My organization is currently embarked on a year-long exploration of world religions with monthly presentations about selected religions. For February, we are exploring Buddhism. Here is the text of a document that I prepared and distributed as a brief introduction to this great religion (or philosophy.
What if God Was One of Us?
Part 2: An Introduction to Buddhism
Part of a unique year-long series of programs
Introducing the public to the world's great religions
Sponsored by: Unity Church of Louisville, Interfaith Paths to Peace
and the Rainbow Spiritual Education Center
An Overview of Buddhism:
Buddhism was born in Nepal in the fifth Century BCE, when the historical Siddhartha Gautama achieved enlightenment and became a Buddha, or “awakened one.”
Although Buddhism is often referred to as a religion, some people see it as less a religion and more a philosophy of living. Many Buddhists either do not have the concept of a Western-style “creator God” or practice a non-theistic style of spirituality. Many Buddhists also do not believe in an individual eternal soul.
At the heart of Buddhism and its practices are two key goals. One is the elimination of suffering for all sentient beings. The second is the cessation of the cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth (Samsara) leading to Nirvana, the supreme state of being freed from suffering and individual existence.
According to some sources, there are two major branches in Buddhism: The Theravadan and the Mahayana. The Theravadan is the oldest of the Buddhist traditions and preserves the Pali Canon (original Buddhist canon). Mahayana Buddhism (the Great Vehicle) arose in the first Century CE and emphasizes the value of compassion and holds that all beings can achieve Buddhahood. The Mahayana tradition includes Zen Buddhism and the Nichiren (and Soka Gakkai) practices. A number of scholars see Tibetan Buddhism as a third major branch because of its distinctive beliefs and practices.
Estimates of the world population of Buddhists vary between 250 million and over one billion. Some sources put the international Buddhist population at about 350 million. The US Buddhist population is estimated at slightly more than one million. Although Buddhists are present in many countries around the world, they are highly concentrated in the Asian subcontinent (Tibet, Pakistan, and India), as well as East and Southeast Asia. There are now over 1,000 Buddhists in Louisville and Southern Indiana
A Few Words about Buddhism in Louisville. Louisville’s Buddhist population is served by spiritual communities and/or organizations including Zen, Tibetan, Soka Gakkai (Nichiren), Vietnamese, and Sri Lankan Buddhist traditions. For further information about The Venerable Nanda and his Bodhiraja Foundation (an organization for world peace, community welfare and volunteer work) please e-mail embilipitiye@yahoo.com. For information about Soka Gakkai International please visit http://www.sgi-usa.org/ , and for local information call the SGI-USA KY Buddhist Center at 454-6100. For information about Tibetan Buddhism and the Drepung Gomang Institute, please visit http://drepunggomang.com. For information about the Louisville-area Vietnamese Buddhist community visit www.sanghalou.org. For information about Zen teaching or meditation with Richard Sisto please contact Bellarmine Continuing Education or e-mail: tatduende2@yahoo.com.
Some Key Concepts in Buddhism Among the key concepts in Buddhism are The Three Jewels, The Four Noble Truths, The Noble Eightfold Path, The Five Precepts, and the ideas of Karma and Rebirth. Karma is the notion that our conscious actions have obvious positive or negative consequences which are not punished but rather lead us to places that will help or hinder our spiritual progress not only in this lifetime but in subsequent lives. For Buddhists, the notion of Rebirth does not mean reincarnation in the way many Westerners conceive of it (as an immortal soul being reborn in a different body). In Buddhism, there is no “me” (or ego) to be reborn.
Buddhists are said to take refuge in “The Three Jewels”: The Buddha (a figure to be revered and listened to), the Dharma (the body of teachings and practices about how to live), and the Sangha (the community of practitioners). As noted above, the problem of suffering is central to Buddhism.
The Four Noble Truths articulated by the Buddha are:
1. To live is to suffer.
2. Attachment is the cause of suffering.
3. Suffering can be brought to an end.
4. There is a particular path that leads to the end of suffering.
The Noble Eightfold Path offers a model for how we can end our suffering by:
1. Right View. Recognizing the truth of the Buddha’s teachings.
2. Right Resolve. People can and must change in order to end their suffering.
3. Right Speech. Recognizing and speaking the truth without distortion from ego and without embroidering it with our own interests.
4. Right Action. Striving to do no harm to other sentient beings.
5. Right Livelihood. Ruling out work that harms or takes advantage of others or that in other ways hampers our spiritual progress.
6. Right Effort. Learning to control our negative thoughts and encouraging and instilling positive thinking, especially loving-kindness, empathy and compassion.
7. Right Mindfulness. Being fully present to what is happening around us, being attentive.
8. Right Concentration. Using meditation techniques to calm our minds and be able to concentrate on a single object, subject, or theme.
The Five Precepts are not laws or vows made to God or another person; they are promises Buddhists make to themselves to help them diminish their attachment to harmful practices. The Five Precepts include:
1. To Refrain from Harming Living Beings.
2. To Refrain from Stealing.
3. To Refrain from Sexual Immorality.
4. To Refrain from Lying.
5. To Refrain from Intoxicants.
Buddhist Scriptures and Sources for Further Information. The number of key Buddhist texts is too large to include here, but worthy of mention in a limited space are The Pali Canon (The Buddha’s sayings compiled in the 1st century CE in Sri Lanka); The Dhammapada (a key gathering of the Buddha’s sayings in verse); Numerous Sanskrit Sutras, and The Tibetan Book of the Dead. A good introductory book is The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, by Thich Nhat Hanh. For more information about Buddhism and Buddhist texts please visit www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism3.htm.
Selected Buddhist Practices. There are a host of spiritual practices available to Buddhists in the many different traditions. Among these are a variety of different styles of meditation (including sitting and walking, and a number associated with ritualistic actions). Chanting is also central to a number of traditions, and plays a key role in the spiritual practices of the Soka Gakkais who chant “Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo” (the title of the Lotus Sutra). Some other practices include weekly spiritual gatherings, ritual theatrical presentations, the creation of Sand Mandalas, the use of prayer flags and prayer wheels, creation of Zen gardens, fasting, study of Buddhist texts, Zen koans, and even spiritual debate.
For Further Information about World Religions: A few good sources of information about world religions for those interested in further inter-religious exploration are: the book The World Religions by Huston Smith and a two-volume work entitled, How to Be A Perfect Stranger. A good, general web site about world religions is www.religioustolerance.org. For further information about the sponsoring groups please visit
www.paths2peace.org,
www.unityoflouisville.org,
www.paths2peace.org">, www.rainbowspiritualeducationcenter.org
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