. However, his companions left him believing he had givien his spiritual quest.[citation needed]

After discovering the Middle Way, he sat under a

Kushinagara (Pali: Kusinara), India. [14]

Buddhist Concepts

Karma: Cause and Effect

Karma (from

ethical or moral
connotation.

In Buddhism, the term karman is used specifically for those actions which spring from :

which bring about a fruit (Pāli, phala) or result (

saṃsāra
) for each being. It should be noted that karman can be either negative or positive; with its respective negative or positive vipāka (consequence).

In Theravada Buddhism there is no divine salvation or forgiveness from one's

Nirvana Sutra, also teaches that powerful sutras such as the above-named can, through the very act of their being heard or recited, wholly expunge great swathes of negative karma. According to the Japanese Pure Land teacher Genshin, the Buddha Amitabha has the power to detroy the karma that would otherwise bind one in samsara.[17]

The karma of kusala (skillful) and akusala (unskillful) actions produces "seeds" in the mind which come to

fruition either in this life or in a subsequent one.[18] These may be either rebirths themselves or events therein. The content of unwholesome actions and the lower types of wholesome actions belongs to the subject of Sila
or conduct.

Rebirth

Rebirth means to be born again, and each rebirth is can be one of many possible lifes. This types of lifes where later formally classified as the Five or

Six Realms
:

  1. Hell
  2. Animals
  3. Ghosts
  4. Humans
  5. Asuras (sometimes): variously translated as demons, titans, antigods
  6. Heaven: life as devas, variously translated as gods, spirits, angels, or left untranslated

Theravada does not recognize asuras as a separate realm, but most Mahayana sources do.

Rebirths in the higher heavens can be attained by the practice of samatha meditation.

The Four Noble Truths

According to the Theravada

Buddha in his first sermon after reaching Enlightenment.[19]
They are sometimes considered as containing the essence of the teachings of the Buddha and are presented in the manner of a medical diagnosis and remedial prescription in a style that was common at the Buddha´s time.

According to one interpretation,[

path
the Buddha has laid out.

This interpretation is followed closely by many modern Theravadins,[

According to other interpretations by Buddhist teachers and scholars and lately recognized by some western scholars as well[23] the "truths" do not represent mere statements, but "things". According to that view, they present a perfect division of most phenomena as falling into one of these four categories: true sufferings and true causes are the effect and cause on the side of suffering; true cessations and true paths are the effect and cause on the side of liberation. They are according to the Macmillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism [24]

  1. "the noble truth that is suffering"
  2. "the noble truth that is the arising of suffering"
  3. "the noble truth that is the end of suffering"
  4. "the noble truth that is the way leading to the end of suffering"

The early teaching[25] and the traditional understanding in the Theravada[26] is that the four noble truths are an advanced teaching for those who are ready for them. The Mahayana position is that they are a preliminary teaching for people not yet ready for the higher and more expansive Mahayana teachings.[27] They are little known in the Far East.[28]

The Noble Eightfold Path

Dharmacakra; each one of the eight spokes represent the Noble Eightfold Path
.

The Noble Eightfold Path is the way to the cessation of suffering, the fourth part of the Four Noble Truths. In the early sources (the four main Nikayas) it is not generally taught to laymen, and it is little known in the Far East.[29] This is divided into three sections: Prajñā (wisdom), Śīla (ethics or morality) and Samadhi (meditation or concentration of the mind).

Prajñā is the wisdom which purifies the mind, concerning spiritual insight into the true nature of all things. This section has two subsections:

  1. सम्यक् दृष्टि (dṛṣṭi), Correct Understanding:
    Understanding reality as it is, not just as it appears to be.
  2. सम्यक् संकल्प (saṃkalpa), Correct Thoughts:
    Change the way of thinking.

Śīla is the morality of abstaining from unwholesome deeds of body and speech. This section has three subsections:

  1. सम्यक् वाच् (vāk), Correct Speech:
    One speaks in a non hurtful, not exaggerated, truthful way
  2. सम्यक् कर्मन् (karmān), Correct Actions:
    Wholesome action, avoiding action that would do harm
  3. सम्यक् आजीवन (ājīvana), Correct Livelihood:
    One's way of livelihood does not harm in any way oneself or others; directly or indirectly

Samadhi is developing mastery over one’s own mind through the practice of meditation and other mental disciplines. This section has three subsections:

  1. (samyag-vyāyāma, sammā-vāyāma) Correct Effort/Exercise:
    One makes an effort to improve
  2. (samyak-smṛti, sammā-sati) Correct Mindfulness/Awareness:
    Mental ability to see things for what they are with clear consciousness
  3. (samyak-samādhi, sammā-samādhi) Correct Concentration/Meditation:
    Being aware of the present reality within oneself, without any craving or aversion.

The word सम्यक् (samyak) means correctly, properly, well, accurate[30]. There are basically two ways to interpret the practice of the Eightfold Path:

  1. It is spoken as being a progressive series of stages through which the practitioner moves, the culmination of one leading to the beginning of another
  2. The states of the 'Path' require simultaneous development, they're practiced in parallel.

Middle Way

An important guiding principle of Buddhist practice is the

bodhi
). The Middle Way or Middle Path has several definitions:

  1. It is often described as the practice of non-extremism; a path of moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and opposing self-mortification.
  2. It also refers to taking a middle ground between certain
    metaphysical views, e.g. that things ultimately either exist or do not exist.[31]
  3. An explanation of the state of nirvana and perfect enlightenment where all dualities fuse and cease to exist as separate entities (see Seongcheol).
  4. Another term for emptiness, the ultimate nature of all phenomena, lack of inherent existence, which avoids the extremes of permanence and nihilism or inherent existence and nothingness.

Reality in Buddhism

According to the

enlightenment.[32]
Another is that such questions assume the reality of world/self/person.

In the Pali Canon and numerous Mahayana sutras and Tantras, the Buddha stresses that Dharma (Truth) cannot truly be understood with the ordinary rational mind or logic: Reality transcends all worldly concepts. What is urged is study, mental and moral self-cultivation, faith in and veneration of the sutras, which are as fingers pointing to the moon of Truth, but then to let go of ratiocination and to experience direct entry into Liberation itself. In the Mahayana

Kunjed Gyalpo Tantra, a scripture of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism) also emphasises how Buddhist Truth lies beyond the range of thought and is ultimately mysterious. The Supreme Buddha, Samantabhadra, states there: "The mind of perfect purity ... is beyond thinking and inexplicable ...."[33] Also later, the famous Indian Buddhist yogi and teacher mahasiddha Tilopa discouraged any intellectual activity in his 6 words of advice
.

Most Buddhists agree that, to a greater or lesser extent, words are inadequate to describe the goal; schools differ radically on the usefulness of words in the path to that goal.[34]

Buddhist scholars have produced a prodigious quantity of intellectual theories, philosophies and world view concepts. See e.g. Abhidharma, Buddhist philosophy and Reality in Buddhism. Some schools of Buddhism discourage doctrinal study, but most regard it as having a place, at least for some people at some stages.

Mahayana often adopts a pragmatic concept of truth:[35] doctrines are "true" in the sense of being spiritually beneficial. In modern Chinese Buddhism, all doctrinal traditions are regarded as equally valid.[36]

Mahāyāna Buddhism received significant theoretical grounding from

pratītyasamutpāda (dependent origination). His school of thought is known as the Madhyamaka. He may have arrived at his positions from a desire to achieve a consistent exegesis of the Buddha's doctrine as recorded in the Canon. In the eyes of Nagarjuna the Buddha was not merely a forerunner, but the very founder of the Madhyamaka system.[37]

Sarvāstivāda teaching, which was criticized by Nāgārjuna, was reformulated by scholars such as

Yogācāra
(Sanskrit: yoga practice) school. While the Madhyamaka school asserted that there is no ultimately real thing, the Yogācāra school asserts that only the mind is ultimately existent. These two schools of thought, in opposition or synthesis, form the basis of subsequent Mahāyāna metaphysics in the Indo-Tibetan tradition.

In the Mahayana school, emphasis is also often placed on the notions of Emptiness (

God in Buddhism
).

Theravāda promotes the concept of

Pali
), literally "Teaching of Analysis". This doctrine says that insight must come from the aspirant's experience, critical investigation, and reasoning instead of by blind faith.

Pratītya-Samutpāda - Dependent Origination or The Cycle of Samsara

Samsara
). Gautama Buddha is also reported to have said that humans always expect pleasure and do not like to feel pain. This cycle of suffering is explained in twelve links, each conditioning the next:

  1. Avidyā: ignorance, specifically spiritual[39]
  2. Saṃskāras: literally formations, explained as referring to Karma.
  3. Vijñāna: consciousness, specifically discriminative[40]
  4. Nāmarūpa: literally name and form, referring to mind and body[41]
  5. Ṣaḍāyatana: the six sense bases: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind-organ
  6. Sparśa: variously translated contact, impression, stimulation
  7. Vedanā: usually translated feeling: this is the "hedonic tone", i.e. whether something is pleasant, unpleasant or neutral
  8. Tṛṣṇā: literally thirst, but nearly always in Buddhism used to mean craving
  9. Upādāna: clinging or grasping; the word also means fuel, which feeds the continuing cycle of rebirth
  10. Bhava: literally being (existence) or becoming. (The Theravada explains this as having two meanings: karma, which produces a new existence, and the existence itself.[42])
  11. Jāti: literally birth, but life is understood as starting at conception[43]
  12. Jarāmaraṇa (old age and death) and also śokaparidevaduḥkhadaumanasyopāyāsa (sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness and misery)

Human beings always suffer throughout Samsara, until they become free from this suffering when attaining Nirvana. Then the absence of ignorance leads to the absence of the others as above.

Nirvana

Nirvana (devanagari: निर्वन) is a concept that comes from Sanskrit and means "cessation", "extinction" (of suffering) or (

tṛṣṇā) "extinguished", "quited", "calmed"[44]
; it's also known as "Awakening" or "Enlightenment" in the West. Also, Buddhists believe that anybody who has achieved nirvana (also known as bodhi) is in fact a Buddha.

Mahayana Buddhism generally regards as its most important teaching the path of the bodhisattva. This already existed as a possibility in earlier Buddhism, as it still does in Theravada today, but the Mahayana gave it an increasing emphasis, eventually saying everyone should follow it.

In the Mahayana, the Buddha tends not to be viewed as merely human, but as the earthly projection of a beginningless and endless, omnipresent being (see

Dharmakaya) beyond the range and reach of thought. Moreover, in certain Mahayana sutras, the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha are viewed essentially as One: all three are seen as the eternal Buddha
himself.

Gautama Buddha, ancient region of Gandhara, northern Pakistan, 1st century CE, Musée Guimet, Paris
.

Arahants. Bodhi literally means "awakening", but is more commonly referred to as "enlightenment". In Early Buddhism Bodhi carries a meaning synonymous to Nirvana, using only some different similies to describe the experience, which implied the extinction of raga (greed),[45] dosa (hate)[46] and moha (delusion).[47]

Buddhas

Theravada

A person may awaken from the "sleep of ignorance" by directly realizing the true nature of

arahants
. After numerous lifetimes of spiritual striving they have also reached the end of the compulsive cycle of rebirths, no longer reincarnating as human, animal, ghost, or other being.

These people, also occasionally referred to as buddhas, are classified into three types.

  • Sammasambuddha, usually just called Buddha, who discovers the truth by himself and teaches the path to awakening to others
  • Paccekabuddha
    , who discovers the truth by himself but lacks the skill to teach others
  • Sāvakabuddha, who has followed the teaching of a Buddha, and may use it to guide others (see also: Arhat
    )

Bodhi and Nirvana carry the same meaning, that of being freed from craving, hate and delusion. The Arahant, according to Theravada doctrine, has thus overcome greed, hatred, and delusion, attaining Bodhi. In Theravada Buddhism, the extinction of only greed (in relation to the sense sphere) and hatred, while a residue of delusion remains, is called

Anagami
.

Mahayana

Celestial Buddhas are individuals who no longer exist on the material plane of existence, but who still aid in the enlightenment of all beings.

Nirvana came to refer only to the extinction of greed and hate, implying that delusion was still present in one who attained Nirvana. Bodhi became a higher attainment that eradicate delusion entirely.

Arahant attains Nirvana but not Bodhi, thus still being subject to delusion, while the Buddha
attains Bodhi.

The method of self-exertion or "self-power" - without reliance on an external force or being - stands in contrast to another major form of Buddhism, "Pure Land", which is characterised by utmost trust in the salvific "other-power" of Amida Buddha. Pure Land Buddhism is a very widespread and perhaps the most faith-orientated manifestation of Buddhism and centres upon the conviction that faith in

Amitabha
Buddha and/or the chanting of homage to his name will provide the spiritual energy that will liberate one at death into the "happy land" (sukhavati) or "pure land" of Amitabha (called Amida in Japanese) Buddha. This Buddhic realm is variously construed as a foretaste of Nirvana, or as essentially Nirvana itself. The great vow of Amitabha Buddha to rescue all beings from samsaric suffering is viewed within Pure Land Buddhism as universally efficacious, if only people will have faith in the power of that limitless great Vow, or will utter the liberational chant of Amida's name.

Nearly all Chinese Buddhists accept that the chances of attaining sufficient enlightenment by one's own efforts are very slim, so that Pure Land practice is essential as an "insurance policy" even if one practises something else.[49]

Buddha Eras

Buddhists believe the Gautama Buddha was the first to achieve enlightenment in this Buddha era and is therefore credited with the establishment of Buddhism. A Buddha era is the stretch of history during which people remember and practice the teachings of the earliest known Buddha. This Buddha era will end when all the knowledge, evidence and teachings of the Guatama Buddha have vanished. This belief therefore maintains that many Buddha eras have started and ended throughout the course of human existence. Therefore, the Gautama Buddha is the Buddha of this era, who taught directly or indirectly to all other Buddhas in it (see types of Buddhas).

In addition, Mahayana believes there are innumerable other Buddhas in other universes[citation needed], but Theravada denies this.[citation needed]

Practice

Devotion

Devotion is an important part of the practice of most Buddhists.[50] Devotional practices include bowing, offerings, pilgrimage, chanting. In Pure Land Buddhism, devotion to the Buddha Amitabha is the main practice. In Nichiren Buddhism, devotion to the Lotus Sutra is the main practice.

Refuge in the Three Jewels

triratna, 1st century CE, Gandhāra
.

Traditionally, the first step in most Buddhist schools requires taking

Majjhima Nikaya, recognized by most scholars as an early text (cf Infant baptism). Tibetan Buddhism sometimes adds a fourth refuge, in the lama
. In Mahayana, the person who chooses the bodhisattva path makes a vow/pledge; which is considered the ultimate expression of compassion.

The Three Jewels are:

According to the scriptures,

Saṅgha
(Buddhist Order of monks) is considered to provide a refuge by preserving the authentic teachings of the Buddha and providing further examples that the truth of the Buddha's teachings is attainable.

The Three Jewels is part of Buddhist devotion.

Buddhist Ethics

pāramitā
. It refers to moral purity of thought, word, and deed.

Monastic life


Meditation

Buddhist meditation encompasses a variety of

insight. Core meditation techniques are preserved in ancient Buddhist texts
and have proliferated and diversified through the millennia of teacher-student transmissions.

Dhyāna

in Theravāda

In Theravāda Buddhism, the cause of human existence and suffering is identified as the craving, which carries with it the various defilements. These various defilements are traditionally summed up as greed, hatred and delusion. These are believed to be parasites that have infested the mind and create suffering and stress. In order to be free from suffering and stress, these defilements need to be permanently uprooted through internal investigation, analyzing, experiencing, and understanding of the true nature of those defilements by using jhāna, a technique which is part of the Noble Eightfold Path. It will then lead the meditator to realize the Four Noble Truths, Enlightenment and Nibbana. Nibbana is the ultimate goal of Theravadins.

History

Indian Buddhism

Ellora in Maharashtra
, India.

Early Buddhism

The history of Indian Buddhism may be divided into the following five periods:[53]

  1. Early Buddhist Schools (also called Pre-sectarian Buddhism); Hajime Nakamura[54]
    subdivides this into two subperiods:
    1. original Buddhism (other scholars call this earliest Buddhism or precanonical Buddhism[citation needed])
    2. early Buddhism
  2. Period of the Early Buddhist schools (also called Sectarian Buddhism, Nikaya Buddhism)
  3. Early
    Mahayana Buddhism
  4. Later Mahayana Buddhism
  5. Vajrayana Buddhism
    (also called Esoteric Buddhism)

These developments were not always consecutive. For example, the early schools continued to exist alongside Mahayana. Some scholars have argued that Mahayana remained marginal for centuries.[citation needed]

Pre-sectarian Buddhism

The earliest phase of Buddhism (pre-sectarian Buddhism) recognized by nearly all scholars (the main exception is Dr Gregory Schopen,

Nikayas or Agamas
.

Certain basic teachings appear in many places throughout the early texts, so most scholars conclude that Gautama Buddha must have taught at least:[56]

  • the
    three characteristics
  • the
    five aggregates
  • dependent arising
  • karma and rebirth
  • the
    four noble truths
  • the
    eightfold path
  • nirvana

Some scholars disagree, and have proposed many other theories.[57]

Councils

According to the scriptures, soon after the

Upāli, another disciple, recited the monastic rules (Vinaya). Scholars regard the traditional accounts of the council as greatly exaggerated if not entirely fictitious.[59]

According to most scholars, at some period after the Second Council however, the Sangha began to break into separate factions. Schopen suggests that Buddhism was very diverse from the beginning and became less so.[60] The various accounts differ as to when the actual schisms occurred: according to the Dipavamsa of the Pāli tradition, they started immediately after the Second Council; the Puggalavada tradition places it in 137 AN; the Sarvastivada tradition of Vasumitra says it was in the time of Asoka; and the Mahasanghika tradition places it much later, nearly 100 BCE.

The Asokan edicts, our only contemporary sources, state that 'the Sangha has been made unified'. This may refer to a dispute such as that described in the account of the

Third Buddhist Council at Pataliputta. This concerns the expulsion of non-Buddhist heretics from the Sangha, and does not speak of a schism. However, the late Professor Hirakawa argued that the first schism occurred after the death of Asoka. These schisms occurred within the early Buddhist schools
, at a time when the Mahāyāna movement either did not exist at all, or only existed as a current of thought not yet identified with a separate school.

The root schism was between the

Mahāsāṅghikas. The fortunate survival of accounts from both sides of the dispute reveals disparate traditions. The Sthavira group offers two quite distinct reasons for the schism. The Dipavamsa of the Theravāda says that the losing party in the Second Council dispute broke away in protest and formed the Mahasanghika. This contradicts the Mahasanghikas' own vinaya, which shows them as on the same, winning side. On the other hand, the northern lineages, including the Sarvastivada and Puggalavada (both branches of the ancient Sthaviras) attribute the Mahāsāṅghika schism to the '5 points' that erode the status of the arahant[citation needed]. For their part, the Mahāsāṅghikas argued that the Sthaviras were trying to expand the Vinaya; they may also have challenged what they perceived to be excessive claims or inhumanly high criteria for Arhatship. Both parties, therefore, appealed to tradition.[61] The Sthaviras gave rise to several schools, one of which was the Theravāda school. Originally, these schisms were caused by disputes over vinaya, and monks following different schools of thought seem to have lived happily together in the same monasteries, but eventually, by about 100 CE if not earlier, schisms were being caused by doctrinal disagreements too.[62]

Further developments
Buddhist proselytism at the time of emperor Aśoka the Great (260–218 BCE).

Following (or leading up to) the schisms, each Saṅgha started to accumulate an

Mahasanghika school did not have an Abhidhamma Pitaka, which agrees with their statement that they did not want to add to the Buddha's teachings. But according to Chinese pilgrims Fa-hsien (Faxian) (5th century CE), Yuan Chuang and Hsüan-tsang (Xuanzang, 7th century CE), Mahasanghika School did have their own version of Abhidhamma.[63][64][65]

Indo-Greek king Menander converted to the Buddhist faith and became an arhat
.

Buddhism may have spread only slowly in India until the time of the Mauryan emperor Aśoka the Great, who was a public supporter of the religion. The support of Aśoka and his descendants led to the construction of more stūpas (Buddhist religious memorials) and to efforts to spread Buddhism throughout the enlarged Maurya empire and even into neighboring lands – particularly to the Iranian-speaking regions of Afghanistan and Central Asia, beyond the Mauryas' northwest border, and to the island of Sri Lanka south of India. These two missions, in opposite directions, would ultimately lead, in the first case to the spread of Buddhism into China, and in the second case, to the emergence of Theravāda Buddhism and its spread from Sri Lanka to the coastal lands of Southeast Asia.

This period marks the first known spread of Buddhism beyond India. According to the

Hellenistic kingdoms of the Mediterranean. This led, a century later, to the emergence of Greek-speaking Buddhist monarchs in the Indo-Greek Kingdom, and to the development of the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhāra. During this period Buddhism was exposed to a variety of influences, from Persian and Greek civilization, and from changing trends in non-Buddhist Indian religions – themselves influenced by Buddhism. It is a matter of disagreement among scholars whether or not these emissaries were accompanied by Buddhist missionaries[citation needed
].

Buddhism today

Buddhism had become virtually extinct in India, and although it continued to exist in surrounding countries, its influence was no longer expanding. It is now again gaining strength. Estimates of the number of Buddhist followers are uncertain, ranging from 230 to more than 1.600 million worldwide. Most scholars classify similar numbers of people under a category they call Chinese folk or traditional religion, which is an amalgam of various traditions, including Buddhism. Estimates are uncertain and in dispute because:

According to one analysis,

Sangha
), which began during the lifetime of the Buddha in India, is among the oldest organizations on earth.

Typical interior of a temple in Korea

The numbers of adherents of the three main traditions listed above are about 124, 185 and 20 million, respectively.[78]

At the present time, the teachings of all three branches of Buddhism have spread throughout the world, and Buddhist texts are increasingly translated into local languages. While, in the West, Buddhism is often seen as exotic and progressive, in the East, Buddhism is regarded as familiar and traditional. Buddhists in Asia are frequently well organized and well funded. In a number of countries, it is recognized as an official religion and receives state support. In the West, Buddhism is recognized as one of the growing spiritual influences.

Schools and Traditions

The most frequently used classification of Buddhism among scholars[79][page needed] has two divisions, Theravada and Mahayana. In this classification, Mahayana includes both East Asian and Tibetan Buddhism. This scheme is the one ordinarily used in the English language.[80] Some scholars[81] use other schemes. Buddhists themselves have a variety of other schemes. A common addition to this three is Vajrayana, but it can also be considered part of Mahayana. Hinayana (literary "smaller vehicle") is used to name Theravada, but this can be consider derogatory.

An alternative scheme used by some scholars[82] divides Buddhism into the following three traditions or geographical or cultural areas: Theravada, East Asian Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism.

Not all traditions of Buddhism share the same philosophical outlook, or treat the same concepts as central. Each tradition, however, does have its own core concepts, and some comparisons can be drawn between them.

Mahayana Buddhism shows a great deal of doctrinal variation and development over time, and even more variation in terms of practice. While there is much agreement on general principles, there is disagreement over which texts are more authoritative.

Despite some differences among the Theravada and Mahayana schools, there are several

concepts common to both major Buddhist branches:[83]

  • Both accept
    the Buddha
    as their teacher.
  • Both accept the
    noble eightfold path
    , in theory, though in practice these have little or no importance in some traditions.
  • Both accept that members of the laity and of the
    bodhi
    ).
  • Both consider buddhahood to be the highest attainment; however Theravadins consider the
    arahants
    as identical to that attained by the Buddha himself, as there is only one type of nirvana. According to Theravadins, a buddha is someone who has discovered the path all by himself and taught it to others.

Theravāda

Sthavira
group at the time of the Third Buddhist Council (c. 250 BCE). This school gradually declined on the Indian subcontinent, but its branch in Sri Lanka and South East Asia continues to survive.

The Theravada school bases its practice and doctrine exclusively on the

Tripitaka
), are generally considered by modern scholars to be the earliest Buddhist literature, and they are accepted as authentic in every branch of Buddhism.

Theravāda is primarily practiced today in

Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia as well as small portions of China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bangladesh. It has a growing presence in Europe and America
.

Mahayana

Pure Land and Zen
.

The precise geographical origins of

Bombay), and around the various cave complexes, such as Ajanta and Karli (in present-day Gujarat and Maharashtra). Some scholars have argued that Mahayana was a movement of lay Buddhists focused around stupa devotion. Pictures within the wall of a stupa representing the story of the Buddha and his previous reincarnation as a bodhisattva were used to preach Buddhism to the masses. Other scholar reject this theory.[85] Monks representing different philosophical orientations could live in the same Sangha as long as they practiced the same Vinaya. Still, in terms of Abhidharma, the Sarvastivada school and the Dharmaguptaka
school, both of which were widespread in the Kushan Empire, seem to have had major influence.

Expansion of Mahayana Buddhism between the 1st – 10th century CE.

Around the second century CE, the Kushan emperor

Sinicized and this Sinicized Mahayana would be passed on to Korea, Vietnam
and finally to Japan in 538 CE. The East Asians would go on to write more indigenous sutras and commentaries to the Mahayana Canon.


After the end of the
Kuṣāṇas, Buddhism flourished in India during the dynasty of the Guptas (4th – 6th century). Mahāyāna centres of learning were established, the most important one being the Nālandā University in north-eastern India.


Chinese Ming dynasty porcelain figure of Guanyin, "Goddess of Mercy."

In addition to the

Mahaparinirvana Sutra
) to lay the foundations for the later attainment of Buddhahood itself.

Native Eastern Buddhism is practiced today in China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, parts of Russia and most of Vietnam. The Buddhism practiced in Tibet, the Himalayan regions, and Mongolia is also Mahayana in origin, but will be discussed below under the heading of Northern Buddhism. There are a variety of strands in Eastern Buddhism, which in most of this area are fused into a single unified form of Buddhism. However, in Japan they form separate denominations. The five major ones are the following.

In Korea, nearly all Buddhists belong to the Chogye school, which is officially Son (Zen), but with substantial elements from other traditions.[87]

Pure Land Buddhism

There are estimated to be around 100 million Chinese Buddhists.[88] Pure Land Buddhism is the most popular form in China, particularly among the laity.[89] In the first half of the twentieth century, most Chinese monks practised Pure Land, some combining it with Chan (Zen); Chan survived into the 20th century in a small number of monasteries, but died out in mainland China after the communist takeover.[90] In Taiwan Chan meditation is popular,[91] but most Buddhists follow Pure Land.[92]

There are estimated to be about 40 million Buddhists in Vietnam.[93] The Buddhism of monks and educated lay people is mainly Thien (Zen), with elements of Pure Land and tantra, but that of most ordinary Buddhists has little or no Thien element, being mainly Pure Land.[94]

Vajrayāna or Tibetan Buddhism

Young Tibetan Buddhist monks of Drepung

There are differing views as to just when Vajrayāna and its tantric practice started. In the Tibetan tradition, it is claimed that the historical Śākyamuni Buddha taught tantra, but as these are esoteric teachings, they were written down long after the Buddha's other teachings. Nālandā University became a center for the development of Vajrayāna theory and continued as the source of leading-edge Vajrayāna practices up through the 11th century. These practices, scriptures and theory were transmitted to China, Tibet, Indochina and Southeast Asia. China generally received Indian transmission up to the 11th century including tantric practice, while a vast amount of what is considered to be Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayāna) stems from the late (9th–12th century) Nālandā tradition.

In one of the first major contemporary academic treatises on the subject,

siddhas became more prominent. After perhaps two hundred years, it had begun to get integrated into the monastic establishment.[95][page needed
]

Vajrayana combined and developed a variety of elements, a number of which had already existed for centuries.[96] In addition to the Mahāyāna scriptures, Vajrayāna Buddhists recognise a large body of Buddhist Tantras, some of which are also included in Chinese and Japanese collections of Buddhist literature, and versions of a few even in the Pali Canon.

Although it continued to in surrounding countries, over the centuries Buddhism gradually declined in India and it

was virtually extinct
there by the time of the British conquest.

Buddhist texts

Scholars categorize Buddhist scriptures by the languages in which they are written.[

Mongolian and Chinese collections, along with some texts that still exist in Sanskrit and Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit
. This method doesn't always correspond to the traditions and schools.

Pāli Tipitaka

Buddhist scriptures and other texts exist in great variety. Different schools of Buddhism place varying levels of value on learning the various texts. Some schools venerate certain texts as religious objects in themselves, while others take a more scholastic approach. The Buddhist canons of

Pāli
as the Tipitaka. These terms literally mean "three baskets" and refer to the three main divisions of the canon, which are:

According to the scriptures, soon after the death of the Buddha, the first Buddhist council was held; a monk named

Upāli
, another disciple, recited the rules of the Vinaya. These became the basis of the Tripitaka. However, this record was initially transmitted orally in form of chanting, and was committed to text in a much later period. Both the sūtras and the Vinaya of every Buddhist school contain a wide variety of elements including discourses on the Dharma, commentaries on other teachings, cosmological and cosmogonical texts, stories of the Buddha's previous lives, and lists relating to various subjects.

The

nāgas), or came directly from other Buddhas or bodhisattvas. Approximately six hundred Mahāyāna sutras have survived in Sanskrit or in Chinese or Tibetan
translations. In addition, East Asian Buddhism recognizes some sutras regarded by scholars as of Chinese origin.

The followers of Theravāda Buddhism take the scriptures known as the Pāli Canon as definitive and authoritative, while the followers of Mahāyāna Buddhism base their faith and philosophy primarily on the Mahāyāna sūtras and their own versions of the Vinaya. The Pāli sutras, along with other, closely-related scriptures, are known to the other schools as the āgamas.

Whereas the Theravādins adhere solely to the Pali canon and its commentaries, the adherents of Mahāyāna accept both the agamas and the Mahāyāna sūtras as authentic, valid teachings of the Buddha, designed for different types of persons and different levels of spiritual penetration. For the Theravādins, however, the Mahayana sūtras are works of poetic fiction, not the words of the Buddha himself. The Theravadins are confident that the Pali canon represents the full and final statement by the Buddha of his Dhamma—and nothing more is truly needed beyond that. Anything added which claims to be the word of the Buddha and yet is not found in the Canon or its commentaries is treated with extreme caution if not outright rejection by Theravada.

Buddhist monk Geshe Konchog Wangdu reads Mahayana sutras from an old woodblock copy of the Tibetan Kanjur.

For the Mahāyānists, in contrast, the āgamas do indeed contain basic, foundational, and, therefore, relatively weighty pronouncements of the Buddha. From the Mahayana standpoint the Mahāyāna sutras articulate the Buddha's higher, more advanced and deeper doctrines, reserved for those who follow the

Mahayana Sutras
does not make them a true account of the life and teachings of Gautama Buddha.

Unlike many religions, Buddhism has no single central text that is universally referred to by all traditions. However, some scholars have referred to the

Babasaheb Ambedkar
) as presenting barriers to the wider understanding of Buddhist philosophy.

Over the years, various attempts have been made to synthesize a single Buddhist text that can encompass all of the major principles of Buddhism. In the Theravada tradition, condensed 'study texts' were created that combined popular or influential scriptures into single volumes that could be studied by novice monks. Later in Sri Lanka, the Dhammapada was championed as a unifying scripture.

Dwight

Babasaheb Ambedkar attempted to create a single, combined document of Buddhist principles in "The Buddha and His Dhamma"
. Other such efforts have persisted to present day, but currently there is no single text that represents all Buddhist traditions.

See also

Comparative studies

Buddhism provides many opportunities for comparative study with a diverse range of subjects, including various religion, ethics, philosophy and science. For example,

Middle way
not only provides a unique guideline for ethics but it has also allowed Buddhism to peacefully coexist with various local beliefs, customs, and institutions in adopted countries for most of its history.

List of Buddhism related topics in comparative studies

Buddhist symbols

The 'eight auspicious symbols' (Sanskrit: ashtamangala) of Mahayana and Vajrayana are:

Notes

  1. ^ Chambers Dictionary, 2006; Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 2003; New Penguin Handbook of Living Religions, px998; Dewey Decimal System of Book Classification; Robinson & Johnson, The Buddhist Religion; [1]
  2. ^ US State Department's International Religious Freedom Report 2004,
  3. ^ Garfinkel, Perry. "Buddha Rising." National Geographic Dec. 2005: 88-109.
  4. ^ [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/xx.html#People CIA - The World Factbook
  5. ^ Major Religions Ranked by Size
  6. .
  7. ^ UNESCO webpage entitled "Lumbini, the Birthplace of the Lord Buddha". Gethin Foundations, p. 19, which states that in the mid-third century BCE the Emperor Ashoka determined that Lumbini was the Buddha's birthplace and thus installed a pillar there with the inscription: "... this is where the Buddha, sage of the Śākyas, was born."
  8. ^ For instance, Gethin Foundations, p. 14, states: "The earliest Buddhist sources state that the future Buddha was born Siddhārtha Gautama (Pali Siddhattha Gotama), the son of a local chieftain—a rājan—in Kapilavastu (Pali Kapilavatthu) what is now the Indian-Nepalese border." However, Professor Gombrich (Theravada Buddhism, p. 1) and the old but specialized study by Edward Thomas, The Life of the Buddha, ascribe the name Siddhattha/Siddhartha to later sources
  9. ^ http://buddhism.about.com/library/blbudlifesights2.htm The Life of the Buddha: The Four Sights "On the first visit he encountered an old man. On the next excursion he encountered a sick man. On his third excursion, he encountered a corpse being carried to cremation. Such sights sent home to him the prevalence of suffering in the world and that he too was subject to old age, sickness and death. On his fourth excursion, however, he encountered a holy man or sadhu, apparently content and at peace with the world."
  10. ^ http://www.wildmind.org/mantras/figures/shakyamuni/5 Wild mind Buddhist Meditation, The Buddha’s biography: Spiritual Quest and Awakening
  11. ^ see: The Bodhi Tree
  12. ^ Bodhi leaf
  13. ^ Skilton, Concise, p. 25
  14. ^ "the reputed place of the Buddha's death and cremation,"Encyclopedia Britannica, Kusinagara
  15. ^ spokensanskrit dictionary, using कर्मन् as input
  16. ^ Harvey, Introduction to Budhism, page 40
  17. ^ Lopez, Story of Buddhism, page 239/Buddhism, page 248
  18. ^ T.P. Kasulis of Ohio State University, "Zen as a Social Ethics of Responsiveness." Journal of Buddhist Ethics: [2].
  19. ^ Thera, Piyadassi (1999). "Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta". The Book of Protection. Buddhist Publication Society. In what is said in Theravada to be the Buddha's first sermon, the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, which was given to the five ascetics with whom he had practised austerities, he talks about the Middle Way, the Noble Eightfold Path and the Four Noble Truths.
  20. samsara
    ), so it is believed by many that suffering is too narrow a translation and that it is best to leave dukkha untranslated.
  21. ^ Warder (1970), p. 34.
  22. ^ See for example: http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/fourtruths.html The Four Noble Truths
  23. ^ Gethin, Foundations, page 60
  24. ^ (2004), Volume One, page 296
  25. ^ Harvey, Introduction, p. 47
  26. .,pages 393f
  27. ^ Harvey, Introduction to Buddhism, p. 92
  28. ^ Eliot, Japanese Budhism, Edward Arnold, London, 1935, page 60
  29. ^ Eliot, Japanese Buddhism, Edward Arnold, London, 1935, pages 59f
  30. ^ with सम्यक् as input
  31. ^ Kohn, Shambhala, pp. 131, 143
  32. MN 72 (Thanissaro, 1997). For further discussion of the context in which these statements was made, see Thanissaro (2004)
    .
  33. ^ The Sovereign All-Creating Mind tr. by E.K. Neumaier-Dargyay, pp. 111–112.
  34. ^ Philosophy East and West, volume Twenty-Six, page 138
  35. ^ Williams, Mahayana Buddhism, Routledge, 1989, page 2
  36. ^ Welch, Practice of Chinese Buddhism, Harvard, 1967, page 395
  37. ^ Christian Lindtner, Master of Wisdom. Dharma Publishing 1997, page 324.
  38. ^ Welch, Practice of Chinese Buddhism, Harvard, 1967, page 395
  39. ^ Harvey, Introduction to Buddhism, page 56
  40. ^ Harvey, Introduction to Buddhism, page 57
  41. ^ Harvey, Introduction to Buddhism, page 58
  42. ^ Harvey, Introduction to Buddhism, page 59
  43. ^ Harvey, Introduction to Buddhism, page 60
  44. ^ spokensanskrit dictionary with निर्वन as input
  45. ^ http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.3:1:489.pali Pali Text Society Pali Dictionary
  46. ^ http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.1:1:2598.pali Pali Text Society Pali Dictionary
  47. ^ http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.3:1:229.pali Pali Text Society Pali Dictionary
  48. ^ An important development in the Mahayana [was] that it came to separate nirvana from bodhi ('awakening' to the truth, Enlightenment), and to put a lower value on the former (Gombrich, 1992d). Originally nirvana and bodhi refer to the same thing; they merely use different metaphors for the experience. But the Mahayana tradition separated them and considered that nirvana referred only to the extinction of craving (= passion and hatred), with the resultant escape from the cycle of rebirth. This interpretation ignores the third fire, delusion: the extinction of delusion is of course in the early texts identical with what can be positively expressed as gnosis, Enlightenment.’’ How Buddhism Began, Richard F. Gombrich, Munshiram Manoharlal, 1997, p. 67
  49. ^ Routledge Encyclopedia of Buddhism, 2007, page 611
  50. ^ Harvey, page 170
  51. ^ Bhikku, Thanissaro (2001). "Refuge". An Introduction to the Buddha, Dhamma, & Sangha. Access to Insight.
  52. ^ Middle-Length Discourses of the Buddha, tr Nanamoli, rev Bodhi, Wisdom Pubns, 1995, pages 708f
  53. ^ A History of Indian Buddhism - Hirakawa Akira (translated and edited by Paul Groner) - Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Delhi, 1993, p. 7
  54. ^ Indian Buddhism, Japan, 1980, reprinted Motilal Banarsidass,Delhi,1987,1989,table of contents
  55. ^ Professor of Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Buddhist Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. His main views and arguments can be found in his book Bones, Stones, and Buddhist Monks, University of Hawai'i Press
  56. ^ Mitchell, Buddhism, Oxford University Press, 2002, page 34 & table of contents
  57. ^ Skorupski, Buddhist Forum, vol I, Heritage, Delhi/SOAS, London, 1990, page 5; Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, vol 21 (1998), part 1, pages 4, 11
  58. ^ spokensanskrit.de dictionary with पर and निर्वाण as input
  59. ^ Encyclopedia of Religion, Macmillan, New York, sv Councils, Buddhist
  60. ^ Journal of the Pāli Text Society, volume XVI, p. 105)
  61. ^ Janice J. Nattier and Charles S. Prebish, 1977. Mahāsāṅghika Origins: the beginnings of Buddhist sectarianism in History of Religions, Vol. 16, pp. 237–272
  62. ^ Harvey, Introduction to Buddhism, p. 74
  63. ^ Fa-Hien. "Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms". Translated by James Legge. Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 2008-08-18."In the community here, moreover, we got the Samyuktabhi-dharma-hridaya-(sastra), containing about six or seven thousand gathas; he also got a Sutra of 2500 gathas; one chapter of the Parinir-vana-vaipulya Sutra, of about 5000 gathas; and the Mahasan-ghikah Abhidharma"
  64. ^ Dutt, Nalinaksha. "Notes on the Nagarjunikonda Inscriptions". The Indian Historical Quarterly. Retrieved 2008-08-18."the Mahasanghikas, so far as the traditions go, did not recognise the seven texts of the Theravadins as Buddhabhasita, (6) but had an Abhidharma Pitaka of their own according to the testimony of Yuan Chuang,(7) who further supplies us with the information that he himself studied certain Abhidharma treatises of the Mahasanghika"
  65. ^ Samuel Beal, "The Life of Hiuen-Tsiang: By the Shaman Hwui Li. With an introduction containing an account of the works of I-tsing", published by Tuebner and Co, London (1911), Digital version: University of Michigan. "this is the spot where the assembly of the Great Congregation (Mahdsanghikas) was held….So they made another collection of the Sutra-pitaka, and the Vinaya-pitaka, and the Abhidharma-pitaka, and of the Miscellaneous-pitaka, and the Dharall-pitaka, five pitakas in all. As in this assembly there were both ordinary persons and holy men present; it is called the convocation of the Mahasafghikas."
  66. ^ Chinese Cultural Studies: The Spirits of Chinese Religion
  67. ^ Windows on Asia - Chinese Religions
  68. ^ Religions and Beliefs in China
  69. ^ SACU Religion in China
  70. ^ Index-China Chinese Philosophies and religions
  71. ^ AskAsia - Buddhism in China
  72. ^ BUDDHISM AND ITS SPREAD ALONG THE SILK ROAD
  73. ^ U.S. Department of States - International Religious Freedom Report 2006: China (includes Tibet, Hong Kong, and Macau)
  74. ^ Center for Religious Freedom - Survey Files
  75. ^ The Range of Religious Freedom
  76. ^ Garfinkel, Perry (December 2005). "Buddha Rising". National Geographic: 88–109.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  77. ^ [3], retrieved on 2008-01-15
  78. Tantric Buddhism
    .
  79. ^ "Tibetan Buddhism". American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Houghton Mifflin Company. 2004. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
  80. ^ See e.g. the multi-dimensional classification in Encyclopedia of Religion, Macmillan, New York, 1987, volume 2, pages 440ff
  81. ^ (Harvey, 1990); (Gombrich,1984); Gethin (1998), pp. 1–2, identifies "three broad traditions" as: (1) "The Theravāda tradition of Sri Lanka and South-East Asia, also sometimes referred to as 'southern' Buddhism"; (2) "The East Asian tradition of China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, also sometimes referred to as 'eastern' Buddhism"; and, (3) "The Tibetan tradition, also sometimes referred to as 'northern' Buddhism." Robinson & Johnson (1982) divide their book into two parts: Part One is entitled "The Buddhism of South Asia" (which pertains to Early Buddhism in India); and, Part Two is entitled "The Development of Buddhism Outside of India" with chapters on "The Buddhism of Southeast Asia," "Buddhism in the Tibetan Culture Area," "East Asian Buddhism" and "Buddhism Comes West."
  82. ^ http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/comparative.htm
  83. ^ Gethin, Foundations, page 1
  84. ^ Williams, Paul (1989). Mahayana Buddhism: the doctrinal foundations. London: Routledge., pages 20f
  85. .
  86. ^ Macmillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism (Volume One), pages 430, 435
  87. ^ World Christian Encyclopedia, 2nd ed, Oxford University Press, 2001, volume 1, page 191, & volume 2, page 10
  88. ^ Harvey, Introduction to Buddhism, page 152
  89. ^ Welch, Practice of Chinese Buddhism 1900-1950, Harvard, 1967, pages 47, 396
  90. ^ Harvey, Introduction to Buddhism, page 283
  91. ^ World Christian Encyclopedia, 2nd ed, volume 1, page 723
  92. ^ World Christian Encyclopedia, 2nd ed, Oxford University Press, 2001, volume 1, page 803
  93. ^ Harvey, Introduction, page 159; Macmillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism (Volume Two), page 882
  94. .
  95. ^ Prebish & Keown, Introducing Buddhism, page 89
  96. ^ A.K. Warder, Indian Buddhism, 3rd edition (2000), p. 4
  97. ^ A.K. Warder, Indian Buddhism, 3rd edition (2000)
  98. ^ Eliot, Japanese Buddhism, Edward Arnold, London, 1935, page 16
  99. ^ Thelema & Buddhism in Journal of Thelemic Studies, Vol. 1, No. 1, Autumn 2007, pp. 18-32

References

paper

website

External links