Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism - Smith Part II

1. When trying to understand the split in Buddhism, Smith argues that the divisions arise from three basic questions: What are the three questions and how do they relate to Buddhism? (120 - 121)
• The first question is asking if people are independent or interdependent. It is all dependent on the person. To some people are more aware of their self and take initiative to do things. Dependency upon others is only a hinderance to them, so they are independent. To others, dependency is beneficial and they believe in a deeper connectedness of all humans.
• The second question concerns the relationship with people and the universe; is the universe helpful, or do we need to fight for what we get? Some say that it is helpful and a higher power is there to hold humanity's hand, while others say the universe is hostile and we stand alone.
• The third question is: What is the best part of the human self, its head or its heart? It is the same question as would you rather be loved or respected? The people who choose the head seek wisdom, while those who choose the heart seek compassion.  
2. Smith outlines the basic differences between the schools in a single paragraph on page 121 - what are the main divisions he points out and what do the different names Mahayana and Hinayana (Theravada) mean?
• Mahayana - which means the big raft - is more focused on interdependency and compassion because they believe that reaching Nirvana should not be the complete focus of one's life. Mahayana is for the laypeople for this reason. It is more easy for people to follow Mahayana because they do not devote their lives to Nirvana and become monks, so it is the "Buddhism for the people". 
• Theravada - or known as Hinayana, the little raft - is the group who considers wisdom to be more important than compassion. The followers of this division give up everything in life to become monks and try to reach Nirvana. They focus on the self and are all independent. The Hinayana Buddhist didn't prefer their name so they changed it to Theravada which means the way of t
3. Read pages 122 - 127 and outline the major differences Smith gives for the division between Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism.
• Theravada Buddhists measure progress by the individual gain and their application of the will. Mahayana Buddhists don't need to measure individual progress because they are all working toward the same goal
• Theravada says we are on our own in the universe. Mahayana says that there is always a higher power propelling people toward it's ultimate goal
• The prime attribute in a bodhi is wisdom for Theravada Buddhists. They have profound insight into everything. Mahayana Buddhists believe that compassion is not just "present", but that it must be worked toward. 
• The sangha is at the heart of Theravada Buddhism. whole areas are centered around the monasteries to remind the lay people of a higher truth behind reality. The monks and nuns are partially distant from the society though because they rely on the people to add to their begging bowls everyday. 
• For Theravada Buddhists, the perfect role-model is the Arhat, which is the perfect disciple who finds nirvana on his own and proceeds toward his goal without doubt and unwavering. Mahayana Buddhists believe that the Bodhisattvas are the ideal role-models because they are enlightened, but choose not to reach nirvana in order to help the rest of the people in the world reach enlightenment. 

Theravada vs. Mahayana

Rituals:

- Shared

o Meditation

o Recitation of the Three Jewels

o Following the Five Precepts

o Funeral rites

o Merit transfer ceremonies

o Pilgrimages

o Focus on veneration

o Mudras, thangkas, mandalas

o Wesak celebration

o Asala celebration

o Kathina robe ceremony for monks

o Vassa celebration

o Obon Matsuri celebration in Japan

- Theravada

o No birth or marriage

o Pirit ceremonies

o Initiation ceremonies for new monks

o Ordination ceremonies for monks

o Male monks superior to female

o

- Mahayana

o More lay oriented

o More extravagant funerals

o New year festival

o Bodhisattva include women

Sacred Texts

- Shared

o Pali and Sanskrit represent different interpretations

o Oral collation of texts

- Theravada

o The Pali Canon

o Tipitaka

o Sutta Pitaka

o Siddhartha Gotama

- Mahayana

o The Diamond Sutra

o Lotus Sutra

o Heart Sutra

o Sukhavati sutras

o Shastras and Agamas develop texts

Doctrine and Beliefs

- Shared

o The Three Jewels

o Four Noble Truths

o Eightfold Path

o The Precepts

o The three Marks of Existence

§ Anicca, anatta, dukkha

o The Three Poisons

§ Ignorance

§ Desire

§ Aversion

o Samsara

o Lokas – planes of existence

- Theravada

o Siddhartha Gotama founded beliefs

o No claim to creator or God

o Cycle of existence

o More authority to monks than lay people

o Original form of Buddhism – “way of the elders”

o

- Mahayana

o Prominent Bodhisattvas and the historical Buddha founded the beliefs

o Bodhisattvas attain Buddha hood for others not themselves

o There are Buddhas in other realms

o Emphasis on monks but all aim for nirvana

o “The Great Vehicle”

Religious Experience

- Shared

o Conversion only includes the realization that everything is maya

o Monks meditate but most buddhists do not, they venerate the Buddha

o Women are presented in scripture negatively at times

o Essential role of women in Tebetan rituals is sex which leads to liberation and union of wisdom and compassion

- Theravada

o All boys are required to spend time in the monastery

- Mahayana

o Daily service to monks

o Lay community of both genders

Ethics and moral Conduct

- Shared

o Abolition of caste system

o Difference in authority is between monks and laypeople

o Nuns and monks who teach are highest with founders of schools

o Scriptures are extremely important

o Karuna (compassion for all)

o Role of karma and ethical action

- Theravada

o The Dhali Lama is one of the highest people in the faith

o Different rules of the monastery

Basic Buddhist Concepts

1. The biggest problems

a. The Lack of text written by the Buddha or anyone near him near his life

b. The first texts were written over a century after his death

c. Different interpretations hindered the clarity of the Buddha’s original teachings

d. Was very quiet during his teachings – didn’t say much because people were left to figure things out for themselves

e. Didn’t answer many of the questions asked of him because it wasn’t the part that mattered within the religion – not focusing on the end goal and metaphtysical

2. Nirvana

a. Smith uses the example of a fire running out of fuel – that is nirvana

b. The end goal of Buddhism but you can’t want it or think about it because we can’t understand it

c. When the fuel of private desire and boundless life has become extinct

d. The Buddha’s successor, Nagasena, described nirvana as simply bliss one time

e. The complete annihilation of impermanence

f. Nirvana is close to the concept of Godhead but it isn’t a personal God

3. Anatta

a. This is the lack of a personal, animating soul or ataman

b. There is no specific soul or pre formed entity passed on from one life to another

4. Transmigration

a. Transmigration is present and there is no predetermined destiny for everything, rather everyone in their present state is the way they are from the actions in the previous lives.

b. Free will is present because there isn’t a single entity that knows the ultimate outcome of the world, but rather there only exists the present so everything one does influences the future and future lives

c. Karma determines a person’s presence in the next life, but it isn’t the karma of the soul, just the karma of the person and casual connectedness of life

5. Why Buddha Suggested Annica

a. Using his Three Marks of Existence he defined annica which is the impermanence part

i. Impermanence

ii. Suffering

iii. The absence of a permanent identity

b. All things are completely impermanent, even down to the forms of atoms, so we cannot have a permanent self

6. Biggest problem with “do humans survive humanly death”

a. People live on indirectly through their actions with karma

b. Non definable, almost like legacy

c. You always exist in the impermanent and permanent world

Baha'i Final

Part I

The human condition in Baha’i is that humans are born without sin, but occur it over time, which distances the soul from God. Humans have the power of free will and can use it to become closer to God through forms of worship. The soul is the animator of the physical body, which dies at death while the soul continues on into the afterlife with God.

The goal of Baha’i is to unite the world with peace. Another goal is to achieve peace and happiness in heaven with God in the afterlife. The goal of global oneness is the most important, and Baha’i is one of the only faiths where contributing toward unity and oneness in the community or globe is a religious obligation.

The way to get to these places is through worship. The forms of worship that are influential to the Baha’i people are prayer, meditation, and service. The prayer is directed toward God, the meditation is to reflect on daily deeds and actions, to try to improve one’s actions for the next day, and the service is directed toward those less fortunate than another. The service is the most important because of the faith’s desire for global unity, which starts in communal unity.

Part II

1.) Key Concepts

· Worship – Baha’is worship in the form of Prayer, Meditation, and volunteered service to those less fortunate. This is important to Baha’i’s because it is one of the only religions that has service toward others as a form of worship.

· Prayer – Baha’is pray to God. This is the same God Muslims, Christians, and Jews pray to, the one and only, all powerful God

· Meditation – Each individual is free to choose their own form of meditation, but the main message Bahá'u'lláh wanted to relay was to reflect on daily life and the deeds from each day.

· Service – Giving one’s self and one’s time to others is the most important form of worship other than prayer and meditation. Volunteering one’s time and self is giving those who have less than the volunteer, and creating a stronger community.

· Bahá'u'lláh – Bahá'u'lláh is the founder of the Baha’i faith and is supposed to be another of the prophets from the same god as Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Mohammed, Zoroaster, etc…

· Unity and Community – The community is a very important part of the faith, because Bahá'u'lláh’s vision is to unify the world.

· God – God is the omnipotent creator of the world, and everything we know. He is the Baha’i’s only deity, and all prayers, meditation, and services are for a person’s proximity to God.

· Heaven and Hell – Heaven and Hell are nearly the same as they are in the other monotheistic religions, in that Hell is complete suffering and Heaven is complete joy and happiness.

2.) Rituals:

Because one of the main ideas in Baha’i is to spiritually progress toward god, prayer and meditation are very important rituals in the religion. Bahá'u'lláh wrote many prayers for general use of the people of Baha’i for healing, spiritual growth, forgiveness, upcoming difficulties, and so on. Bahá'u'lláh also encouraged meditation to try to understand life’s mysteries and to reflect upon each day.

Another Ritual associated with becoming closer to god is volunteering within the community and having unifying social interactions. Bahá'u'lláh stated that it is time for the unification of the world and when one practices unifying communities it is a sign of devotion and helps in gaining proximity of the soul toward god.

3.) Sacred Text

- The most important text in the Baha’i faith is the Kitab-i-Aqbas. It is the most important because it is said to be the “Charter of the future world and civilization” and because it outlines religious practices, laws, personal status, social principles, and prophecies. The link between Bahá'u'lláh and the text is that Bahá'u'lláh wrote all of the Kitab-i-Aqubas, and while it may say something in a different way in another language, the meaning of the text is the same everywhere.

“THE time fore-ordained unto the peoples and kindreds of the earth is now come. The promises of God, as recorded in the holy Scriptures, have all been fulfilled. Out of Zion hath gone forth the Law of God, and Jerusalem, and the hills and land thereof, are filled with the glory of His Revelation.”(unsure of text taken from) This quote illustrates that Bahá'u'lláh is another prophet from the one God of the monotheistic religions, and that this new revelation is God’s newest order for human salvation.

“God grant that the light of unity may envelop the whole earth, and that the seal, "the Kingdom is God's", may be stamped upon the brow of all its peoples.” (From the Promise of All Ages) This quote is hugely important in Baha’i because a major part of the religion is unity of the community and the world. This quote shows the hope for unity and oneness.

“Through each and every one of the verses which the Pen of the Most High hath revealed, the doors of love and unity have been unlocked and flung open to the face of men.” (From the Promise of All Ages) This quote also illustrates the importance of unity within the Baha’i faith and that it is the next step for humanity to take according to Bahá'u'lláh’s word.

4.) Doctrine and Beliefs

There are a few key doctrines, but the one that sets Baha’i different from other religions is their importance on service toward others. A form of worship for Baha’is is volunteer work and service to those less fortunate. This service forms strong communities and social bonds within communities, which is the first step toward global unification. It also strengthens a person’s soul’s proximity to God. This can also be taught as a ritual of worship to God in that it is almost a requirement of the faith.

The cosmogony and cosmology in Baha’i are the same as the other major monotheistic religions, in that they believe in the earlier prophets and earlier teachings to an extent. They believe that all of the prophets before Bahá'u'lláh were from the same God and signaled a changing time in the world’s development, so the story of creation still remains in tact.

The eschatology in Baha’i is near the same as it is in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, in that a person’s soul joins with God in heaven upon their death. People can and usually do end up in the middle of Heaven and Hell because their life on earth wasn’t completely perfect and their effort in gaining proximity with God could’ve always been more. Baha’is don’t believe that a person’s afterlife is either filled with suffering and pain or happiness and joy, but rather can contain any amount of the combination because of their deeds in the mortal life.

5.) Religious Experience

Meditation and Prayer are means to becoming closer with God. The human life is considered to be a preparation for the coming life with god, almost like a baby growing in the womb. A person’s actions impact their proximity to god, and their relative joy in the afterlife. This is why being close to god is important to Baha’is, and ensuring their afterlife is filled with happiness.

The individual experience in the Baha’i faith is one of social improvement, which also leads to a betterment of the society and closeness to God. People are encouraged to do community service and volunteer work as another way to gain proximity to God along with meditation and prayer. This translates directly into the community because the community experience is much the same as the individual’s. Communities are united in that everyone is working toward a global unity, and that begins with creating a strong knit community within their own area.

6.) Ethics and Moral Conduct

The core ethical teachings of the Baha’i faith are almost the same as the second half of the Ten Commandments. This is because most of the moral conduct is on the guidelines of achieving social unity, and the only way to accomplish this is through respect toward one another. This is also significant to the people of the Baha’i faith because creating social unity is another way to get closer to god, and improve your spiritual status. Another part of the religious experience is that the believers don’t use any foreign intoxicants like alcohol or drugs. This is because the people are not supposed to be self indulgent, and intoxicants pollute the soul, which in turn distances one’s soul from god.

Buddhism Vocab

Camille & Patrick

Dukkha/ dukha (suffering)

Birth, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief & despair are all dukkha. Not getting what one wants, and leaving loved ones are both dukkha.

Tanha/ Trishna (craving)

Suffering is a result of craving, Tanha/ Trishna. There are three basic forms of Tanha; these include lusty craving, craving to live, and the death wish.

Anicca/ Anitya (change)

Is the concept of impermanence; the non-lasting nature of the world.

Anatta/Anatman (lack of permanent self)

Anatta is the absence of a soul. The Anatta doctrine encourages for Buddhists to detach themselves from “his or her self”.

Nirvana/ Nibbana (enlightenment)

Is a state attained from the complete liberation from dukkha, suffering.

Arhat/ Arahant (enlightened person)

Signifies a spiritual practitioner who has who has realized certain high stages of attainment.

Samsara (cycle of life)

Is the cycle of birth, life and death that continues until enlightenment is achieved.

Kamma/ Karma (action leading to a state of rebirth)

Are the actions that and individual does, which determines their state of rebirth. If the individual’s karma/ kamma is good then they can escape samsara or are reborn into a higher state of life.

Buddha (enlightened or awakened one)

This means “one who is awake” in the sense of having “woken up to reality.” This title was first given to a man named Siddartha Gautama, who lived 2,500 years ago in northern India.

Bodhissata/ Bodhisattva (an enlightened one who strives for the enlightenment of others)

It is anyone who, motivated by great compassion, attains enlightenment, and strives to help others attain enlightenment as well.

Sangha (community)

A community with similar goals, which often times are monks.

Dhamma/ Dharma (teachings of Buddha)

These are teachings and doctrines of Buddha that describe why the world is the way it with life lessons.

Bhavana (mental discipline or meditation/formal training)

“spiritual cultivation” / “development of body and mind”

Karuna (compassion)

Active sympathy, gentle affection and a willingness to bear the pain of others.

Maya

Maya, in Sanskrit, means illusion or enchantment, but the mother of Siddhartha Gautama was also named Maya.

Upaya

Upaya refers to something, which brings one up. It is often used with cleverness to infer skill in means and to encourage practicing Buddhists to find their own way to reach enlightenment.

Lama

This is the title of a teacher of the dharma. It is similar in meaning to guru. It can also be used as monk, nun, a symbol of high achievement, or in titles to show lineages.

Mudras

Mudras are symbolic gestures used in practice to evoke particular ideas or buddhas in the mind during meditation.

The Three Jewls

The three jewels are taking refuge in the Buddha, Refuge in the Dharma, and refuge in the Sangha

Theravada

Theravada is translated as the “way of the elders”, or “doctrine of the elders” and is considered to be the oldest surviving method of the Buddha’s teachings.

Mahayana

This can be translated to “the Great Vehicle” because it is more easily accessible for the general public rather than to just monks and ascetics.

Mandala

In Sanskrit, Mandala means circle and in Buddhism and Hinduism the sacred art usually takes the form of a circle. They are used to represent the universe and can be made with colored rice, colored sand, stone, metal, or painted.

Eightfold Path

The Eightfold Path is the path or the steps one must participate in to reach enlightenment and end suffering. It is the practical guideline to ethical and moral development with the goal of freeing oneself from the attachments of the physical world.

- Prajna is wisdom in Buddhism and is a step toward achieving enlightenment

- Sila is the moral and ethical conduct in buddhism and is heavily influenced in the five precepts and in the step of Right Action.

- Samadhi is concentration or composing of the mind and refers mostly to meditation and.

Four Noble Truths

These are the fundamental teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. They taught that life is suffering, suffering is caused by “desire”, there is a way to end the suffering, and to follow the eightfold path.

- Dukkha is suffering in sanskrit and life is suffering to Buddhists

- Tanha is what causes Dukkha and is desire or craving

Five Precepts

The Five Precepts make up the general code of ethics in Buddhism that are undertaken by everyday followers. They are much like the Ten Commandments but these encourage in abstaining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxication. They are not imperative but more guidelines.

Skandhas

The Skandhas are the five elements that summarize and individual’s existence. These are matter or body, sensations or feelings, senses or perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness or awareness.

Trikaya

The Trikaya is a dctrine teaching of the three bodies of the Buddha. These bodies are the created body, the body of mutual enjoyment, and the body of truth.

Tripitaka

The Tripitaka is also known as the Pali Canon and is a collection of texts from the doctrinal foundation of Theravada Buddhism. It is divided into three parts – the Vinaya Pitaka which concerns governing of daily affairs – the Sutta Pitaka which is the set of discourses attributed to the Buddha and his followers and containing the central most teachings of Buddhism – The Abhidhamma Pitaka which highlights the underlying principles presented in the Sutta Pitaka.

Part I Buddhism Packet

Buddhism General Overview

Buddhists follow the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama – the enlightened one. When he became enlightened he was saved from Samsara. Buddhists follow the four main truths – life is suffering, suffering is caused by desire for personal gain, the suffering can be ended, follow the eightfold path. The Eightfold Path mentioned is right understanding, speech, thought, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and right concentration. Buddhists samsara is reliant on karma for guidance in reincarnation, but there is no ataman or soul. Buddhists are encouraged to work out their own salvation without relying on gods.

The Three main parts of Buddhism are the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and the Three Jewels

The Life of Buddha

The most important elements in the Buddha’s life were

- His seeing of the old man, the sick man, the dead man, and the holy man.

- His decision to become an ascetic

- His attaining of enlightenment under the Bodhi tree

- Teaching his ideas on reaching enlightenment and the possibility of it for everyone.

The Buddha Image

Early Buddhist art Buddha was not depicted, but represented with symbols, like the dharma wheel or his footprints. Buddha is depicted today in many different styles from all over the world. He can be represented sitting in meditation or standing, with a halo showing his enlightenment, or with Greek Influences in his Meditation throne, and many other ways.

The picture gives Buddha the hair of an ascetic showing his journey as a holy man. He is sitting on a meditation throne which was used in early Buddhist art to show his presence. He Is sitting in the meditation posture to encourage the meditation in his teachings. The Buddha’s hands are in a posture near to the wheel turning posture because they are often represented with a hand posture.

Stupas, Temples and Relics

Buddhist Stupas are ancient burial mounds containing relics of kings and heros or even of the Buddha. They are often adorned with stone carvings and scenes depicting the life of Buddha. They are used as a showing of devotion.

The main features of a Stupa are the depictions of Buddha’s life, showing his achievement enlightenment, the celestial spirits bearing offerings to the Buddha, the wheel of Law which represents the wheel of life, samsara, and Karma, the Stupa Gates, The Buddha to be represented as a fear-banishing gesture, and stone lions guarding the entrance to the stupa.

Devotion

Buddhists are not just personally focused; there is a greater sense of a religious collective. People make pilgrimages to places made holy in the Buddha’s life to gain merit and insight. Many people give offerings of food, clothing, or lodging. There are also many services and rites performed.

One Act preformed is that of the pure land sect in Japan. Young Priests attend a mandatory head shaving ceremony, which is a symbol of giving up everything within personal desire. They even must give up the desire to become enlightened to achieve enlightenment.

Cosmology

Buddhists share the same general understanding of the cosmos as the other Indian religions. There are many different realms things are born and reborn into in as a place to seek enlightenment.

Mandalas are the sacred representation of the cosmos and representations of certain worlds usually associated with a God. These can be made with colored sand, carved in stone or painted. They are supposed to represent the macroism of the cosmos and the practitioner’s psychic energy.

The four most important parts of the wheel of life are the four traumas of life; Birth, Sickness, Aging, and Death. These are the most important because they happen to everyone without exception and are inescapable.

Summary Paragraphs

Achieving Salvation:

The goal in Hinduism is to achieve moksh. Moksha is liberation from the cycle of reincarnation and rebirth, called samsara. This is achieved by developing the ability to see past maya, which is the illusion of the physical world. Upon achieving moksha, and dying, the ataman of a person is reunited with the Supreme Being and is no longer subject to samsara.

Important figures / deities and/or Concept of God(s):

The Hindus have many concepts of God, and each sect of Hinduism concentrates on a different representation of the Supreme Being in the form of the main gods like Krishna, Vishnu, and Shiva. The Goal of Hinduism is to have each ataman reconnect with the Supreme Being. This is done with the help of the sacred texts and the Gurus. Gurus are people who have achieved a close proximity to the Supreme Being through an entire lifetime of focused worship. Other tools to aide in the search for moksha, are the yogas. There are four yogas which each focus on an aspect of life and possible ways to achieve moksha.

Goal for Humans:

The goal for Humans in Hinduism is to be released from Samsara, which is the eternal cycle of reincarnation and rebirth. The release or liberation from this cycle is called moksha. Moksha is achieved by overcoming the desires of the physical world and seeing through the illusion of the physical world, which is called maya. Hindus believe to do this a person must respect and abide by the law of Karma.

Sacred Texts / Doctrines

Possible Vocab to use: Shruti, Smirti, Upanishads, Varna

The Hindus have the one of the largest collections of holy texts of any religions. One of their most important texts is the Vedas. The Vedas are the basics of Hinduism and are the foundations for the rest of the religion. The Hindus have two types of religious text. One that has been remembered, which is a Smriti, and that which has been heard, which is Shruti. These tell different things about the religion and both are essential to the worship and following of the religion.