World Religions

Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, was born in Nepal in about 563 B.C.E. He was the son of a king. When Siddhartha was born, his father was told that the boy had two possible futures. He would be either a great king or a great spiritual leader.

Siddhartha’s father wanted him to be a king. He gave Siddhartha every luxury and kept him from any sadness. Then a series of carriage rides changed Siddhartha’s life. On the first ride, he saw an old person for the first time. He had not known that old age existed. On the next ride, he saw a sick person. He became aware of sickness and disease. Next he saw a corpse, and became aware of death. Finally he saw a holy man who had given up the world for the sake of spiritual things. Siddhartha decided that he too would give up the life he knew in order to seek spiritual fulfillment.

Why do you think that seeing old age, sickness, and death prompted Siddhartha to leave his life as a prince?

Siddhartha Gautama was raised as a prince. Then a series of carriage rides changed his life. He left his home to search for spiritual fulfillment. He eventually found enlightenment, becoming the Buddha, the Awakened One, and the founder of Buddhism.

Think of an event or experience that changed your world. (It doesn’t need to be as complete or as sudden as the change Siddhartha experienced.) Describe the experience and how it affected you.

After his enlightenment, the Buddha passed a man on the road.

This man saw that the Buddha was different from other men.
He asked the Buddha “Are you a god?”
The Buddha replied “No.”
The man continued, “Then are you a magician or a wizard?”
“No.”
“Are you a man?”
“No.”
“Then what are you?” said the man.
The Buddha answered, “I am awake.”
Thus he was given his name. Buddha means “The awakened One.”

What do you think the Buddha meant by this answer?

The Buddha is the founder of Buddhism. He said:

Do not accept anything on mere hearsay (i.e., thinking that thus have we heard it from a long time). Do not accept by mere tradition (i.e., thinking that it has thus been handed down through many generations). Do not accept anything on account of rumors (i.e., by believing what others say without any investigation). Do not accept anything just because it accords with your scriptures. Do not accept anything by mere supposition. Do not accept anything by mere inference. Do not accept anything merely considering their appearances. Do not accept anything merely because it agrees to your preconceived notions. Do not accept anything merely because it seems acceptable (i.e., should be accepted). Do not accept anything thinking that the ascetic is respected by us (and therefore it is right to accept his word).

What do you think the Buddha meant by this?

When Siddhartha became fully enlightened, he realized that people are not really separate from each other; we are all interconnected. He also realized that nothing in life is permanent; things change. Suffering is always a part of life, but there is a path that leads away from suffering.

In Buddhism, enlightenment means reaching a state beyond desire and suffering. But the word also has other meanings. Write about the meanings of the word enlightenment.

People who listen and accept the teachings of the Buddha are said to “take refuge.” This means they go to the Buddha (the Enlightened One), dharma (the teachings of Buddha), and the sangha (those who follow the Buddha) for protection.

There are many challenges in life. What do you need refuge from? To whom or what do you go for protection?

The Four Noble Truths are central to Buddhism. These truths were taught by the Buddha shortly after he became enlightened.

The First Noble Truth is that life is frustrating and full of suffering, or dukkha.

The Second Noble Truth is that suffering is caused by tanha, the desire for private fulfillment.

The Third Noble Truth is that suffering can come to an end. If suffering is caused by selfish desire, it can be cured by overcoming desire.

The Fourth Noble Truth is that there is a path that leads away from suffering, the Eightfold Path. This path consists of eight practices that the Buddha believed would lead to enlightenment.

How could these four ideas form the core of a way of life?

The Buddha devised the Eightfold Path to help others free themselves from suffering. The path calls for eight practices: Right Views, Right Intent, Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Work ,Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration.

Think about what each of these practices might mean. How could they be applied? Choose one practice and explain how you could apply it in your life.

The first step on the Eightfold Path of Buddhism is called Right Views. This step means that you see clearly what is wrong with life.

It also means that you understand the Four Noble Truths: we suffer by grasping at things we do not need and running from things that we need not fear, but we can be freed from suffering if we follow the Eightfold Path.

Write about you grasping at things you do not need and things you fear for no reason.

The second step on the Eightfold Path of Buddhism is called Right Intent.

This has to do with willingness. It is not enough to understand the Four Noble Truths. We must be willing to base our actions on them. Sometimes we know something is good for us but we don’t do it, or we continue to do something we know is bad for us.

We all have things we know we should be doing, but we don’t do. They can be small things, like taking vitamins. They can be big things, like preparing ourselves for life after school.

Write about something you know you should be doing, but don’t do and why you don’t do it

The third step on the Eightfold Path of Buddhism is called Right Speech. According to Buddhism, we are not aware of our own speech, but the way we speak can affect our behaviour.

Buddhism, asks people to avoid lies, slander, harsh words, and frivolous speech.

What effect do these things have on other people? Write of a time when you heard someone lying or using harsh words. How did it affect you?

Right Conduct is the fourth step on the Eightfold Path of Buddhism. It asks people not to kill, steal, or commit sexual misconduct.

According to Buddhists, every action creates karma. Karmas are like seeds; a small action will grow into something large. If that action is bad, the result will be bad. It is important, therefore, to avoid bad actions.

Have you ever seen or read about someone who acted in a bad way and had it lead to a bad result? Could the bad action have been avoided? Describe what happened.

Right Work is the fifth step on the Eightfold Path of Buddhism. This step encourages people to earn a living from a morally sound job. The way you make a living should not conflict with your spiritual progress.

What kinds of jobs do you think would conflict with spiritual progress? Why? What jobs would fit in with making spiritual progress? Why? List as many of both as you can.

Right Effort is the sixth step on the Eightfold Path of Buddhism. Right Effort means applying yourself diligently in everything you do.

Sometimes we perform tasks halfheartedly because we don’t like them or we’re in a hurry. Right Effort asks people to give every action their full attention and effort.

To what do you apply yourself fully? Why do these things receive your complete attention and effort?

Right Mindfulness is the seventh step on the Eightfold Path. According to Buddhism, the mind is very powerful. It can affect every part of our lives. However, most of us pass the day in an unmindful state. We are not aware of what we do or of what happens around us.

Spend a few minutes practicing mindfulness. Look around you. Write down everything you see. Listen closely. What sounds can you distinguish? Write them down. Now listen to yourself. What thoughts pass through your head? Write them down.

The final step of the Eightfold Path of Buddhism is Right Concentration. Have you ever looked through an unfocused camera or microscope? Everything is blurred.

Focusing the lens makes a difference in what can be seen; the image becomes sharp and clear. This is similar to the difference Right Concentration can make. It helps you to see things as they really are, instead of a blurred version.

Most of us find it easy to focus on some things, but hard to focus on others. Still, we can practice focusing so that it becomes easier.

What are you able to focus on easily? What things are harder for you to focus on? List them. Why do you think it is harder for you to focus on some things more than others? What can you do to change this?

The Buddha stressed the importance of right association. He said that people cannot find the truth unless the people they spend time with also seek the truth.

Think of a situation where a person’s decisions are affected by the people around them. Describe a real or made up situation.

The Buddha died in about 483 B.C.E. He had gone from a prince to an ascetic, from a wealthy man to a nomadic beggar. For more than fifty years he wandered India, teaching others about enlightenment.

Imagine that you are a newspaper columnist. Write an obituary for the Buddha as if for a modern newspaper.

Include as much information as you can about the people who were important in his life and the events that shaped his life and beliefs.

Scholar Huston Smith has identified six common aspects of traditional religion.

They are authority, ritual, speculation (answers to questions like “Why are we here?”), tradition, grace, and mystery. But these aspects are not found in Buddhism.

Imagine a conversation between the Buddha and a student, where the Buddha is asked about one of these aspects or religion. What do you think the Buddha would have said?

Write a short dialogue to show the conversation.

The oldest printed book in the world was printed in China around 868 C.E. It is a copy of the Diamond Sutra, one of the teachings of the Buddha. The sutra ends with these lines:

Think of this fleeting world
As a star at dawn, a bubble in a stream;
A flash of lightning in a summer cloud,
A flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream.

What do you think the Buddha meant by this?

According to Buddhism, things don’t have an essence that defines them. This idea is called sunyata, or emptiness. For example, you know what a car is, but is it always a car? When it is being assembled in the factory, at what point does it stop being a set of parts and become a car? One answer is that it becomes a car when it can fulfill the function of a car – that is, when it can be driven. But does that mean it stops being a car if it won’t start? What if the car’s wheels were stolen; would it still be a car? What is the essence of this thing we call “car”?

Another aspect of this idea is that things aren’t inherently either good or bad. Things may seem good or bad depending on the context, but nothing is good or bad in its essence.

Write of something you usually consider either good or bad. Then try to think of contexts where it might seem different – when something you think of as good seems bad, or vice versa.

Buddhism often uses stories to present ideas. Here is a Buddhist story.

One day a farmer’s only horse disappeared. His neighbours all came to commiserate with him on his bad luck. But the farmer just said, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”

A week or so later, the farmer’s horse returned, accompanied by two wild horses. His neighbours all came by to congratulate him on his good luck. But the farmer just said, “Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?”

The farmer’s son decided to break the wild horses so they could be ridden. One of the horses threw him and broke his leg. The neighbours cam by to console the farmer for this stroke of bad luck. But the farmer just said, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”

A few days later, the king’s army came to the village. They took all the able-bodied young men to fight in a war. They left the farmer’s son because he had a broken leg. The nghbours all came by to congratulate the farmer on his good luck. But the farmer just said, “Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?”

Write what idea you think the story is trying to present.

Buddhism often uses stories to present ideas. Here is a Buddhist story.

One day while walking in the wilderness, a man came upon a vicious tiger. He fled, running through the trees, looking back over his shoulder to see if the tiger was gaining on him.

Unfortunately, this meant he didn’t watch where he was going, and he tumbled headlong over a cliff. He scrambled desperately to save himself and managed to grab a vine that hung over the cliff. For a few moments he dangled there, savouring his amazing escape from certain death.

Then he looked up. Two mice were perched on the cliff edge, gnawing on his vine with their sharp little teeth.

As he looked up, the man glimpsed something else. A strawberry plant was growing from the cliff face, with one plump, ripe strawberry. The man reached up and plucked the strawberry. It was incredibly delicious!

What idea do you think the story is trying to present?

Buddhism often uses stories to present ideas. Here is a Buddhist story.

An old lady had two daughters. One was married to an umbrella seller. The other was married to a noodle seller.

On sunny days, the woman worried about her first daughter, thinking that nobody would buy any umbrellas, and her son-in-law’s business would be hurt.

On rainy days, she worried about her second daughter, as her son-in-law couldn’t dry noodles without the sun. As a result, the old lady lived in sorrow, grieving for her daughters.

One day she met a monk who asked her why she seemed so grief-stricken. She told him about her worries. The monk smiled and said, “I will show you a way to happiness. On sunny days, think of the younger daughter’s husband making plenty of noodles and doing good business. On rainy days, think of the older daughter’s husband. With the rain, people will be buying umbrellas, and the business will prosper.”

The woman did as the monk told her. From then on she was happy every day.

What idea do you think the story is trying to present?

The law of karma is part of Buddhist teaching. The law of karma involves cause and effect.

It says that every event causes another event. The second event can be pleasant or unpleasant, depending on whether the first event was prompted by self-interested cravings or by pure motivations.

The second event can be so far separated from the first one that they don’t seem to be connected, but the connection is still there.

If our actions come from pure motivations, then the results will be positive, leading us to keep acting in positive ways.

If we are motivated by negative feelings, then the results of our actions will also be negative. And the effects of negative feelings can be cumulative. When bad things happen to us, we tend to respond negatively. This can lead to a vicious circle of negative actions and negative results.

Think of something negative that has happened to you. Then think of how you reacted to it. If you reacted negatively, did that negative reaction also affect the way you saw other things? If you reacted positively, did that positive reaction affect your outlook in positive ways?

Describe the event, your reaction, and how your reaction affected you.

In Buddhism, people can attain enlightenment in many ways. They can also do different things once they are enlightened. One choice is to enter nirvana, where all suffering ends. A person who choose this is called an arhat.

A second choice is to stay in the world to help others find enlightenment. A person who chooses this is called a bodhisattva.

The difference between them is explained in a story.

Two men were wandering in the desert when they came to a compound, surrounded by a high wall. The first man climbed the wall. Giving a cry of delight, he leaped down on the other side.

The second man also climbed the wall. At the top, he saw that the walls surrounded a beautiful oasis with springs and gardens. He wanted to enter the garden. But he thought about all the other people who were wandering in the desert. Instead of entering the oasis he returned to the desert, determined to help other wanderers find the oasis.

One of these men was an arhat, and one was a bodhisattva. Which was which?

A bodhisattva is a person who has achieved enlightenment and is dedicated to helping other people escape from suffering. Some teachers suggest that non-Buddhists might be bodhisattvas.

Can you think of anyone (either from history or the present day) who fits the description of a bodhisattva? Name as many people as you can.

In Buddhism, a bodhisattva struggles to achieve ten perfections. Only when these have been achieved can the bodhisattva become a Buddha.

The ten perfections are charity, right conduct, dispassionateness, wisdom, steadfastness, forbearance, truthfulness, determination, loving compassion, nonattachability.

Think about the ten perfections. How do you think they can be achieved? Choose one perfection. Describe how a person could achieve it.

Do you remember learning how to read? Most people are taught the letters of the alphabet and are told that these letters can form sounds. But this is a new way of thinking, and it takes time to adjust to it. For most people, the next step, recognizing words and sounds, is a breakthrough. Suddenly, the marks on the page make sense. They can read.

According to Zen Buddhism, enlightenment also calls for a new way of thinking. We are used to solving problems using reason. But enlightenment isn’t reasonable. So Zen uses unreasonable ways of teaching to help students reach enlightenment.

One unreasonable teaching method is the use of koans. These are problems, but problems that rational thinking can’t solve. In order to find an answer to a koan, the student must think in a different way. One koan asks, “What was the appearance of your face before your ancestors were born?”

How do you think it would feel to be given problems like this one to solve? Try to imagine your reaction to solving koans. Describe your reaction.

Tibetan Buddhists have a visualization practice called tonglen. This is a way of awakening the compassion that lies within all people, as well as a way of overcoming the fear of suffering.

Try practicing tonglen yourself. Think of a person with a specific problem like sickness, greed, or meanness. Try to pick a person you don’t especially like. Close your eyes. Imagine that you are lifting this problem out of his or her body and taking it into your own body, where it is destroyed.

How did your attempt at tonglen feel? Do you think that practicing it often would change your attitude to the person you chose? Explain.