Buddhism a history Buddhism spread in all directions from India but nearly disappeared - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Buddhism

a historySlide2

Buddhism spread in all directions from India but nearly disappeared in India itself by the 13th century

CE.Slide3

Amida

Jizo

Hotei

(avatar of

Miroku

)Slide4
Slide5
Slide6
Slide7

China

Japan

Early Folk Traditions

Early Folk Traditions

Shinto

Classical Daoism

Daoism

Theravada Buddhism (from India)

(and

m

aybe Mahayana)

Mahayana Buddhism

Pure Land Buddhism

Mahayana Buddhism

Confucianism

Tibet

Early Folk Traditions

Vajrayana

Buddhism

Chen (Chinese Zen) Buddhism

Religions of China

Zen Buddhism

Religions of JapanSlide8

Questions I wish the Buddha had been asked (to now discuss)

To maximize your eating pleasure, is it better to order two 12” pizzas or one 18” pizza?AND/OR

Would your rather fight one horse-sized duck or 50 duck-sized horses?Slide9

He was born somewhere between modern day India & Nepal in the

Shakya “republic” of which his dad was a leader. He was born in either the 6th

or 5

th

centuries BCE.

He was of the Kshatriya caste and had at least one child

He left his privileged life and had some sort of unsatisfactory religious/spiritual experienceThis caused him found the religion of Buddhism. He spread this, beginning at

Sarnath, through teaching, gaining a few followers, for a number of years.He died at an older age, somewhere in India and was cremated in accordance with the funeral rite of Indus Valley culture at the time.

What we know about the historical Buddha, for sureSlide10

NioSlide11

First & second Buddhist councils

First council (5th

century BCE)

:

With the death of Shakyamuni remaining Buddhist hold a council in India to try to codify Buddhism and make it a unique, separate religion from Hinduism

Last part is important—some evidence show that many people tried to roll Buddhism into Hinduism as some sort of offshoot/other

marga

Objective of the council is to codify dharma and its key sutraMuch of the memory from Ananda and taken as fact; but much is still not written down, following an oral tradition. This eventually becomes the Pali CanonAlso establishes vinaya—rules and regulations of the SanghaAt this point, the Three Jewels are the foundation of BuddhismSecond council (4

th century BCE):Very short council to deal with corruptions and relaxation of rules of the Sangha (kinda like issues with the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages)Council reaffirms the necessity of Sangha rules and calls other ideas hereticalSlide12

Questions I wish the Buddha had been asked (to now discuss)

At what point does one become famous enough for a murder to become an

assassination?

AND/OR

Is it easier to hit a big target with a small object or a small target with a big object?Slide13

Asoka (

273-232 BCE) & the 3

rd

council

Mauyran

king, generally

considered greatest

India kingFirst person to rule all of modern India

Began very warlike and unconcerned with religion, has revelation after seeing violence he perpetuatedConverted to Buddhism, But allowed

freedom of religion, as long as you were religious in some way

Tried to place Buddhism within the state:Never fought a war againMade any type of physical punishment illegal (branding, whipping, executions, etc.)

even applied this to animals

Created public schools, roads,

free inns for travelers

Most famous series of pillars with Buddhist saying he erected throughout the land

Generally

called for all his people to be faithful and care about humanity

Greatly spread Buddhism, and the simple idea of religion, within SE Asia

Convenes the third council (c.

250 BCE

) to try and re-center the increasingly corrupt Sangha (purifies—i.e. kicks out); also begins the practice of spreading Buddhism through missionaries—first time it starts to make its way out of India and east & all the way west to Athens

By 13

th

century CE Buddhism is all but gone from India thanks to the Mughal Empire (and attacks right before that)—make sense givens it pacifismSlide14

During his reign Asoka tried to influence dharma through his position and 33 edicts. To get the message out he erected pillars across India which stated the role of Buddhism, beliefs and practices.Slide15

Key Virtues and Sins as decided by the 3

rd council

Positive

: charity, morality, mental cultivation, respect, service to others, sharing merits with others, preaching and teaching the dharma, reading or listening to the dharma, straightening ones views

Negative

:

3 bodily actions: Killing, stealing, sexual

immorality; 4 verbal actions: lying, slander, harsh speech, gossip; 3 mental actions: jealousy/covetousness, ill will, wrong thoughtSlide16

Questions I wish the Buddha had been asked (to now discuss)

Is a doughnut a pastry?AND/OR

If everyone uses #2 pencils, why are they still #2?Slide17

The beginning of Mahayana and Two Fourth Councils

No one knows for sure exactly when, how, and why Mahayana Buddhism began

This makes that theory that it is closer to the original teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha all the more important

Also there were as many as 18 different schools of Theravada, all but one of which died out, which it may also have come from

But we have no primary sources on that; all written record is hearsay

Most

Buddhologists

see it as a group of people trying to emulate and follow the ideas of Shakyamuni that just grewMost evidence notes it started in South IndiaEarliest sutra were probably written 1st century BCEFirst 4th council:Convened near the end of Asoka’s reign—Pali

Canon written down for the first time; ensures teachings of this T school will not be lost (becomes modern day T)Second 4th council:Convened around 100 CE—leads to the split between T & M—and T rejects this council as not being authoritativeAlso leads to translating the entire works of the dharma in Sanskrit (from Pali); this was used heavily by M, but then translated into the vernacular, resulting in a major translations issue within BuddhismSlide18

Questions I wish the Buddha had been asked (to now discuss)

Why is phonic not spelled the way it sounds?AND/OR

Why does Donald Duck wear a towel around his waist when getting out of the shower?Slide19

Buddhism comes to

China and JapanArrives sometime between 250BCE-250CE via traders on the silk road

Japanese tradition says it was later (552 or 538 CE) but evidence

says otherwise

Went to China first and then Japan

Unsure whether Mahayana was founded in India and then migrated or if Theravada mixed with indigenous religions to form Mahayana

Evidence suggest latter is more likely

 correction, this may be changing as of the last few years; more evidence is beginning to suggest the formerBy 200 CE accounts of Chinese and Japanese scholars going to India to learn emergeAround this time it begins to become integral to the popular religions of both countriesBy 500CE at the latest Buddhism is integrating itself into the workings of both statesSlide20

Folk religions of China & Japan

What do you remember about the early folk religions of China and later Folk Daoism? To what extent did/does that blend with Buddhism?

Ancient folk religions of Japan eventually become codified and turned into

Shinto; Chinese religion becomes folk & classical Daoism and we’ve covered those, a lot



Shinto is:

The

“Spirit Way” (shin-do)Ancient, indigenous, mythical, religion of Japan

Based strongly in nature and the natural wordMost traditional haiku writers are ShintoRoots begin around 3500 years ago, first remaining codified records date back 1500 yearsNo founder – An “ethnic”

religion of the Japanese people  involves itself in the state

Intertwined into the culture like Hinduism in India (stays this way even with Buddhism popularity)Shinto permeates Japanese birth and life with a series of ceremonies: newborn, 7-5-3, adulthood, marriage, etc.

Most Japanese use Buddhism for funeral rightsSlide21
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Kami, Gods, and Mythology

The

Kami

/

Megami

is the main, overarching supreme being God much like Brahman

kami just means god or spirit Polytheistic after the Kami—each shrine has it own dedicated animal

Other, main deities based in nature or natural forcesEx: Amaterasu is Sun goddess and supposedly mother of first emperor of JapanLeads to a series of festivals based around seasons and nature  ex: water purification rights, etc.Creation myth – Japan as the center of the worldMan then taught the Four Affirmations to live by:

Tradition and FamilyLove of NaturePhysical cleanlinessMatsuri: festivals that worship and honor the KamiSlide24
Slide25

Shakyamuni,

Jizo

,

Miroku

trinitySlide26

Schools of Japanese Buddhism

Early schools: Nara and Kyoto were the big centers of Buddhism in early Japan, Kamakura laterSix schools, none of which hold much weight today (but which become derivatives for today’s major schools develop)

All based in and around China

Japanese Buddhism is at first seen as corrupt since it didn’t come from India, so it always looks to China, monks study in China, come back to Japan, etc. lasts that way for nearly 1,000 years

One of the first schools to stick and last till modernity (though now in decline) is

Tendai

Tendai

: a tantric school of Buddhism brought to Japan around 800Very similar to Shingon (see below), but less popular and more antiquatedTantric: generally thought of as Vajrayana Buddhism, but has some place in Mahayana schoolsInvolves superstition, fortunetelling ritual, prophecy, esoteric (only a few people can know) and gnostic (secretive) knowledge, texts that are hard to discern, emphasis on elements (like Folk Daoism) and their properties, alchemy,

bosatsu reverenceIn this case the syncretism with Shinto and the Kami pretty much make it flat out polytheisticTends to focus around the arts (esp. given the esoteric nature of poems, etc.)Modern schoolsOfficially there are 13 major schools of Japanese Buddhism; but in practice they have splintered and sub-splintered to create around 56 branches and lots more variationsMost popular, in order are: Pure Land, Zen, Shingon (&

Tendai), NichirenSlide27

Dainichi

(

Vairocana

in Sanskrit—principal

Bosatsu

of

venetration

in

Tendai

and

Shingon

)

Seishi

YakushiSlide28

Vajrayana Buddhism in Tibet

Comes to Tibetan Plateau around 400s CE from mountains of India, mixes with Chinese Mahayana and Tibetan folk religions

Becomes known as a tantric religion—it has more Gods, superstition, ritual, festivals, etc.; also believes in tradition, magic/supernatural etc.

Also involves a traditional class system

Involves ritualizes war when Tibet is powerful

When Mongolians war machine clashes with Tibet (and fights them to a draw) they gain respect, share cultures and create a codified theocracy

Monks run all walks of life; all boys enter the monastery, hierarchical system of religious lamas emerges

Rest of the population remains hunters/gathers, for the large part Dalai Lama (incarnation of Kannon (Avalokitesvara), bodhisattva of compassion) becomes head of state and religionBy 1500s Tibetans become peaceful and integrate all parts of Vajrayana into the stateSlide29

KannonSlide30

Map showing the approximate distribution of Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism

in the world today. About 60% of the world’s Buddhist are Mahayana.Slide31

Buddhism & The Lotus Sutra

(pp. 979-982)Between and 147

CE-1253,

4

key types of Buddhism emerge with variations in both China and Japan based around the

Lotus Sutra

: Pure Land, Esoteric, Zen, Nichiren.

Outline the greater vehicle/higher path Shakyamuni Buddha lays out for Shariputra in this passageCompare and contrast the core ideas of Theravada with the new ideas laid out in the Lotus SutraAnalyze Tathagata’s attitude towards Shariputra.Examine what the Buddha warns Shariputra

against.Slide32
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Slide34

Buddhism Socratic Seminar II

Texts: from “Buddhism and the West” by Lopez (pp. 754-757)

The Rhinoceros Horn Sutra

(pp. 910-913

); from

The Lotus Sutra

(pp. 964-972); The Heart Sutra (pp. 1044-1047); from The Tibetan Book of the Dead

(pp. 1393-1401); The Record of Linji (pp. 1223-1227 — this is a Zen text, beware ); Buddha or Karl Marx (pp. 1438-1443);

Smokey the Bear Sutra (pp. 1459-1462); from Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind (pp. 1452-1459); The Dalai Lama’s

Nobel Peace Prize Address (pp. 1463-1469);

and “Buddha Rising” from

my website.Discussion on the current beliefs, role, doctrines and use of Buddhism today; the festivals, rituals, and iconography; sacred texts and their meaning, development, and importance; ethics and moral conduct; and the religious experience of Buddhism.

You will receive talking points/pictures for HW the night before.

This is a (75 point) culminating grade.Slide35

Buddhism and the

Japanese state

Japan has a

love-hate

relationship with Buddhism

Some emperors have declared it a state treasure, others a state

parasiteHas often relied on support of population

Mahayana monasteries are dead in the center of town, some towns built around themIn middle ages, many emperors ran out all forms of the practice except Pure Land and ZenEventually Japan militarizes BuddhismSamurai eventually become an offshoot of ZenNot the only state to do it; but does so the most and for the longestDuring early Meiji period (1860s-1880s) all religions except Zen, Pure Land, and Shinto (used to promote nationalism) are kicked out of Japan, violently if necessary

Today many Japanese use aspects of both caring more for Shinto earlier in life, Buddhism later (born Shinto, die Buddhist)Slide36

Tamonten

or

Monju

??

Koumokuten

or

Fugen

??Slide37

Militarizing Japanese Buddhism

Buddhism, like all other religions, has a history of violence that dates to Buddha and early trappings of the

sangha

Partially due to the lack of unifying canonical scripture

Samurai saw as an opportunity to do their duty—kill people often and quickly—and carry some type of religion

Worked with Zen because some schools of Zen & Pure Land allow

Buddahood

in epiphanies  can fight and become Buddhist at the endMeiji Period (1868-1945) committed religiocideUsed Shinto to promote nationalism and kill all non zen

/warlike Buddhists—saw others as drain on the state, which was rapidly modernizingStarts on a global level during Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)“[If ordered to] march: tramp, tramp, or shoot: bang, bang. This is the manifestation of the highest Wisdom [of Enlightenment]. The unity of Zen and war of which I speak extends to the farthest reaches of the holy war [now under way]” – Zen Buddhist monkPromoted

self sacrifice (i.e. kamikaze) to help stateBuddhism/Shinto eventually make a very strong comeback after WWII, and stay somewhat nationalist (

kinda a don’t ask/don’t tell situation)Slide38
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Zen at War

Historians and Buddhologists have identified 12 key reasons for the militarization of (usually Zen) Buddhism on a large scale leading to global war:

Subservience of Buddhism to the state.

Buddhist views on humanity and society. Though

“Buddhism

emphasizes the equality of human beings based on their possession of a Buddha

nature”;

the doctrine of karma has also been used as a “moral justification for social inequality.”Protection of the state and the hierarchical social structures. (Un)official structuring within sangha and to laity based on hierarchy

Emphasis on anatta and selflessness, “leaving no room for the independence of the individual.”Lack of Buddhist dogma, doctrine, deity, etc., which left no “compelling basic dogma a believer would fight to

preserve,” thus allowing perversion of teachingsThe Japanese concept of on

, “the teaching that a debt of gratitude is owed to those from whom favors are received.” In the case of Japanese Zen—with Shinto syncretism—this

gratitude was also owed to the Emperor, as “the head of the entire Japanese family.”

The belief in mutual

dependency between social sectors,

which

“led

in modern Japan to an organic view of the state coupled with a feeling of intimacy towards

it.”

The doctrine of the Middle Way, which

“took

the form of a constant search for compromise with the aim of avoiding confrontation before it

occurred.”

The tradition of ancestor veneration, in which

“the

entire nation came to be regarded as one large family in which loyalty between subject and sovereign was the chief

virtue.”

The value given to

“old

and mature things.” Since society was based “on a set of ancient and immutable laws,” opposition to this was unacceptable.

Emphasis on inner peace and samadhi, which “contributed to its failure to encourage and justify the will to reorganize society” away from traditionThe Buddhist logic of soku

(just as it is) which leads to “a static, aescetic

perspective, a detached, subjective harmony with things.”Slide40

Monks copying sutras during

HanamatsuriSlide41

Buddhism and the West

Buddhism first makes it way to the West during the missionary period under the reign of Asoka.

After the end of the Hellenistic age, there is tangential mention of Buddhism in the west but nothing major

One account on the silk road points out the Buddhism and Christianity were so similar a merchant thought he was dealing with slightly weird Christians, not Buddhists

The Mongolian Horde (which was originally Buddhist then it became Muslim) brought it to the outskirts of Europe

Some members of the far reaches of the Russian Empire adopted Buddhism to the point Russia had, at one point (1600s) a Buddhist based regiment

These regiment lasted long enough that it even brought the ideas of Buddhism to Paris at the end of the Napoleonic Wars

Real western interest in Buddhism began during the Age of Colonialism and ImperialismOpening of Japan (1853) and Tibet (mid 1930s) to Westerns helpedWesterns considered Buddhism to be the only “true” Eastern religion and treated it with respect—considering it just below Christianity on the pecking orderWhile Americans come in contact with Buddhism when forming their late 19

th century empire; real interest begins after the US fights two wars (Korea and Vietnam) in AsiaTroops come back with Buddhist wives; US lets in refuges who are BuddhistThis will only continue to grow as we turn our foreign policy to Asia