Class notes by C. Michael Schram
Buddhism
The founder of Buddhism was Prince Sddhartha Gautama (Gotama), born 563 BC. He lived in the northern Indian city-state of Kapilauatsu.
Gautama’s father the king has a prophecy that his son would become a wandering aesthetic monk. When his son sees four signs and old man, a diseased man, a dead man, and a wandering monk. His father wanting a successor to the throne tries to keep these things from his son's site. His son has a yearning to see what is outside the palace and asks his charioteer to take him outside the palace. Here he sees an old man, a diseased man, a dead man and he asks his charioteer about each. The prince is troubled by what he sees and hears. He then sees a wandering monk and asks his charioteer about this person. The charioteer tells him that the monk is out seeking the truth. The son decides he too means to learn the truth and to become a monk. That way he will learn the truth of suffering and how to escape from it. His father hears of his plan and puts on a party to keep his son home. The party is extravagant and lewd; the prince is put off by the whole affair. The Prince says goodbye to his wife and daughter, discards his princely clothes, takes on the clothes of a monk, cuts off his beard and goes out among the common people. Here he meets a group of people seeking enlightenment.
First he tries meditation alone to reach enlightenment and finds it an adequate. He then joins with a group of an aesthetic monks (Hindus) who are in to bodily testing. He determines that they obsessed on things they are trying to get away from. He becomes disillusioned with this path. He then decides to take a middle path and to steer a middle course between luxurious ardent indulgence and punishing aestheticism. He is said to have sat under Buddha tree and was resolved not to move until enlightenment came. As he sat he recalled his past lives and saw the suffering that was in these lives.

The 4 Noble Truths
1) Life is suffering (unhappiness)
2) Desire is the cause of suffering. Tanha = Craving. Desire is an addiction.
3) Extinguishing desire extinguishes suffering.
4) The way to extinguish desire is the “Eight Fold Path”

The Eight Fold Path
1) Understanding
2) Intention = Purpose, commitment.
3) Speech = Truth and honesty.
4) Action (conduct) = Don’t kill or harm other beings.
5) Vocation (job) = Goes with other percepts.
6) Effort = Working at the goal.
7) Mindfulness = Being aware of what you are doing. Pay attention to what’s around you.
8) Meditation.
See the book “Miracle of Mindfulness”


Desire is like “Itching”
a) Having to face the unpleasant
b) Being removed from the pleasant
c) Having what you don’t want
d) Wanting what you don’t have.

Similarities whit Hinduism
1) Importance of Meditation = Enlightenment (Jnana, Raja)
2) Samara = the wheel of reincarnation and karma.
3) Twin human problem that of desire and ignorance.
4) Salvation through detachment and enlightenment.




Differences with Hinduism.
1) No Bhakti (Devotion to God) or group of gods, any god.
2) De-emphasis of tradition, ritual and ceremony.
3) No Brahman
4) No Atman (Buddhist doctrine of An-atman or no self, no soul)
5) No caste system
6) No metaphysical speculation (as in the Upanishads) See the parable of the poison arrow .Practical spirituality (Buddha dose assume some metaphysical, but seems to regard it as self-evident)
7) Moksha (Liberation) as “Nirvana” is a state of bliss, free from desire and unconditional, ultimately free. The self is a sense of related processes not a thing or substance. See the “Candle example”

Nirvana
“Blowing out” or “Smothering”
a) Known as experienced by the Arhat (perfected saint)
b) Final Nirvana = A state of bliss the Arhat achieves after death.
c) Nothingness
d) The heavenly realm