Part 1: Buddhism - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Part 1: Buddhism Part 2: HinduismTheme: How religions adapt and change

Lesson 13Slide2

Part 1: Buddhism Lesson 13Slide3

ID & SIGBuddhism in China, Buddhism in India, Chan Buddhism, dharma, Dunhuang, Four Noble Truths, Mahayana Buddhism, nirvana, Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) Slide4

Early Buddhism in IndiaFounded by Siddhartha Gautama (born about 563 B.C.)

According to legend, Gautama was raised in a pampered lifestyle but then he encountered an old man, a sick man, a corpse, and a monk

Gautama was impressed by the monk and himself determined to take up an ascetic, wandering life to help him understand the phenomenon of sufferingSlide5

Siddhartha Gautama

About 534 B. C., Gautama left his family to take up the existence of a holy man

Intense meditation and extreme asceticism did not enlighten him sufficiently

One day he resolved to sit under a large bo tree until he understood the problem of suffering

For 49 days he withstood various temptations and threats from demons and finally received enlightenment

Thus Gautama became the Buddha– “the enlightened one”

The Buddha

by Odilon RedonSlide6

Buddhist DoctrineBuddha announced his doctrine publicly at the Deer Park of Sarnath in 528 B.C.

Delivered the “Turning of the Wheel of Law” sermon which marked the beginning of Buddha’s quest to promulgate the law of righteousness

Dhamekha Stupa is believed to mark the place of Buddha’s first sermonSlide7

Four Noble TruthsAll life involves sufferingDesire is the cause of suffering

Elimination of desire brings an end to suffering

A disciplined life in accordance with the Noble Eightfold Path brings the elimination of desireSlide8

Noble Eightfold Path

Lead a balanced and moderate life

Reject both the devotion to luxury often found in human society and the regimes of extreme asceticism favored by hermits

Right belief

Right resolve

Right speech

Right behavior

Right occupation

Right effort

Right contemplation

Right meditationSlide9

DharmaTaken together, the teachings of the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path constitute

dharma

, the basic doctrine shared by all Buddhists

6

th

Century Buddha sitting on a lotus blossom which symbolizes purity and strength because it is able to thrive and grow even in murky water Slide10

The Middle Path or Moderate WayAvoid extremes– either an overt pursuit of passionate worldly desire or extreme asceticism

Live a moderate lifestyle characterized by quiet contemplation, thoughtful reflection, and disciplined self-control

Reduces desire for material goods and other worldly attractions

Eventually results in detachment from the world itselfSlide11

Nirvana

Living this lifestyle will lead to personal salvation– escape from the cycle of incarnation and the attainment of

nirvana

Nirvana

is the state of perfect spiritual independence

The Wheel of

Dharma

symbolizes

samsara

, the continuous cycle of birth, life, and death. One is liberated from this endless cycle of rebirth when

nirvana is achieved.Slide12

Buddhism’s Popularity in IndiaDid not recognize social distinctions based on caste

Appealed strongly to members of lower castes

Did not demand rigorous asceticism

Popular with merchants who used Buddhist monasteries as inns

Taught in vernacular language to reach a popular audience

Holy sites and shrines facilitated pilgrimagesSlide13

Buddhist OrganizationOrganization proved efficient in spreading Buddhism and winning converts

Most highly motivated converts joined monastic communities

Pious lay supporters provided the monasteries with land, buildings, finances, and materials

The monks spent much of their time preachingSlide14

MonasteriesEarly Indian education was informal, mostly involving just a sage and his students

Buddhists organized monasteries and began offering regular instruction and established educational institutions

Most famous monastery was at Nalanda

Ruins of monastery at NalandaSlide15

Developments within BuddhismBetween the 3

rd

Century B.C. and the 1

st

Century A.D., three new developments in Buddhist thought and practice reduced obligations of believers, opened new avenues to salvation, and brought explosive popularity to the faith

Nature of Buddha

Notion of

boddhisatva

Appeal to the wealthySlide16

Nature of BuddhaBuddha had not considered himself divine, but some of his followers began to worship him as a god

This gave Buddhism a devotional focus that helped converts channel their spiritual energies and identify more closely with the faithSlide17

BoddhisatvasBoddhisatvas (“an enlightened being”) were individuals who had reached spiritual perfection and merited the reward of nirvana, but intentionally delayed their entry in order to help others who were still struggling

Served as a source of inspiration and examples of spiritual excellenceSlide18

Appeal to the WealthyMonasteries began to accept gifts from wealthy individuals and consider them acts of generosity that merited salvation

Now wealthy individuals could enjoy the comforts of the world and still ensure their salvationSlide19

Mahayana BuddhismThese innovations opened the way for larger numbers of people so the faith was called

Mahayana

(“the greater vehicle” which could carry people to salvation)

The old doctrine became known as

Hinayana

(“the lesser vehicle”)

Mahayana

Buddhism spread rapidly throughout India, largely because of educational institutions that promoted the faithSlide20

Establishment of Buddhism in ChinaBuddhist merchants visited China as early as the 2

nd

Century B.C. but made little headway against Confucianism

With the demise of the Han Dynasty, Confucianism suffered a loss of credibility

The purpose of Confucianism was to maintain public order and provide honest, effective government

In the age of warlords and nomadic invasions, Confucianism appeared to have failedSlide21

Establishment of Buddhism

Originally Buddhism took root in the oases along the trade routes

By the 4

th

Century A.D., a sizeable Buddhist community had emerged at Dunhuang in western China

At Dunhuang two branches of the Silk Road join togetherSlide22
Slide23

Dunhuang

Between 600 and 1000 A.D., Buddhists built hundreds of cave temples around Dunhuang depicting scenes of Buddha

Assembled libraries of religious literature

Supported missionaries which spread Buddhism throughout China

Boddhisattva Avalokitesvara

,

south wall, Cave 45Slide24

Buddhism in ChinaBuddhism attracted Chinese because of its high standards of morality, its intellectual sophistication, and its promise of salvation

Buddhists monasteries became important elements of the local economies

Monasteries became sizeable estates due to contributions of wealthy converts

Cultivated lands extensively and distributed a portion of the harvest in times of drought, famine, or other hardshipSlide25

Buddhism in ChinaIn some ways, Buddhism posed a challenge to Chinese cultural and social traditions

Buddhist morality encouraged serious Buddhists to follow a celibate, monastic lifestyle

Chinese morality centered on the family unit and obligations of filial piety

It strongly encouraged procreation so that new generations could venerate family ancestors

Buddhism was also seen as economically harmful because the monasteries did not pay taxes and suspicious because of its foreign originSlide26

Buddhism and DaoismTo alleviate the tension, Buddhist missionaries tried to tailor their message to Chinese audiences

They explained Buddhist concepts in familiar Chinese vocabulary, particularly Daoism

Continued to encourage monasteries and celibacies but also reaffirmed the validity of family life

Taught that one son in the monastery would bring salvation to ten generations of his kinSlide27

Chan Buddhism

The result was a Buddhism with Chinese characteristics

The most popular school of Buddhism in China was Chan (Zen in Japanese)

Deemphasized written texts and instead focused on intuition and sudden flashes of insight in the search for spiritual enlightenment (like Daoists)

Xuanzang and other pilgrims traveled to India to visit the holy places and returned to expand Buddhism’s popularity in China

XuanzangSlide28

Hostility

Daoists resented Buddhism’s encroachment on their following

Confucians objected to Buddhism’s exaltation of celibacy and condemned Buddhist monasteries as wasteful and unproductive burdens on society

Tang emperors ordered the closure of monasteries but the measure was not thoroughly implemented

Buddhism maintained its popularity

Buddha from the mid-Tang Dynasty (712-781) Slide29

Buddhism and ConfucianismSong emperors did not persecute Buddhists, but they actively supported native Chinese cultural traditions in order to limit the influence of foreign religions

Contributed particularly to the Confucians

Song Confucians found much to admire in Buddhism and became influenced by it

The result was called neo-Confucianism which rejected Buddhism as a faith but adapted Buddhist themes and reasoning to Confucian interests and valuesSlide30

Part 2: HinduismLesson 13Slide31

ID & SIGBhagavad Gita, moksha, reincarnation, Upanishads, VedasSlide32

HinduismWhile Buddhism was growing and evolving in China, Hinduism gradually displaced Buddhism as the most popular religion in India

Like

Mahayana

Buddhism, Hinduism experienced changes in doctrine and practices to more effectively address the interests and needs of ordinary peopleSlide33

Roots of Hinduism: The Vedas

The

Vedas

(“Wisdom”) were collections of prayers and hymns of the Indo-European Aryans who migrated into India around 1500 B.C.

Reflect the knowledge that priests needed to carry out their functions

The Aryans developed a social structure with sharp distinctions between individuals and groups according to the occupations and roles in society

These distinctions became the basis of the caste system

Brahmins

(priests) were at the top of the caste system

Fanciful depiction of the Indo-Aryans entering IndiaSlide34

Roots of Hinduism: The VedasThe

Vedas

required ritual sacrifices by which the Aryans hoped to win favor of the gods

Gods required constant attention

Proper honor for the gods required households to have

brahmins

perform no less than five sacrifices per day

As time passed, many Aryans, to include the

brahmins

became dissatisfied with the sacrificial cults of the Vedas, viewing them as sterile rituals rather than genuine means of communicating with the gods

Sought something to satisfy their spiritual longingsSlide35

Roots of Hinduism: The Dravidians

Beginning about 800 B.C., many individuals retreated into the forests of the Ganges Valley, lived as hermits, and contemplated on the relationships between human beings, the world, and the gods

They drew inspiration from the Dravidians who believed human souls took on new physical forms after the death of their bodily hosts

Transmigration and reincarnation: An individual soul could depart one body at death and become associated with another body through a new birth

Idyllic representation of the Dravidians before the arrival of the Indo-Aryans Slide36

Roots of Hinduism: The UpanishadsAryan and Dravidian values began to blend

The

Upanishads

were Indian reflections and dialogues from around 800-400 B.C. that reflected basic Hindu concepts

Upanishads

means “a sitting in front of” and refers to the practice of disciples gathering before a sage for discussion of religious issuesSlide37

Roots of Hinduism: The Upanishads

Upanishads

taught that appearances are deceiving, that individual human beings are not separate and autonomous creatures

Instead, each person participates in a larger cosmic order and forms a small part of a universal soul (

Brahman

)

The physical world is a theater of change instability, and illusion

The

Brahman

is an external, unchanging, permanent foundation of all things that exist– the only genuine realitySlide38

Roots of Hinduism: The UpanishadsIndividuals souls were born into the physical world not once, but many times

Souls appear most often as humans, but sometimes as animals, plants, or other vegetable matter

The highest goal of the individual soul is to escape this cycle of birth and rebirth and enter into permanent union with

BrahmanSlide39

Roots of Hinduism: Teachings of the Upanishads

Samsara

Upon death, individual souls go temporarily to the World of the Fathers and then return in new incarnation

Karma

“Now as a man is like this or like that, according as he acts and according as he behaves, so will he be: a man of good acts will become good, a man of bad acts, bad. He becomes pure by pure deeds, bad by bad deeds.”

Brhadaranyaka UpanishadSlide40

Roots of Hinduism: Teachings of the Upanishads

Mosksha

The goal (escaping the cycle of rebirth)

A deep, dreamless sleep that came with permanent liberation from physical incarnation

Obtained by asceticism and meditation

Separation from the physical world to merge with

Brahman

Shiva: The Lord of Yoga meditating on Mount Kailasa in the Himalayas Slide41

The Emergence of Popular HinduismBhagavad Gita

Short poem finalized around 400 A.D. which represented the new Hindu ethical teaching that promised salvation to those who participated actively in the world and met their caste responsibilities

“Strive constantly to serve the welfare of the world; by devotion to selfless work one attains the supreme goal in life. Do your work with the welfare of others always in mind.”

Contrast with the

Upanishads

that taught that individuals could escape the cycle of incarnation only through renunciation and detachment from the worldSlide42

The Emergence of Popular HinduismBhagavad Gita and other new teachings made life easier for the lay classes

Individuals should meet their responsibilities in a detached fashion without striving for reward or recognition

Perform your duties faithfully, concentrating on your actions alone, with no thought of the consequencesSlide43

Four Principal Aims of Human LifeDharma

Obedience to religious and moral laws

Artha

The pursuit of economic well-being and honest prosperity

Kama

The enjoyment of social, physical, and sexual pleasure

Moksha

The salvation of the soul

A proper balance of

dharma

, artha, and kama would help an individual attain mokshaSlide44

Popularity SpreadsAs devotional Hinduism evolved and became increasingly distinct from the

Upanishads

and the

brahmins

, its appeal spread across Indian society

Hinduism gradually displaced Buddhism as the most popular religion in India

Buddhist monks began to confine themselves to their monasteries rather than actively seeking to spread their messageSlide45

Major World ReligionsSource: About, Inc http://christianity.about.com/library/weekly/blreligiontop.htm

Religion

Members

Christianity 2 Billion

Islam 1.2 Billion 

Hinduism 785 Million 

Buddhism 360 Million 

Judaism 17 Million 

Sikhism 16 Million

Baha‘i 5 Million

Confucianism 5 Million

Jainism 4 Million

Shintoism 3 Million

Wicca .7 Million

Zoroastrianism .2 MillionSlide46

Religion Today in China and India

China is officially atheist.

The CIA World Factbook estimates Daoists, Buddhists, and Muslims make up 1%-2% of China’s population and Christians make up 3%-4%

Population of 1,330,044,544

The CIA World Factbook reports India is

81.3% Hindu

12% Muslim

2.3% Christian

1.9% Sikh

2.5% other groups including Buddhist, Jain, ParsiSlide47

Distribution of Buddhists TodaySource: http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_buddhist.html

Country %

Thailand 95

Cambodia 90

Myanmar 88

Bhutan 75

Sri Lanka 70

Tibet 65

Laos 60

Vietnam 55

Japan 50

Macau 45

Taiwan 43

Country Number

of Buddhists

China 102,000,000

Japan 89,650,000

Thailand 55,480,000

Vietnam 49,690,000

Myanmar 41,610,000

Sri Lanka 12,540,000

South Korea 10,920,000

Taiwan 9,150,000

Cambodia 9,130,000

India 7,000,000Slide48

Buddhism Today: the Dalai Lama

Tenzin Gyatso is the 14th Dalai Lama

His followers consider him a living Buddha, the incarnation of the Buddha of Compassion

Unsuccessfully tried to protect Tibet’s rights after China invaded

Ultimately fled to Dharamsala, India where he currently leads Tibet’s government in exile

Won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989

In 2007 China made it illegal for the Dalai Lama to reincarnate without government permission!Slide49

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