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Post #7 – Main Basic Buddhist Teachings/Concepts

1). Utilizing Smith's material on Buddhism discuss the main basic Buddhist teachings/concepts and how Buddha arrived at them.
2). In what way is it similar to Hinduism and in what way very different?
3). Why does Smith think that Buddhism died out in India, the land of its birth, but Hinduism did not?

Answer:

Buddhism is a religion which focuses on the teachings of Buddha, who lived on the continent of Indian around the fifth century BCE. Buddhism spread throughout the subcontinent in the five centuries following Buddha's passing, and propagated into Central, Southeast, and East Asia.

The Buddhism beliefs are a religion devoid of authority, ritual, speculation (explanation), tradition, grace, and the super-natural (mysticism.) However, after the Buddha's death, all these ideas that he worked to hard to protect came back into it. The Buddhism religion is unique in that is was empirical (appealed to direct validation), scientific (test by living experience), pragmatic (a tools who's value was only in its use), therapeutic, psychological, egalitarian (insisted that women were as capable of aching enlightenment as men, rejection of the caste system) and was directed to individuals.

Specifically Buddhism is a study in which a person works on discovering the true nature of reality, mainly accomplished through years of spiritual discipline, practice and investigation. For the Buddhist, Nirvana (a state in which most of our private desires have been exhausted) is life’s goal and this can be achieved via awareness of the Buddha's key discoveries of Four Noble Truths.

The first truth being that one's existence is full of suffering and that this suffering (akin to the pain of living life out of joint or awry) can be relieved. The second truth is that this suffering originated from a specific kind desire within us, it is our own desire for personal fulfillment (selfishness.) The third truth is that one can release one self by overcoming our desires (selfishness.) The fourth truth is that through a strict discipline one can follow a methodical or "Eightfold Path", to overcome suffering and desire. Prefacing the "Eightfold Path" is need for right association, to be influenced by living examples of others around us who have previously followed or are just ahead of us on this path. This is akin to yoking ourselves with someone who already knows or is ahead of us in this experience. This way one can see evidence this it is possible.

The "Eightfold Path" is a means of overcoming suffering. The first part is to have right knowledge. This knowledge comes in the form of the Four Nobel Truths, which act as a map, which can guide us. The second part is to have the right aspiration and to decide what one really wants. The third part is to have the right kind of speech. One needs to notice what one's speech reveals about them and then begin to participate in non hurtful, not exaggerated, truthful way of speaking. The fourth part it to have right behavior. This is accomplished by following Buddha's Five Precepts: do not kill, do not steal, do not lie, and do not be unchaste. The fifth part is to have the right livelihood. This means one should engage in occupations that promote life instead of destroying it. The sixth part is right effort or moral exertion. The seventh part is to have right mindfulness, which means one is to have self awareness, or to see things as they really are. The eighth part is to execute the right absorption techniques used to clear ones vision or view.

Common concepts for Buddhism are Nirvana, and the human self. Nirvana is a state in which most of our private desires have been exhausted. Regarding the self, Buddha claimed that one has no soul, or at least in the manner in which Hindus thought. This “anatta” (no soul) it had come to signify first a spiritual substance which, in keeping with the dualistic position believed by the Hindus, and secondly one that retains its separate identity forever. Regarding God, Buddhism is essentially atheistic. Buddhists do not believe in the concept of God as a being who created the universe by deliberate design.

Buddha felt that if we would stop clutching for permanence only if its non-existence is driven into the marrow of our being. Regarding death an ordinary person would leave strands of finite desire that can only be realized in other incarnations, however this would not apply to one who has extinguished all such desires. The question of a realized soul's existence after death is a case in point. Buddha also refused to give a detailed picture of the state of nirvana.

Anyone can follow Buddha's example and become enlightened through the study of his words and putting them into practice, by leading a virtuous, moral life, and purifying his mind. The aim of Buddhist practice is to put an end to the suffering and stress of existence. Buddhist teaching encourages one to practice and verify the Buddha's teachings based on their own personal experience. This allows one to question whether they are valid or not, and if so, to apply them in a practical form into their daily life if they so wish. The transformational discovery one can obtain is called "Awakening" or "Enlightenment".

Buddha arrived at his conclusions through his own journey to Nirvana. At the age of 29, Gautama perceived the inevitability of pain and passage. As a result the fleshly pleasures he had at his beckon call lost their charm. He resolved himself to follow the calling of a truth-seeker. One night he made silent farewell of his sleeping wife and son and set off for a forest for this purpose. Upon reaching it he discarded his royal attire, shaved his head, and went forth to seek enlightenment via a three phase process.

It began with his seeking out two of the foremost Hindu masters of the day and learning what he could learn from their tradition. His next step was to join a band of ascetics and give their way a try. In each practice he outdid his teachers, and eventually got to the point where he had become so weak that had his companions not rescued him with some food he would have died. This experience taught him the futility of asceticism and this inspired what was to become the first constructive plank of his program; a principle of The Middle Way between the extremes of asceticism and self-indulgence. Having renounced asceticism, Guatama devoted the final phase of his quest to a combination of rigorous thought and mystic concentration along the lines of Hinduism's raja yoga. Sensing that a breakthrough was near, he sat down one evening under a Bo Tree, resolving not to stop until he had gained his goal.

Mara (the evil one) attempted to disrupt Gautama's concentration by parading women in front of him. When this failed he was afflicted with flaming rocks, however as the rocks came closer to him, they turned into blossom petals. Mara then challenged Gautama's right to seek this enlightenment. However, Gautama touched the ground and the earth shook. After this Gautama's meditation deepened until his mind pierced the worlds bubble, collapsing it, only to find it restored again the essence of true being. This was the Great Awaking for Gautama, he was now gone, replaced with Buddha. However Mara was waiting for one last attempt. He questioned Buddha on how he would expect others to understand what he had just discovered. Why shouldn't Buddha just stay in Nirvana? Buddha replied with, "There will be some who understand." At that point Mara disappeared. Shortly afterward, Buddha founded order of monks and began challenging the deadness of Brahmin society amidst of resentment, queries and bewilderment.

Buddhism is only similar to Hinduism in the practice/techniques for meditation (raja yoga) and that of the behavior of not killing animals. The religion of Buddha appeared almost overnight as reactions to what the Buddha thought were Hindu perversions.

In Hinduism authority was hereditary and exploitative. The Brahmis hoarded their secrets and would only provide assistance for large sums of money. All Hindu rituals have become mechanical in means and were targets for performing miracles. All explanations for the way things were had any experiential base and often evolved into arguments. Tradition for the Hindus was more like dead weight to carry around. Often God's Grace was being misread, especially in ways that undercut personal responsibility. Any mystery was confused with mystification or perverse obsession with miracles and the occult. Buddha on the other hand was determined to clear the ground such that truth might spring forth. The Buddha preached a religion devoid of authority, ritual, speculation (explanation), tradition, grace, and the super-natural (mystery.) However, after his death, all these ideas that he worked to protect came back into it. The Buddhism religion is unique in that is was empirical (appealed to direct validation), scientific (test by living experience), pragmatic (a tools who's value was only in its use), therapeutic, psychological, egalitarian (insisted that women were as capable of aching enlightenment as men, rejection of the caste system) and was directed to individuals. According to the Buddha, the human self was said to have no soul and had come to signify the opposite of what the Hindus thought about the soul. While believing in reincarnation, he disagreed with Hindu ideas of it (a pellet that migrated from body to body.)

Houston Smith mentions in his book that Buddhism did not really die out, but instead absorbed and accommodated by Hinduism. Hindus eventually admitted the legitimacy of many of Buddha's reforms. Later especially with the influence of the Mahayana Buddhism, Buddhist teaching came sound more like Hindu ones. Buddhism stress on kindness to all creatures, the non-killing of animals, and the elimination of caste barriers became part of Hinduism. Eventually the Buddha was recognized as an avatar, or a divine incarnation. The concept of Nirvana became assimilated to a non-dual view of moksha.