Who is my Neighbor?

A study of world

religions

October 24, 2012

First Baptist Church of Pittsburgh

Week 2: What is a Cult? OCT. 10 - Megan• Scholarly vs. Popular Definition • Common Traits • Examples 

Week 3: Hinduism Brief History OCT. 17 – Megan (Kittie will contribute TM materials)• Vedas• Shaivas, Vaishnavas, Goddess followers• Beliefs & Practice

Week 4: Buddhism OCT 24 – Megan• Brief History • Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana • 4 Truths, Eight-fold Path • Mahayana Sects (Zen/Chan, Pure Land, etc.) • Beliefs & Practice

Week 5: "Minor" Religions OCT. 31 - Megan• Zoroastrianism • Sikhism • Jainism• Taoism• Shinto

Week 6: Judaism NOV. 7 – Kittie• Brief history• Ancient vs. Modern• Orthodox vs. Reformed• Beliefs and Practices

Week 7: Christianity NOV. 14 - Kittie • Brief History • Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Other • Beliefs & Practice 

 NOV 21 – NO CLASS, BREAK FOR THANKSGIVING 

Week 8: Islam NOV. 28 - Kittie• Brief History• Four pillars• Shiite vs. Sunni• Sufism

Week 9: New Religions (post 1800) DEC. 5 - Kittie• Mormonism • Jehovah's Witnesses • Scientology • Neo-Paganism/Wicca • Various New Asian Religions

Week 10: Overview/Summary: What Does All This Mean for Christians?

Buddhism is the 4th largest religion in the world.

Estimated number of Buddhists range from 250-500 million members.

There are three main branches of Buddhism: Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana.There are a number of different sects in each

of the three branches.There are approximately 1.2 million

Buddhists in the United States.

Introduction

There are about a dozen different Buddhist groups in Pittsburgh.Most are Tibetan Buddhist (Vajrayana) or Soto

Zen (a Japanese Mahayana sect).There is also one Theravada temple, the

Pittsburgh Buddhist Center (below).

Buddhists in Pittsburgh

From the Buddha to the present

A Brief History of Buddhism

Born as Siddhartha Gautama c. 563 BCE in what is now Nepal

Various legends about his birthProphecy by a sage that he

would either become a great king or a holy man, so his father kept him in the palace to ensure he would become a king. Eventually he got out of the palace and saw four things: an old man, a sick man, a dead man, and a holy man.

The Life of the Buddha

At first, Siddhartha followed stringent asceticism, but did not get anything out of it.

After this, he dedicated himself to meditation, sat beneath a fig tree and vowed not to get up until he reached enlightenment.

After reaching enlightenment, he began teaching others. His first sermon was given at a deer park.

The Life of the Buddha

Died/reached parinirvana at the age of 80, after eating some mushrooms prepared for him by a lay devotee

The Death of the Buddha

After the death of the Buddha, his followers gathered to preserve his teachings.

These teachings were passed down orally until they were written down during the Fourth Buddhist Council in 29 BCE.Sri Lanka had been hit with famine, and they

had realized the need to write down the dharma in case the monks who knew it died.

The writings became the Tripitaka (lit. ‘three baskets’, aka the Pali Canon).

Preservation of Buddhism

King Ashoka (273-232 BCE) experienced terrible regret over his bloody conquest of the kingdom of Kalinga, and converted to Buddhism.

He erected pillars expounding the dharma all over his kingdom and built stupas containing relics of the Buddha all over India.

He sent the first missionaries outside India to Sri Lanka and possibly the Mediterranean.

Transmission of Buddhism

From Sri Lanka, Buddhism spread to Burma and Thailand.

By the first century CE, Mahayana Buddhism had been developed and spread from India to Southeast Asia, and to China, Korea, and Japan.

In the modern day, Buddhism has spread from East Asia throughout the world, both by emigration and proselytization.

Transmission of Buddhism

Bodhi, dharma, and nirvana

Buddhist terms and concepts

Buddhists believe in an eternal universeBuddhism is non-theistic: it does not have a

creator godFor these reasons, Buddhism often identifies

itself as science-friendly, because it has no theological qualms with evolution

Conceive of time as cyclical – following the emergence of a buddha, there is a time of great time of the dharma flourishing, followed by a time of the dharma in decline, followed by a long period of time when the dharma is lost, at which point a new buddha emerges.

Buddhist Conception of the Universe

Anatman – lit. ‘no soul’, contrary to Hinduism, Buddhists do not believe in a soul which is reborn.

Arhat – a living person who has achieved enlightenment.

Bodhi – enlightenmentDharma – right doctrineLama – a Tibetan teacher/master equivalent

to ‘guru’Mantra – a chant used to help one attain

enlightenmenti.e. Om mani padme hum

Buddhist Terms

Mudra – a hand gesture held in meditation; the Buddha is often depicted with different mudras which have specific meanings

Nirvana – lit. ‘to extinguish’, achieving final enlightenment and exiting samsara

Prajna – wisdomSangha – a community of Buddhist monks and

practitionersSutra – a Buddhist scripture

Buddhist Terms

Theravada, Vajrayana, and Mahayana

Major Types of Buddhism

Holds the Tripitaka as authoritative

Emphasizes monasticism for reaching nirvana

Predominant in Sri Lanka and southeast Asia

Monastic practice includes meditation

Lay practice focuses on ‘merit making’: preparing food for the monks, donating to temples, burning incense to the Buddha, and chanting verses from the Pali Canon

Theravada

Means ‘Lightning Vehicle’Scriptures are called ‘tantras’Dates to the 7th or 8th century CEDominant in Tibet and MongoliaGoal is to become a Bodhisattva,

akin to a Christian saint, one who is moved by compassion for all sentient beings to attain Buddhahood.

Esoteric teachings are passed down from teacher to student

Vajrayana

A ‘tulku’ is a high-raking lama who can determine the manner of his next rebirthThere are perhaps as many as 500

in TibetThe two most well-known are the

Dalai Lama and the Panchen LamaThe current Dalai Lama is the 14th

After escaping Tibet, he has lived in exile in India

There has been controversy over the succession of the Panchen Lama

Tulkus and Lamas

Means ‘Great Vehicle’Largest school of BuddhismDates to the beginning of the Common EraClaims to be superior to other schools;

accepts parts of the earlier Canon as well as later texts

Does not accept the arhat as the final enlightenmentLeads to Bodhisattva status insteadConsiders seeking attainment as an arhat to be

selfish; one should seek enlightenment for the sake of all sentient being

Mahayana

Known as ‘Chan’ in China, introduced to Japan in the 12th century

Two main sects: Soto and RinzaiSoto emphasizes zazen (seated meditation) onlyRinzai embraces zazen as well as koans and other aids to

achieve enlightenment A koan is a statement which forces one to think and has no

definite answer, i.e.: “What is the sound of one hand clapping?”

Zen

Founded by Shinran in the early 13th century.

Is the largest religious sect in Japan (20% of the population)

Emphasizes faith over works‘Cat faith’ versus ‘monkey faith’

Shinran focused on the ability of lay people to be reborn in Amida’s paradiseMarried and had children

Pure Land (Jodoshinshu)