essay
Ziyi Wu
BuddhistCulture12.pptxBuddhism And Culture
By
Dr. Manakada Kemananda
The Indian Social context by the time of Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, who would one day become known as Buddha ("enlightened one" or "the awakened"), lived in Nepal during the 6th century B.C.
The prince reached his late 20s with little experience of the world outside the walls of his opulent palaces, but one day he ventured out beyond the palace walls and was quickly confronted with the realities of human frailty.
Four Signs
1. a very old man
2. a diseased man
3. a decaying corpse
4. an ascetic
at age 29, he left his kingdom, wife and son to lead an ascetic life, and determine a way to relieve the universal suffering that he now understood to be one of the defining traits of humanity
Rigorous Practice
the next six years, Siddhartha lived an ascetic life and partook in its practices, studying and meditating using the words of various religious teachers as his guide.
He practiced his new way of life with a group of five ascetics, and his dedication to his quest was so stunning that the five ascetics became Siddhartha's followers.
he redoubled his efforts, enduring pain, fasting nearly to starvation, and refusing water.
Middle way
As he accepted it, he suddenly realized that corporeal austerity was not the means to achieve inner liberation, and that living under harsh physical constraints was not helping him achieve spiritual release. So he had his rice, drank water and bathed in the river. The five ascetics decided that Siddhartha had given up the ascetic life and would now follow the ways of the flesh, and they promptly left him. From then on, however, Siddhartha encouraged people to follow a path of balance instead of one characterized by extremism. He called this path the Middle Way.
Enlightenment
Siddhartha sat under the Bodhi tree, vowing to not get up until the truths he sought came to him, and he meditated until the sun came up the next day. He remained there for several days, purifying his mind, seeing his entire life, and previous lives, in his thoughts. During this time, he had to overcome the threats of Mara, an evil demon, who challenged his right to become the Buddha.
soon a picture began to form in his mind of all that occurred in the universe, and Siddhartha finally saw the answer to the questions of suffering that he had been seeking for so many years. In that moment of pure enlightenment, Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha.
New Knowledge
Armed with his new knowledge, the Buddha was initially hesitant to teach, because what he knew could not be communicated to others in words.
In Benares, he came across the five ascetics he had practiced with for so long, who had abandoned him on the eve of his enlightenment. To them and others who had gathered, he preached his first sermon (henceforth known as Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Dharma), in which he explained the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, which became the pillars of Buddhism. The ascetics then became his first disciples and formed the foundation of the Sangha, or community of monks. Women were admitted to the Sangha, and all barriers of class, race, sex and previous background were ignored, with only the desire to reach enlightenment through the banishment of suffering and spiritual emptiness considered
His Mission
of his 80 years, Buddha traveled, preaching the Dharma (the name given to the teachings of the Buddha) in an effort to lead others to and along the path of enlightenment. When he died, it is said that he told his disciples that they should follow no leader but to respect his teaching and disciple rules.
Sixteen kingdoms by the time of Buddha Maha-janapada
Strongest kingdoms
1. Magadha – King Bimbisara and his son Ajatasatthu
2. Kosala – King Kosala
3. Vatsa – King
4. Avanti – king
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDi-R4WVO8Q
Social Classification or Caste System
The Indian Social Structure is called a caste *Caste system started in 1000 BCE or before *The caste was thought as a mirror as the way the world worked *Caste system came before Indian written language *People who are from different caste can't eat together *People who are from different caste can't be friends or can't marry *You were born into the social class *You hardly ever changed castes
Brahmin
Were Priests, Teachers, and Judges Most powerful group Only Brahmin men could go to school or teach in school They lived in temples There were very few people in this group
warriors
Kshatriya Were warriors Women could be in this group but could not be warriors They made very important decisions and ran the government Their decisions could be changed by the Brahmin Were very few people in this group
Vaishya – Traders
Vaishya Were farmers and traders Owned a business or land There was a lot of people in this group
Sudra – Servats
Sudra Were servants Couldn't own a business or land They had to work for other people
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu5lTfmoV50
Religious Background
1. Veda
2. Brahmana
3. Aranyaka
4. Upanishad
Vedic Period
The Vedic era thrived from 1500 BCE to 500 BCE in northern India on both sides of the Indus river. The Indus valley was civilized by the Aryans – the 'noble' ones – who worshipped nature.
In some contexts, the term Veda is used to refer to these Samhitas. This is the oldest layer of Vedic texts, apart from the Rigvedic hymns, which were probably essentially complete by 1200 BC, dating to c. the 12th to 10th centuries BC.
These deities belong to the 3 dimensions of the universe/heavens, the earth, and the intermediate space. Some major deities of the Vedic tradition include Indra, Surya,Agni, Ushas, Vayu, Varuna, Mitra, Aditi, Yama, Soma, Sarasvati, Prithvi, and Rudra
Brahmana
Brahmanism gets its name due to its reverence for the overwhelming power of Brahman and also from the class of priests who commune with Brahma.
Aranyaka Period
Aranyaka comes from the Sanskrit root word, aranya, meaning “forest.” This is because they were intended as texts to be read and studied by ascetics, or rishis, who had retreated to the solitude of the forest to deepen their contemplation and meditative practices.
The Aranyakas are a set of texts that form part of the Vedas, which are ancient Indian and yogic philosophical literature. The Aranyakas explain the philosophy behind the ritual sacrifice sections of the Vedas.
Upanishad Period
The Upanishads are a collection of texts of religious and philosophical nature, written in India probably between c. 800 BCE and c. 500 BCE, during a time when Indian society started to question the traditional Vedic religious order.
A list of 52 Upanishads has been most common. The Muktikā Upanishad's list of 108 Upanishads groups the first 13 as mukhya, 21 as Sāmānya Vedānta, 20 as Sannyāsa, 14 as Vaishnava, 12 as Shaiva, 8 as Shakta, and 20 as Yoga.
Code of Caste and Monastic Varna and Ashrama Dharma
Varna Dharma – Social System
1. Brahmin –Brahmana
2. warriors – Kshatriya
3. Householders – Vaishaya
4. Servants – Sudra
Monastic Code - Ashrama Dharma
An Ashrama in Hinduism is one of four age-based life stages discussed in ancient and medieval era Indian texts
1. Students or studying period- Brahmacari
Householder life – Gruhastha
3. Retired – Vanaprashtha
4. Renunciation - Sannasha
